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The Private World of Georgette Heyer
The classic biography of Georgette Heyer is, finally, back in print and will delight Heyer fans everywhere. She wrote more than fifty novels, yet her private life was inaccessible to any but her nearest friends and relatives.
Lavishly illustrated, and with extracts from her correspondence and references to her work, The Private World reveals a formidable and energetic woman with an impeccable sense of style and above all, a love for all things Regency.
Lavishly illustrated, and with extracts from her correspondence and references to her work, The Private World reveals a formidable and energetic woman with an impeccable sense of style and above all, a love for all things Regency.
223 pages, Paperback
First published September 6, 1984
28 people are currently reading
2173 people want to read
About the author
Jane Aiken Hodge
54 books81 followersJane Aiken Hodge was born in the USA, brought up in the UK and read English at Oxford. She received a master's degree from Radcliffe College, Harvard University.
Before her books became her living she worked as a civil servant, journalist, publishers' reader and a reviewer.
She has written lives of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer as well as a book about women in the Regency period, PASSION AND PRINCIPLE. But her main output has been over twenty historical novels set in the eighteenth century, including POLONAISE, THE LOST GARDEN, and SAVANNAH PURCHASE, the beloved third volume of a trilogy set during and after the American War of Independence. More recently she has written novels for Severn House Publishers.
She enjoys the borderland between mystery and novel, is pleased to be classed as a feminist writer, and is glad that there is neither a glass ceiling nor a retiring age in the writers' world. She was the daughter of Conrad Aiken and sister of Joan Aiken.
Before her books became her living she worked as a civil servant, journalist, publishers' reader and a reviewer.
She has written lives of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer as well as a book about women in the Regency period, PASSION AND PRINCIPLE. But her main output has been over twenty historical novels set in the eighteenth century, including POLONAISE, THE LOST GARDEN, and SAVANNAH PURCHASE, the beloved third volume of a trilogy set during and after the American War of Independence. More recently she has written novels for Severn House Publishers.
She enjoys the borderland between mystery and novel, is pleased to be classed as a feminist writer, and is glad that there is neither a glass ceiling nor a retiring age in the writers' world. She was the daughter of Conrad Aiken and sister of Joan Aiken.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
August 29, 2019
A Georgette Heyer fan as obsessive as I would always want to read both this biography & the one written by Jennifer Kloestler,
but if you are going to choose one, the Hodge would be my pick!
There are similarities of course. GH's desire for privacy meant interviews with her were rare.& some of her manuscripts & letters were lost during WW2. & So, source material was limited. While both biographers had help & permission from GH's late son Richard, Hodge would have been more constrained to consider the feelings of the living. For example Hodge only mentions that Ronald Rougier died not that long after his wife - Hodge doesn't mention it was suicide.
It is a matter of writing style & book length. Hodge has by far the lighter touch & was less bogged down by minutiae. I found it very hard to put this book down - & this in spite of the not being a big fan of Hodge's novels. She was also more careful about spoilers writing her analysis of GH's books. I think Hodge paints a more likeable picture & I can totally picture Hodge's GH being fun to have a gin & tonic with, in spite of the contradictions in GH's personality - shy yet strong willed, intelligent but obstinate, especially regarding financial matters.
& if I may correct a misapprehension I have seen on my travels around GR, Hodge & Heyer weren't friends & never met.
but if you are going to choose one, the Hodge would be my pick!There are similarities of course. GH's desire for privacy meant interviews with her were rare.& some of her manuscripts & letters were lost during WW2. & So, source material was limited. While both biographers had help & permission from GH's late son Richard, Hodge would have been more constrained to consider the feelings of the living. For example Hodge only mentions that Ronald Rougier died not that long after his wife - Hodge doesn't mention it was suicide.
It is a matter of writing style & book length. Hodge has by far the lighter touch & was less bogged down by minutiae. I found it very hard to put this book down - & this in spite of the not being a big fan of Hodge's novels. She was also more careful about spoilers writing her analysis of GH's books. I think Hodge paints a more likeable picture & I can totally picture Hodge's GH being fun to have a gin & tonic with, in spite of the contradictions in GH's personality - shy yet strong willed, intelligent but obstinate, especially regarding financial matters.
& if I may correct a misapprehension I have seen on my travels around GR, Hodge & Heyer weren't friends & never met.
December 27, 2014
What an engaging book! I started reading it yesterday morning thinking I will eventually get up and do something else but just could not put it down till the last page.
It was quite interesting to read about Georgette Heyer's background & what was going on in her life as she was writing each book. It almost gives each book a new perspective to look at it from. I really enjoyed reading Heyer's letters to her favourite publishers - she seems to be just as witty, stubborn, strongly opinionated and charming as her heroines. This book gives us an insightful look into Heyer's private world, everything from the fact that Barbosa was her favourite illustrator to how her husband would often collaborate with her on her detective novels.
I find it incredibly sad that throughout her life she never got the critical acclaim she so desreved. Critics seemed to have seen her books as yet another Heyer but the amount of reserach and work she put into each book, the attention to detail to everything from the clothes to the slang shows her as a master craftswoman of her favoured genre rather than a mere "scribbler of trivial romances".
It was quite interesting to read about Georgette Heyer's background & what was going on in her life as she was writing each book. It almost gives each book a new perspective to look at it from. I really enjoyed reading Heyer's letters to her favourite publishers - she seems to be just as witty, stubborn, strongly opinionated and charming as her heroines. This book gives us an insightful look into Heyer's private world, everything from the fact that Barbosa was her favourite illustrator to how her husband would often collaborate with her on her detective novels.
I find it incredibly sad that throughout her life she never got the critical acclaim she so desreved. Critics seemed to have seen her books as yet another Heyer but the amount of reserach and work she put into each book, the attention to detail to everything from the clothes to the slang shows her as a master craftswoman of her favoured genre rather than a mere "scribbler of trivial romances".
August 20, 2015
Interesting insight into Georgette Heyer's writing life by Jane Aiken Hodge, based upon letters and interviews with her friends and family.
An extremely private person who never promoted her books publicly or granted an interview, Heyer was loved and respected by those she allowed into her personal life, but I felt that she appeared acerbic, condescending and unlikable in the pages of this book. While I greatly admire her work ethic and enjoy her novels, I don't think she'd be someone I'd want to know personally based upon this semi-biographical book.
An extremely private person who never promoted her books publicly or granted an interview, Heyer was loved and respected by those she allowed into her personal life, but I felt that she appeared acerbic, condescending and unlikable in the pages of this book. While I greatly admire her work ethic and enjoy her novels, I don't think she'd be someone I'd want to know personally based upon this semi-biographical book.
October 18, 2013
For those that did not know, Georgette Heyer was an intensely discreet individual. She had a high code of ethics. Her characters concealed a unique soul that was either loved or respected by most of those people that had the chance to become a part of her life. The book is based on letters and interviews with family members and friends.
Ms. Heyer was extremely thin and tall and her husband Ronald Rougier was devoted to her. They were married for almost fifty years. Their marriage was described as not the most passionate but it was a very happy one. "Romantic I am not.", the author was once heard saying. In between her writing and his pursuit of the law they produced a son, Richard, and Georgette adored him.
When she wrote, which was most of the time, she wrote feverishly. She preferred to do nothing else. I learned that The Reluctant Widow was produced after one of her rare "blank years". Friday's Child was her personal favorite. The Convenient Marriage was heavily influenced by her love of Jane Austen's romances though she claimed to be as "unromantic as Jane Austen was."
A history enthusiast, she carefully researched her characters. She voraciously read up about Napoleon and the time leading up to the Battle of Waterloo. Her description of the Duke of Wellington was based on real-life speeches and personal letters that had been saved.
After her death her husband insisted that none of her stories "drew any of her characters from life" but that remains to be seen. Their son, Richard, may have influenced The Reluctant Widow, Arabella, The Foundling, and The Grand Sophy.
In between the cracks I felt Georgette's life held a huge amount of stress. Perhaps it was the way Ms. Hodge presented Ms. Heyer but it seemed as though she wrote as much as to get away from everyday life. She had a love-hate relationship with most of her publishers. Her decisions, opinions and refusal to grant interviews made me think more than once that I may not have liked meeting her if she was alive today and the offer was presented.
Even though I found this book interesting it actually took me a very long time to complete. I read a few pages here and there over a period of months. It also felt superficial at times avoiding the essential core of her life. This is a mild character study of a very creative woman and it will most appeal to those who loved Ms. Heyer's stories.
Ms. Heyer was extremely thin and tall and her husband Ronald Rougier was devoted to her. They were married for almost fifty years. Their marriage was described as not the most passionate but it was a very happy one. "Romantic I am not.", the author was once heard saying. In between her writing and his pursuit of the law they produced a son, Richard, and Georgette adored him.
When she wrote, which was most of the time, she wrote feverishly. She preferred to do nothing else. I learned that The Reluctant Widow was produced after one of her rare "blank years". Friday's Child was her personal favorite. The Convenient Marriage was heavily influenced by her love of Jane Austen's romances though she claimed to be as "unromantic as Jane Austen was."
A history enthusiast, she carefully researched her characters. She voraciously read up about Napoleon and the time leading up to the Battle of Waterloo. Her description of the Duke of Wellington was based on real-life speeches and personal letters that had been saved.
After her death her husband insisted that none of her stories "drew any of her characters from life" but that remains to be seen. Their son, Richard, may have influenced The Reluctant Widow, Arabella, The Foundling, and The Grand Sophy.
In between the cracks I felt Georgette's life held a huge amount of stress. Perhaps it was the way Ms. Hodge presented Ms. Heyer but it seemed as though she wrote as much as to get away from everyday life. She had a love-hate relationship with most of her publishers. Her decisions, opinions and refusal to grant interviews made me think more than once that I may not have liked meeting her if she was alive today and the offer was presented.
Even though I found this book interesting it actually took me a very long time to complete. I read a few pages here and there over a period of months. It also felt superficial at times avoiding the essential core of her life. This is a mild character study of a very creative woman and it will most appeal to those who loved Ms. Heyer's stories.
July 23, 2024
A lovely edition of this book, it was a birthday present from my brother many years ago. It's a reread for me and I've been dipping in and out of it over the last couple of weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Takes you through the author's life and her books and her dealings with her publishers. I think the later one by Jennifer Kloester is more detailed but this is a delight for any Heyer fan.
February 17, 2022
I must confess to only having read Georgette Heyer's detective books, not her regency ones, but this insight into her private world, which covers both her love of all things regency and her very private and protected private life, is magnificent.
She was superb at creating regency stories full of manners and morals and what is more she enjoyed doing so. Some of her letters to her publishers are quite revealing especially when she occasionally writes of one her books, "It stinks"! Readers never thought so, for they sold in their thousands and she was popular right up to her death. And she continued to be so for some time thereafter. However, nowadays she is perhaps not as avidly read as in days of yore although she will undoubtedly still have her following.
The book is superbly illustrated (one of my favourite artists George Cruikshank providing many of the images) and is emminently readable, and not only by Heyer-lovers. Those who enjoy stories of books and book production plus how a novel is developed will get just as much pleasure out of it.
She was superb at creating regency stories full of manners and morals and what is more she enjoyed doing so. Some of her letters to her publishers are quite revealing especially when she occasionally writes of one her books, "It stinks"! Readers never thought so, for they sold in their thousands and she was popular right up to her death. And she continued to be so for some time thereafter. However, nowadays she is perhaps not as avidly read as in days of yore although she will undoubtedly still have her following.
The book is superbly illustrated (one of my favourite artists George Cruikshank providing many of the images) and is emminently readable, and not only by Heyer-lovers. Those who enjoy stories of books and book production plus how a novel is developed will get just as much pleasure out of it.
April 17, 2013
I first became aware of Georgette Heyer 7 years ago while browsing in a downtown BORDERS bookstore one leisurely Sunday afternoon. I eyed her novel, Beauvallet, a Mass Market Paperback, read what was on the cover and back page, and, feeling much intrigued about the content, bought the book.
Since that time, I have purchased several more of Heyer's novels. But, voracious, wide-ranging reader that I am, I've yet to read any of them. So, I thought I'd buy this biography to get a better sense of who Georgette Heyer really was.
I learned quite a lot about Heyer's background: Anglo-Russian. She was also the oldest of 3 children and showed an early talent for storytelling. Her father, who, by profession was a teacher of French, and a man of wide-ranging intellectual and sporty pursuits, encouraged her in her writing. Heyer struck me as a woman who had a strong sense of self who came to know her strengths as a writer (with her husband one of her staunchest supporters - they enjoyed a very complementary marriage of almost 50 years) and up til her death, maintained a high standard of writing.
Heyer knew her subject --- the Regency Era --- in a way that few writers today who have followed her path have managed to achieve. This is a very good book which gives the reader access to the real Georgette Heyer who bewailed the depredations of the tax man, and took great pains to keep the public Heyer the popular writer wholly separate from the intensely private Heyer: the devoted wife and mother.
Since that time, I have purchased several more of Heyer's novels. But, voracious, wide-ranging reader that I am, I've yet to read any of them. So, I thought I'd buy this biography to get a better sense of who Georgette Heyer really was.
I learned quite a lot about Heyer's background: Anglo-Russian. She was also the oldest of 3 children and showed an early talent for storytelling. Her father, who, by profession was a teacher of French, and a man of wide-ranging intellectual and sporty pursuits, encouraged her in her writing. Heyer struck me as a woman who had a strong sense of self who came to know her strengths as a writer (with her husband one of her staunchest supporters - they enjoyed a very complementary marriage of almost 50 years) and up til her death, maintained a high standard of writing.
Heyer knew her subject --- the Regency Era --- in a way that few writers today who have followed her path have managed to achieve. This is a very good book which gives the reader access to the real Georgette Heyer who bewailed the depredations of the tax man, and took great pains to keep the public Heyer the popular writer wholly separate from the intensely private Heyer: the devoted wife and mother.
March 8, 2019
This is an amazing resource for anyone who wondered how Georgette Heyer came to develop the private Regency world setting of her novels. A shy, sensitive girl, Georgette (pronounced the French way) was encouraged by her father to read and influenced by her storytelling grandfather. With her first published story, The Black Moth, published when she was just a teen, she established her credibility for world building. This book is worth the price for the older edition because of the large pages. The larger format and full color illustrations show many of the period images Heyer used as inspiration and also pages from her own personal research notebooks.
There were some surprising insights and charming anecdotes about the writing process of some of her more popular books. What I didn't really care for was the extraneous material about her relationship with her publishers and financial difficulties. I just wanted to know about the writing process and how she developed her characters.
I liked this better than the Jennifer Kloester biography because of the images and also because it was less dense and easier to read. Pair this with Georgette Heyer's Regency World for a more complete understanding of the time period and the process in creating that magical world we all long to step into.
There were some surprising insights and charming anecdotes about the writing process of some of her more popular books. What I didn't really care for was the extraneous material about her relationship with her publishers and financial difficulties. I just wanted to know about the writing process and how she developed her characters.
I liked this better than the Jennifer Kloester biography because of the images and also because it was less dense and easier to read. Pair this with Georgette Heyer's Regency World for a more complete understanding of the time period and the process in creating that magical world we all long to step into.
January 12, 2018
The biography is informative, dry in tone with quotes from the author's letters and works. I'm looking forward to reading the more recent and (hopefully) more detailed biography Jennifer Kloester's Georgette Heyer.
December 9, 2010
I don't normally read biographies, however, this one is on one of my favourite historical romance authors, written by another romance author.
I last read this biography 23 years ago and as I am so familiar with Georgette Heyer's work it still felt like an old friend. It was interesting to read the work again with such a long perspective. It did not disappoint.
It covers all the necessary chronological events in GH's life, yet through Jane Aiken Hodge's own writing (of which I have several) brings a whole new perspective to the inner workings of the author's mind.
Types of Heros and Heroines Mk 1 & Mk 2 are discussed and throughout amusing snippets of the novels are interpersed with the terrible tax problems, and finally in her later years all the health problems caused by 60 years of excessive smoking.
We follow her life madly writing through WWII, raising her son and supporting her husband who decides to qualify for the Bar and ends up a QC. She goes to Garden Parties and has Dinner with the Queen, under sufferance, and she is often quoted as writing a book a year just to satisfy the tax man.
Georgette Heyer comes across as a private, shy and witty person who loved her family and her work and definitely hated the tax man.
I last read this biography 23 years ago and as I am so familiar with Georgette Heyer's work it still felt like an old friend. It was interesting to read the work again with such a long perspective. It did not disappoint.
It covers all the necessary chronological events in GH's life, yet through Jane Aiken Hodge's own writing (of which I have several) brings a whole new perspective to the inner workings of the author's mind.
Types of Heros and Heroines Mk 1 & Mk 2 are discussed and throughout amusing snippets of the novels are interpersed with the terrible tax problems, and finally in her later years all the health problems caused by 60 years of excessive smoking.
We follow her life madly writing through WWII, raising her son and supporting her husband who decides to qualify for the Bar and ends up a QC. She goes to Garden Parties and has Dinner with the Queen, under sufferance, and she is often quoted as writing a book a year just to satisfy the tax man.
Georgette Heyer comes across as a private, shy and witty person who loved her family and her work and definitely hated the tax man.
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June 22, 2019
I read this for a dissertation on Heyer I'm writing. It's not exhaustive by any stretch of the imagination, and I'm disappointed by how little it focused on her books themselves, but it wasn't a bad starting point for anyone who wants a quick introduction to her life.
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September 6, 2016
Georgette Heyer is well-known for writing Regency romances, and started a genre now named after her, though I have yet to come across an imitator who matches her flair for detail or her wry tone. She knew the Regency period inside out, and for this as well as for my enjoyment of her novels I wanted to read her biography, to see how she developed as a mistress of historical fiction.
She did not lead a particularly interesting life, and so the biography is largely about her publishings, her growing family and her fights with the Tax office, but it was interesting to see read about her attitude to her own writing.
She did not start out as a writer of Regency romance. Even if you set aside the contemporary novels she later suppressed and the detective novels that she wrote alongside her romances in the first part of her career, she was first published with a novel of the 18c, and wrote several set in this or an earlier century before finally settling in the early 19c.
It is ironic that what she really wanted to do was write serious works set in the Middle Ages, for which she researched as meticulously. Even more ironic is Hodges’ contention that the Regency period with its tight rules about convention fitted her conservative, sceptical personality much better than did the mixture of faith and superstition that was the Middle Ages. It is an intriguing idea, that ones’ choice of genre and era should fit one’s personality as well as one’s interests. (Here is a sample of her outlook, one of her regular outbursts about the unexpected tax bills she got on her earnings, suggesting she would have been much happier being born before the National Schools movement: “I can’t tell you how MUCH I enjoy working myself to a standstill for the privilege of Educating the Masses, subsidising the cost of strikes, and all the other things public money is squandered on.”)
Part of the problem for Heyer was that she alternated between being pleased with her latest work in progress and calling it a “stinker,” and she was keenly aware that she was being dismissed as a writer of fluff, usually by people who had not read her, and some of the book covers chosen by publishers did not help that image. Fortunately she had a champion in A.S. Byatt who wrote about her “playing romantic games with the novel of manners” and her world of “romanticised anti-romanticism.”
She did not lead a particularly interesting life, and so the biography is largely about her publishings, her growing family and her fights with the Tax office, but it was interesting to see read about her attitude to her own writing.
She did not start out as a writer of Regency romance. Even if you set aside the contemporary novels she later suppressed and the detective novels that she wrote alongside her romances in the first part of her career, she was first published with a novel of the 18c, and wrote several set in this or an earlier century before finally settling in the early 19c.
It is ironic that what she really wanted to do was write serious works set in the Middle Ages, for which she researched as meticulously. Even more ironic is Hodges’ contention that the Regency period with its tight rules about convention fitted her conservative, sceptical personality much better than did the mixture of faith and superstition that was the Middle Ages. It is an intriguing idea, that ones’ choice of genre and era should fit one’s personality as well as one’s interests. (Here is a sample of her outlook, one of her regular outbursts about the unexpected tax bills she got on her earnings, suggesting she would have been much happier being born before the National Schools movement: “I can’t tell you how MUCH I enjoy working myself to a standstill for the privilege of Educating the Masses, subsidising the cost of strikes, and all the other things public money is squandered on.”)
Part of the problem for Heyer was that she alternated between being pleased with her latest work in progress and calling it a “stinker,” and she was keenly aware that she was being dismissed as a writer of fluff, usually by people who had not read her, and some of the book covers chosen by publishers did not help that image. Fortunately she had a champion in A.S. Byatt who wrote about her “playing romantic games with the novel of manners” and her world of “romanticised anti-romanticism.”
April 18, 2012
Who wouldn't want to know more about the author of so many wonderful books? During her lifetime, Heyer refused all interviews and publicity. Her fans know about as much about her personal life as they know of Jane Austen's. (But isn't there a great market for all of that surmising about Jane?)
This biography gives us a picture of Heyer as a dedicated writer and meticulous researcher. The rare instances where she made historical errors usually occurred when she forced herself to complete a manuscript during an illness. Although her Regency era novels are best-known, I enjoyed learning about her love of the medieval period. Throughout her career writing mysteries and romances to keep the Tax Man at bay, as she put it, she kept returning to her ambitious historical novel of Henry V's younger brother, John, Duke of Bedford. The unfinished work was published after her death as My Lord John.
This biography gives us a picture of Heyer as a dedicated writer and meticulous researcher. The rare instances where she made historical errors usually occurred when she forced herself to complete a manuscript during an illness. Although her Regency era novels are best-known, I enjoyed learning about her love of the medieval period. Throughout her career writing mysteries and romances to keep the Tax Man at bay, as she put it, she kept returning to her ambitious historical novel of Henry V's younger brother, John, Duke of Bedford. The unfinished work was published after her death as My Lord John.
September 22, 2011
Everyone who knows Regency romance knows Georgette Heyer. The bare bones of her life are there for all to see, but not much more. She disliked the cult of author as celebrity and rarely gave interviews. Jane Aiken Hodge's biography, THE PRIVATE WORLD OF GEORGETTE HEYER, sheds light about the life of someone so well known and at the same time so well hidden.
A compulsive writer, Ms. Heyer (pronounced "hare") published her first novel in 1921 when she was nineteen. Then, for the rest of her life, with a few exceptions, she wrote one and sometimes two novels a year. She wrote mainly historical romances, but also historical fiction, thrillers, contemporary novels and one collection of short stories, fifty-seven works in all. A monumental output for any author.
She was born on August 16, 1902. Her father encouraged his children to read, and she was a voracious reader as she grew up. She was tall, good looking, intelligent, and never hid her light under a bushel. And on top of it, she was a successful novelist, which scared away many men. But not Ronald Rougier, whom she married in 1925, and they remained married for almost fifty years, until her death in 1974. They had one child, Richard, who became a barrister like his father.
Ms. Hodge uses common knowledge, as well as Ms. Heyer's letters and interviews with people who knew her, to paint a picture of a woman of contradictions. She loved to write, but in her early career, she had to write. She was the main breadwinner for her mother and brothers after her father's death, and also in the first years of her marriage. Later, as her success increased, she raged on and on about how she paid too much in income taxes, but she couldn't be bothered to track deductible expenses that would have reduced her burden. She wrote stories read mainly by women, yet she was not domestic. She spent most of her life around men and preferred their company. She lived in the public eye, but since her novels sold so well, she deemed interviews unnecessary and actively discouraged them.
As rabid as she was about maintaining her privacy, she was also rabid about historical accuracy. Her books are treasure troves of historical detail, both the thrillers, which were contemporary in the 1930's when she wrote them, as well as the novels set in the Regency, Georgian and earlier eras. Ms. Hodge gives a fascinating view of the context in which Ms. Heyer's novels were written, and a chronological list of all her books.
Love Georgette Heyer's novels or hate them, she, along with Jane Austen, remains one of the icons of regency romance. If you want to know more about this fascinating woman, THE PRIVATE WORLD OF GEORGETTE HEYER is the book for you.
ARC supplied by Sourcebooks
A compulsive writer, Ms. Heyer (pronounced "hare") published her first novel in 1921 when she was nineteen. Then, for the rest of her life, with a few exceptions, she wrote one and sometimes two novels a year. She wrote mainly historical romances, but also historical fiction, thrillers, contemporary novels and one collection of short stories, fifty-seven works in all. A monumental output for any author.
She was born on August 16, 1902. Her father encouraged his children to read, and she was a voracious reader as she grew up. She was tall, good looking, intelligent, and never hid her light under a bushel. And on top of it, she was a successful novelist, which scared away many men. But not Ronald Rougier, whom she married in 1925, and they remained married for almost fifty years, until her death in 1974. They had one child, Richard, who became a barrister like his father.
Ms. Hodge uses common knowledge, as well as Ms. Heyer's letters and interviews with people who knew her, to paint a picture of a woman of contradictions. She loved to write, but in her early career, she had to write. She was the main breadwinner for her mother and brothers after her father's death, and also in the first years of her marriage. Later, as her success increased, she raged on and on about how she paid too much in income taxes, but she couldn't be bothered to track deductible expenses that would have reduced her burden. She wrote stories read mainly by women, yet she was not domestic. She spent most of her life around men and preferred their company. She lived in the public eye, but since her novels sold so well, she deemed interviews unnecessary and actively discouraged them.
As rabid as she was about maintaining her privacy, she was also rabid about historical accuracy. Her books are treasure troves of historical detail, both the thrillers, which were contemporary in the 1930's when she wrote them, as well as the novels set in the Regency, Georgian and earlier eras. Ms. Hodge gives a fascinating view of the context in which Ms. Heyer's novels were written, and a chronological list of all her books.
Love Georgette Heyer's novels or hate them, she, along with Jane Austen, remains one of the icons of regency romance. If you want to know more about this fascinating woman, THE PRIVATE WORLD OF GEORGETTE HEYER is the book for you.
ARC supplied by Sourcebooks
February 10, 2015
Georgette Heyer was a very private author and never gave any interviews throughout her long writing career. In spite of this her novels achieved world wide fame. She created her own private world in her Regency novels though she also wrote some very well regarded straight historical novels including 'An Infamous Army' which is set around the Battle of Waterloo and is considered one of the best accounts of the battle ever written.
Heyer started her writing career when she in her teens and within a few years she was supporting her mother and brothers as well as her husband with her work. For many years she wrote a romance and a detective story each year. She took great pains with her research so that she got the background and historical facts exactly right but she also wrote at a great rate once she had decided on the plot and the characters often finishing a book within weeks of starting it.
There are many extracts from Heyer's letters in this book - mainly to her publishers and to her friends and they have the flavour of Jane Austen in their humour and irony - just as her books do.
This well written book gives a fascinating insight into the life and work of an author who was and remains popular with young and old alike. I found it interesting and entertaining. I listened to the audio book version read by Phyllida Nash who has also narrated many of Heyer's novels.
Heyer started her writing career when she in her teens and within a few years she was supporting her mother and brothers as well as her husband with her work. For many years she wrote a romance and a detective story each year. She took great pains with her research so that she got the background and historical facts exactly right but she also wrote at a great rate once she had decided on the plot and the characters often finishing a book within weeks of starting it.
There are many extracts from Heyer's letters in this book - mainly to her publishers and to her friends and they have the flavour of Jane Austen in their humour and irony - just as her books do.
This well written book gives a fascinating insight into the life and work of an author who was and remains popular with young and old alike. I found it interesting and entertaining. I listened to the audio book version read by Phyllida Nash who has also narrated many of Heyer's novels.
April 2, 2012
I read this to answer questions, for some insight and let's face it, I'm a bit nosy. I also needed something to cap my year long READ of her books in the order they were written.
Georgette Heyer was an extremely private person and after reading this, I still don't know her, but I am less in the dark. She never did an interview, in fact her married name was not released until after her death. She was Mrs. Richard Rougier, smoked two packs a day, had one much-beloved son and had a wicked sense of humor. She never thought very much of her books and was her own worst critic. Her real love was her histories. I feel for her, in that she never appreciated what she did so well. She worked on My Lord John for years, never to finish it. She always had to stop to write another Regency, either to pay the dreaded taxes or cover some other financial difficulty. She lived a full life, enjoyed the finer things and truly loved her husband of 50+ years. She would have been grand to sit down to meal with (although she had little love for Americans and hated to talk about her books). I would recommend this to ALL of her fans. And Karen...according to this bio, she was in a deep depression when she wrote Penhallow.
Georgette Heyer was an extremely private person and after reading this, I still don't know her, but I am less in the dark. She never did an interview, in fact her married name was not released until after her death. She was Mrs. Richard Rougier, smoked two packs a day, had one much-beloved son and had a wicked sense of humor. She never thought very much of her books and was her own worst critic. Her real love was her histories. I feel for her, in that she never appreciated what she did so well. She worked on My Lord John for years, never to finish it. She always had to stop to write another Regency, either to pay the dreaded taxes or cover some other financial difficulty. She lived a full life, enjoyed the finer things and truly loved her husband of 50+ years. She would have been grand to sit down to meal with (although she had little love for Americans and hated to talk about her books). I would recommend this to ALL of her fans. And Karen...according to this bio, she was in a deep depression when she wrote Penhallow.
February 1, 2008
I'm so glad this has been rereleased. I have loved Georgette Heyer's novels and have every one in my library. I appreciate her great research into the Regency and Georgian periods. She created the genre. Most of the social slang and other terms have come from her research; other authors use her terms over and over - sometimes without an understanding of them, therefore, in inappropriate ways.
It's rather startling to discover that she was not a very likeable person herself, considering herself on a higher social level than her readers. She thought her writing talents negligible, while her readers reveled in her humor and knowledge of human behavior. She was a wonderful storyteller. Yet, she had disdain for her readers, thinking that they didn't know good writing.
I finished the book with a sense of sadness for her, and a bad taste in my mouth about her persona. It is sad that she didn't appreciate her own work.
It's rather startling to discover that she was not a very likeable person herself, considering herself on a higher social level than her readers. She thought her writing talents negligible, while her readers reveled in her humor and knowledge of human behavior. She was a wonderful storyteller. Yet, she had disdain for her readers, thinking that they didn't know good writing.
I finished the book with a sense of sadness for her, and a bad taste in my mouth about her persona. It is sad that she didn't appreciate her own work.
July 4, 2013
Joan Aiken Hodge was an author whose style I enjoyed for a long time; she's done an excellent job of bringing my most favorite author to life as a person. I've loved Georgette Heyer's books since I was 17! Her heroines have working brains & good sense, and now I know why: they are a reflection of the author herself! I've also read some of her historical novels: My Lord John, The Conqueror, and An Infamous Army (thoroughly understand why it's recommended reading for student officers at Sandringham), and enjoyed them as well. The attention to detail in the books reflects her extensive research. I think it's time to pull out some of my stacks & start a round of re-reads. I'm planning an enjoyable summer!
Thank you, Joan Aiken Hodge, job well done!
Thank you, Joan Aiken Hodge, job well done!
November 21, 2011
Very interesting and well-written biography/bibliography of Heyer. Fascinating to learn that her husband helped write her mysteries, she really did believe those awful sexist things that are the focus of her contemporary fiction works, and that she kept detailed scrapbooks to help guide her historical writing. A reminder that I don't have to like a writer's personality to like his/her work! In addition, this is a great picture of how an accomplished, intelligent writer works, and how possible it is to be famous without marketing yourself.
July 26, 2008
A well-written and illuminating look at one of my favourite authors. Includes mild summaries of the major titles without giving anything away.
March 4, 2015
Reading about Georgette Heyer was almost as good as reading Georgette Heyer. She is everything and more.
November 14, 2020
I’m a huge Heyer fan and looked forward to learning more about her. But Georgette Heyer was notoriously private, never granting interviews, preferring to remain Mrs. Ronald Rougier off the written page. Most of what is revealed is from letters to her publishers and interviews with remaining family and friends. She was incredibly hard-working, from publishing her first book at age 19 to her last, just 2 years before her death. Some years, she published 2 books, many years publishing both a romance and a mystery (on which her husband provided much assistance). Her research library held over 1,000 volumes, plus her own extensive notebooks of the time periods she wrote about. I was surprised to learn that her description of the Battle of Waterloo, in The Infamous Army, is considered one of the most accurate, to the point that it was used by students at Sandhurst, the Royal Military Academy. It was also interesting to learn that one of the reasons she was so prolific was her constant battle with Inland Revenue over taxes! I would have liked to learn more about Heyer, the person, but appreciated learning more about Heyer, the author. My next reading challenge will be to read all of her books, in order.
August 29, 2011
Georgette Heyer was one of the most popular and prolific writers of the twentieth century. A native of England, Heyer established herself as a premier author of historical fiction and detective novels. She ultimately excelled at writing in one time period, the regency era, and her brand of “regency romance” spawned many imitators that couldn’t capture the magic and witty dialogue of the original novels.
I discovered Georgette Heyer’s novels about four years ago and was very excited. Her novels reminded me of Jane Austen’s and I soon discovered that each novel I picked up seemed to be even better than the previous novels. I became curious about Georgette Heyer herself. She was an extremely private person and not much information is known about her. I jumped at a chance to read and review a biography of one of my favorite authors.
The biography, The Private World of Georgette Heyer, was first published in 1984 by author and fan Jane Aiken Hodge. This was just 10 short years after Heyer’s death, which allowed Hodge to be able to interview surviving family and friends for her biography, as well as to review and include letters from the ultra private Heyer herself. Heyer first became a published author at the age of nineteen.
Heyer famously deflected any attention while she was alive and soon had an alias when she married Ronald Rougier. She did not consent to interviews, meeting fans, or any sort of press. This would make it rather difficult to construct a biography, but Hodge achieves it by looking through Heyer’s publications. Georgette Heyer had said that you could find her by looking through her works, and indeed you can. Hodge makes a good illustration of what was going on in Heyer’s life when she wrote each of her novels.
Georgette Heyer started with historical fiction, but also wrote some contemporary novels and mysteries at the beginning of the career. I was intrigued by the summaries of the contemporary novels that were later suppressed. I would LOVE to read them. I hope they will be released one of these days. Heyer dedicated herself to meticulous research and became the expert on all things Regency. She found her most success with her regency romantic novels, and took it upon herself to make sure all facts found within them were accurate. She also seemed to enjoy finding colloquial phrases for her characters to use. Reading about her dedication for accuracy in these phrases made me appreciate them in her novels much more than I had previously. I was amazed reading about her research library in her home and wish I could have seen it for myself.
Heyer battled with plagiarist and tax collectors for most of her life. It really made me angry that authors so blatantly stole her works, but she wasn’t able to do anything about it as it would cause too much publicity.
The Private World of Georgette Heyer is a book I want to reread, and keep by my side for reference as I continue to read Heyer’s works. I really enjoy the illustrations throughout the text which showed many of the sources that Heyer used for illustrations of period garb, carriages, etc.
I discovered Georgette Heyer’s novels about four years ago and was very excited. Her novels reminded me of Jane Austen’s and I soon discovered that each novel I picked up seemed to be even better than the previous novels. I became curious about Georgette Heyer herself. She was an extremely private person and not much information is known about her. I jumped at a chance to read and review a biography of one of my favorite authors.
The biography, The Private World of Georgette Heyer, was first published in 1984 by author and fan Jane Aiken Hodge. This was just 10 short years after Heyer’s death, which allowed Hodge to be able to interview surviving family and friends for her biography, as well as to review and include letters from the ultra private Heyer herself. Heyer first became a published author at the age of nineteen.
Heyer famously deflected any attention while she was alive and soon had an alias when she married Ronald Rougier. She did not consent to interviews, meeting fans, or any sort of press. This would make it rather difficult to construct a biography, but Hodge achieves it by looking through Heyer’s publications. Georgette Heyer had said that you could find her by looking through her works, and indeed you can. Hodge makes a good illustration of what was going on in Heyer’s life when she wrote each of her novels.
Georgette Heyer started with historical fiction, but also wrote some contemporary novels and mysteries at the beginning of the career. I was intrigued by the summaries of the contemporary novels that were later suppressed. I would LOVE to read them. I hope they will be released one of these days. Heyer dedicated herself to meticulous research and became the expert on all things Regency. She found her most success with her regency romantic novels, and took it upon herself to make sure all facts found within them were accurate. She also seemed to enjoy finding colloquial phrases for her characters to use. Reading about her dedication for accuracy in these phrases made me appreciate them in her novels much more than I had previously. I was amazed reading about her research library in her home and wish I could have seen it for myself.
Heyer battled with plagiarist and tax collectors for most of her life. It really made me angry that authors so blatantly stole her works, but she wasn’t able to do anything about it as it would cause too much publicity.
The Private World of Georgette Heyer is a book I want to reread, and keep by my side for reference as I continue to read Heyer’s works. I really enjoy the illustrations throughout the text which showed many of the sources that Heyer used for illustrations of period garb, carriages, etc.
August 29, 2019
I was about 12 years old when I read my first Georgette Heyer novel (The Masqueraders) and fell in love with the Regency world. I've since read almost every book she's written (save the mysteries) and read them many times each. She is considered by many to be the grande dame of the historical romance genre. She set up the prototype of the modern Regency comedy of manners novel. She was a best-selling novelist many times over yet never received the acclaim due to her just as the entire romance genre continues to receive no respect.
I was ecstatic to come across this biography of Ms. Heyer and learn her life story. Heyer was, in all likelihood, lucky to have lived in the era that she did because she regarded her job as author to be clear-cut: to research and write to the best of her ability. She sharply demarcated that part of her life that was author from that part of her life that was wife and mother. And, as an author, she felt no inclination to let the public into her private space - no interviews, no publicity, no marketing, and as few photographs as possible. Quite a contrast to the women authors today that know how to use social media to not only promote their works, but to maintain contact with their readership and keep them coming back for more.
I quite enjoyed reading about the evolution of Heyer's novels, the order in which they were written, and about the meticulous research that went into producing the finely-honed historical detail. The one puzzle from the biography that I'd like to solve is that of the unnamed yet well-known author of the time who clearly plagiarized from Heyer yet both Heyer and her publishers eventually decided not to pursue legal action.
I'd recommend this for anyone who loves Heyer's novels and can also separate the personality of the author from the novels of said author.
I was ecstatic to come across this biography of Ms. Heyer and learn her life story. Heyer was, in all likelihood, lucky to have lived in the era that she did because she regarded her job as author to be clear-cut: to research and write to the best of her ability. She sharply demarcated that part of her life that was author from that part of her life that was wife and mother. And, as an author, she felt no inclination to let the public into her private space - no interviews, no publicity, no marketing, and as few photographs as possible. Quite a contrast to the women authors today that know how to use social media to not only promote their works, but to maintain contact with their readership and keep them coming back for more.
I quite enjoyed reading about the evolution of Heyer's novels, the order in which they were written, and about the meticulous research that went into producing the finely-honed historical detail. The one puzzle from the biography that I'd like to solve is that of the unnamed yet well-known author of the time who clearly plagiarized from Heyer yet both Heyer and her publishers eventually decided not to pursue legal action.
I'd recommend this for anyone who loves Heyer's novels and can also separate the personality of the author from the novels of said author.
September 29, 2011
This is a biography of Georgette Rougier née Heyer, a descendant of a Russian fur merchant---a fascinating read!
Hodge relates all the usual biography information about her parents, her marriage, and her one child. The best part, however, is relating Heyer's thought processes, how she worked, the immense amount of information she uncovered and organized to ensure the accuracy of her stories. Pictures, sketches, and illustrations of gowns, uniforms, carriages. Files of language, manners, and historical happenings. Research on hot air balloons and factories. The real-life location of any building, school, or factory of which she wrote.
I loved the letters Hodge included giving us insight into what Heyer was thinking about various of her books. What she loved, what she hated about her books, her publishers, agents, her public…and the government!
And a profound interest in human nature. As several reviewers have put it…Heyer writes an intellectual romantic comedy.
I've always been impressed by Heyer's historical romances. After reading this biography, I'm in awe. And I better understand why I'm not as excited about some of her novels.
The Cover
The cover is perfect! A warm coral background contrasts beautifully with the vertical burgundy border of scrollwork showcasing a cream oval featuring a Regency lady decked out for walking carrying a humongous muff posed next to a carved marble stand holding some sort of ornate vessel.
Hodge relates all the usual biography information about her parents, her marriage, and her one child. The best part, however, is relating Heyer's thought processes, how she worked, the immense amount of information she uncovered and organized to ensure the accuracy of her stories. Pictures, sketches, and illustrations of gowns, uniforms, carriages. Files of language, manners, and historical happenings. Research on hot air balloons and factories. The real-life location of any building, school, or factory of which she wrote.
I loved the letters Hodge included giving us insight into what Heyer was thinking about various of her books. What she loved, what she hated about her books, her publishers, agents, her public…and the government!
And a profound interest in human nature. As several reviewers have put it…Heyer writes an intellectual romantic comedy.
I've always been impressed by Heyer's historical romances. After reading this biography, I'm in awe. And I better understand why I'm not as excited about some of her novels.
The Cover
The cover is perfect! A warm coral background contrasts beautifully with the vertical burgundy border of scrollwork showcasing a cream oval featuring a Regency lady decked out for walking carrying a humongous muff posed next to a carved marble stand holding some sort of ornate vessel.
December 4, 2013
I don't usually like biographies very much. To me they seem flat, one dimensional and mostly disappointing. Not so this time, I'm happy to say, since Georgette Heyer is probably my all-time favorite author. Hodge gave the same kind of depth and personality to her subject as Heyer did to her characters.
At first it seemed that I would not like the author nearly as well as I do her books but I came away thoroughly enamored and pleased with her. It's unlikely she would have cared a whit about my opinion and probably would have looked down her nose at my enthusiasm. She was a woman with a great deal of character, strong opinions and certainly a snob. Her opinion of her own work was low and of her fans, even lower. Luckily for us and due to her need for the income, she continued to write them anyway.
It's sad that romance literature is so widely looked down on. That's partly due, of course to the x-rated content of many of them and the lack of any real plot or character development. However, the same can be said of many examples of other genres of literature without the whole body of work being lumped into the same category.
I will get off my soapbox now and simply state the obvious - I loved this book. I would not, however, recommend it to anyone who has not read Heyer since it follows her life chronologically through her books. I WILL strongly recommend reading Georgette Heyer's books!
At first it seemed that I would not like the author nearly as well as I do her books but I came away thoroughly enamored and pleased with her. It's unlikely she would have cared a whit about my opinion and probably would have looked down her nose at my enthusiasm. She was a woman with a great deal of character, strong opinions and certainly a snob. Her opinion of her own work was low and of her fans, even lower. Luckily for us and due to her need for the income, she continued to write them anyway.
It's sad that romance literature is so widely looked down on. That's partly due, of course to the x-rated content of many of them and the lack of any real plot or character development. However, the same can be said of many examples of other genres of literature without the whole body of work being lumped into the same category.
I will get off my soapbox now and simply state the obvious - I loved this book. I would not, however, recommend it to anyone who has not read Heyer since it follows her life chronologically through her books. I WILL strongly recommend reading Georgette Heyer's books!
August 27, 2014
(3.5 stars) This is a carefully researched biography of a prolific author whose Regency era novels are well known the world over. Despite her bestseller status, Georgette Heyer remained an extremely private person, cloaked for most of her life behind her married name, and shunning publicity. The book details some of the trials and tribulations of her life, including plagiarists, writing pressures, and financial woes, particularly from the tax man. We get insight into the enormous amount of research into the period and her passion for historical books in general. The book has illustrations taken from her copious journals which add insight into her thought processes. Given the amount of work she put into each novel, her output was staggering, and while I have read and enjoyed many of her books, this biography gave me more insight into those that I have read, and has piqued my interest in many more, while confirming some of my suspicions about the background of others. I look forward to reading more of Georgette Heyer's novels, with now a further appreciation of her accomplishments.
August 29, 2019
Georgette Heyer was a wonderful writer. She was instantly successful and was able to churn out two books a year for many years. This biography gives us a good feel of what her writing process was like, and how she tried to protect her privacy. She loved her family and supported them with her writing. She was a wonderful friend and letter writer. I like how people who were afraid to meet her because of her fame were instantly put at ease and became an instant friend. This is a good biography, but will only be interesting to people who have read some of her books.
July 17, 2010
Interesting insights into the life of novelist Georgette Heyer, who wrote some of my favourite historical fiction, mostly based in Regency times. She was a private person who evidently had a great sense of humour; Jane Aiken Hodge - a historical novelist herself - has written this book with great sensitivity, giving a clear picture of this fascinating woman. Recommended to anyone who would like to know more about Heyer and some of the background to her novels.
March 25, 2010
I have been a fan of Georgette Heyer for over 40 years. I love her books, so it was interesting to find out about some of her private life. I own most (but not all) of Georgette Heyer's books. Every time the author would mention work on another book, it would bring back memories of reading and enjoying that book. Although Georgette Heyer has been gone for over 35 years now, it just seemed so fresh and it was upsetting all over again to know there would never be a new "Georgette Heyer."
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