Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen

1.5 stars.

Enjoyable, but there wasn't enough action, which is quite the departure for this series. The romance was quite believable, but I don't read for romance.

Well, it is not a typical Vorkosigan novel, there is no Big Crisis of any kind, just a pair of people trying to get on with their lives after losing someone they loved. But I got to finally revisit Codrelia and Sergyar, got to know Oliver Jole and met a bunch of secondary characters I want to know more about.
Definitely book for long-time fans, but there is nothing wrong with that.

It wasn't as action-packed as the previous books and the main conflict in the plot revolved around very minor issues. It was an interesting look into a stage of life, but the book wasn't a page turner.

Always a fan of the Vorkosigan adventures, I dived into this at the first opportunity without doing any prior reading of others reviews or impressions. This story veers away from the adventures of Miles and delves deeper into the later life of Cordelia and, posthumously, Aral.

"Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen" is not an adventure story. Rather, it's a delightful catching up with Cordelia who's mostly appeared as texture in the last dozen books or so. You're reminded what a badass she really is and the sacrifices she's made for Aral and Barraya. It's also an in depth introduction to Oliver Jole, onetime lover and right hand man to Aral. Bujold reveals this romantic relationship between Aral and Oliver, one that exists with the blessing and endorsement of Cordelia. The story picks up 3 years after the end of "Cryoburn" and Aral Vorkosigan's sudden death. It's the story of two dear friends passing through the acute portion of their mutual grief and beginning to form a connection of their own. It's light and lovely and hopefully sets up for future adventures in the Vorkosiganverse.

You'll like this if you are a completist - it's like a nice short visit with friends, no drama, just catching up with things. I'll likely not be buying a copy of this for my own. Glad I read it but generally “meh.”

I've seen several reviews from die-hard Vorkosigan fans crying foul that Lois McMaster Bujold is ret-conning the relationship between Aral and Cordelia and betraying the series' integrity. As a casual reader of the series, I don't have such serious loyalty to Vorkosigan canon. I found this book to be a charming, beautiful reflection on grief, aging, love and parenting. The plot is heavy on relationships and light on swashbuckling action, but it is still filled with trademark Bujold humor and wisdom. And what a pleasure to read about a sexual relationship between two adults of a mature age that isn't played for laughs.

Yes, Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen provides a different perspective on the relationship between Aral and Cordelia that began in Shards of Honor and that may make some readers uncomfortable. But watching Cordelia find happiness again (not to mention having a glimpse of Miles Vorkosigan's bewilderment at being father of six) is a very satisfying experience.

This was heartbreaking. Bujold (understandably) side-stepped Aral's death in the last novel, but here, with the focus on Cordelia, it's unavoidable, but here it, and Cordelia's processing of it, take centre stage. Cordelia and Jole's attempts to rebuild their lives after his death is noble, and challenging, and allows the strength of their characters to be revealed. Some of the revelations, including those that require us to revisit old character relationships, might be a bit shocking to some readers, but they do fit with what our previous understanding of these characters were.

With its smaller scope and the fact that it eschews the action/adventure plotlines Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen works well on its own as a meditation on loss, mourning, and self-discovery, while also fitting perfectly in with the rest of the series in a manner that feels like an epilogue as much as a next chapter.

I was so surprised by some of the character actions on my first reading, that I didn't fully appreciate the book. I knew I'd like this book better on the second reading (which isn't to say that I didn't like it on the first reading, it was just it was more difficult to process).