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An Infamous Army Chapters 1-12
I have read it probably about 6 times, all a long time ago! As I remember it, most readings I skimmed the history & read through the romance!I am reading the arrow that is pictured.
I've only read it a couple of times, because I find it requires a bit more concentration to remember all the military characters especially. I'm enjoying a Pan copy.
& I should make it clear that I'm not quite ready to start. I'll try to polish off one of the books I have on the go today & then I'll begin. :)
I read it once and that was more than enough. I can't say I really enjoyed it.
QNPoohBear wrote: "I read it once and that was more than enough. I can't say I really enjoyed it."I never thought I'd re-read it, either, and have actually lost my copy. But I'm hoping to find one during my vacation this week, and am actually looking forward to reading it!
Hey Karlyne, could someone be borrowing your books without telling you? I really hate that!@QNPB no worries. It would be a good thread on a more general board "is there an author where you like every single one of their books" My late Dad was a massive GH fan & he hated Helen, Penhallow, Cousin Kate & My Lord John & was disappointed when he got to reread Simon the Coldheart.
As I remember it there were parts I loved & parts I really didn't. I would have put it as a 3 - 3.5* read. & it had one of my favourite GH lines ever! *bites tongue*
So lets see how it goes this time! :)
I just don't know how I'm losing these Heyers, Carol! I have duplicates of some, but how I lost Venetia and An Infamous Army is just a mystery!
I've got my copy--I just have to clear the decks finishing up a book that's due back at the library. I should be ready to start this later in the week or early next week.I'm not sure if I've read it before, but I love historical fiction so I figure I'm going to really enjoy this one.
I think this is my second read, after probably 10 years, and I'm looking at it with a different perspective this time. The first read was focused on the historical setting and the masterful description of the Battle of Waterloo. I remember being fascinated by the combat techniques used (the English squares vs. the French columns), and impressed by the heroic perseverance of the British army.This time, however, coming off These Old Shades, Devil's Cub, and Regency Buck, I'm seeing it as House of Worth vs. House of Avon -- at least here in the early stages. I know there had been some discussion in the RB group read regretting Judith's becoming prim and proper as a matron. However, I saw it as a fundamental difference between the two families.
The curricle race in RB (which gets brought up again!) was a public spectacle which was inherently abhorrent to Worth, and which even headstrong Judith deeply regretted -- partly because, I think, of Worth's reaction. They are private people who have no desire or need to be the "talk of the town".
Barbara, on the other hand, wants a chance to race against Judith herself! The Alistairs seem to find scandal annoying, in that it creates some awkwardness in society, but not necessarily relevant. They are confident that their position is sufficiently assured to carry them through. Barbara is defiantly outrageous -- and while Charles does not issue orders, he makes his opinions clear. He is Julian's brother, after all.
I'm finding myself interested in revisiting how their relationship plays out. I know how the battle ends, after all.
I have a library book to finish too Hana, but I've been lucky & they let me renew it a second time.I can't believe how fast I've rocketed through this reread. I'm on the first few pages of Chapter 5. I'm enjoying it so far. Babs & Faro's Daughter's Deb are the wildest of GH's heroines. She feels like a real person.
I'm surprised GH didn't make Dominic & Mary Bab's parents. GH's maths must have failed her there!
It's one of the few that I have not read. I'll probably start early next week.It's the bi-centenary of Waterloo this year. I see Bernard Cornwell is one of the various authors of new books on the subject. Both The Economist and Financial Times have been publishing reviews recently on some of the books.
Carolien wrote: "It's one of the few that I have not read. I'll probably start early next week.It's the bi-centenary of Waterloo this year. I see Bernard Cornwell is one of the various authors of n..."
I should have realised that! Will make it a very topical read for us!
@ EMR. Good points. I'm not that far along in the reread, but Regency Buck Judith wasn't so much a nonconformist as a country girl who had had a lot of freedom & was chaffing at the restrictions of high society. I'm in the early stages (& don't remember this book as well as I do some others but Bab (view spoiler)
So who do you think it is on the Arrow cover? Miss Devenish or Harriet? It certainly isn't Bab or Judith!& is anyone reading or listening to something other than the Arrow? I know Jessica has a Pan. At the start of Chapter 8 the narration talks about a competent person by the name of Grouchy. Err... is that really the name?
I've found at least one other typo & some missing punctuation. Grrrrr!!!!
Hi, Carol, I have an old Fawcett Crest paperback published in 1965. It too says “Grouchy,” so I looked him up. This appears to have been Emmanuel de Grouchy, Marquis de Grouchy (presumably pronounced Groo-shee), who at Waterloo was commander of the of the right wing. He certainly made the British grouchy!
For those of you who are in the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA), the current e-mail newsletter has a whole section of info about the military, and a subsection on the Battle of Waterloo, with links to articles in their publication, Persuasions. I have copied and pasted the section here, though the links didn’t come through live so you’d have to go through the JASNA Web site to get to the articles.More on the Military and Jane Austen
England was at war with France for most of Jane Austen's adult life: from February 1793, when she was 17, through Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in June 1815, when she was 39. Although she didn't write about the events of war, she masterfully wove the details of army and navy life into her novels.
We can surmise that Henry Austen's eight years as a commissioned Lieutenant in the Oxfordshire Regiment of Militia -- and her own exposure to the militia garrisons set up in Hampshire and Kent to protect England from invasion by the French -- inspired her as she wrote the first draft of Pride and Prejudice three years after the start of the war. And thanks to Frank and Charles Austen, who eventually became admirals in the Royal Navy, she followed England's exploits at sea and was familiar with the life of a naval officer as well. That she held sailors in high esteem is evident in her "naval novels" Mansfield Park and Persuasion.
Learn more about the influence of the military on Austen's novels with these online resources.
-- Jane Austen and the Militia (John Breihan and Clive Caplan, Persuasions 14, 1992)
-- Jane Austen's Soldier Brother: The Military Career of Captain Henry Thomas Austen of the Oxfordshire Regiment of Militia (Clive Caplan, Persuasions 18, 1996)
-- "Jane Austen's Sailor Brothers: Francis and Charles in Life and Art" (Brian Southam, Persuasions 25, 2003)
-- Captain Wentworth, British Imperialism and Personal Romance (Susan Morgan, Persuasions #18, 1996)
-- "The Influence of Naval Captain Charles Austen's North American Experiences on Persuasion and Mansfield Park" (Sheila Johnson Kindred, Persuasions 31, 2009)
The Battle of Trafalgar (October 21, 1805)
-- The Battle of Trafalgar: A history of the sea battle that ended Napoleon Bonaparte's plans to invade Britain.
-- HMS Victory: A virtual tour of Admiral Nelson's ship on the Things to See page.
The Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815)
-- "The Battle of Waterloo: The Day That Decided Europe's Fate": A play-by-play summary of the events of June 18.
-- Waterloo 200: All things related to the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. Of particular interest is the site's virtual collection of 200 Objects of Waterloo, ranging from a preserved bread biscuit to a set of Waterloo teeth.
-- "Napoleon and Wellington": A 28-minute BBC 4 Radio program on the lives and personalities of these two battlefield rivals. Listen to the program online or download an audio file for your mp3 player.
-- "Jane Austen and the Army": A 38-minute presentation by British historian Rupert Willoughby on Austen's accurate portrayal of military details in her novels. A transcript of the talk is also posted on this web page.
***Carol*** wrote: "So who do you think it is on the Arrow cover? Miss Devenish or Harriet? It certainly isn't Bab or Judith!& is anyone reading or listening to something other than the Arrow? I know Jessica has a P..."
I've got a 1961 Pan edition. The cover isn't on the available list of covers - appears to be the aftermath of the war (burning buildings in the background) with a wounded soldier lying with his head on the lap of a women.
I don't know if the Arrow editions were ever available In South Africa. My collection of about 30 books are all PAN editions.
@ Carolien, was it like this one? Lady Barbara Looks like the book name wasn't considered tranlatable in Italian. We had the same one only without the "picture frame." & I think new Heyers (the Arrows) aren't so readily available over here now. I'll have alook when I'm next in a decent book shop.@ Abby, thanks for the info! I just assume typo with Arrow as some of them have been so bad. Do you think this chap's name is where we got the word grouchy from. Like quisling?
Actually, it seems that grouch came from grutch, a variant form of grudge. Nice thought, though!
***Carol*** wrote: is anyone reading or listening to something other than the Arrow? I know Jessica has a P..."
trrangely I have a Bantam edition.(Most of my Heyer novels are Pan.) The cover has a horse,a soldier (Charles?) and a red head in a riding costume who might be Babs. The costumes look right ...
***Carol*** wrote: "@ Carolien, was it like this one? Lady Barbara Looks like the book name wasn't considered tranlatable in Italian. We had the same one only without the "picture frame." & I think new..."Not that one, it's a full cover. Quite dark, with an impression of fires raging, a burning house in the background, some soldiers standing around and a very similar scene to the one pictured above in the foreground. Sort of aftermath of a battle scene, with the heroine in a perfectly clean, pretty dress and not a hair out of place! Published in 1961 by Pan.
This is my first read and I'm finding it really gripping. I just got it last night and couldn't put it down. The number of historical characters is a little hard to keep up with, but I had expected to find the parts dealing with the military situation boring and I haven't at all. I think what makes it so compelling is the way she catches the mood of the city and makes you feel the emotions of the people living these events. The uncertainty they live with and their dependence on Wellington is fascinating. Maybe it's because we're used to getting news about an event the instant it happens.
I can't really say I like Barbara, but it is interesting to watch what happens when all the worst Alistair traits come out in a woman, who has so much less leeway to misbehave.
Ifurita wrote: "This is my first read and I'm finding it really gripping. I just got it last night and couldn't put it down. I can't really say I like Barbara, but it is interesting to watch what happens when all the worst Alistair traits come out in a woman, who has so much less leeway to misbehave.
That's just it. Babs is very like her Alastair forebears, but it's not tolerated in a woman.
Keeping track of the large number of military personnel involved is going to be a challenge. Knowing Heyer, they are all real people.From what I have read so far, the Marquis of Vidal is very proper compared to his grandfather! Sounds like he has his great-grandmother's red hair, but much less of the Avon spirit. That seems to have been inherited by his brother, George, who I haven't met in the first four chapters.
Carolien wrote: "Keeping track of the large number of military personnel involved is going to be a challenge. Knowing Heyer, they are all real people.From what I have read so far, the Marquis of Vidal is very pro..."
& the youngest brother Harry is like a more innocent Rupert. I'mm bet the present Vidal is a massive disappointment to his grandad!
Ifurita wrote: "This is my first read and I'm finding it really gripping. I just got it last night and couldn't put it down. The number of historical characters is a little hard to keep up with, but I had expected..."That's my reaction exactly, though this is my second read. This time I'm appreciating meeting the Alastairs and Audleys again having just read the three earlier novels in the loosely connected series.
The whole feeling of a city on the brink of war, the feverish excitement is very well done. Heyer's vivid portrait of the Duke of Wellington has made me want to read a biography.
Meanwhile on Barbara, I was quite out of sympathy with her until I read this in chapter 10: (view spoiler)
Emr wrote: "This time, however, coming off These Old Shades, Devil's Cub, and Regency Buck, I'm seeing it as House of Worth vs. House of Avon -- at least here in the early stages. " Good point, Emr! Judith is a wife and mother now and does seem to have settled down a great deal. It's the normal way of things! Judith was always basically sensible IMO. She must have carried a fair bit of responsibility with their rakish father and no mother to guide them. I think it was just the first season in London and Lord Worth's goading that turned her head.
$2.50 Fawcett Crest 1965 paperback only slightly held together with a bit of tape. Hooray for Richard's Books in Lincoln City, Oregon!
Did you just buy that or have you found your own copy?Yay, either way!
***Carol*** wrote: "Did you just buy that or have you found your own copy?Yay, either way!"
I just got to spend a couple of days at the coast and found this great used book store, Richard's, in a bright blue building with a airplane nose sticking out of it. I didn't see the airplane until after we left, so I have no idea what it meant.. Anyhow, yes, I bought the book and am absolutely enjoying it this time around!
Abigail wrote: "Hi, Carol, I have an old Fawcett Crest paperback published in 1965. It too says “Grouchy,” so I looked him up. This appears to have been Emmanuel de Grouchy, Marquis de Grouchy (presumably pronounc..."This is the same one I just bought, Abigail, and it has what must be Barbara and Charles on the cover. Not tooooo bad; her hair even seems to be a bit curly! And the people whispering and watching them in the background are fun.
I am so glad that we read the others in this series before this one! I think An Infamous Army was one of my first Heyer's, so I didn't have the background of the fictional characters. I'm loving the Worth/Vidal connections!
Karlyne wrote: "I am so glad that we read the others in this series before this one! I think An Infamous Army was one of my first Heyer's, so I didn't have the background of the fictional characters. I'm loving t..."I do think it added to my enjoyment this time. I just wish I had suggested The Black Moth at the start & The Spanish Bride at the Finish. :(
Uh, did we already do The Spanish Bride? I wonder where I was...
Karlyne wrote: "Uh, did we already do The Spanish Bride? I wonder where I was..."No not yet. :) I posted a list of books already read on the Group Reads 2015 thread - & it's surprisingly small.
***Carol*** wrote: "Karlyne wrote: "Uh, did we already do The Spanish Bride? I wonder where I was..."No not yet. :) I posted a list of books already read on the Group Reads 2015 thread - & it's surprisingly small."
Oh, good! I'm enjoying this one so much, I think I might follow up with The Spanish Bride...
Chapter 12's paragraphs devoted to the spring fashions of the ladies and the activities of the men are amazing. Heyer is setting the scene so well, I'd swear she actually saw it!
Karlyne wrote: "Chapter 12's paragraphs devoted to the spring fashions of the ladies and the activities of the men are amazing. Heyer is setting the scene so well, I'd swear she actually saw it!"GH's research skills are awesome. She totally immerses herself in the period.
I found a wonderful picture for you, Carol, but, unfortunately, I have no idea of how to link it up here! It's called "The Black Brunswicker" by John Everett Millais. (I found it on "the Duchess of Richmond's ball", the Wiki article.)
Lovely! & the wiki article Karlyne found says the uniform is very accurate (although the lady's dress looks more like 1830s to me.
I was struck by his face; he looks so young and serious!
Wonderful picture! I just noticed the picture of Napoleon on the wall behind them. GH mentions that some of the Belgians wanted Napoleon to win.
The more I look at it the more I like it! He looks like he's bracing himself on the door while she's got control of the handle and the poor little dog isn't sure what's going on! I just finished the part where Bab wears white satin to the ball and is a wonderful foil for all the gold and scarlet uniforms, so although the style of this dress might not be pure Regency (I think it looks later, too), I love that it's white!
I do wonder what the significance of the Napoleon picture is; I hadn't noticed it until you pointed it out, Hana. He was purported to be so very charismatic, but he sure doesn't look like it in portraits!
And what in the world is the dog holding (just noticed it)? It looks like a giant safety pin from where I'm squinting...
I think its the end of the soldier's scabbard (the thingy they put their swords into); it was hung on the left side so the sabre could be drawn easily by the right hand but also where it would be out of the way when the soldier was using a musket.
Has anyone seen this article yet regarding the latest Battle of Waterloo between the Belgians and the French?http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/wor...
I love that picture. Does anybody know how the buying of colours worked? Peregrine and Worth have a conversation on whether Peregrine would have bought himself colours if he wasn't married and that Worth had sold out at some stage.
Carolien wrote: "Has anyone seen this article yet regarding the latest Battle of Waterloo between the Belgians and the French?http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/wor......"
That article made me chuckle all the way through! I had some sort of silly idea in my head that the French would have been glad to get rid of Napoleon, too. Well, obviously not! Of course, given the French royalty of the time I guess I can understand their pride in him. But since the days of royalty have been gone so long I do find it kind of odd that anyone would be holding on to Napoleon's glory and would be upset at his defeat, let alone think of it as a reflection on the modern French. I guess it would be like Washington DC minting a coin showing the burning of Richmond?
Hana wrote: "I think its the end of the soldier's scabbard (the thingy they put their swords into); it was hung on the left side so the sabre could be drawn easily by the right hand but also where it would be o..."I think I can see it that way, Hana! It looked transparent to me, hence the giant safety pin look... Over-active imagination or just plain near-sightedness?
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Georgette Heyer Fans
Books mentioned in this topic
The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo (other topics)Lady Barbara (other topics)
Lady Barbara (other topics)
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Bernard Cornwell (other topics)Bernard Cornwell (other topics)
Our first historical group read!
Will this be anyone's first read of this book?
If not, how many times have you read it?
What format are you using?