Cecilia is a young heiress entrusted to three guardians; the spendthrift Mr. Harrell who only cares about keeping up social appearances at parties, the rich miser Mr. Briggs who lives in squalor and won’t give Cecilia a penny of her fortune until she comes of age, and the haughty Mr. Delville who is determined to keep Cecilia away from his handsome son, Mortimer.

After growing up in the country, Cecilia must learn to navigate the demands of London society, and guard her heart against the numerous suitors who are only interested in her vast fortune. She looks forward to the day when she will come of age, and be able to control her finances and living situation by herself. But the moment she is no longer a minor, all her circumstances become even more complicated, and her relationships spiral out of control. Cecilia must rely on her own inner wisdom and her good heart to salvage a happy life from the wreckage of her youth.

I adored this book! The characters are incredibly real and fascinating. The plot is full of astonishing surprises and dramatic turmoil. There is a duel, and a suicide, financial ruin, mystery, betrayal, secrets, madness, grief, and love, and a lot of hilarious humor. I was laughing and crying and gasping in shock!

The writing is intelligent and weaves a complex tapestry of moods and ideas. Once I reached the end, I was interested to look back and recognize several foreshadowing themes and characters that connect in unexpected ways. Many of the ideas are universal subjects that reflect social interactions and anxieties in any century, and are still applicable today. It was strange and funny to see how people never really change, despite the hundreds of years of history.

Cecilia herself is a wonderful main character. I was completely invested in her story, emotionally attached to her, and engaged with every aspect of her life. She is generous to a fault, and that gets her into trouble. She values her honor and integrity more than anything, willing to sacrifice her happiness in order to fulfill her duty. She is sensitive and smart, preferring the quiet of the country to the bustle of the city. She is also trusting and naïve, believing in the wrong people who take advantage of her, but later in the book she learns some wisdom and begins to take charge of her own life. She is resourceful in the face of tragedy, sensible when others are foolish, and forgiving when people hurt her. She suffers so much in all the drama of the book, but remains strong no matter what happens, and finds purpose and comfort in assisting the poor, donating to good causes, and personally connecting with worthy people who are grateful for her help. Oh, I just love her!

The supporting characters, both men and women, are complex and well-developed. They are memorable and unique, with their own style, their own way of talking and looking and moving. The details are what make these characters so special.

One of my favorite scenes was a masquerade event in London where Cecilia tries to guess who the masked people are, and meets some wild characters. Some of the masked revelers are easy to distinguish because their personalities are so vibrant and unique, and others are shrouded in mystery until later chapters when we learn their true identities.
I was intrigued to find that many of the characters reveal their deepest personalities when their identity is safe behind a mask. The masquerade was like seeing all the madness of society without the thin veneer of refinement. Seeing society as it truly is without the restraints.
And we see the characters as they truly are without their masks of politeness, as they wear a physical mask to hide their faces and their identities. The characters are revealed by their behavior when they think no one knows who they are. There are no consequences, because in the morning, no one will know who was who. Brilliant writing!

My one complaint is that many of the plot devices dragged on for too long. It could have been a much shorter book without losing any of the power of the writing. A shorter story would have kept the momentum going much better.

I loved this book, and I can’t wait to read more from Fanny Burney!