Snowdrift and other Stories Group Reads + plus a couple of extras March 2017

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Ok, this thread is for the three extra stories that don't appear in Pistols for Two. I'll be reading the three stories online.

Links: Pursuit http://web.archive.org/web/2010043017...

Runaway Match
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/art...

Incident on the Bath Road
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/art...

If anyone finds an easier to read copy of the last two, please post here! :)

[Howard]

Oh I hope someone finds a readable copy of the last two! Thanks for "Pursuit".

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Howard wrote: "Oh I hope someone finds a readable copy of the last two! Thanks for "Pursuit"."

I'll have a further look today. I thought there did used to be a more readable copy of Incident.

Grateful to the Australian government for preserving these but...

[Lesley]

I just love the two stories directly from the Australian Women's Weekly. The illustrations are wonderful, and reading them in this format just takes me back to the days when magazines always had a serialised story included in their content. It's where I met up with Mary Stewart, GH, Victoria Holt and others, mostly from The English Woman's Weekly.

Found this interesting blog
http://teachmetonight.blogspot.co.nz/...

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Ella's Gran wrote: "I just love the two stories directly from the Australian Women's Weekly. The illustrations are wonderful, and reading them in this format just takes me back to the days when magazines always had a ..."

& Lucy Walker! Remember her?

Thanks for the link, Leslie.

& I can't find a trustworthy site for the other two - just some of those dubious free ebooks sites. :(

If anyone can get hold of this book Georgette Heyer: A Critical Retrospective Runaway Match is in that.

[Amy]

Pursuit




This is the first GH short story I've ever read and while it has that certain something that we love in her books I just found myself wishing that there was 250 pages before it. I do love all the lead up to the big love scene and missed it in the short story.

Her secondary characters really are splendid though. In a few short lines of dialog we feel as though we know the aunt and nephew.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Pursuit


I read last year, but I just read again & I agree with Amy - this feels very undercooked. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... & rating (3.5★) are still the same.

[Lesley]

Carol ♔Type, Oh Queen!♕ wrote: "Ella's Gran wrote: "I just love the two stories directly from the Australian Women's Weekly. The illustrations are wonderful, and reading them in this format just takes me back to the days when mag..."

YES! That's who I've been trying to think of for days. Been going round saying L L L in my mind and Moonspinners kept getting in there too.

[Amy]

Is Proposal for Cicely anywhere in these two books? I've read it online but don't know where to discuss it at.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Amy wrote: "Is Proposal for Cicely anywhere in these two books? I've read it online but don't know where to discuss it at."

No - I was thinking about having a thread for it in the Books folder later in the month. Or would everyone rather discuss it here? :)

[Amy]

Let's just discuss it here! That seems easy enough.

Do we need to wait until later in the month to discuss?

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Amy wrote: "Let's just discuss it here! That seems easy enough.

Do we need to wait until later in the month to discuss?"

Sorry I've been out.

No, I think we can discuss it here. Everyone just has to bear in mind that it is a contemporary story. I'll just hunt for the link. :)

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

First published 1922 when GH was only around 20.

A Proposal to Cicely

https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.co...

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

This one may be Georgian

Lady Your Pardon

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/art...

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Runaway Match


Unexpectedly, this was Georgian.

Even allowing for the format being a bit tricky to read in (although I loved some of the ads) I didn't care much for this one. It was just too silly and improbable. An extra half star for (view spoiler)[the twist at the end (hide spoiler)] 2.5★

[Amy]

A Proposal to Cicely



I started this one without knowing that it was "modern" and kept being a little surprised at all the "historical mistakes" GH made until I realized that it wasn't Regency. It felt like a crude example of her writing but there was promise of more polished humor and dialog to come.

I didn't like how Tom became the villain towards the end. There didn't seem to be any foreshadowing that would happen and it was a bit of lazy writing because there had to be a turning point for Cecily.

I really liked this whole interaction. It was such a great example of the GH style:

“I know you think you do a lot – standing for Parliament, and – and all that sort of thing – but you’re just – flabby!”

Richard, an athlete and an amateur boxer, blew another cloud of smoke.

[Teresa]

I'm really enjoying this book very much. One thing I noticed was the lack of cant in it. Yes it appears in one or two later stories and then it's minimal but the early stories have none at all.
So far my absolute favorite is A Husband for Fanny. This reminded me of a book I read by Mary Nichols, Marrying Miss Hemmingford. (It's also a many times reread for me).
I saw that some people thought Pistols For Two was the best of the bunch but I wasn't fond of that one. Two over grown annoying school boys!

[Sheila (in LA)]

Teresa wrote: "I'm really enjoying this book very much. One thing I noticed was the lack of cant in it. Yes it appears in one or two later stories and then it's minimal but the early stories have none at all.
So..."

The cant is one of the aspects of Heyer's style that I struggled with at first--although I've clearly gotten used to it because I read Lady of Quality and hardly noticed it--but you're right, there isn't so much of it in these stories.

I'm having a hard time picking a favorite story. I am loving this book--I might give it 5 stars. Still have the final three stories to read...

[Teresa]

Ok. Pursuit I thought was just so so. There was nothing special in it.

Runaway Match was just plain silly. I wanted to slap both Miss Paradise and Rupert. I know the romance has to happen fast in a short story and on the whole it worked in the others but definitely not here.

Incident on the Bath road was an enjoyable bit of nonsense. I thought the ending was rather abrupt as if she got tired of writing it.
Glad to have read them though.

[Howard]

I'm curious about how Heyer wrote these stories. For instance, "Pursuit" seems to be a mini-romance on purpose - maybe to answer a solicitation. And "Pistols for Two" could be an idea that she came up with while writing a novel - but which didn't fit in so she put it aside. (I know authors who do that).

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Howard wrote: "I'm curious about how Heyer wrote these stories. For instance, "Pursuit" seems to be a mini-romance on purpose - maybe to answer a solicitation. And "Pistols for Two" could be an idea that she came..."

I was thinking that & I will have to consult my GH biographies. The three Snowdrift extras were definitely "purpose written" as short stories for magazines. There is an earlier version of Hazard at the Trove site. I'll be interested to read it & see what changes she made.

I want to know if any were written especially for the Pistols for Two collection.

[Sheila (in LA)]

After I finished these three stories I re-read the introduction to Snowdrift. I discovered that Runaway Match and Incident on the Bath Road were published in the 20s, in fact Runaway Match is Heyer's first Regency short story (actually Georgian, according to Carol). So I had to adjust my first reaction, which was "this again" to "this is the first time she used this plot device," etc. Changed my thinking!

I don't think they're the best stories in the collection, but I did laugh heartily at a line in Incident on the Bath Road. :-)

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Sheila wrote: "After I finished these three stories I re-read the introduction to Snowdrift. I discovered that Runaway Match and Incident on the Bath Road were published in the 20s, in fact Runaway Match is Heyer..."

That does make me feel more charitably inclined towards Runaway Match & explains Miss Paradise's slightly silly last name. I think/hope I can read the introduction at Amazon.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

A Proposal to Cicely

I'm making allowances for GH only being about 19 or 20 when she wrote this. For such a young writer this is quite an accomplished period piece,with a well realised structure. And after WW1, everyone wanted to forget. I know that. But I'm finding it very hard to forgive this vapid line (among many vapid lines) from Our Heroine Cicely in this exchange;

“Have you ever done a day’s work – hard, manual work – in your life?” demanded Cicely.

“The complete park-orator. Four years in the trenches, that’s all.”

Cicely was slightly mollified.

“I don’t count that,” she said.

I have to say that Cicely Carruthers is a perfect twenties name!

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Sheila wrote: "After I finished these three stories I re-read the introduction to Snowdrift. I discovered that Runaway Match and Incident on the Bath Road were published in the 20s, in fact Runaway Match is Heyer..."

I reread the start of Runaway Match & I think I was mislead by the artwork into thinking it was Georgian. If they were going to put a Georgian story in I don't think they would have chosen this effort ahead of the superior Lady, Your Pardon.

The artist on both of these stories was Boothroyd. I haven't been able to find out much about him.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/people/148252...

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

& speaking of

Lady, Your Pardon



Close up of the illustration. I don't think I've ever seen a better rendition of the cynical, bored Heyer hero.

It was a little clumsy but I loved this story - and I was fooled by the twist at the end.

I can totally picture GH sipping a g & t and musing, you know I could have made better use of the "wench in a gaming hell" idea & then *poof* Faro's Daughter was born.

4★

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Incident on the Bath Road

I was wrong (Impossible! :D) I haven't read this one online before. A very slight tale, reminded me of The Corinthian. I was nearly as bored as Lord Revelry! 2.5★

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

I'm going away for a few days, but I thought I would leave you with this one - an earlier version of Hazard

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/art...

Let us know if you see any differences! :)

[Lesley]

I have finished and have to say I thoroughly enjoyed all the stories. Maybe if I was pushed I'd say my favourites could be Bath Miss, and A Clandestine Affair ... but, well no, I really did enjoy them all equally in their own right. I liked that Pistols for Two was an all male cast, and with all the emotions depicted beautifully in GH's writing. I felt several of the stories possibly provided the background to some of her full length novels. Also took me back to when GH and authors of her era were serialised in women's magazines.

[Sheila (in LA)]

I read the earlier version of Hazard and it seems to me the only difference is in the name Carlyon Carlyon (instead of Carlington Carlington). I enjoyed the illustrations in the Australian Women's Weekly though! Thank you for posting the link, Carol.

[Jacquie]

I got my copy late in March and am reading them one at a time to make them last. Glad to have some GH that I have never read!

[Jackie]

Amy wrote: "Pursuit




This is the first GH short story I've ever read and while it has that certain something that we love in her books I just found myself wishing that there was 250 pages before it. I do lo..."

I got Snowdrift from the library and just finished the 3 "new" stories. I have to say, while enjoyed them as I was reading, having just finished the last one I can't really remember the first two!

For Incident on the Bath Road, when I (finally) guessed what was coming I went back and re-read from when the two protagonists met and can't believe it took me so long.

On the whole, I agree with Amy, I wanted so much more. all three were OK, but just a taste of what they could have been.

I didn't re-read the rest of the book as I'd read Pistols for Two fairly recently, but I think most of those really stand on their own much better than these three do.

[Susan in NC]

Carol, quick question, did not know where to ask, 2019 reading list is locked - I have Snowdrift for our July read in one place, Unknown Ajax in another. Also A Civil Contract- is that August or September? Sorry, I try and copy and paste all updates to keep track, but I mucked this up (to borrow from our Shute Retro Read - apologies if that’s a nasty swear word in your part of the world, whoever sees this comment!) Thanks in advance- don’t want to miss the chance to swoon over Hugo!

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Ha, I seem to have caused a lot of confusion commenting on Shute's use of an euphemism for the f word! :)

I made a mistake with the reading list & left out Venetia. So everything is a month out. Can you link to where I haven't corrected that?

Our main page definitely does show The Unknown Ajax as our next read.

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Sorry for confusing everyone!

[Teresa]

Susan in NC wrote: "Carol, quick question, did not know where to ask, 2019 reading list is locked - I have Snowdrift for our July read in one place, Unknown Ajax in another. Also A Civil Contract- is that August or Se..."

January The Tollgate
February Bath Tangle (we haven't had this one as a group read)
March Sprig Muslin
April April Lady - how appropriate! :D (we haven't had this one as a group read)
May Sylvester
June Venetia
Jul The Unknown Ajax
Aug Pistols for Two/Snowdrift
Sept A Civil Contract
Oct The Nonesuch
November No read - catch up month!
December Mystery - The Unfinished Clue - a mystery (voting was done on this thread)
This is the list Susan:

[Susan in NC]

Thanks ladies!

[Susan in NC]

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "Ha, I seem to have caused a lot of confusion commenting on Shute's use of an euphemism for the f word! :)

I made a mistake with the reading list & left out Venetia. So everything is a month out. C..."

No, Carol, my mistake, I cut and pasted one of your previous posts into a iPad note to myself listing upcoming reads, then saw the Heyer home page with Ajax listed, and wasn’t sure which was right! Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[Charlotte]

How amazing to find here several GH stories that I had never read before and did not know existed. Thank you! I particularly enjoyed "Lady Your Pardon" as a precursor to Faro's Daughter.