If Barbara Cartland is a box of Roses chocolates - over-sweet, over-moreish, and destined to leave you feeling slightly ill at the end - then Heyer is a box of top-quality, dark chocolate Belgian truffles - rich, interesting, totally satisfying at every turn.
Heyer, who died in 1974, wrote Regency romance. I almost wrote 'writes' there, because her books are timeless. Her world-building is such that you'll be checking the credits to see if she wrote during Regency times. Sometimes the language is annoying - the book I just read, Charity Girl, is littered with words such as 'fuzzing', 'cogging' and 'sleeving', with the occasional 'glumping' thrown in - but, overall, the arch tone, general wittiness and likeability of her characters drag you along for the ride. She just writes so damn...well.
Sunday Times columnist India Knight describes her as 'unbeatable'. I tend to agree. For romance, escapism and sheer fun with an historic twist, I've yet to find her equal.
Have you tried Ms Heyer? Do tell. And if you need further information, visit Tales From The Village and Madame Guillotine, who have also recently declared their affection for Georgette.
I haven't read her or *cough* actually heard of her...but I am now intrigued!
ReplyDeleteNo I haven't read her but this is the third time this week someone has been talking about (Rachael from Tales from the village and Madame Guillotine) so I think somebody is trying to tell me something.
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in Sydney, we frequented an antique/clearence auction house every weekend.
ReplyDeleteWhilst lovely husband fossicked for furniture, I rumaged in the bulk books. I scored some horrors, but one lot was an entire collection of Isaac Asimov and about forty Georgette Heyer. Harbacked, with illustrated paper dust-jackets. I love them.
Gold.
My mother had all of her books and so as a teenager...around 15 onwards I devoured all of her books that I could lay my hands on. Charity Girl was one of my favourites. I was totally intrigued by her characters and wanted desperately to be a heroine and meet a georgeous but aloof stranger who would then turn out to be the love of my life. No such luck...reality kicked in..in my early 20's..LOL!
ReplyDeleteI can't say I have heard of Ms Heyer. Sounds interesting though and I could be intrigued enough to add her stuff to my ever growing list of books to read. I bet you read it in an hour. Lol.
ReplyDeleteI've just added her to the list of "to buy" books when we get back to Oz in June. Thanks for the tip. Great review!
ReplyDeleteKirsty
I loved Georgette Heyer as a teenager ... I think I may still have my Year 10 book review on "Regency Buck" stashed somewhere at my parents house. Also loved Jean Plaidy at this age too. She got me interested in historical fiction, particularly Norman times. Georgette might need a revisit when I'm next at the library.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love Georgette Heyer! A friend recommended her to me a couple of years ago, and it has been such a treat to work my way through her books.
ReplyDeleteSounds very intriguing! I love dark chocolates and will give Georgette a whirl
ReplyDeleteI'm with anjwritesabout, lots of coughing going on here too. Sounds good though. Although whenever I hear regency, I think shower screens (dad was a builder).
ReplyDeleteI've only read a couple, but love her seamless writing. As a reader, you could believe she didn't have to think much about the writing at all -- just sat down and let it all flow out. As a writer you know it was probably exactly the opposite!
ReplyDeleteOh goody... I recently unpacked some old books that belonged to my grandparents and Georgette Heyer is amongst them... will turn to her next!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd have made it through my teens without Georgette Heyer. Jean Plaidy too. The Anglophilia they planted in my psyche has never left.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear from a writer who has revisited Ms. Heyer's prose and found it holds up. Her storytelling was marvelous.
Thanks for this bit of time traveling.
I've never heard of her and thus have never read her. But I will now. Escapism sounds great right about now. x
ReplyDeleteAh, Georgette...I love her too. After a tough surgery once my friend Lucy brought over a bag with about 30 of her novels, and both Keith and I loved them to death. In fact Keith and I still sometimes say 'you are doing it rather too brown'... And Georgette has always been on the baby name list too.
ReplyDeleteI'm a HUGE fan of Georgette Heyer! I've even purchased The Private World of Georgette Heyer by Jen Kloester.
ReplyDeleteHer books are filled with SO much intriguing dialogue. Like -- more dialogue than any other novel I've read but it drives the story. When I read her books, I feel like I'm there watching on. LOVE THAT! Witty. Interesting. Makes my brain think without exhausting it.
I devoured her books as a teenager, they were just what I needed then. Now? I'm not so sure..
ReplyDeleteI have avoided reading Georgette Heyer for decades. The reason? A much hated French teacher was seen to be reading one of GH's novels during lunch in my second high school year. If SHE read that stuff, I wasn't going to. Maybe I'll check out one or two from the library. Soonish.
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