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Venetia Georgette Heyer 9780373771660 Books

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Venetia Georgette Heyer 9780373771660 Books

Absolutely best Heyer ever! This is probably my fifteenth of her books, and after finishing Sylvester, I began to wonder if the thrill was gone. Not nearly so charming or comic as the idea behind it. It cheered me to read The Corinthian followed by Faro's Daughter, proving her comic romances, like The Grand Sophy, are still great. But Venetia is one of a kind, not as a Georgette Heyer, but to stand against any novel I've ever read. A deeply romantic story, far more so than is really usual for her. She generally likes a lighter touch, which is not to say this book has no comic moments and exchanges. It would be easy to define this as a "reformed rake" romance, and it's so much more. This, combined with the best characters she's ever written. I know that, as I read the rest of her books I'll be looking for Venetia, and it's doubtful I'll find it.

I'm still a Pride and Prejudice fanatic, despite how worn its become in books and movies, but let me say first that Lord Damerel puts Mr. Darcy in the shade. An absolutely fascinating character, who shows his colors as soon as he appears on the scene, finding Venetia picking berries on the Yorkshire property he rarely visits. Damerel roars into her quiet, provincial life like a high wind, claiming his forfeit from the fair trespasser by stealing a major kiss. Despite the crisp argument that follows, you know she's hooked. What's remarkable is that Damerel is thoroughly hooked, as well. He can't throw a quote that she can't finish. The Wicked Baron is sarcastic, witty and defiant of the opinion held of him in the district. Which is for the best, since it's rather low. This is the first thing Heyer conveys, the fact that, no matter his rank, a typical rake paid a price for his behavior in a kind of social death, at least anywhere apart from the Continent or London with his cronies. As a rule novels don't make this clear, that being a charming rake with a lousy reputation isn't a light matter. As they very soon get to know one another, the reader has the feeling that Damerel may never have told the story of his fall from grace, not in the way he tells Venetia. And this is what makes the book a standout - the powerful affinity between them, despite the great difference in age and experience. Venetia is no fool, and she's well aware they're falling in love, or at least infatuation. But what matters to her most is that she's finally found a real friend to light her pleasant but arid existence. This is what's remarkable between them, what you'll never forget. To the final page her pet name for Damerel is "dear friend," which is precisely what he is to her. Despite that fact, this book is probably more sexually aware than any other Heyer I've read, with the possible exception of The Spanish Bride. Proof that sexual tension isn't always achieved with sex on paper. Not that I have anything against it, except that so many writers seem to use it in place of characters you give a hang about.

The ending is just great. As always with Heyer the secondary characters are wonderful. Her brother Aubrey and the surprise guests her elder brother Conway dumps at her door are standouts. Just when you think it's a dull middle! The modern eye, I think, will be happy with the character of Aubrey, a young man with a scholarly mind, a crippled hip and an independent attitude, who wins Damerel's close friendship. But the real star is Venetia, competent, level-headed, and yet innocent in a way that's remarkable. She knows what Damerel is, and completely accepts it. And in that acceptance is his real salvation. I was about to say that if you've never read a Heyer before, start with this one, but now I'm not certain. Having read so many, and loving nearly all of them, I think it's not likely I'll ever read another as great as Venetia. But I might get a surprise.


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Venetia Georgette Heyer 9780373771660 Books Reviews

This is one of my favorite Heyer novels, exceeded only by Frederica and The Toll-Gate, and on a par with Cotillion, Sprig Muslin, and The Unknown Ajax. Venetia herself is arguably my favorite female character in the whole canon; the only negative is the awful mother-in-law of her older brother Conway, who is really annoying. It put me off the book somewhat after my first reading, but when I complained about it in a conversation with a friend she pointed out that Conway was going to be coming home from France quite soon, and there was no way he was going to put up with the m-i-l. Bearing this in mind through my subsequent re-readings (and I've read this one at least ten times, probably more) I put it near the top.
I love this book and have read it many times. There are many reviews, so thought it would be most helpful to review the two audiobook versions, since I own both and listened to them recently.

Abridged narrated by the delicious Richard Armitage with his sultry baritone voice. He's a talented actor, so his expression and pacing are excellent. He also creates distinctive voices and accents for each character which always increases the enjoyment of listening to a story. This version is 4+ hours, where the unabridged version is 12+ hours, so that gives you a good idea of how much has been cut. I think the editor did an outstanding job, my quibble is that the Abridged version spends as much time on the prosy Edward Yardley as it does on our hero, Lord Dameral. It cuts a number of scenes and shortens conversations between Venetia and Dameral. It also cuts out quite a bit of Nurse's pontificating and somewhat diminishes the servants' importance in Venetia's household. My other quibble is the music played in between some chapters. The first time through I thought it was charming, but on later listenings I was impatient to get back to the story. Buy this version for the stellar narration and/or if you prefer a shorter book to listen to.

Unabridged narrated by Phyllida Nash, a British stage actor. Her voice bares a striking resemblance to Judi Dench, which made me wonder if they grew up in the same area or attended the same school at some point? As a classically trained actor, her pacing and expression are excellent. She does a good job of making her voice lower for the men, though most women aren't the best at this (other than Rosalyn Landor, whose natural voice is very deep). Nash uses different accents for servants versus upper class characters, though the voices she creates aren't as distinctive as Armitage in the Abridged version. Overall her narration is excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Favorite line in the Unabridged version which isn't included in the Abridged... Venetia says to Edward "Your encomium unwomans me!" Ha! Buy this version for more of Heyer's wit and humor which is hard to capture when cutting out 2/3 of the book. This version is also available on whispersync, which makes it a bargain!

My Top Ten books by Heyer
Venetia (Regency Romances) - best romance
Frederica (Regency Romances) - best all around, best family, best humor
Friday's Child (Regency Romances) - best coming of age, most cant expressions
Regency Buck (Regency Romances) - best descriptions of Prinny, Brummel and Brighton
Charity Girl (Regency Romances) - best hero
The Grand Sophy (Regency Romances)- best heroine
Devil's Cub (Historical Romances) - best scene (between Duke of Avon and heroine), best abduction
These Old Shades (Historical Romances) - best revenge
The Foundling - best travel adventure, duke in disguise
Masqueraders - best swashbuckling
Absolutely best Heyer ever! This is probably my fifteenth of her books, and after finishing Sylvester, I began to wonder if the thrill was gone. Not nearly so charming or comic as the idea behind it. It cheered me to read The Corinthian followed by Faro's Daughter, proving her comic romances, like The Grand Sophy, are still great. But Venetia is one of a kind, not as a Georgette Heyer, but to stand against any novel I've ever read. A deeply romantic story, far more so than is really usual for her. She generally likes a lighter touch, which is not to say this book has no comic moments and exchanges. It would be easy to define this as a "reformed rake" romance, and it's so much more. This, combined with the best characters she's ever written. I know that, as I read the rest of her books I'll be looking for Venetia, and it's doubtful I'll find it.

I'm still a Pride and Prejudice fanatic, despite how worn its become in books and movies, but let me say first that Lord Damerel puts Mr. Darcy in the shade. An absolutely fascinating character, who shows his colors as soon as he appears on the scene, finding Venetia picking berries on the Yorkshire property he rarely visits. Damerel roars into her quiet, provincial life like a high wind, claiming his forfeit from the fair trespasser by stealing a major kiss. Despite the crisp argument that follows, you know she's hooked. What's remarkable is that Damerel is thoroughly hooked, as well. He can't throw a quote that she can't finish. The Wicked Baron is sarcastic, witty and defiant of the opinion held of him in the district. Which is for the best, since it's rather low. This is the first thing Heyer conveys, the fact that, no matter his rank, a typical rake paid a price for his behavior in a kind of social death, at least anywhere apart from the Continent or London with his cronies. As a rule novels don't make this clear, that being a charming rake with a lousy reputation isn't a light matter. As they very soon get to know one another, the reader has the feeling that Damerel may never have told the story of his fall from grace, not in the way he tells Venetia. And this is what makes the book a standout - the powerful affinity between them, despite the great difference in age and experience. Venetia is no fool, and she's well aware they're falling in love, or at least infatuation. But what matters to her most is that she's finally found a real friend to light her pleasant but arid existence. This is what's remarkable between them, what you'll never forget. To the final page her pet name for Damerel is "dear friend," which is precisely what he is to her. Despite that fact, this book is probably more sexually aware than any other Heyer I've read, with the possible exception of The Spanish Bride. Proof that sexual tension isn't always achieved with sex on paper. Not that I have anything against it, except that so many writers seem to use it in place of characters you give a hang about.

The ending is just great. As always with Heyer the secondary characters are wonderful. Her brother Aubrey and the surprise guests her elder brother Conway dumps at her door are standouts. Just when you think it's a dull middle! The modern eye, I think, will be happy with the character of Aubrey, a young man with a scholarly mind, a crippled hip and an independent attitude, who wins Damerel's close friendship. But the real star is Venetia, competent, level-headed, and yet innocent in a way that's remarkable. She knows what Damerel is, and completely accepts it. And in that acceptance is his real salvation. I was about to say that if you've never read a Heyer before, start with this one, but now I'm not certain. Having read so many, and loving nearly all of them, I think it's not likely I'll ever read another as great as Venetia. But I might get a surprise.