Rusticating in Georgette Heyer's world

The Nonesuch holds a special place in my heart because it was the first Georgette Heyer novel I ever read and it really got me so excited about the author and kicked off my obsession with Regency England.

At this time of year, I often turn to Georgette Heyer, though I usually go to one of her mystery novels as I have not finished all of those.  (Though I have not finished all her historical novels, either.)  This time, though, I wanted light and frothy fun so I returned to The Nonesuch.

After having read this book again, I can see that it takes some inspiration from Pride & Prejudice.  A very wealthy and attractive man inherits property in a small town and comes to see what can be done with it.  The town obviously goes crazy.  Sir Waldo Hawkridge, other than having one of the most memorable names ever, is extremely eligible but has never been interested in marriage before.  Miss Ancilla Trent is a governess-companion to a beautiful, spoiled brat of a 17-year-old, and while she is very attracted to Sir Waldo, she hates the sporting set that he leads and represents.  But, of course, the two meet and hit it off and chaos ensues, as it so often does in books like this.

The main reason that The Nonesuch appealed to me as a teenager was Sir Waldo.  He was not only tall, dark, handsome and confident, but he also was just a really nice person.  He was exactly the sort of person you could trust in a crisis, and I loved that.  I think I also LOVED all the slang that Heyer used in this novel (though this time, I was a bit overwhelmed by it).

The main reason The Nonesuch was quickly replaced by other Heyer novels on my favorites list is Ancilla Trent.  The whole conceit of the "misunderstanding" between her and Sir Waldo is completely ridiculous, in my opinion, and really lowered the quality of the book for me.  Also, Ancilla must tell Sir Waldo, a gazillionaire, how very well-paid she is at least four times over the course of the novel.  That is like me telling Bill Gates that I have tons more money than is conscionable.  It got so annoying!

But in my reading this time, I had some sympathy for Ancilla.  She is a governess in a small town that is rife with gossip.  She has no woman around her that she can really trust or go to for advice.  And her experience of the world is far more limited than that of her suitor, so she has a lot of angst trying to understand if Waldo is serious about her or just using her for a light flirtation to pass the time while he rusticates.  It was easy to see how she could get overwhelmed and frightened, and I couldn't help but pity her.  It really hit home how isolated she was, and how vulnerable she would be if Sir Waldo was just playing with her.  That is something that I think I must have missed on prior readings of this novel, and it really does have a very important effect on the characters and their interactions.

And of course, a Heyer novel would not be complete without a full cast of side characters!  With the exception of one horribly spoiled and selfish person, these were a delight and so much fun.  I really enjoyed this reread!  I wish the library had more Heyer titles on audiobook because I think that would be a new, fun way to experience the books.  Perhaps that is what will finally motivate me to get an audible account :)

Musings: The Foundling

After my great success with re-reading Sylvester by Georgette Heyer, I decided to re-read another book by her, The Foundling.  I chose this one because I rated it very highly on LibraryThing, but I didn't remember many of the details about it except that it was about a very quiet Duke who wanted an adventure away from his overly involved relatives and retainers.

And that is what this book is about!  I would say that this book is not really a romance novel in the way that many of Heyer's Regency novels are.  Yes, there's a man and yes, he falls in love with a woman, but that is in zero ways the main point of this novel.

 The Foundling is a coming-of-age tale.  It has some hints of Understood Betsy in that it's about a very coddled person who has no real idea about how the world works finally going out and realizing that he can fend for himself without anyone's help.  The main character is Gilly, Duke of Sale.  His parents are both dead and he has been brought up by well-meaning but suffocating relatives and servants his whole life.  He is a very kind person who avoids confrontation at all costs and he's small for his age due to being sickly as a child.  But now, as he nears 25 years of age, he's sick of being told what he can and can't do and sets off on his own adventure to help his young cousin out of a dilemma.

What follows is typical of a Heyer novel - the Duke must interact with many middle-class and lower-class people, all of whom are well-written and sparkle with humor.  And in the course of solving any number of small matters and a few very big ones, he comes into his own - he gains confidence, takes charge of situations and very firmly realizes that he does not have to answer to anyone.  And what's so wonderful about Gilly is that he does all this without ever becoming unkind or arrogant - he stays just the way he always was, but just asserts himself more.

On this read-through, I didn't love The Foundling as much as I did when I was younger.  And maybe that's because when I was younger, I could understand Gilly wanting to go out and experience the world for himself and learn more about his own limits.  This time, I was more aware of the stereotypical beautiful blonde bimbo and the high-handed ways in which aristocrats dealt with lower-class women.  But Gilly himself was nothing but kind and loveable, and perhaps this book suffered a bit for me after the high I experienced re-reading Sylvester and falling even more in love with it than I had the first time.  Regardless, these two books have made me realize that I have many, many Georgette Heyer novels - and Terry Pratchett novels, and Jane Austen novels, and so many others! - that I can re-read and immerse myself in once more, and that in itself is a great treat!

Musings: Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle

I always include Georgette Heyer near the top of my list of favorite authors, but over the past several years, I've not read a book by her that I've truly loved.  I had this idea that I should read all of her books at least once before re-reading any of them.  And so over the past several years, whenever I've felt unmotivated to read or have stared at my shelves and not wanted to take down anything, I've turned to Georgette Heyer and one of her mysteries.  And while they've generally entertained me, they have none of them held me in thrall the way that I expected.

Recently, I went three full weeks without finishing a book and could not figure out what the problem was.  So I went again to Georgette Heyer, but this time I found myself reaching for one that I knew I would enjoy.

I don't know when I read Sylvester for the first time.  My Heyer love affair began well over a decade ago, so it's probably been at least 8 years since I've read this one.  I remember it so vividly, though, even though I don't remember it being one of my favorites.

Musings: Why Shoot a Butler?

Georgette Heyer's Why Shoot a Butler? is different from most of the other Heyer mysteries I've read because it does not feature either Inspector Hemingway or Inspector Hannasyde.  This is not a huge loss because Heyer is one of those mystery authors for whom the detective is not the most interesting or important character.  Both inspectors are pretty forgettable and indistinguishable (strange for someone who is so sharp on characterization), and she focuses much more on the murder victim's family and friends and their dynamics.

In this outing, Mr. Frank Amberley, one of those fashionably bored and witty society types that Heyer writes so well, comes across a beautiful woman on the side of a road one night.  She's standing next to a car with a dead man in it (the butler from the title) and she's holding a gun, but she insists she did not commit the murder.  Amberley believes her, and when he tells the police about the murder, he does not mention seeing her.  He has very little faith in the police solving the murder correctly, and he comes to realize that the murder is just one part of a much larger puzzle.  As he delves deeper into the mystery, his lovely and mysterious friend seems more and more unwilling to trust him.  But as more people turn up dead, Amberley realizes it's essential to solve this mystery as quickly as possible.

Musings: Venetia

Venetia, by Georgette Heyer, is one of her most romantic books (in my opinion).  It's about beautiful, fun and kind Venetia Lanyon, a 25-year-old woman who has never been far from her beloved Yorkshire home and has led a very sheltered existence.  One day, she meets her new neighbor, Lord Dameral, whose life has been as scandalous and talked-about as Venetia's has been virtuous and sheltered.  The two have an instant attraction to each other, and before long, become the very best of friends.  This blossoms into more than friendship, but there is such a gulf between their life experiences and and so much trouble with Venetia's two brothers and their lives, that Dameral feels certain they'd never be happy together, and that Venetia should be with someone else.  Venetia, though, is quite certain of herself, and sets upon a path to ensure that her happiness is secured.

Review: They Found Him Dead

They Found Him Dead is the third book in Georgette Heyer's mystery series featuring Inspector Hannasyde.  I have all the books in this series, but have not been reading them in order.  I don't feel anything is lost using this method because Hannasyde is very much only the inspector in the books- he is not the center of the story, ever, and so his character never evolves, which is very different than most mystery series that feature one detective in multiple books.But Heyer is really all about the other characters in her mysteries- the ones that are affected by the murder itself.  In a way, this is unfortunate for the reader as if you come across a character you would like to know better, you are never going to see him again.  Contrastingly, Inspector Hannasyde makes no real lasting impression, but is in multiple books.

But perhaps I should get around to actually describing this book.  On the evening of his 60th birthday, Silas Kane goes out for a walk along his property and never returns.  He is found dead the next morning.  Just a few days later, his cousin is shot through the head, and Scotland Yard begins to pay attention.  Everyone is a suspect, from Jim Kane, who stands to inherit it all, to the beautiful, highly sensitive (so she claims repeatedly) Rosemary, who is newly widowed, to, stereotypically enough, the butler.  When Jim's life is endangered by multiple accidents, finding the murderer becomes critical.

Review: Penhallow

Penhallow, by Georgette Heyer, was my choice for this month's Classics Circuit.  When I heard that Heyer was this month's choice, I literally squealed with excitement as she is one of my favorite authors.  I love to read her for when I am in the mood for a light, happy and fun story.

Penhallow is not light, happy or fun.  It was a very difficult book for me to read and, much as it pains me to say it... I did not enjoy it.  I think it was well written, but the story was hard for me to connect to.  (On a side note, this is one of the reasons I no longer give ratings to books on my blog- how do you rate a well-written book with a storyline you disliked?)

Penhallow takes place in the English countryside, like all Heyer's mysteries.  Adam Penhallow is a horrible autocratic man who keeps his many children (legitimate and illegitimate) close to him, ruling every aspect of their lives with an iron will.  They are all terrified of him, and they all hate each other.  Their lives revolve around horses, getting into massive arguments with one another (and their spouses, significant others, the maids, etc.), sponging off their father, and generally hating their lives.

The murder mystery is a little different than the usual fare because the murder doesn't occur until 2/3rds of the way through the book, and the readers know who did it and why.  The remainder of the story is the fallout from this murder and how it affects everyone's future.

Review: The Black Moth

The Black Moth is Georgette Heyer's first novel, written while she was a teenager.  She uses updated versions of some of the characters in her more popular novel These Old Shades (which is where the title These Old Shades comes from).  In mid-1700s in England, an earl has passed away, and his eldest son must be found to impart the news.  The son, Jack Carstares, however, was disgraced six years ago when he accepted blame that should have been his younger brother's for cheating at cards.  After years abroad, John is now "working" as a highwayman in Surrey.  His younger brother Richard has aged unnaturally since the cheating incident and is married to a temperamental beauty who is likely to bankrupt him and possibly leave him for another man.

And then there is the dangerous and enigmatic Duke of Andover (known as "the Devil") who is pulling all the strings (particularly those attached to the purse).  He falls so deeply in love with the lovely young Diana Beauleigh that he attempts a kidnapping, only to be foiled by Jack Carstares.  This sets off a chain of events that changes everyone's lives in dramatic (and thoroughly entertaining) ways until everyone is sorted out and settled to live happily ever after.

Review: Envious Casca [TSS]

Title:  Envious Casca

Author:  Georgette Heyer

First Published in 1941

Favorite Line:  He was like a clumsy, well-meaning St Bernard puppy, dropped amongst a set of people who were not fond of dogs.

Plot Summary:
A Christmas house party is arranged at a wealthy old bachelor's house against his wishes.  Present are his brother and sister-in-law, his nephew and niece, a playwright, a ditzy beauty, a kind Plain Jane and a business partner.  These personalities collide, however, and the house party is more explosive than congenial.  Then the host is found dead in a locked room, and suddenly, everyone is a suspect.  Inspector Hemingway must sort through the lies and the politics to determine who killed the wealthy host.  And what does The Life of the Empress Catherine have to do with everything?

When I am not sure what I want to read next, I always turn to Georgette Heyer because I know I'll settle in quite easily with her books.  I never feel restless reading her.  I know I'm always in for a good story.  And as this one takes place during Christmas, it seemed the ideal time to sit down with it!

I read almost all Heyer's historicals (though for some reason, I just can't bring myself to read Cousin Kate or any of the older-than-Georgian era ones) when I was in high school and early in college, all in a big blitz.  But I've collected her mysteries more slowly over time, and I've really enjoyed taking my time getting through them.  Heyer wrote some historical mysteries, but most are set in the England contemporary for her time- usually between WWI and WWII.  And, as Heyer was nothing if not a product of her time, they tend to have a great many subtle hints about the class system, money and Modern Times.  Much as I love Heyer's work, I know deep down that she was probably a fairly haughty woman who believed in a class system.  I also know that she looked down on fans of her work.  Oh, well!

Review: Footsteps in the Dark

Title: Footsteps in the Dark

Author: Georgette Heyer

Publisher: Buccaneer Books

# of Pages: 310

Rating: 9/10

Favorite Line: "A remark more calculated to provoke a peaceful man to homicide I've never yet heard."

Product Description
The Priory may be ramshackled in appearance, but Peter, Margaret and Celia, who have inherited it from their uncle, love it for its rambling charm. But there's more to this house than is at first apparent: for years hardly a single person has set foot in the place, and even their uncle chose to live in a different house, far away from this particular property.

Local wisdom says that the house is haunted. And when things start going bump in the night, it certainly seems as if something ghostly is walking the Priory's halls. Then a murder is committed. Does the key to solving the crime lie in the realm of the supernatural? Or is the explanation much more down to earth?

Well, after Behold, Here's Poison, I got on a Heyer mystery reading kick. Here are all these books, sitting on my shelves and gathering dust when all three of the ones I've picked up have been good reading! I'll have to get through all the rest soon. I have actually been waiting (quite patiently, I feel) for David Liss's The Devil's Company to arrive in the mail. I've read both previous books in the Benjamin Weaver series and I'm really looking forward to reading this next one. However, it is still not here! This has given me the opportunity, though, to go more thoroughly over the books already on my shelves, which is fortunate.

It's funny sometimes, how books packed with so much excitement and memorable characters can just sit placidly on your shelf, waiting to be read. Footsteps in the Dark is a thriller mystery of the first order, complete with secret passageways, priest holes, skeletons and a cowled monk. Of all Heyer's historicals, it reminds me most of The Reluctant Widow (one of my absolute favorites!) with its full cast of characters, most of whom are related to each other. The book is full of hilarious one-liners and wonderful character interplay, Heyer's trademark. I find in books like this that I get so wrapped up in the chemistry between characters that the plot becomes secondary. It's unfortunate that character interaction is so hard to review, really, since it is such an integral part of books. For example, in The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy, I don't think there was any chemistry between Darcy and Lord Byron, and it made the book hard going. Conversely, in Footsteps in the Dark, the characters (Charles in particular, playing against Peter) all deal splendidly together, and the book is a great romp because of it.

I am thoroughly enjoying rediscovering Heyer, this time from the perspective of reading her mysteries set in Britain between the wars. She is light-hearted and fun, but the plots are all interesting and well planned. I prefer this one to Behold, Here's Poison, mainly because the characters are far more likeable and the plot develops in a more compelling way. Highly recommended!

Review: Behold, Here's Poison

Title: Behold, Here's Poison

Author: Georgette Heyer

Publisher: Sourcebooks

# of Pages: 336

Rating: 8/10

Product Description

Experience Georgette Heyer's sparkling dialogue in one of her most popular mysteries.

It's no ordinary morning at the Poplars - the master is found dead in his bed and it turns out that his high blood pressure was not the cause of death. Heyer uses her attention to detail and brilliant characterizations to concoct a baffling crime for which every single member of the quarrelsome family has a motive, and none, of course, has an alibi. Heyer's sparkling dialogue is a master class in British wit, sarcasm and the intricacies of life above and below stairs.

Meet the Matthews - before the next one dies...
It's no ordinary morning at the Poplars - the master is found dead in his bed, and it seems his high blood pressure was not the cause. When an autopsy reveals a sinister poison, it's up to the quietly resourceful Inspector Hannasyde to catch the murderer in time to spare the next victim. But every single member of the quarrelsome Matthews family has a motive and none, of course, has an alibi.

I hate this particular cover of the novel. It has absolutely nothing to do with the novel. Why is there a woman a weird mask drinking a small glass of wine? I just finished reading the book and I can assure everyone that there are no masks in the book at all. And I have no idea who the woman on the cover is. She looks a bit possessed.

I am certainly not unbiased when it comes to Georgette Heyer. I adore her. She, probably even more so than Jane Austen, turned me onto my Georgian and Regency era obsesssion. I have read almost all of her historical novels, but this is only my second mystery. It is almost jarring to me to read her mysteries as they take place in the 20th century, and characters have cars and say such things as, "Oh, yeah." It makes me shudder- Heyer's characters, in my opinion, belong firmly to the era of curricles and post-chaises and phrases such as, "I knew he was a right one!"

But I digress. My favorite part of Heyer's novels is her sparkling wit. Her characters and the situations in which they are involved are hilarious and mostly unforgettable. (Well, they are the first time round. She does have a propensity to replay the same plots.) This same wit is definitely present in Behold, Here's Poison. There are hilarious lines in the book that just don't make sense taken out of context (hence no favorite line above), but will make you laugh out loud. I don't find any of the characters very likeable at all, but the interplay between them is fantastic. Randall, above and beyond, takes the cake. He is perfectly drawn- like the villain in a spy flick, he has the best lines. I highly recommend the book just to laugh out loud at his lines.

As far as the mystery goes- well, I don't know. It was a bit helter-skelter at the end, and even further muddled by a very shoddy (and, in my opinion, extremely ill-advised) romance between my beloved Randall and a very dull-witted young woman. And I don't really think it was possible to figure out the "bad person' until the very end. However, I've never been one to read a mystery for the... well, the mystery part. I like the tension and the character development. I can't say that many of the characters =developed= in this book; all of them finished the story with the same personality they had at the start. But the dynamics of being the end of a line of landed gentry living in a country home on the cusp of WWII are great, and I think Heyer shines in that regard. If you read this book for the mystery, you may be disappointed, but if you read it for the dialogue and the character interplay, you'll be rewarded.

Note: Females in the book are not portrayed in a very positive manner at all. Just something to keep in mind :-)

Georgette Heyer

Marg over at Historical Tapestry invited me to guest blog about Georgette Heyer, who is definitely on my list of all-time favorite authors. If you haven't read anything by her, I HIGHLY recommend giving her a shot. Depending on what sorts of books you read, generally, I could probably give you some suggestions, too. She's great fun, and I'm really excited that Historical Tapestry is doing a whole spotlight on her!

Here is my post.

Review: Detection Unlimited

Title: Detection Unlimited
Author: Georgette Heyer
Publisher: Arrow Books (most recent edition)
# of Pages: 222

Favorite line: "The longer I live the more convinced I become that self-sacrificing people do a great deal of harm in the world."

Rating: 8/10

Book 1 of the TBR Challenge

Synopsis (from amazon.co.uk)
Slumped on a seat under an oak tree is old Sampson Warrenby, with a bullet through his brain. He is discovered by his anxious niece, Mavis, who is just one of the ten people in the village in the running for chief suspect, having just cause to dislike Warrenby intensely. Only Chief Inspector Hemingway can uncover which of the ten has turned hatred into murder.

As part of the 2007 TBR Challenge, I chose to read one mystery by Georgette Heyer. I chose to read this one as my first book. Why? Because for some reason, at this moment, NONE of the books on my TBR list appeal to me! I am a very moody reader- and apparently, I'm not in the mood for anything. So, knowing that I can always count on a Heyer Regency novel to pull me out of any slump or case of the blues, I decided to go for one of her mystery novels. I own most of them, but have never read one- I usually concentrate on the Regencies- so this was somewhat new for me.

As I'm used to her historical fiction novels, it was actually kind of difficult for me to get used to Heyer writing in a more contemporary (England in the 1950s) setting. It was really kind of a jolt! I was stumbling about trying to figure out plot details and characters for a good 40 pages or so. But then, eventually it clicked.

Detection Unlimited bears little resemblance to Heyer's historical romances. There are a great many characters in a small village, and no very obvious hero or heroine to root for. However, Heyer's customary wit and humor make their appearance several times in the story and she, as ever, drew a smile to my face with her dialogues.

I think I will continue to prefer Heyer's Regencies to her mysteries- she was, after all, the author who really first kicked off my obsession with all things Georgian and Regency England. But Detection Unlimited was an enjoyable mystery with a sufficient number of twists to the end to keep me interested :-) A good book to start the challenge with, and a great book to motivate me to read more of Heyer's mysteries!