Time for Throwback Thursday! This is a true throwback to an earlier age of Romance novels and unfortunately is not available through Audible US, but you can still get an audio CD of it from Amazon and some other retailers as well as eBay. The review was originally published on September 14, 2014, and Carrie gave it a thumbs up!
Narrated by Cornelius Garrett
Over a decade ago a friend urged me read a book by Georgette Heyer, even though I mostly read mysteries and fantasy at the time. At her insistence, I located a few Heyer books (then out of print) at a used book store and found I enjoyed them as much as she said I would. Not long after, I found a copy of The Quiet Gentleman on audiocassette at my library. I scrounged up a Walkman from the bottom of one of my children’s closets, located fresh batteries, and found myself immersed in the language and humor that is classic Georgette Heyer. Heyer’s books, while fun in print, are pure pleasure on audio.
The Quiet Gentleman opens with the return of the heir, Gervais (Ger), to the family estate to claim his inheritance. Hated by his father the Earl due to the actions of his mother, Ger is resented by his stepmother, the Dowager, and his half-brother, Martin. Both the stepmother and Martin had hopes that Ger, a soldier in the campaign against Napoleon, would die in battle and the estate would pass to Martin. Martin has been raised to think himself the rightful heir and makes no secret of the fact that he wishes Ger dead. It seems Martin may get his wish when unexplained accidents threaten Ger’s life.
Gervais is calm, reserved, and quite intelligent. He is also unfailingly courteous to his stepmother and cousin, enduring their insults and insinuations with grace. Cornelius Garrett’s voicing of Gervais perfectly conveys these qualities to the listener. Garrett manages the right amount of irony in Ger’s voice, conveying both his good sense and his humor.
Several other people figure prominently in the story. Drusilla, a young lady staying with the Dowager while her parents are traveling, is relatively plain but also intelligent and sensible. Theo, Ger’s cousin and estate manager, is also living in the manor house. Rounding out the main cast of characters are Lucius (Lucy), a well-to-do friend of Ger’s, and Marianne, a beautiful young lady of a neighboring estate that all the men fall in love with. Garrett gives each of these characters not only a voice, but a personality that fits that character to a tee. His women sound female without using a falsetto, and his men’s voices sound appropriate for each character’s age, class, and personality.
The author skillfully intertwines the stories, revealing each person’s motives and personality. The main storyline is the mystery surrounding the attempts on Ger’s life. The secondary plot involves the beautiful Marianne and her many admirers, including Ger. Then there is Drusilla, the calm sounding board with steady good sense who keeps many of the more troublesome characters in check. While the plotlines are well done and interesting, The Quiet Gentleman is more a character driven story than a plot driven one.
One reason I enjoy Georgette Heyer so much on audio is the quality of narrators. All the narrators I’ve heard read her books are top-notch, although I do have my favorites. Cornelius Garrett is one of those favorites. His timing is perfect, and his voice is both beautiful to listen to and perfectly suited to the language of Heyer. Garrett’s character voices are always spot on, as well. The wonderful and varied accents of the British Isles can be a challenge to read in print, but come alive in the hands, or should I say voice, of a talented narrator like Garrett. The language in Georgette Heyer’s writing is beautiful, and never more so than when read aloud by someone who can do justice to the quirky characters and dry humor so common in her books. The talent of the author and the narrators explains why I find myself returning again and again to Heyer on audio.
Carrie
Buy The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer on Amazon
*Great review Carrie – is it romantic? I tried Regency Buck on audio a while back but didn’t make it through to the end. The female narrator made everyone sound so old and fussy that I found it hard to get into. (It was my first audiobook purchase in fact – I had MUCh more success with my next – Outlander!)
I’ve listened to the abridged Heyer’s narrated by Richard Armitage (sigh) and really enjoyed them. Maybe a male narrator such as Mr. Garrett will work better for me?
*Thanks, Kaetrin. I had to look back at my own review of Regency Buck, and I agree, Flo Gibsons narration didn’t do it justice. I usually like her narrations, but not for that book. Garrett is a wonderful narrator, as is Eve Matheson, another frequent reader for Heyer books.
The book is romantic, but isn’t necessarily focused on the romance. Often Heyer’s romances share the stage with a mystery or the crazy actions of fellow characters. I recommend Cotillion for a very funny, endearing book. I also recommend Black Sheep, and Lady of Quality. Of course, the ones with the most obvious romances, Venitia, The Corinthian, and Arabella aren’t available in the US on unabridged audio right now. If you can find them, however, they are worth it. I’m fortunate to have a library that still has some of these on cassette.
I enjoy all of Heyer’s books–on audio or in print–but I know tastes vary. I hope you find one that works for you, just to enjoy getting lost in the language.
The Quiet Gentleman is available at Audible.com (US) and is narrated by James Macallum. Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Quiet-Gentleman-Audiobook/1473586364?
Thanks – that title, with a different narrator, does appear in Audible US, but, for me it shows a box that says “Title Not For Sale In This Country/Region” so listeners in the US are geo-restricted this time.
Yes, Penguin in the UK has re-recorded a number of Heyer titles over the last couple of years, so many of these older 2000s titles (by these, I mean the ones that were previously available, of which this version of The Quiet Gentleman is one) are no longer available there. Many of the new narrators are unfamiliar, but there are some good ones – Joe Jameson has done a couple, and Matt Addis is terrific in Sylvester.
I loved this audio and got it at audible just before a lot of GH books became unavailable there. The version I have is narrated by Cornelius Garrett. I still have several GH languishing on my audible wishlist even though they no longer show purchasing info. I check them periodically to see if they’re “back in stock.”
Mary – see my reply to Elaine, above. That batch of titles, recorded in the early 2000s, have now been replaced with newer versions, so I doubt they’ll become available again. Publishing/Digital rights being reverted or re-purchased is the usual reason things like this happen.
I have 21 Georgette Heyer audiobooks in my Audible library, and 19 of them are from this era with narrators like Eve Mathesen and Phyllida Nash. Every time a book came available when they first started adding them to the site I bought one. In fact, the Heyer books were the sole reason that I joined Audible at the time, and I used a credit a month until I had every one they offered. I have the new recording of These Old Shades narrated by Sarah Nichols, but haven’t listened to it yet. I, too, check the list of Georgette Heyer books available on Audible in hopes that some of the new recordings, especially of books I didn’t get before, will become available in the US.
If you still have a CD/DVD player/recorder, you can probably get them on eBay. You just need a way to rip them to MP3s for computer/phone listening! I just got an older recording on CD for $7 US including shipping – way cheaper than a credit! However, maybe classic audiobooks will be like recordings of classical music someday, with many different interpretations available.
Thank for the tip! I’m going to go look around. :-)