Mr. Malcolm's List
by Suzanne Allain
The recap
Regency London. Jeremy Malcolm, second son of the Earl of Kilbourne, is rich, handsome and the most eligible bachelor of the Season, and he is choosing a wife the way other men choose horses: with a list of requirements. When the proud Julia Thistlewaite discovers that she was dropped after a single evening at the opera for failing to meet his standards, she is humiliated and furious. Her revenge needs an accomplice, so she summons her old friend Selina Dalton, a kind, clever vicar's daughter of modest means, to London to pose as the woman who ticks every box on Mr Malcolm's list, then break his heart. Selina reluctantly agrees, but she has principles of her own, and she has not reckoned on Mr Malcolm being far more interesting than his reputation, or on him being just as suspicious of anything that seems too good to be true. Suzanne Allain's comedy of manners is light, witty and full of Austen-style misunderstandings, schemes and second thoughts. It is a sparkling, low-angst treat for anyone who likes their romance with a wink.
Why read it
For readers who love Austen-style comedies of manners and want a light, funny Regency romance with a clever premise.
Fun facts
- 01
Allain first self-published the novel in 2009; Berkley reissued it in 2020 after a short film version drew attention.
- 02
Her own screenplay adaptation was named to the Black List of the best unproduced scripts in 2015.
- 03
Before the feature was financed, director Emma Holly Jones made a short version, released online on Valentine's Day 2019, with Gemma Chan as Julia and Freida Pinto as Selina.
- 04
The 2022 feature film, also directed by Jones from Allain's screenplay, starred Freida Pinto, Sope Dirisu, Zawe Ashton and Theo James.
