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17th out of 50 books
—
295 voters
The Unknown Ajax
Miles from anywhere, Darracott Place is presided over by irascible Lord Darracott. The recent drowning of his eldest son has done nothing to improve his temper. For now he must send for the unknown offspring of the uncle whom the family are never permitted to mention. Yet none of that beleaguered family are prepared for the arrival of the weaver's brat and heir apparent .....more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
January 6th 2005
by Arrow
(first published 1959)
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Rating Clarification: 2.5 Stars
I'm reet glad this Heyer is finished. Happen I didn't care for Hugo, the family Darracott or this story at all. Greatly wished this was one of Heyer's whodunnits, so that Lord Darracott could be murdered and Inspector Hemingway could arrive and solve the case, but alas this was just one sloooooooow and boring regency with little excitement, humor, romance or basically anything I've come to expect from Heyer.
While it gets high ratings from most of my GR friends (and...more
I'm reet glad this Heyer is finished. Happen I didn't care for Hugo, the family Darracott or this story at all. Greatly wished this was one of Heyer's whodunnits, so that Lord Darracott could be murdered and Inspector Hemingway could arrive and solve the case, but alas this was just one sloooooooow and boring regency with little excitement, humor, romance or basically anything I've come to expect from Heyer.
While it gets high ratings from most of my GR friends (and...more
7 likes · like · see review
view all 5 comments
Jul 15, 2008
Abigail
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Georgette Heyer Fans / Regency Romance Readers
Shelves:
georgette-heyer,
romance
Review Temporarily Removed.
4 likes · like · see review
It's hard to believe that a book with so many exclamation points in the dialog can be such a pleasure to read.
This one has less focus on the romance than the other Heyer novels I've read so far. And while usually the hero is haughty and disagreeable (like Mr. Darcy in the first half of Pride & Prejudice) in this story he's affable from the beginning, with a sharper sense of humor than the heroine. It's a nice variation.
There's more of the servants' perspective in this book than in the others...more
This one has less focus on the romance than the other Heyer novels I've read so far. And while usually the hero is haughty and disagreeable (like Mr. Darcy in the first half of Pride & Prejudice) in this story he's affable from the beginning, with a sharper sense of humor than the heroine. It's a nice variation.
There's more of the servants' perspective in this book than in the others...more
Not one of her best known Regency romances, but it's grown on me over the years. What's not to love about Georgette Heyer presenting a tall, strapping hero who inherits a noble title and estate and condescending relatives annoyed by his presence in their lives? The family's supercilious attitude toward Major Darracott's background (noble father and common Yorkshire 'weaver's' daughter) brings out the huge hero's impish humor which expresses itself in a broad Yorkshire accent, a slowness of wits...more
Heyer is impeccable with her Regency-era slang, accents, domestic life, and the history of smuggling (as far as I can tell, anyway). Her novel made the lives of servants more vivid and the boredom and oppression of landed gentry more acute. What I was interested in, however, was a love story with suspense and tension. Our two main characters are barely alone, or even in the same room together. The finale is a long comic caper that shows off Hugo’s many strengths, but Anthea is barely given space...more
Buddy read with Hannah and Leslie
My first true dud from Georgette Heyer; I was able to get about halfway through, but then I ran out of steam. The beginning was difficult, with a large, contentious family introduced in the first three chapters. I actually wrote out a family tree to keep the names straight. And the younger set spoke with so much slang that I found it very hard to get through (this is not my first Heyer, but it was a bit over-the-top, even for her). I thought Hugo had potential, t...more
My first true dud from Georgette Heyer; I was able to get about halfway through, but then I ran out of steam. The beginning was difficult, with a large, contentious family introduced in the first three chapters. I actually wrote out a family tree to keep the names straight. And the younger set spoke with so much slang that I found it very hard to get through (this is not my first Heyer, but it was a bit over-the-top, even for her). I thought Hugo had potential, t...more
7 likes · like · see review
I keep trying! I really should get some recommendations rather than just reading random Heyer novels on the basis of their titles... The Unknown Ajax is about an the heir to a family, Hugh Darracott . Unfortunately, he's an unexpected heir and the family is up in arms at this stranger suddenly being in charge of their lives. The head of the family, his Grandfather is determined to marry him off to his young cousin, Anthea Darracott.
While the overall storyline of the book was fun, I think my pro...more
While the overall storyline of the book was fun, I think my pro...more
The second book on the WH Smith buy-one-get-second-at-half-price offer.
Lord Darracott’s son and heir has recently been drowned leaving the belligerent, bullying old man with no choice but to accept the son of his second son as his new heir. Unfortunately the second son married far beneath him and was cut off by his father some thirty years ago, so Darracott has never met his grandson – supposedly a weaver’s brat from Yorkshire and neither has the rest of the family who have been kept in ignoranc...more
Lord Darracott’s son and heir has recently been drowned leaving the belligerent, bullying old man with no choice but to accept the son of his second son as his new heir. Unfortunately the second son married far beneath him and was cut off by his father some thirty years ago, so Darracott has never met his grandson – supposedly a weaver’s brat from Yorkshire and neither has the rest of the family who have been kept in ignoranc...more
Dec 11, 2011
Estara
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Estara by:
one of my favourite Heyers
Yes, this works for me in English just as well as in German - having read the original now I have to say incredible KUDOS to the original translator into German for getting Hugo's Yorkshire cant an equivalent dialect treatment without which the story wouldn't work - for that matter Heyer uses so many outdated metaphors and images that I do wonder how they explained those to the translator and what he/she had to do to research the German equivalent of regency speak, heh.
Sartorias says in her revi...more
Sartorias says in her revi...more
A Regency romance through which you can’t help but laugh when Lord Darracott meets his heir for the first time. When his second son off and marries the daughter of a weaver, Darracott wrote that son out of his will. Unfortunately, he can’t write his grandson out of the inheritance and since his firstborn and that son’s heir drowned, the weaver’s brat is in line when milord kicks the bucket. Well, he can’t have some backwoods country bumpkin step into his shoes, so young Hugo Darracott is “invite...more
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An unusual Hero and an rather quiet heroine as far as Georgette Heyer goes.
Major Hugo Darracott suddenly finds him heir to a title he isn´t interested in. But as he has no way of getting out of the title he decides to regard his summons, travel to Darracott House and check out his relatives.
When he arrives he finds most of the peoples narrow-minded and the estate in severe decline. One person peeks his interest, though. Miss Anthea Darracott. She is spirited and intelligent but when her Grandpap...more
Major Hugo Darracott suddenly finds him heir to a title he isn´t interested in. But as he has no way of getting out of the title he decides to regard his summons, travel to Darracott House and check out his relatives.
When he arrives he finds most of the peoples narrow-minded and the estate in severe decline. One person peeks his interest, though. Miss Anthea Darracott. She is spirited and intelligent but when her Grandpap...more
You can't get better than Georgette Heyer for the intricacies of Regency England and the ins and outs of Society. I had a hard time getting into this one, though. It takes place on the country estate of the irascible Lord Darricot and his family. Discovering, upon the death of one of his sons and grandsons, that his heir was now the son of his disowned son--disowned for marrying a common weaver's daughter--Lord Darricot commands his grandson, Major Hugh Darricot to come meet him. Everyone expect...more
The previously unacknowledged heir apparent meets his dysfunctional family and trolls them. They mostly deserve it. Also, he saves their asses and helps make them just slightly less dysfunctional. Maybe. Hopefully. We'll see. Also, there is smuggling, ghost stories, servant rivalry, and an amazing climatic scene, nearly a quarter of the book, in which the family pulls off a majestic farce. The pacing wasn't balanced, but it resulted in a really fun ending.
I spent large portions of the book going...more
I spent large portions of the book going...more
The one where old Lord Darracott has neglected a large estate and tyrannized a large family for decades, until the death of his two heirs forces him to acknowledge a soldier grandson whose existence he'd kept secret.
Here, as in The Grand Sophy, the pleasure is in watching an outsider come into a really messed-up family and straighten everything out. Hugo is a large, stubborn Yorkshireman, and at first everyone mistakes him for an affable idiot. But between his brains and his financial independe...more
Here, as in The Grand Sophy, the pleasure is in watching an outsider come into a really messed-up family and straighten everything out. Hugo is a large, stubborn Yorkshireman, and at first everyone mistakes him for an affable idiot. But between his brains and his financial independe...more
(3.5 stars) It was an interesting contrast to read this after Mansfield Park, since I recognized a lot of similar tones: parenting, rebellion, play-acting (and, um, cousins!). To be sure, it's a lot more light-hearted and fun. Hugo Darracott is dashing, even-tempered, good-humoured and a bit of a prankster, and willingly plays the role of a rustic ajax from Yorkshire as he slowly gets acquainted with his snobby family. I have a self-proclaimed crush on men from northern England ever since I watc...more
After a desperate few days, I have turned once again to Heyer to bail me out of my bookless state. I tried reading Van Reid's Cordelia Underwood, or, the Marvelous Beginnings of the Moosepath League (1998), which had a promising trade-paperback look about it, but it just didn't grab me. Mass consumption of New Yorker articles, likewise, failed to satisfy. I just need the roominess of a novel to be able to relax. I even toyed with the idea of dropping thirty bucks on George R.R. Martin's A Dance...more
I could hardly add any better review of this book than the many Goodreads readers who rate it at 4 or 5 stars. However, for my friends who are interested in what I am reading, I'll say I rank this one among the top favorites in the Heyer books I've consumed so far. I suppose I'll have to go back once I've read all of her books, to make a ranked list. I have enjoyed all so far, but some a great deal more than others.
The appeal of this one is the main character, Hugo, and how, as one reviewer says...more
The appeal of this one is the main character, Hugo, and how, as one reviewer says...more
Really enjoyed this look at how the introduction of an new and previously unknown heir to the Darracott land and title upsets everyone's expectations. Hugh, or Hugo as he prefers to be known, is a charming character who can't resist playing along when his newly discovered relatives decide he must be an uneducated hayseed. Loved the backstairs perspective on the servants, their squabbles between each other, and also the fact several of them tried to help Hugo get along with his new family. Though...more
May 04, 2008
Virginia
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
any die hard GH fan
Shelves:
romantic,
good-fluff
I liked the history in this book. It was more deftly introduced, unlike some of the overused slang and details about fashion, etc., that overpopulate some of her other books. That said, the romance was kind of a clunker, and the dialogue was occasionally convoluted or too opaque ... was he kidding or not?
But still worth reading, if you like GH!
But still worth reading, if you like GH!
3.5
Good, but if you've never read a Georgette Heyer novel, don't start with this one. It contains some tough writing, paragraph-long sentences, and the story gets off to a slow start. It also has some great characters and loads of hilarious Regency slang ("queer in the attic", "blow a cloud"), which are a few of the reasons I love Heyer. Anyway, start with Black Sheep , which is my favorite, or The Grand Sophy , which is the first Heyer book I read (recommended to me by my uncle. Yes, I said unc...more
Good, but if you've never read a Georgette Heyer novel, don't start with this one. It contains some tough writing, paragraph-long sentences, and the story gets off to a slow start. It also has some great characters and loads of hilarious Regency slang ("queer in the attic", "blow a cloud"), which are a few of the reasons I love Heyer. Anyway, start with Black Sheep , which is my favorite, or The Grand Sophy , which is the first Heyer book I read (recommended to me by my uncle. Yes, I said unc...more
1 like · like · see review
Christmas gift. This was the third novel of Georgette Heyer and my least favorite. I am grateful it was not the first or I might have dismissed the genre and never appreciated Heyer's writing style. As it stands, I may look into Heyer's historical fiction. Period romances will probably be reserved for "once in a blue moon." I appreciate the politeness and refinement of the era, but the genre itself rather reinforces my notion that when generations are raised in wealth--with no need to earn a liv...more
I loved this one. I would read any of Heyer's books, and I rated many of them 5, but I loved this one.. wish I could remember where it is! Heyer's not one with much of an emphasis on romance but with period details, manners and mores, she's spot on. The unusual thing about this book is that there's a lot of emphasis on what the people "backstairs" are thinking and doing, which makes for a lot of fun reading. The rivalry between the valets!
I don't quite know why this one doesn't rate as highly a...more
I don't quite know why this one doesn't rate as highly a...more
IMO, this is one of Heyer's better books--if not the very best of the lot. Hugo is a marvellous character, so self-assured that when he becomes the heir to a barony, he plays along (and with!) his new-found family's low opinion of him as yokel from Yorkshire. His understated sense of humor appeals to me a lot.
The secondary characters really help to bring this book to life. Many of them start out to be stock Heyer characters--the fop, the arrogant and uncaring Corinthian, the aloof daughter of an...more
The secondary characters really help to bring this book to life. Many of them start out to be stock Heyer characters--the fop, the arrogant and uncaring Corinthian, the aloof daughter of an...more
This book grew on me. The first time I read it, it wasn't my favorite. Hugo was so different from other Heyer heroes--he was too nice, too amiable, and too gentle. Not what I was expecting. A second reading, however, shed more light on his unassuming strength and his fantastic sense of humor. I really enjoyed the setting too--a remote, rambling country house, full of eccentric people. Anthea was a great match for Hugo. She's not my all-time favorite heroine, but she certainly handles her untenab...more
As so often happens in Regency novels, this tale begins with a matter of inheritance. The cantankerous Lord Darracott is dismayed that, because of a foolish boating accident, his heir is now the grandson whose father he disowned for marrying "a weaver's brat" from Yorkshire. The heir, having served in the Napoleonic Wars, comes to Kent for a visit. He shocks the family with his broad Yorkshire speech, and at first his cousin Anthea is determined to resist her grandfather's wish that she marry th...more
This is my first Heyer novel. I never really heard of her until recently, when I've started to hear people I respect mention her. From the look of her books, and the fact that they're classified as "romances", I would never have read them on my own. But really, they mostly just read like Jane Austen. Which I guess are romances, but I don't think of them as "romances," if you know what I mean. I really enjoyed reading this one. It's short and light, but witty and amusing. It was actually quite li...more
Georgette Heyer has always been one of my favourites ever since I got introduced to her about twelve years ago. I have marked, amongst her regency novels, a few favourites - one of which is The Unknown Ajax.
An unknown grandson is to inherit Lord Darracott's estates, and none too happy about it than his lordship himself. A 'miller's brat' he is loath to see a baffoon step into his shoes. But his estates are entailed and so he sends for this miller-soldier grandson. Onto the scene comes the gentl...more
An unknown grandson is to inherit Lord Darracott's estates, and none too happy about it than his lordship himself. A 'miller's brat' he is loath to see a baffoon step into his shoes. But his estates are entailed and so he sends for this miller-soldier grandson. Onto the scene comes the gentl...more
Mar 21, 2010
Madeline
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who need a break
Recommended to Madeline by:
Aya
Shelves:
2010,
borrowed,
historical-fiction,
love-story,
regency-fiction,
charming,
funny,
ghosts,
class,
family,
novels,
sunday-morning,
trashy-but-brilliant
1. Um, I TOTALLY LOVED THIS BOOK. It's funny in a very self-aware way, with a beautifully convincing and completely charming love story. Seriously, the Anthea/Hugo love story is amazing. I was completely invested in it, cheering them on and cooing over them. The last time that happened (which I guess wasn't too long ago, whatever) was in the movie Veer-Zaara. That's right: this romance is on par with a Sufi-inspired plea for reuniting India and Pakistan. (Although, I can't deny that The Unknown...more
This was a bad day for poetry; I wrote screeds of rubbish that wouldn't gel and the pub I wanted to go into at lunchtime was inexplicably shut - maybe I was too early - so I went into town with writing materials in my bag, but nothing to read. I was good at first, but succumbed in the end. Waterstone's in Coventry doesn't stock the range of Georgette Heyer's that WH Smith's does, but I did find one I hadn't read - this one. So I went upstairs and devoured the first half with tea and a sandwich,...more
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Georgette Heyer was an amazingly prolific writer who created the Regency England genre of romance novels.
Georgette Heyer was an intensely private person. A best-seller all her life without the aid of publicity, she made no appearances, never gave an interview, and only answered fan letters herself if they made an interesting historical point. Heyer wrote very well-researched historical fiction, fu...more
More about Georgette Heyer...
Georgette Heyer was an intensely private person. A best-seller all her life without the aid of publicity, she made no appearances, never gave an interview, and only answered fan letters herself if they made an interesting historical point. Heyer wrote very well-researched historical fiction, fu...more
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“Does it ever occur to you, Mama, that my grandfather is a lunatic?”
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