Discovering Georgette Heyer

heyer 2Years before Georgette Heyer’s books were reissued by Sourcebook, a friend told me about the author and her marvelous books. I started scouring used book stores for old, often yellowed, copies and felt like a successful treasure seeker every time I found one. The first one I read was The Grand Sophy and I was instantly in love. I introduced my daughter to the books and she found out our library system had a few of Heyer’s book on audiocassette. We were thrilled! We dug out our little-used Walkmans and proceeded to listen to every book available. I had listened to books on audio before. In fact, while home schooling my children I often looked for our read-aloud book on audio to save my voice! But this was different. The narrators were so incredibly talented and each character was presented with individuality and style. My daughter and I found a favorite right from the start. The Talisman Ring, narrated by Phyllida Nash, is a masterpiece of wit and intrigue, delivered by an extremely talented reader. I will never forget Eustacie expecting any man who loved her to come riding “ventre a’ terre” to her death bed. Not that she was dying, mind you! Pirates, a lost heir, a ring, smugglers, and romance all served with style and humor. What more could anyone want?

From there we kept listening to as many of Heyer’s audiobooks as we could get our hands on. In the beginning, it was only the few bedraggled copies from the library. We handled them carefully, fearful the aging cassette tapes would break. I can remember enjoying Cotillion, The Foundling, and Faro’s Daughter. Each book was a new, exciting discovery. You can imagine our joy when we realized we could buy digital copies of Heyer’s work at Audible.com. At first there were just six or seven books available, but I signed up for a membership just to buy a Heyer audiobook each month!

The narrators became “friends” to us as well. Phyllida Nash, Eve Mathesen, Cornelius Garrett are all among the best readers I’ve had the pleasure to listen to. Even the narrators who only read one or two of Heyer’s books were all above average readers.

What’s my favorite novel? What day of the week is it? If this is Tuesday, then perhaps Arabella is my favorite audiobook! Wednesday? I’m sure I like Sylvester most of all! Or Frederica! But wait, perhaps I really mean the loosely-connected Alistair series: These Old Shades, Devil’s Cub, Regency Buck, and then An Infamous Army. What an amazing series of novels!

An Infamous ArmyMy history major daughter thinks An Infamous Army has the best description of the Battle of Waterloo she’s ever read. I know I was totally engrossed and found maps online to help me follow the battle. The series actually begins with The Black Moth, which Heyer wrote as a serial when she was 17 for her younger brother who suffered from hemophilia. While not as polished as her later books, it is enjoyable. Although the name was Duke of Andover, The Black Moth definitely tells the early tale of the Duke of Avon from These Old Shades.

Which Georgette Heyer do I recommend? All of them. Yes, a few are derivative, and not quite as bursting with color and wit. But none will disappoint. Even A Civil Contract, which is more sober and introspective, is a favorite of mine.

Georgette Heyer audiobooks were my gateway to romance audiobooks as a genre. I still go back and relisten to her books, including the less known mysteries, as often as I can. I hope I can inspire a few of you to venture into the world of Georgette Heyer on audio. What a treat.

Carrie

 

3 thoughts on “Discovering Georgette Heyer

  1. Nice essay! The Grand Sophy was my first Heyer too. I read it when I was around 11 or 12, it was suggested by a librarian at the main branch of the Los Angeles Public Library. I was spending the summer with an elderly aunt and was bored out of my mind until she trusted me to take the bus around town on my own. The copy of Sophy had survived a fire and was a little scorched, as were Venetia and Frederica. The books were those little hardbacks and the covers were wonderful. It turned out to be a very good summer! When our family moved to L.A. in 2005 I found that very same copy of Venetia I had read decades earlier. I remember reading These Old Shades and Devil’s Cub later that fall and being scandalized by the characters behavior(I was a tween!) it was too delicious. I haunted used book stores for years looking for Heyer’s novels.

    I will always be grateful to Sourcebooks for re-publishing Georgette Heyer in those beautiful trade paperbacks.

    I love so many Heyer titles that it would be hard to choose one as my favorite. An Infamous Army is an amazing book and I’m sure a pattern card for many regency authors who write of that battle. I love it and A Civil Contract too….very beloved to me. The Comedies are some of my best friends. Black Sheep. A Lady of Quality, Frederica and A Reluctant Widow which is so damn funny. My first audios were through the Seattle Public Library online catalog……they were one of the first to digitize. I listened to The Unknown Ajax, The Toll Gate and The Nonsuch. Terrific audios……I hadn’t read the print versions then, so everything was new and surprising. Those three heroes are my kinda guys.
    A trip though one of Heyer’s books whether print or audio is one of my favourite past times.

    Thanks for the post!

  2. I’m so glad you shared your history with Heyer! She is so marvelous. My daughter informed me that she isn’t the only history major to love An Infamous Army. Apparently it has been used as a “text” in college history classes because it’s such a lucid and readable account of the battle.

    Thanks again for sharing! I live meeting new Heyer enthusiasts.

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