Georgette Heyer: One of my favorites
Sep. 16th, 2005 10:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieAnyone else on my friends list a fan of Georgette Heyer?
For those who don't know who she is, GH was an English author who wrote largely in the first half of 20th century. Most of her books were set in Georgian and Regency periods. They are lovely comedies of manners, a 20th century version of Jane Austen. The poor woman is responsible for the usually awful Regency Romance genre, but you shouldn't hold it against her, any more than you should blame Tolkien for the abysmal fantasies populating the B&N shelves. Her novels, while usually having some sort of a romance in there, are much more about societal mores and comedies of manners (yes, I used that phrase again). They make me giggle in delight. Her books will not have impassioned declarations in the rain (characters who go in the rain are likely to catch colds, after all), duels to the death (mostly), or sex (kissing is the most you are going to get). What they will have are wonderful characters you fall in love with who are flawed nontheless (and not because their father abused them as a child), great descriptions of period minutia, and an understanding of love (if it enters at all) as based on compatibility and friendship. And they are hilarious.
So, I heartily recommend her. Here (in no order) are my 10 favorites (this is rather expanded from a heyer comm post):
1 Venetia: The first time I read this, I stayed up till 4am because I did not want to put it down. This is one of the most beatiful, natural, romantic books I've read. Venetia Lanyon is managing her brother's estate in Yorkshire in his absence. There is not much to do. At least not until she strikes a friendship with Damerel, a neighboring landowner, with a (deserved) reputation as an unscrupulous womanizer up to his ears in debt. She knows about but is uninterested in his "prowess." She does like the fact that he knows what she is quoting from and shares her sense of the ridiculous. This book has one of the most grown-up approaches to relationships I've read (and descriptions of nature). Venetia is excited because she's found a friend: someone to laugh with. And to me that is what love is really about.
2 Unknown Ajax: This is one of the funniest books I've ever read. The old Earl has finally sent for his heir, an unknown Major named Hugo Darracott. The weekend from hell (but not for the reader) follows, as a whole cast of funny fascinating characters try to intimidate/evaluate/deal with Hugo. Hugo himself is rather amused and unflappable. Hey, after Waterloo this isn't so bad. This is just a perfect perfect book and if I had to marry one of Heyer's characters, it would be undoubtedly be Hugo.
3 Devil's Cub: I want Vidal. Dominic, Marquis of Vidal that is. This is one of her earlier books, and thus much more "romantic." I was in love from the first scene when he shot the highwayman and just left it on the road because what one earth would he do with it? Heyer's heroes might be amoral, or haughty, or bored, but they are never without a sense of humor. Vidal is not a nice person, and not because of a childhood trauma (his parents love each other and him). But boy is he attractive! Plus, he has one quality that Heyer seems to have valued above anything else: honesty.
The plot: Vidal has to leave England for a time because he's killed a man in a duel. Never a man to leave alone, he asks one of the Challoner sisters, the silly beautiful Sophia, to go with him. But, this being Heyer, he takes the wrong sister, the well-bred, strong Mary instead. To say more would be to ruin it, but Dominic/Mary are so my OTP. And not just because in one scene, which is really too good to spoil, Heyer mocks and shatters a romance cliche that drives me mad. This is a sequel to "These Old Shades" (another book on my list) that dealt with Dominic's parents.
4 Friday's Child: probably my very favorite Heyer, this is really a story about a young man's maturity because of being forced to take care of his wife and deal with grown-up responsibilities. Put this way it sounds rather dull, but it's one of the funniest books I've ever read, populated with some amazing characters. There's Ferdy, someone who is a Regency version of Bertie Wooster. There's George Wrotham, a Byronic young man whose friends have gotten used to dealing with high-flown romantic fits and temper. There's the Dowager Countess, a steely hypochondriac. There's Isabella, a beautiful and pragmatic young lady with quite a few eligible suitors who finds herself, surprisingly, attracted to Wrotham. But the real reason I love the book is the protagonists: Anthony Verelst (Sherry) and Hero Wantage (Kitten). I don't know why I love them so. Maybe it's because in any other book, with any other author, they would be background, comic relief, while George and Isabella work their way through their tempestuous courtship. Not all of us are tormented, or intellectual giants, or full of dark past.
This book starts with a marriage, which is unusual even for Heyer. Sherry, who is someone who is not a dummy but not an intellectual, who is good-natured enough but rather thoughtless and a bit selfish, and who is not given to maturity and reflection marries Kitten, who has always hero-worshipped him, on an impulse (he needs his inheritance, long story). If this was a romance, Kitten would silently pine for him and then he would angst for hours. But Kitten is happy, because even his careless kindness is more than she has ever gotten. And Sherry is not given to self-reflection. Nontheless, this book is a sheer delight as Sherry grows up and discovers all sorts of things about himself, including a strong streak of honesty and love for his wife, something Kitten always felt for him. And yet this book is not in the least maudlin or high-flown. Neither turns into a protagonist of a romance, or is "reformed." Anyway, enough about the book. Go read it.
5 Sylvester: Heyer does Pride and Prejudice. Sylvester is the haughty Duke looking for a potential bride. One of the canditates is Phoebe Marlow who has written a Gothic novel (anonymously of course) and has made him the villain. Of course they meet and in the meantime become friends which is a minor problem. This is a funny, light, delightful book that I adore and reread probably the most often of all her books.
6 The Talisman Ring: This is a mystery and an adventure wrapped all in one (and of course is very funny). The whole thing revolves around a talisman ring the presence of which can clear or condemn Ludovic Lavenham, an impetuous young man accused of murder. There's Ludovic himself (who I adore). There's his "sober" cousin Sir Tristram. There's Eustasie de Vauban, Sir Tristram's potential bride who wants a "lover and a house in town" and when Sir Tristram understandably objects to the former says "fine. Can I have a house in town?" There's Sarah, someone who takes Ludovic and Eustasie under her wing, and her brother Sir Hugh, someone who is very found of cards and liquor. It's a priceless book...
7 Faro's Daughter: Heyer does screwball. If it wasn't for their 18th century outfits, Max Ravenscar and Deb Grantham could have been sipping cocktails in one of the 1930s classics. Yet another book that is twice as much fun on rereads, Max wants to buy Deb off from marrying his cousin. She might have no intention of marrying the boy in the first place, but she is annoyed at his assumption she is for sale and decides to teach him a lesson. Soon their "war" escalates and...
Guuuuuh. So good.
8 These Old Shades: This is her second or third period novel, and about as close to high drama as Heyer ever got. It's set in 1750s France and England. The Duke of Avon "picks up" a page named Leon on the streets of Paris. Avon is not NICE. He really is not. He is a dangerous person, and not in a shallow "he will not harm an innocent" way. But Leon is fanatically devoted to him, as Avon pulled him out of the gutter. But it's not really Leon, is it? Of course not, it's Leonie, one of my favorite Heyer heroines ever. Avon wants the page to use him to avenge himself on an old enemy, but something else entirely happens...
This is one of those books that really glows on multiple rereads. Leon starts the book an abject scrap of humanity, on her knees to Avon. And slowly through the book she matches her will against him more and more until at the end? Let's say the thought of Avon on his knees is...yummy.
9 Frederica: This is a really indescribable comedy of manners. So I won't describe it. Just read it.
10 Black Sheep: As the book that hooked me on Heyer, this will always have a warm spot in my heart. But it's a good book in and of itself. Set in Bath and deals with Abby, a fashionable spinster, and Miles, an unfashionable nabob.
For those who don't know who she is, GH was an English author who wrote largely in the first half of 20th century. Most of her books were set in Georgian and Regency periods. They are lovely comedies of manners, a 20th century version of Jane Austen. The poor woman is responsible for the usually awful Regency Romance genre, but you shouldn't hold it against her, any more than you should blame Tolkien for the abysmal fantasies populating the B&N shelves. Her novels, while usually having some sort of a romance in there, are much more about societal mores and comedies of manners (yes, I used that phrase again). They make me giggle in delight. Her books will not have impassioned declarations in the rain (characters who go in the rain are likely to catch colds, after all), duels to the death (mostly), or sex (kissing is the most you are going to get). What they will have are wonderful characters you fall in love with who are flawed nontheless (and not because their father abused them as a child), great descriptions of period minutia, and an understanding of love (if it enters at all) as based on compatibility and friendship. And they are hilarious.
So, I heartily recommend her. Here (in no order) are my 10 favorites (this is rather expanded from a heyer comm post):
1 Venetia: The first time I read this, I stayed up till 4am because I did not want to put it down. This is one of the most beatiful, natural, romantic books I've read. Venetia Lanyon is managing her brother's estate in Yorkshire in his absence. There is not much to do. At least not until she strikes a friendship with Damerel, a neighboring landowner, with a (deserved) reputation as an unscrupulous womanizer up to his ears in debt. She knows about but is uninterested in his "prowess." She does like the fact that he knows what she is quoting from and shares her sense of the ridiculous. This book has one of the most grown-up approaches to relationships I've read (and descriptions of nature). Venetia is excited because she's found a friend: someone to laugh with. And to me that is what love is really about.
2 Unknown Ajax: This is one of the funniest books I've ever read. The old Earl has finally sent for his heir, an unknown Major named Hugo Darracott. The weekend from hell (but not for the reader) follows, as a whole cast of funny fascinating characters try to intimidate/evaluate/deal with Hugo. Hugo himself is rather amused and unflappable. Hey, after Waterloo this isn't so bad. This is just a perfect perfect book and if I had to marry one of Heyer's characters, it would be undoubtedly be Hugo.
3 Devil's Cub: I want Vidal. Dominic, Marquis of Vidal that is. This is one of her earlier books, and thus much more "romantic." I was in love from the first scene when he shot the highwayman and just left it on the road because what one earth would he do with it? Heyer's heroes might be amoral, or haughty, or bored, but they are never without a sense of humor. Vidal is not a nice person, and not because of a childhood trauma (his parents love each other and him). But boy is he attractive! Plus, he has one quality that Heyer seems to have valued above anything else: honesty.
The plot: Vidal has to leave England for a time because he's killed a man in a duel. Never a man to leave alone, he asks one of the Challoner sisters, the silly beautiful Sophia, to go with him. But, this being Heyer, he takes the wrong sister, the well-bred, strong Mary instead. To say more would be to ruin it, but Dominic/Mary are so my OTP. And not just because in one scene, which is really too good to spoil, Heyer mocks and shatters a romance cliche that drives me mad. This is a sequel to "These Old Shades" (another book on my list) that dealt with Dominic's parents.
4 Friday's Child: probably my very favorite Heyer, this is really a story about a young man's maturity because of being forced to take care of his wife and deal with grown-up responsibilities. Put this way it sounds rather dull, but it's one of the funniest books I've ever read, populated with some amazing characters. There's Ferdy, someone who is a Regency version of Bertie Wooster. There's George Wrotham, a Byronic young man whose friends have gotten used to dealing with high-flown romantic fits and temper. There's the Dowager Countess, a steely hypochondriac. There's Isabella, a beautiful and pragmatic young lady with quite a few eligible suitors who finds herself, surprisingly, attracted to Wrotham. But the real reason I love the book is the protagonists: Anthony Verelst (Sherry) and Hero Wantage (Kitten). I don't know why I love them so. Maybe it's because in any other book, with any other author, they would be background, comic relief, while George and Isabella work their way through their tempestuous courtship. Not all of us are tormented, or intellectual giants, or full of dark past.
This book starts with a marriage, which is unusual even for Heyer. Sherry, who is someone who is not a dummy but not an intellectual, who is good-natured enough but rather thoughtless and a bit selfish, and who is not given to maturity and reflection marries Kitten, who has always hero-worshipped him, on an impulse (he needs his inheritance, long story). If this was a romance, Kitten would silently pine for him and then he would angst for hours. But Kitten is happy, because even his careless kindness is more than she has ever gotten. And Sherry is not given to self-reflection. Nontheless, this book is a sheer delight as Sherry grows up and discovers all sorts of things about himself, including a strong streak of honesty and love for his wife, something Kitten always felt for him. And yet this book is not in the least maudlin or high-flown. Neither turns into a protagonist of a romance, or is "reformed." Anyway, enough about the book. Go read it.
5 Sylvester: Heyer does Pride and Prejudice. Sylvester is the haughty Duke looking for a potential bride. One of the canditates is Phoebe Marlow who has written a Gothic novel (anonymously of course) and has made him the villain. Of course they meet and in the meantime become friends which is a minor problem. This is a funny, light, delightful book that I adore and reread probably the most often of all her books.
6 The Talisman Ring: This is a mystery and an adventure wrapped all in one (and of course is very funny). The whole thing revolves around a talisman ring the presence of which can clear or condemn Ludovic Lavenham, an impetuous young man accused of murder. There's Ludovic himself (who I adore). There's his "sober" cousin Sir Tristram. There's Eustasie de Vauban, Sir Tristram's potential bride who wants a "lover and a house in town" and when Sir Tristram understandably objects to the former says "fine. Can I have a house in town?" There's Sarah, someone who takes Ludovic and Eustasie under her wing, and her brother Sir Hugh, someone who is very found of cards and liquor. It's a priceless book...
7 Faro's Daughter: Heyer does screwball. If it wasn't for their 18th century outfits, Max Ravenscar and Deb Grantham could have been sipping cocktails in one of the 1930s classics. Yet another book that is twice as much fun on rereads, Max wants to buy Deb off from marrying his cousin. She might have no intention of marrying the boy in the first place, but she is annoyed at his assumption she is for sale and decides to teach him a lesson. Soon their "war" escalates and...
Guuuuuh. So good.
8 These Old Shades: This is her second or third period novel, and about as close to high drama as Heyer ever got. It's set in 1750s France and England. The Duke of Avon "picks up" a page named Leon on the streets of Paris. Avon is not NICE. He really is not. He is a dangerous person, and not in a shallow "he will not harm an innocent" way. But Leon is fanatically devoted to him, as Avon pulled him out of the gutter. But it's not really Leon, is it? Of course not, it's Leonie, one of my favorite Heyer heroines ever. Avon wants the page to use him to avenge himself on an old enemy, but something else entirely happens...
This is one of those books that really glows on multiple rereads. Leon starts the book an abject scrap of humanity, on her knees to Avon. And slowly through the book she matches her will against him more and more until at the end? Let's say the thought of Avon on his knees is...yummy.
9 Frederica: This is a really indescribable comedy of manners. So I won't describe it. Just read it.
10 Black Sheep: As the book that hooked me on Heyer, this will always have a warm spot in my heart. But it's a good book in and of itself. Set in Bath and deals with Abby, a fashionable spinster, and Miles, an unfashionable nabob.
