what is georgette heyer’s best novel? read on, read on.
On our last shelf show (episode 78), we happily got lost on a tangent about the time we both secretly spent reading Georgette Heyer novels. having discovered ourselves, we thought it was a good idea to put together a list of our favourites.
It must be said, they are not for everyone. laura’s cousin, who was sure she would love them, said ‘laura, there are too many cousins marrying cousins for me!’, fair enough. There are also some problematic scenes for contemporary readers – consider yourself warned and skip to the end if you want to know which novels to avoid.
You are reading: Best georgette heyer books
georgette heyer wrote her first book, the black moth, when she was 19 years old, to amuse her brother who was recovering from an illness. The book was published and became a success, and Heyer began writing follow-ups. she is generally credited with inventing the regency romance genre, and readers lapped up her meticulously plotted novels, still sought after today as the perfect form of escapism by informed readers. Historical romances may not be your thing, but spending a few hours in the company of Heyer’s brilliant heroines and handsome Regency men might change your mind.
If you’re thinking of diving in, here’s our roundup of the best:
our favorite georgette heyer novels
sofia the great: kate’s all-time favorite
there are georgette heyer novels and georgette heyer novels: some are better than others and in my opinion grand sophy is the best. It’s the one I’d give to a friend who hadn’t read it before. sophy is an unforgettable character and something of a feminist triumph although who knows how much of that heyer had in mind. Raised by her military father following the Duke of Wellington on the campaign trail, Sophy returns to London to live with her cousins who are expecting an ingenue. In her place, they discover that not only does Sophy know everyone and how to behave with every nuance of social distinction, but that she also has a very effective way of handling the people around her, including her overbearing cousin. talk about her Before long she’s putting the world in order, making sure the right people fall in love with each other, and convincing reluctant Charles that her carefully ordered existence might not be what she really wanted all along. With a pleasingly multi-layered plot that ticks along like clockwork, this novel would be a delight from start to finish, save for the eerily anti-Semitic passages where Sophia meets a Jewish moneylender. Although Heyer undoubtedly reflected the tropes of the time, it’s a shame because she spoils what would otherwise be a perfect read.
the nonesuch – laura’s all time favorite
surprisingly, my favorite georgette heyer is not set in the usual london setting of balls, vauxhall gardens and walks in st james park. Instead, we head north to Yorkshire, where Sir Waldo Hawkridge has arrived to reclaim the inheritance of crumbling broom hill. not that he needs it. Sir Waldo is already fabulously wealthy and the toast of society, known as no one else for his athletic prowess and skill with horses. naturally, all the mothers in the county immediately see him as a potential son-in-law. Meanwhile, the quiet, cold-eyed Ancilla Trent, governess to the bratty but beautiful Tiffany Wield, watches in amusement. Relatively straightforward in plot compared to her other novels, the characters have depth and heart, and the romance feels unusually authentic. I must confess that I have read nonesuch at least three times. As I flip through its pages, I can feel that the fourth time is coming pretty soon…
other georgette heyer novels we love
venice
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venetia lanyon has lived her entire life in seclusion on her father’s estate, continuing to run it after their father’s death when her older brother remains abroad, while also looking after her younger brother, a teenage student with some health problems. She has heard tales of her infamous neighbor, Lord Damerel, who has been absent from the area for a long time. When Venetia finally runs into him while she’s picking berries one day, her behavior proves the gossips right. however, gradually, as she gets to know him, she begins to realize that her carefree attitude masks a deeper feeling that she will come to love. unfortunately, this coincides with her dawning realization on her part that a relationship between them will doom her to social ruin, and he fires her. Heartbroken, Venetia heads to London, where she makes a discovery that she decides she could solve her situation once and for all. Beautiful, intelligent, and capable, Venetia is as captivating a heroine as Georgette Heyer could create, and she will keep the reader happily engrossed until the very end and find out how it all turns out. (note: this novel has a couple of episodes where the men make physical advances about venetia that make it a somewhat problematic favorite; however, to close the book at that point would, I think, deny yourself the enjoyment of the pages that would otherwise be above reproach. that follow. what can I say? it’s a judgment.)
arabic
arabella wedgewood travels with her governess to london for her first season, one her family can’t afford. A broken carriage wheel sends her to a nearby house for help, where she finds a wealthy figure of society, Mr. robert beaumarais. Years of dodging the attentions of fortune hunters have made him cynical, and she assumes Arabella is one of them. Arabella, learning of this, is outraged at her and decides to teach her a lesson. she pretends to be fabulously rich, and although she is not fooled by mr. Beaumarais decides, for fun, that she will back up her claims. With her approval, Ella Arabella is soon the toast of London society with offers of her hand in marriage left and right, but she discovers to her dismay that the person she cares about most is the one who doesn’t covet her fortune. . arabella’s social manners cannot hide her kind and generous heart, and mr. Beaumarais soon discovers that he has more to attend to than her well-being when he agrees to take care of a stray dog, a chimney sweep, and eventually her wayward brother. that mr beaumarais and arabella are destined to end up together is never in doubt, the delight, however, comes in the elaborate scenes that lead our characters to their happy ending.
false colors
Our hero, Christopher Fancot, returns from a post in the diplomatic service to keep an eye on his rebellious twin brother, Evelyn. intuition has told him that something is wrong and, of course, evelyn is nowhere to be found. Reluctantly, at the urging of his charming and persuasive mother, Kit becomes involved in Evelyn’s affairs to the point of impersonating him to salvage his engagement to Cressida Stavely. As time passes and Evelyn doesn’t return, Kit must use all of his ingenuity to keep up the charade. Kit Fancot is one of my favorite Georgette Heyer heroes, but the character that keeps me coming back to this book is his irrepressibly flamboyant mother, whose wardrobe and decorative schemes are ruinous for the family finances, but a sure-fire delight to read about. All in all, it’s as enjoyable a farce as you could wish for, and you can be sure the right characters will meet in the end.
party bag
When you’ve read a few of Georgette Heyer’s novels, you’ll be familiar with her standard characters. The surprise here is that Freddy, a Bertie-Wooster type whose main attributes are his good taste and impeccable manners, turns out to be the romantic hero. (The usual handsome gray-eyed nobleman turns out to be Freddy’s father, Lord Legerwood, but he has only a minor role to play.) Kitty Charing thinks she’s in love with her rakish cousin Jack, and when her godfather makes it a condition of her testament to her marrying one of her great-nephews, it is Jack who she hopes will propose to her. He, however, doesn’t like to have her hand forced, so she concocts a plan with another of her potential suitors, Freddy Standen, a fake engagement that gives her a stint in London to consider marriage options. she. Kitty’s attempts to handle her situation land her in a series of social problems and increasingly it is the trusty Freddy who will rescue her from her. She slowly begins to realize that maybe frivolous cat isn’t what she wants in a husband after all.
death in the stocks
Probably because I’m not much of a crime reader, I didn’t like any of Heyer’s 1930s crime novels (although I’ve read them all, just in case). but there is one exception. death in the stocks is somehow different from the rest and for me it is their biggest success. Brother and sister Kenneth and Antonia Vereker become embroiled in a murder investigation when their wealthy cousin is found dead in a stockpile in the town where he had a country home. Kenneth, an artist and heir to the cousin’s fortune, refuses to take the matter seriously and leads the police into an elaborate guessing game. It remains in the hands of Antonia and the lawyer cousin Giles to try to control it. Meanwhile, Kenneth’s fiancée, the stunningly beautiful Violet, grows increasingly frustrated with him, while Antonia’s fiancé, Rudolf Mesurier, begins to suspect that his heart is turning to someone else. Just when it looks like the murder will remain unsolved, there is a second murder, raising the stakes for everyone. With memorable characters as good as any of his Regency novels, this is the Georgette Heyer whodunit I have reread many times and recommend. (-kate)
and those to avoid
Our love for this author does not blind us to her flaws. Nearly all Georgette Heyers are readable and engaging, even those that stray from the formulas. but there are some elements in her novels that are likely to disturb the contemporary reader.
in kate’s favorite book, the grand sophy, there is a disturbingly racist sequence when our heroine visits a jewish pawnbroker. Lord Damerel, meanwhile, does not think to fall lovingly on Venetia until he learns that she is a noblewoman (and therefore she should not be treated like he is, say, a milkmaid).
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The high-society figures who populate Heyer’s regency romances spare few thoughts of society’s less privileged classes, though to be fair, Arabella goads Mr Beaumarais into rescuing a young chimney sweep from the workhouse. , while sir waldo hawkridge in nowhere uses his fortune to set up charities for orphans. he keeps it a secret, however, it would not be good for it to be known. Heyer, ever the scrupulous researcher, was careful to reflect the manners and customs of the people who inspired her without much intervention on her part.
On another note of caution, we recommend you avoid the Black Moth, a real stinker with a stomach-churning attempted rape sequence in progress. also cousin kate (although fans of gothic novels may enjoy), these old shadows, penhallow, lighthouse’s daughter and her novels set in earlier periods of history, the spanish bride, the conqueror, simon the cold heart and my mr john, and see kate’s note on earlier crime novels in this post. We’ve never laid our hands on a copy but by all accounts Greater Roxborough is also one to avoid.
all the others range from mildly funny to great, and the fun is in reading through them to discover your own favorites. don’t buy them new either, look for them in second-hand bookstores and rejoice when you find one you haven’t read yet.
don’t miss…
there are many episodes where we mention georgette heyer, but in this bookshelf episode we especially talk about grand sophy and our other favourites.
It would be remiss of us not to mention another podcast that gives us great delight, and that is the heyer today podcast, in which writer, editor and heyer enthusiast sara-mae tuson delves into all aspects of heyer-land with an attractive mix of guests. we are happily working our way through season 1.
notes
If you have worked on each heyer and are looking for more? the writer has put together an excellent list of suggested follow-ups.
your thoughts
if you could choose any heroine heyer, which one would you be? And how about romance? which heyer hero is the one for you? let us know in the comments.
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