Who hasn’t read Georgette Heyer? If you haven’t yet discovered her, you have some great reading in front of you!
She is the queen of the perfectly turned phrase and her characters are so pitch perfect, it’s breath-taking.
Writers and people who write about that ephemeral thing called voice, and whatever that thing is, GH had it in spades.
It’s late and I’m tired, so I’m mostly going to lift this from a post I wrote before, but honestly, it all bears repeating.
Give yourself a huge pandemic treat, and go read (or listen to, even) a Georgette Heyer romance. You’ll be so glad you did!
xoxoxo
I can never decide which Georgette Heyer is my favorite, so today I’ll go with These Old Shades.
Yes, Alastair can be a bit annoying, but I just love the interaction between him and Leonie. No other couple quite like them in literature, I don’t think….
Honestly, I’ve probably read about 10 or 15 of them, and while some are better than others, they are all so charming.
Some faves are Cotillion, Venetia, Sylvester, Beauvallet, The Corinthian, Faro’s Daughter, and of course, Devil’s Cub, the sequel to TOS. I did like The Grand Sophy when I read it years ago, but its negative depiction of Jewish character makes it hard to recommend it.
What about you? Have you met GH yet? Do you have a favorite? Or a few faves?
These Old Shades
Considered the book that launched Gerogette Heyer’s career, These Old Shades features two of Heyer’s most memorable characters: Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, and Leonie, whom he rescues from a life of ignominy and comes to love and marry.
The Duke is known for his coldness of manner, his remarkable omniscience, and his debauched lifestyle. Late one evening, he is accosted by a young person dressed in ragged boy’s clothing running away from a brutal rustic guardian. The Duke buys “Leon” and makes the child his page. “Leon” is in fact Leonie, and she serves the Duke with deep devotion. When he uncovers the true story of her birth, he wreaks an unforgettable revenge on her sinister father in a chilling scene of public humiliation.
Find Georgette Heyer @Amazon
(This review is part of Read-A-Romance Month. Hope you’ll come back every day to check out my book recommendations. You can find the calendar here. Also check out The Romance of Reading, a Facebook “book club” where we’ll have great authors guest hosting every week.)
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Enjoy!