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Which do you think are the funniest of Georgette Heyer's books?
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Hmmph... Tough question because almost all her books are extremely funny. it is going to be hard, though, for you if you really do not like much descriptions about clothes (GH was an expert in that area).However, I would suggest that you start with Cotillion, Arabella. Or maybe The Talisman Ring, which is also one of the shortest book by GH I've read so far.
Thank you,yes,I really hope to avoid excessive description of clothes.Like the heroine in Edenbrooke,such things do not interest me in the least,and put me to sleep.
I have only read three but have enjoyed them all (Arabella, Cotillion and The Nonesuch) Of these I would recommend for humour Arabella and Cotillion, like Sakura :)
I have only read 3 of her books because I just discovered her, but I liked The Grand Sophy. It was funny.
I've read 11 of her books and if I had to pick the funniest of them I would choose Friday's Child!! :)
I hope that I have found a new author of comedy romances.Thanks for the suggestions. :]
Cotillion and Arabella seem popular.
Have to agree with Nasia - Friday's Child is the funniest for me. But The Grand Sophy also hilarious in places. I would add The Reluctant Widow, which is a personal favourite, if you like witty dialogue.You can't avoid the descriptions! That's what sets the book in the period.
Elizabeth (also a writer of historical romance in the mode of Heyer!)
I have seen Friday's Child mentioned several other places and the synopsis appealed to me so that is the one that I chose to reserve at my library first and it is available to pick up today.I am happy to say that all the ones mentioned so far not one of them was one of the titles that I tried to read before,so I am hopeful.Thanks again! :]
ETA: I just requested Arabella and The Reluctant Widow, also.
The first Georgette Heyer book I ever read was The Corinthian. I loved it! It made me an instant devotee. It is like The Thin Man movies with William Powell and Myrna Loy. The banter is absolutely delightful.
Yes, I love that one too. There are about a dozen which are top-notch, I think, out of the 37. But once you are an aficionado, you can read any of them with pleasure. Or most, anyway.Elizabeth
Oh my I really love banter/verbal sparring so The Corinthian sounds like another to go on my list,thank you!
Elizabeth wrote: "Yes, I love that one too. There are about a dozen which are top-notch, I think, out of the 37. But once you are an aficionado, you can read any of them with pleasure. Or most, anyway.Elizabeth"
I'm 72 and re-reading my Georgette Heyers for about the umpteenth time. It used to be every five years, now it's every ten years. I'd be an aficionado, you could say. In my twenties I read them for the surface level entertainment, but as I grew older, and became a writer myself, I recognised and apprecitated her gift and skills more and more.
Her comedy is not in-your-face, it's subtle and so much a part of the storyline it can be easy not to appreciate it. Something's there of genius - of stories I know by heart I'm still happy to read them again and often surprised by the thought, "I'd forgotten that bit." Ah, for the ability to author such page-turners.
Monya, you are totally mirroring my own experience! I read Friday's Child out of my father's bookshelf when I was 11 and was hooked from there on out. As a teenager one of my Christmas presents was the new Georgette Heyer until she died in 1974.As you say, the depth and brilliance grows on you, and it's no wonder she has so many imitators (including me!). She spawned the whole genre of historical romance, especially Regency. People think it's Jane Austen, but it was Heyer who brought Jane Austen style work into the 20th Century, and the rest of us followed suit.
The sort of line I love is the little aside, such as the jarvey who "observing to the ambient air his desire to be floored if ever he should be so betwattled again, besought his horse to get up". These are the gems that bring me back to the books again and again. And I'm 67 and still reading them.
Elizabeth, so glad to meet another dedicated fan!
Elizabeth wrote: "Monya, you are totally mirroring my own experience! I read Friday's Child out of my father's bookshelf when I was 11 and was hooked from there on out. As a teenager one of my Christmas presents was..."There's plenty of us, Elizabeth. And the older we get the more our fan status grows!
Yes, fantastic hero in Freddy in Cotillion and Friday's Child has those four idiots who are hilarious.Elizabeth
I am very anxious to start reading the suggested titles, but I have this terrible habit of checking out far too many books at once from my library, so I have several other books to read and will be coming due,before I can get to them.I am keeping up with this thread and noting your suggestions,and will surely share my thoughts as I read them.
Thank you all, and keep them coming,especially reasons why you liked certain ones.
Some are more romantic than others, Christine, such as April Lady, which has my all-time favourite romantic line (I will not spoil by mentioning it here) plus humour too. And for sheer escapist romance you can't beat These Old Shades and its sequel Devil's Cub. Though the heroes may be a little to alpha for modern tastes perhaps.Elizabeth
I loved These Old Shades, Elizabeth, but I wasn't as keen on Devil's Cub. I think it was several things that put me off: I kept thinking that Avon was wayyyyy cooler than Videl, I didn't like the reason WHY the heroine was with him, and I will NEVER be able to forgive Georgie for turning Rupert into an overweight and embarrassing uncle!!!I've just remembered that I liked Sylvester, or The Wicked Uncle, I remember that I couldn't get in to it at first, but when I did I really enjoyed it.
And The Unknown Ajax/the is worth reading if only for the last scene!!!
Yes, like both those too. But Sylvester took time to like.Funnily enough, I thought Rupert the elder was very real to the young Rupert. He was much funnier. And I love Mary. I think GH also thought Avon was cooler - she kept him in the story being extremely cool!
Well Christine, you've had oodles of recommendations. I would love to hear your impressions as you read Georgette Heyer's books for the first time. We can live vicariously through you and remember our own first reads all over again.
I'll put in another plug for Devil's Cub. The scene toward the end, where the heroine is explaining everything she's been through to a kindly but sarcastic elderly gentleman, and his reactions and comments back to her, is one of the funniest scenes I've ever read in Regency romances. I must have reread that scene 15 times and it still makes me laugh.
Yes, and the discovery of his identity to Mary is wonderful!
I am so sorry to disappoint everyone,and myself as well,but I find that once again I am unable to get engaged with Georgette Heyer's writing. :(First I tried Friday's Child,and I never saw so many words in my life that I don't even know the meaning of!I got to page 80-something and had to give up,as it was pure torture forcing myself to read about characters who don't speak like normal people and who I cared nothing at all for.
Next I tried Arabella,and at first I was hopeful as the narration was more normal language,but I only got about 80-some pages into this one,as well when my eyes glazed over as the author got into describing all those clothes of the mother's and preparing Bella's wardrobe to go to London.Once again,I found no engaging character development,and I just did not care for this story or the characters.
I don't feel that this author in any way can even compare to Jane Austen or even Julianne Donaldson[author of Edenbrooke:A Proper Romance,or Carla Kelly-Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand].
Her style of writing just is not able to grab me at all,and I won't be trying her again,as this now makes(7) of her books that I have tried to get interested in,without success.
Those who do love her work are very fortunate that there are so many books by her to enjoy.
Christine, I commend you for giving her another try. Each book is not for every person. Happy hunting for the right book match for you!
Well, you had another go, Christine. And it's very true that Heyer uses old-fashioned language which can be hard for a modern reader. I do the same and I know it can put some readers off.I guess you just move on and find something that works for you. Us Heyer addicts will continue to enjoy her stuff, and I'm sorry it didn't pan out for you.
Thank you Lisa and Elizabeth.I will just continue to enjoy other authors.
Yes,her fans are fortunate that there are quite a few books written by her to enjoy.
Lynette wrote: "I have only read 3 of her books because I just discovered her, but I liked The Grand Sophy. It was funny."Yes, the final scene where she is walking around carrying baby ducklings, has a absent-minded poet wandered in and shoots one of the secondary characters to win his lady love--AND THERE'S MORE.
I laugh every time I read it and I read it often--when I need a laugh.
I think it would make a great movie, but evidently Hollywood hasn't discovered the 2nd Jane Austen.
There was a film once of The Reluctant Widow, but I don't think Heyer liked it. The problem is, the humour is in the writing, not the action so much, so I'm not sure it would translate that well to film.
Hi! New here but wanted to add votes for The Grand Sophy and Sylvester, LOVE! I am fairly certain I have read all of Georgette Heyer's romances and many of the mysteries. Oh, Beauvallet is really great too! Actually, I don't think there are any of the romances that I haven't liked!
I think "Frederica" and "Cotillion" are the funniest of Heyer's books. Any scene with Felix in "Frederica" always cracks me up. I feel the same way about Freddy in "Cotillion." I have to say though, that "The Unknown Ajax" has the funniest scene of all her books. I think everyone who has read it, knows which scene I am referring too in the book. ;)Elizabeth wrote: "There was a film once of The Reluctant Widow, but I don't think Heyer liked it. The problem is, the humour is in the writing, not the action so much, so I'm not sure it would translate that well to..."
I have to put in my opinion on the film. I can completely see how she wouldn't like it. First, they cut out tons of characters, and they changed the heroine's name, her origin of country by making her French instead of English (I have no idea why). They made it similar to a film-noir instead of a mystery-comedy. I couldn't even watch all of it. Anyway, I'm done ranting about the film.
I agree totally about the hideous mess that was the film version of THE RELUCTANT WIDOW. I believe Heyer's son, who was a teenager at the time, got up and walked out of the theatre; I don't blame him! If memory serves, I read (perhaps in the Jane Aiken Hodge bio of Georgette Heyer?) that it was written as a vehicle for the actress who played Elinor, so the part was tailored to her, rather than remaining true to the character as created by Heyer.
What I hated about the movie was that they totally change the motives that the hero has for making her marry his cousin into just plain greed. In the book, the hero has good reasons for it, in the movie he does not. I watched more than half of the movie thinking it would improve, but I just couldn't finish watching it.
I think I've read all Heyer's books since I discovered her in the library 20 years ago. I was so enamored of her writing that I slowly collected my own copies of her books and still reread them from time to time. My favorites are "These Old Shades" and "Cotillion". In my opinion, she really was the queen of the regency romance.
I agree that two of her funniest books are THE RELUCTANT WIDOW and THE UNKNOWN AJAX. Humor is almost as important to me as romance and those two rate high for me in that category. Loved them both. TRW had some hilarious scenes with a dog; I was absolutely rolling. And SYLVESTER, while not on my list of favorites, had a scene with a button that was hysterical. Some of her books I'm not in love with, so I agree with Lisa that you should try more than one.
I also have a hard time choosing which is funniest. My vote is for Frederica but I laugh in so many of them. I have way too many favorites. They each have a different charm for me. At least, if we stick to the Regency Romances they do. Some of her other works I can take or leave. I absolutely loved it when my 15 year old daughter, sat and giggled while reading. It took her a while to figure out the flow of the language and to understand some of the terms but she soon found her bearings and it was just fun listening to her read.
I just finished The Talisman Ring, and had a hard time NOT giggling continuously.I discovered them decades ago, at Woolworths for $1 each. Love them all!
Thinking about it, I can't decide which of Heyer's books I find most amusing, though all the above are in the running. All of her Georgian/Regency novels contain some humor, including my overall favorite The Black Moth. I don't think anyone has mentioned Venetia, however, which has some very funny bits. I'm glad to see many of her books are now available either in reprints or as ebooks. What could be better?
I re-read CONVENIENT MARRIAGE recently, and I feel it's one of her funniest. It's set when Marie Antoinette was still setting extravagant fashions (the Princess Di of her time; "queen's hair" satin meant pale yellow, Trianon Grey was so-called after her elegant pleasure palace made of light grey stone), so clothing was a very important indication of a person's place in society .Character's personality and rank in CM and other historical romances was indicated by their clothing, (like nowadays, novels written and read by Jennifer Weiner, often in trend-setting New York City; her latest, Big Summer, is about an instagram influencer--but probably not in Clean Romance category).
Heroine of CONVENIENT MARRIAGE is 17 year old girl of aristocratic family which doesn't have much money. Her marriage into wealth allows her to indulge in a typical teen's love of luxurious fashion. (Her older sister in law curbs her shopping spree by suggesting a hat makes her look " rather prim". The young bride eventually realizes she values love more than luxuries and social gaiety.
Another of my favorites for re-reading is TALISMAN RING, which in contrast, is set in rural area far from fashionable London, so there's little need for dressing up (except for indicating one character is a dandy--one example in it of "not judging purely by appearances", if that's not a spoiler, just meant as a hint or clue.
One reason for Heyer's appeal is her intensive research to be able to describe other times. Remember, Jane Austen's novels were "contemporary", and partly because of sometimes decades gap between writing and getting published (for example, in comment for Northanger Abbey, she apologizes for formerly trendy elements ), she avoided detailed description of faddish fashions that could quickly pass and become dated. Austen mostly assumed people would fill in for themselves clothing & furnishings she simply called "elegant", fashionable, or not.
Personally, I get bored with women wearing an unconscious uniform of jeans, t-shirts, and athletic shoes whatever the weather, time or place. I much prefer light feminine dresses in summer, but then I admired my French Prof's polished, put-together appearance (she was expert on Marie Antoinette--and when she moved to Provence, realized her welcoming neighbors looked so familiar as they were that queen's descendants!)
Black Sheep is perhaps my very favorite Heyer. Funny and romantic. I loved the H and h here. They were on an equal footing, unlike in many Heyer romances, where the H is a bit patronizing to the h.
One I recall as being very funny is The Talisman Ring. I read it in 2013 and gave it five stars, but I didn't review it or make notes. I bought an Audible version of it last year and decided a few days ago to start listening to it. I haven't gotten very far into it. Elizabeth wrote: "There was a film once of The Reluctant Widow..."
I found that movie on IMDB. It's called The Inheritance and was made in 1950. It has a rating of only 5.6.
Kathleen wrote: "...I'm glad to see many of her books are now available either in reprints or as ebooks..."
Many are also available in audio format. Audible has a lot of them.
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Books mentioned in this topic
Black Sheep (other topics)The Grand Sophy (other topics)
Cotillion (other topics)
Frederica (other topics)
Sprig Muslin (other topics)
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Especially loved Edendbrooke:A Proper Romance by Julianne Donaldson and Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand by Carla Kelly.
I once tried several books by G.Heyer but could not get into them at all because of all the discussion of fabrics and lace.However, I LOVE comedy romance and I see her books mentioned so often as being humorous,so could her fans please share the titles of which of hers they think are the funniest,and why?
I realize that one's sense of humor can be very different than someone elses. so I plan to consider the titles mentioned most often, to be the ones to check out. :]
Thank you for your time.