Getting To Know Georgette

Moving

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:42:42 GMT

In a few days Getting To Know Georgette will be migrated to a new blog on Blogspot. I'll post the link here and at my main journal Dusty Pages when I have it.

Testing Wordle

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:16:18 GMT

Updated List

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:48:21 GMT

My List, So Far

Of these seven, the order in which I rate them:

1. The Masqueraders

2. Simon The Coldheart

3. These Old Shades

4. Instead of the Thorn

5. Helen

6. Powder and Patch

7. The Black Moth

8. The Great Roxhythe

My List, So Far

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 03:41:05 GMT

Of these seven, the order in which I rate them:

1. The Masqueraders

2. Simon The Coldheart

3. These Old Shades

4. Instead of the Thorn

5. Powder and Patch

6. The Black Moth

7. The Great Roxhythe

These Old Shades

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 01:57:33 GMT

"What was her mysterious parentage?"

Published in 1926

THESE OLD SHADES by Georgette Heyer

These Old Shades was Heyer's sixth published novel, and was set in Georgian times. It tells the story of Leonie, a girl brought up in a humble home in Paris, but whose origins are anything but humble.

Through a series of interesting events, (and after first masquerading as his page "Leon") Leonie becomes the ward of the Duke of Avon. The mystery of her real parentage lies in the hands of the Duke of Avon's enemy, the deadly Compte de Sainte-Vire, a man Leonie greatly fears.

Published in 1926, the book is very much "of it's time", with a rather melodramatic tone. It seems to be a favorite with members of the Heyer Listserv (book discussion group), and Avon is definitely a favorite hero with the ladies on the list. Justin, Duke of Avon, is amusing, arrogant, self-centered, with a sometimes destructive wit at the beginning of the book. About halfway through we see him maturing a bit; he is kinder, his good characteristics have strengthened, and he actually puts someone else's interests above his own.

Leonie, I have to admit, annoys me at times; she worships Avon with slavish adoration and defends him to all. The man's nickname is "Satanas", for goodness sake! But I still have a kindness for her, and, as I said, he does grow up. This is a Heyer that I do like to re-read once in a while. The characters of Justin's family are so very funny. There is a lot of wit and charm in the book (which one expects of Heyer, after all). I think my favorite character in the whole book is Rupert, the Duke's brother. Rupert makes the book worth reading all on his own.

It is a fast-paced, tension-filled book, which will keepyou laughing throughout -- from the moment Avon first meets Leonie, dressed in boy's clothes and going by the name of "Leon", to the excellent chase and rescue at the end. It is a feel-good read with hilarious dialogue throughout and characters that you can't help but love. And although it is not in my personal top 10, I know some who put it in the #1 spot on their Heyer list. So look for it in your library or buy an inexpensive paperback on Ebay or Amazon. It's worth the read.

My copy of TOS is a Bantam Books paperback, published in 1970. It is one of only a few that I do not yet have in hard cover.

Note: Heyer did not do sequels, but it is generally accepted by "Heyerites" (and stated by Heyer biographer Jane Aiken Hodge) that she did take the main characters in The Black Moth and use them again, under different names, in These Old Shades. She titled the book so, as a hint to her readers -- the characters in TOS were "shades" of those in TBM.

Since TOS was published in 1926, she was probably writing it at the time of her marriage to Ronald Rougier in 1925. It was published during what is known as The General Strike in England when there were not only no trains or newspapers, but no advertising or reviews, either. Yet the book was an instant success. Hodge suggests Heyer may have been encouraged to believe that she didn't need publicity to have a successful novel, after TOS sold 190,000 copies on publication.

My list, so far:

1. Simon The Coldheart

2. These Old Shades

3. Instead of the Thorn

4. Powder and Patch

5. The Black Moth

6. The Great Roxhythe

Tags: Georgette Heyer, These Old Shades, Jane Aiken Hodge

Simon The Coldheart

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 01:48:03 GMT

Book Number Five --

Heyer published this book in 1925, the fifth of her 54 novels.

I have to count Simon as a favorite, though not in my top 10.

The book is set in the year 1400 and tells the story of Simon, the illegitimate son of Geoffrey of Malvallet who, at the age of 14, has to fend for himself. He puts himself in the service of Fulk of Montlice (his father's natural enemy), and I do mean "puts himself" into his service. He has a very forceful nature and gets what he wants. He wanted to serve Fulk, and so he does! He works his way up from being a page to Fulk to becoming a friend and equal to Alan, Fulk's son. The book follows Simon to age 32, by which time he has made a name for himself as Simon of Beauvallet, has a castle of his own, and has won for wife the lady he chooses, a spitfire and a beauty.

Simon is set during the reign of Henry IV, a favorite historical age for Heyer. She dedicated the book to her father, George, because of all her published books at the time, Simon was his favorite.

Heyer, however, put Simon on the list of books she was adamant about keeping suppressed, even when fans wrote to ask that it be re-issued. After her death, her son allowed it's publication in 1977, saying that in this one case his mother had been too harsh.

I have to say I agree, because I do enjoy reading Simon now and again. My own hard cover copy looks exactly as the photograph above. I was able to get it on Ebay for $32.00 plus shipping, and it came to me encased in plastic and in pristine shape. It is a 1978 Book Club Associates edition, published by arrangement with William Heineman Ltd. And I don't mind at all that it isn't a first edition (which would be a find, indeed) because it is such a beautiful book, and I love that cover. I also have a Pan paperback, published in 1979.

Now that I've written about Heyer's first five, I will begin to put them in the order in which I enjoy them. Of these first five, the order would be:

1. Simon The Coldheart

2. Instead Of The Thorn

3. Powder And Patch

4. The Black Moth

5. The Great Roxhythe

Next Entry: More on their personal lives...

Tags: Georgette Heyer, Simon The Coldheart

Turning in New Directions, Part Two - -

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:43:42 GMT

Continuing on from Part One and referring to Beauvallet, Hodge states that it sold 86,000 copies and helped cement Heyer as an author whose historical books would sell.

In her personal life, things were changing once again. Ronald's partnership in the gas, coke, and light company did not work out, and they actually lost money. They borrowed money from Mrs. Heyer's sisters, bought a sports shop in Horsham, and moved to Sussex. They repaid the loan with interest over the years. Boris left his job with Bovril, lived over the shop, and helped Ronald run it.

A few miles from Horsham they found a four-bedroomed house in Colegate in Lower Breeding. Hodge describes it as a "rambling, two-storyed, comfortable" house that in layout was very much like the one at 5 Ridgeway Place. Georgette continued to write, and Heinemann continued to reprint the old titles.

Tags: Georgette Heyer, Jane Aiken Hodge, Beauvallet

"...I Am Roxhythe."

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 22:29:00 GMT

THE GREAT ROXHYTHE by Georgette Heyer

Set in Medieval England, this book was published in 1923.

Often this is a hard one to find. I remember watching several copies on various websites, with prices going up into the hundreds of dollars; then I finally found a copy that was around $32.00 including shipping. Mine is hardcover, without a dust jacket, in very good shape, and a second edition printing. I do not think that a paperback was ever published of this book; although with the new paperback GH re-issues that are coming out this year, I wouldn't be surprised if they are planning to print one now.

As an early Heyer, again, just like the one before it, I think it shows us Heyer's talent and to what we have to look forward. The time period in which it was set was, I believe, a favorite with Heyer. I have read other readers' comments who've not cared for the book because it is so long, because the language is sometimes stilted, and because the ending isn't all they would like it to be.

Personally, I really enjoyed reading the book, once I was able to obtain a copy. I do not believe it will be one that I can re-read regularly like I do so many others, but I believe I'll crave a re-reading once in a while.

The character of Roxhythe, himself, is conceited about his own accomplishments, powers, strengths, charm and wit. But the reader can't help liking him. You see, he really is all the things he says he is; and he is loyal, sometimes uncomprehendingly so, to his King (Charles II) and country. Heyer modeled Roxhythe after The Duke of Buckingham, according to Hodge, although she doesn't give her reasons for saying so.

The secondary character, Christopher, is one of my favorite of Heyer's. It is through Chris' eyes that we learn to see into Roxhythe; to see past the facade that he puts up for most of the world; to see the deeply-rooted convictions and loyalty, the love that he really has for his country. And it is through Chris' eyes that we see the gentle side of Roxhythe. There is, of course, a love story as well in the plot, and it is, refreshingly, a very realistic telling of a relationship between a man and a woman in love.

One of my favorite lines in the book is when Chris is speaking in some doubt as to Roxhythe's power to get some gentlemen of the court to do his bidding. Roxhythe reassures him on that point, saying simply, "....I am Roxhythe."

As in all of Heyer's novels, there is plenty of humor and wit in ROXHYTHE. The book spans several years, and it is easy to get bogged down in it. It is not her usual fare; set during the intrigue and politics of Charles II's reign, it is a far cry from the Regency- and Georgian-period romances for which she is so well-known. But, especially remembering that Heyer was only 21 at the time of publication, I have to say that the book is quite a splendid accomplishment, and I could only dream of having had the knowledge and ability to write such a book when I was 21 years old.

I read a review in which the writer said that it is not up to Heyer's "usual standards"; considering that it was only the second of her novels to be published, I have to say that she hadn't really yet had time to set any standards. And it should be remembered that she wasn't at all satisfied with it herself (she often wasn't satisfied with her books). And still, though written by an "immature" writer at the time, it is still a very "mature" book. I believe the problem that some people have with the book is that they are accustomed to the light-hearted romances or the wonderfully well-written who-done-its of Heyer; when they finally have the chance to read ROXHYTHE, it is so entirely out of that realm that they are disappointed. So, I advise that if you get the chance to read it, you should do so with an open mind. Imagine it isn't Heyer writing it, but some other 21-year-old, newly published author.

As for the ending -- I appreciated it. I cried, but I thought it was well-done.

Copies of THE GREAT ROXHYTHE can be found at a reasonable price. Do not be suckered into paying a fortune for one. If you are so fortunate as to have a copy in your local library (which I highly doubt) take advantage of it and give it a try.

Next Entry: Well On Her Way

Tags: Georgette Heyer, The Great Roxhythe, Charles II, The Duke of Buckingham

Introducing Georgette

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 19:37:18 GMT

GEORGETTE HEYER

She was born August 16, 1902 in Wimbledon, England and published her first novel at the age of 19.

Although she is mostly known for her Regency novels, she also wrote several Georgian period novels, one biography of William the Conqueror, one set during the reign of Charles II, four Post-World War I novels (contemporary to her life) and eleven mysteries.

As I said, though, she is probably best known for her Regency period novels --the Comedy of Manners-type works, and witty romances. I do appreciate and enjoy Jane Austen, but while Jane Austen wrote about the time in which she was living, Heyer wrote from in-depth research and her love of the period; and it shows. She is appreciated for the interesting wit, humor and absurdities of her characters, her twisting plots, colorful use of Regency cant and her knowledge of the customs, culture, political landscape and class distinctions of the period.

I have been a huge fan of Heyer since about 1980. I had obtained a few of her books over the years, but in 2005 seriously started building a collection of her work, mostly buying from Ebay and Amazon, but also making finds at flea markets, thrift stores and yard sales. I almost have a complete collection. Of her 55 books I have at least one copy, and sometimes more, of 53 of them. This is a pretty good website for anyone who likes Heyer.

Georgette's grandfather was Russian, and the name "Heyer" was originally pronounced, as most people pronounce it today, as "high-er". But during World War I the family changed the pronunciation to sound lessGerman and it was pronounced to sound like "hair". Georgette herself pronounced it that way. But it is very hard for me to do so. I didn't know about the war-years' pronunciation changewhen Ifirst became a fan, so when I found out that she herself pronounced it to rhyme with "fair" I tried to do so. But it automatically comes to my mind or out of my mouth as rhyming with "flyer". I'm trying, though.

Georgette was the eldest of three children. Her brothers were Boris and Frank. Her father, George Heyer, was a teacher at King's College School.

Note* This past Saturday (Oct. 13, 2007) I got a copy of Pastel that I'd won on Ebay. So now I have at least one copy of all but one of her books.

Note** As of yesterday, February 25, 2008 I have a complete collection. I now have at least one of all 55 of her titles.

Next entry: My list of Heyers

Tags: Georgette Heyer

Oh Joy!

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:59:47 GMT

February 25, 2008 -- The day I completed my Georgette Heyer collection!!

Yes, yesterday the mail brought me the last title that I needed, the one to complete my collection. I now have at least one of each of her titles, all 55!! And I have more than one of most of them.

I think I'm going to cry!