Listening to Georgette Heyer

It’s all about Georgette Heyer this week and we’re starting today’s feature with a reminder that it’s the last day to enter our giveaway. We’re giving away five copies (downloads) of your choice of Georgette Heyer audiobook title courtesy of Naxos Audiobooks. You can enter here.

Although a number of our AudioGals reviewers enjoy listening to and reading Heyer’s books, Carrie and Caz stand out from the rest of us with both their knowledge of Heyer’s works and deep appreciation of her writing. Yesterday, Carrie wrote of her love of Heyer in Discovering Georgette Heyer. Earlier in the week, Caz talked with Nicholas Soames of Naxos Audiobooks about their numerous Heyer productions. Today, Caz is sharing more about her love of Heyer and Melinda, Kaetrin, and yours truly are chiming in as well.

Caz – My first audio experiences of Georgette Heyer’s novels didn’t come in the form of audiobooks, but as audio dramas put out by the BBC back in the 80s and 90s.

I was recently asked to contribute to a piece about the first romance novel I read, and I have to say, the question stumped me. I wasn’t a great reader of romances back in the day and it’s only in the past five years or so that I’ve become a real devotee of the genre in both print and audio. That may partly have been due to the fact that unless I wanted to read the latest bonk-buster by Jackie Collins or Judith Krantz, romance novels were hard to find when I was younger but I do remember picking up my first Georgette Heyer romance in a local bookshop when I was in my late teens or early twenties. I can’t remember which one it was – I’m guessing either Regency Buck or Bath Tangle, and after that, I began to collect more of them. Not all were available in paperback then, and I still have a number of the hardbacks I used to root around for in Foyle’s on Charing Cross Road. Around that time, I remember getting into a lift at work with a colleague who had her nose in a Heyer book and striking up a conversation about how wonderfully witty and clever her books were, and how they didn’t deserve to be stuck in amongst all the sex ‘n’ shopping books!

I clearly remember two audio dramas broadcast by BBC Radio 4 back in the late 1980s or early 90s – Regency Buck and Friday’s Child, both of which I’ve been able to listen to again in recent years on one of their digital radio channels (they’re not available commercially). I enjoyed both hugely, although Friday’s Child is probably my favourite of the two, simply because it’s so damn funny. It’s impossible for a drama to follow the text to the letter – in rather the same way a film adaptation has to pick and choose what to leave in and what to take out – but it kept to the spirit of the original and had that quality of a runaway train about it that’s so apparent in the book. You know where it’s going, but can just jump on and enjoy the ride anyway! I also recently heard an adaptation from 1995 of Faro’s Daughter, which I hadn’t realized existed and, given I heard it shortly after I’d finished listening to Naxos’ new audiobook version, it was a really interesting exercise in comparison and held up really well, given the fact that, like the other two I’ve mentioned, it’s a 90 minute adaptation.

With the advent of Audible and the relevant technology, I’ve been able to augment my Heyer listening with many of the audiobooks available there. I can’t say that I’ve listened to them all – not quite – but there are some terrific offerings to be had. In addition to Naxos’ new unabridged recordings of The Black Moth and Venetia, which is, hands down, my favourite Heyer, Daniel Philpott’s performance in The Unknown Ajax  is a real treat. I’ve also enjoyed Frederica, The Talisman Ring, and A Civil Contract (the last two narrated by the terrific Phyllida Nash). I’m looking forward to listening to The Corinthian and Cousin Kate in the next few weeks, and will no doubt be pouncing on Naxos’ newest Heyer offerings as and when they appear during the rest of this year.

Melinda – I read my first Heyer in print years ago when I did an AAR Top 100 Challenge (I made it through 95 of them). I didn’t find it that interesting, but I can be persistent about trying a widely-loved author (coughKleypascough) over and over, so I gave her another try. While I’m not planning a Heyer glom, I have found several that were charming and funny, and as always, with the right narrator, there have been some entertaining listens as well. (I never got to this point with Kleypas historicals, alas.)

Kaetrin – My very first audiobook ever was Regency Buck – I DNF’d it. I was bored by the narration and kept losing my place. It wasn’t until the abridged version of Sylvester, narrated by Richard Armitage was released that I was prepared to giveHeyer another try.  I promptly listened to Venetia (also abridged and also narrated by Mr. Armitage) and then later, A Convenient Marriage. I’ll be honest – the big draw for me was Armitage. (I’m shallow.) But I did find these books accessible, not at all boring and I liked them very much. (Also, Richard Armitage. Rowr.) I have since bought quite a few Heyer books in digital format and some unabridged Heyer audiobooks as well – but I haven’t got to them yet. I remain a bit intimidated by Heyer in print but I do plan to give the full length audiobooks a go at some stage – I hear Nicholas Rowe’s narrations are really good.

Lea – I had heard favorable talk about Heyer‘s books for years in print format but didn’t think they would interest me. I finally tried one in unabridged audio format and stayed with it just to say I did but the narration was too authentic for my ears. I couldn’t picture a hero speaking in that manner (Devil’s Cub anyone?)! Then Naxos released the abridged versions of several Heyer titles narrated by Richard Armitage and my opinion changed – greatly. Needless to say, Armitage’s performance won me over and I found the abridged version just right for me as one almost completely unfamiliar with Heyer‘s work. I have since tried two unabridged titles with excellent narrators, and although they are not my first choice for audio listening, I consider them to be a solid source for entertainment.

Tomorrow we’re providing a complete list of Heyer audio titles and reviews of Venetia and Faro’s Daughter so we’ll see you back then!

Lea Hensley