Georgette Heyer Fans discussion
Heyer in General
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Introduction and Welcome Thread
Hello everyone! I'm actually reading my FIRST Georgette Heyer right now, and it's one of her mysteries/thrillers! I'm in the middle of A Christmas Party and I'm loving it so much. I'd love to read more of her Austenesque books after this and am welcoming any recommendations :)
Having read all of her books, I can’t help but envy you. What a fabulous position to be in - reading Heyer for the very first time! I don’t particularly like her detective stories but love her Georgian/Regency novels and have re-read my favourites- more times than I can remember. You could simply read them all in publication order which allows you to see how she grows as a writer. On the other hand you could just pick a random choice.
I’d suggest These Old Shades, The Grand Sophy and Venetia - as a starting point to give you a flavour of her scope. Enjoy! 😉
welcome, Triscia, I'm glad you are enjoying it and what good timing. I've read it (as Envious Casca) more than once but never at Christmas time.there are so many good Heyer to recommend, it's easier to name the books you shouldn't start with like Cousin Kate.
Welcome, Triscia!There are so many great books to choose from, what a lovely spot to be in!
Triscia wrote: "Hello everyone! I'm actually reading my FIRST Georgette Heyer right now, and it's one of her mysteries/thrillers! I'm in the middle of A Christmas Party and I'm loving it so much. I..."Welcome! I started with Heyer's mysteries, too, and I still really enjoy them. I also recommend The Grand Sophy, Frederica, The Unknown Ajax, The Toll-Gate... Lots of good reading ahead of you!
(In case you didn't catch it, your book was originally called Envious Casca, and has recently been re-released under the Christmas name. I'm so glad it's finding new readers!)
Thank you all so much :) I'm so excited to read the others. There are so many to choose from! I have added so many of her books to my TBR list now, thank you!Jackie wrote: "welcome, Triscia, I'm glad you are enjoying it and what good timing. I've read it (as Envious Casca) more than once but never at Christmas time.
there are so many good Heyer to recommend, it's easi..."
Yes, Jackie! I actually had this book on my shelf since March of this year (I thrifted it from a local store) and purposely left it for this month to read it. No regrets, I'm loving the immersion!
Welcome TrisciaWe do a monthly read 11 months of the year. In January it is one of my favourites Arabella There is no pressure to take part though! :)
We’re doing Arabella? One my top five Heyer’s!! Eek!In other news: I started to reread The Unknown Ajax - as that was listed on the original poll. It’s been so so long since I’ve read that one, I am thoroughly enjoying myself! Win win!!
Crazy About Love ❤️ wrote: "We’re doing Arabella? One my top five Heyer’s!! Eek!In other news: I started to reread The Unknown Ajax - as that was listed on the original poll. It’s been so so long since I’ve read that one, I ..."
That one is so much fun! And I’m listening to the audio book of Arabella as I reread, it’s delightful- definitely a favorite!
Probably not the right thread so sorry , I am a long time member , fairly infrequent poster, but deeply loyal ! There is a member here , Mary C/Mary Clawsey who is also a member of the group I co-moderate, Fans of Norah Lofts.
She has not posted for a while and I am getting no response from pms. If anyone here knows how Mary is we would be so grateful to know. Thank you .
Hi Everyone! I've just joined the group and am happy to find it. I've been reading (mostly listening to, actually) the Regencies for several years, in very random fashion. My first was The Grand Sophy many years ago. My favorite is Frederica which I have listened to twice. I'm looking forward to joining in the discussions and getting your recommendations. Thanks!
Welcome, Joanne, glad to meet another Heyer fan.We are reading Arabella this month, and will start The Foundling in a few days. We would love for you to join the discussion, so join in whenever you want!
Joanne wrote: "Hi Everyone! I've just joined the group and am happy to find it. I've been reading (mostly listening to, actually) the Regencies for several years, in very random fashion. My first was [book:The Gr..."Welcome Joanne! :)
Joanne wrote: "Hi Everyone! I've just joined the group and am happy to find it. I've been reading (mostly listening to, actually) the Regencies for several years, in very random fashion. My first was [book:The Gr..."Welcome to the group! You named two of my very favorites Heyer book, as well. I love them both. :)
hi everyone! I've just found this group when I was browsing GH reviews. My first Heyer novel was Arabella (in German, read in my teens). Then, two years ago, I had lots of knitting to do and there were - for some weeks only, obviously pirated - free GH audiobooks on youtube. These got me hooked again. When the audiobooks were deleted, I started collecting the e-books and have read most of the historical romances, some more than once. so,
my first: Arabella
my favourite: Venetia
(closely followed by: The Unknown Ajax, Frederica, the Grand Sophy)
I'm going to read this month's book The Foundling again ... not one of my favourites so far, but let's see ...
Hi, Sabine!Glad to ave you, and looking forward to your comments on The Foundling.
Hi Sabine, welcome. Venetia’s my first and favourite!
Sabine wrote: "hi everyone! I've just found this group when I was browsing GH reviews. My first Heyer novel was Arabella (in German, read in my teens). Then, two years ago, I had lots of knitting to do and there ..."Welcome Sabine, I hope you enjoy The Foundling, it’s one of my favorites. I can relate, I also enjoy knitting along to Heyer audiobooks!
Hello, All! I came to GH as a later life reader, with my first being The Grand Sophy, which is just a treasure. Authors who lead me to her books include Jane Austen, Marion Chesney, and Barbara Cartland.
Heyer has quickly become a favorite. I can always count on her to lift my spirits and distract my senses. Ive recently started in on her mysteries, as well. :)
Renee wrote: "Hello, All! I came to GH as a later life reader, with my first being The Grand Sophy, which is just a treasure. Authors who lead me to her books include Jane Austen, [a..."
Welcome, Renee!
You started with one of GH's best. (and one of my favorites!)
You have a lot of good reading in your future. Enjoy!
Hi and welcome, Renee! The Grand Sophy is one of my favorites! feel free to post on threads about the books you are reading, doesn't matter how old they are. I think most if not all of us re-read Heyer all the time.
Renee wrote: "Hello, All! I came to GH as a later life reader, with my first being The Grand Sophy, which is just a treasure. Authors who lead me to her books include Jane Austen, [a..."
Hi, Renee, and welcome! I’m also a member of the Sophy fan club, and of GH mysteries. Her wit and sparkling dialogue always entertain me, glad you’re here to share in the joy that is Heyer!
Yes welcome Renee!At the moment our group is reading Why Shoot a Butler? but the discussion has pretty much petered out. But in July we are reading Sylvester which is a favourite for a lot of us - me included!
Welcome Renee! I am pretty new to the group too and I am enjoying it very much. The Grand Sophy is one of my favourites too, but there are many more GH romances to enjoy. (I can't comment on the mysteries as they aren't really my genre.) I am waiting patiently (or perhaps not so patiently) for July and the discussion about Sylvester.
Hi everyone!I am new to the group, and I’m so glad to have found some fellow Heyer fans. I started reading GH three years ago when I was given the Talisman Ring by my Literature teacher, though my current favourite would have to be These Old Shades.
Snowy wrote: "Hi everyone!I am new to the group, and I’m so glad to have found some fellow Heyer fans. I started reading GH three years ago when I was given the Talisman Ring by my Literature teacher, though my..."
Welcome Snowy!
These Old Shades is my second favourite!
I hope you enjoy hanging out with us. (that would not be how GH would phrase it!) 😀
We are currently doing Silvester as a group read, next month is The Unknown Ajax. There is no obligation to participate - but the reads are a lot of fun!
Hey, Snowy, welcome! You’ve got good taste, those are both wonderful books. I hope you enjoy reading and discussing with us, this is a very nice and knowledgeable group - fun, too!
Hi Snowy--always happy to welcome someone who has just discovered G Heyer. You are in for a treat! I envy you the excitement of discovering a "new" author.You've started off with two of my favorites. (These Old Shades was my very first Heyer).
We are a great group, where no opinion of any GH book is 'right' or 'wrong'.
Snowy wrote: "Hi everyone!I am new to the group, and I’m so glad to have found some fellow Heyer fans. I started reading GH three years ago when I was given the Talisman Ring by my Literature teacher, though my..."
Welcome Snowy!
I remember when I first discovered Heyer, I was stunned by how amazing they were and wanted to read all of her books as soon as I could get my hands on them. And what a treat, to have the Talisman Ring as your first Heyer. That is one of my fav stories!
Snowy wrote: "Hi everyone!I am new to the group, and I’m so glad to have found some fellow Heyer fans. I started reading GH three years ago when I was given the Talisman Ring by my Literature teacher, though my..."
Welcome Snowy! I'm happy you've found GH, her books have been a great source of escape and enjoyment in my life. These Old Shades is on my A-list, and Talisman Ring was one of the two GH books I read aloud to my son and daughter (I started reading to them when they were quite young, and we continued into the pre-teen - maybe even early-teen? years). Talisman remains a great favourite for our family. There are many other great GH books to discover!
Hi Snowy! welcome! These Old Shades is great, I never get tired of it.
Jackie wrote: "Hi Snowy! welcome! These Old Shades is great, I never get tired of it."Me neither! Welcome Snowy and Renee, good to have you here!
Hi everyone!I think the first Heyer I read was The Grand Sophy, or maybe Frederica, which my mum recommended to me, when I was a teenager, and I've read most of her other books at least once and many of them several times since then. I think my favourite of her books is The Talisman Ring, which I just love for the adventure and humour, as well as the delightful characters.
Hi Emma and welcome. If you take part in the monthly reads here you'll have great fun. We have some great discussions on the books. I have read her books many times. They're a comfort read for me. I too like The Talisman Ring. Two now tie for my absolute favourite. The Nonesuch and The Black Sheep.
Welcome, Emma, I also enjoy Heyer’s humorous, adventurous books!
Emma wrote: "Hi everyone!I think the first Heyer I read was The Grand Sophy, or maybe Frederica, which my mum recommended to me, when I was a teenager, and I've read most of her other books at least once and ..."
Welcome, Emma.
Those were two of my first books, and one of my favs is The Talisman Ring as well! Hello, Heyer twin, haha!
Hello,I am Melinda and just joined the Group.
I am still very much in the discovery phase concerning Heyer's books, but I am getting more and more intrigued.
I am Hungarian and no GH books were available in translation when I was younger. A few of her books from the Alistair Tetralogy and Cotillion got translated in 2012, but then I was not interested enough to try them.
It was only when I joined Goodreads that I became more aware of her books, but still mostly via friends' reviews.
My very first book by her was Venetia, followed by The Grand Sophy and Frederica - all in 2019.
From these I loved The Grand Sophy the most - and it became one of my favourite books in general. (re-read it twice since)
Venetia and Frederica I found rather nice, but was not very taken by either book. My opinion was the same for False Colours in 2020: nice, but I was not impressed. However, I am contemplating re-reading them to give them another chance.
I recently finished A Civil Contract, which I absolutely loved.
I also realised that I have no clue about GH's life, so I am currently listening to Georgette Heyer: Biography of a Bestseller and find it very interesting.
Hi Melinda and welcome. I think The Grand Sophy might be my very favorite.
It is a grand book for sure. I love the characterisation and the relationship dynamics. On 1st reading it I was not very satisfied with the "romance" between the MCs, but of course I know better now. :D
I came to fully appreciate the unromantic, but very real and relatable aspect of their relationship.
Same goes for A Civil Contract. It was so refreshingly unromantic. :)
Melindam wrote: "It is a grand book for sure. I love the characterisation and the relationship dynamics. On 1st reading it I was not very satisfied with the "romance" between the MCs, but of course I know better n..."
Welcome Melinda! I agree on both books - Sophy is a great heroine, and her story is great fun - my first read, I didn’t “feel” the romance either, but have enjoyed much more upon rereading. “Civil Contract” has lead to some wonderful discussions here, I am firmly in the “love it” camp, and I love the way you put it: refreshingly unromantic! ;)
Melindam wrote: "Hello,I am Melinda and just joined the Group.
I am still very much in the discovery phase concerning Heyer's books, but I am getting more and more intrigued.
I am Hungarian and no GH books wer..."
Welcome to the group. I always envy someone who has only recently discovered Georgette Heyer and still has so many fabulous books to discover for the very first time.
I started reading her when I was 11 and have now read all her books. Venetia and Frederica are up there in my top favourites (along with The Grand Sophy) that I re-read regularly.
These Old Shades, Devil’s Cub, The Reluctant Widow, Arabella, Black Sheep and The Convenient Marriage are all ones I’d recommend. Enjoy!
Georgette Heyer Fans
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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My first was These Old Shades. My favourites are Cotillion, Frederica and Masqueraders. Although..."
Hope you continue to enjoy GH. It's good that you've read some of her Georgians as well as the Regencies. I think she does both beautifully.