Devils Cub Nov 2020 Non spoilers thread.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Yay!

My favourite book of all time

We are trying something different this month & organising our group read more like they do over at the Reading the Detectives Group.

This read will just have two threads. So this is the the no spoilers thread. But you can use spoiler tags if you want to post something spoilerish in this thread.

Instructions on how to make spoiler tags here

We don't want to spoil a first read for anyone! :)

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

I am reading my Dads old copy of this

I have probably read this book over a 100 times.

I've already started - & it is like being with old friends. :)

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

I found this cover when I was cleaning up Devils Cub descriptions! :D

[Abigail]

Just finished my reread (another Harlequin paperback) so I’m ready to go with the discussion!

[Critterbee❇]

I started my re-read last night!
My cover looks like this:
which I really don't much like.

Heading over to the spoiler thread!

[Barb in Maryland]

I've unearthed my copy :

I can't say that I'm enamored of the three saucy minxes in Regency dresses, but the print is easy on the eyes.
This is the cover for my first copy, the one that I read to pieces:

The clothes are wrong, but I love the tenderness of the embrace.

Confession time--1) I still like These Old Shades better than Devil's Cub and 2) I haven't re-read this in years.

[Louise Sparrow]

This is one of my favourites so I've lost count of how many times I've read it, I will probably listen to it again.

[Susan in NC]

This was my first time rereading this one, I listened to the audiobook, and appreciated the comedy more this time.

[Emmy]

Susan in NC wrote: "This was my first time rereading this one, I listened to the audiobook, and appreciated the comedy more this time."

I tried listening to this one on audiobook, but did not like the narrator. His name was Michael Drew, I think? His Vidal sounds so snide!

[Susan in Perthshire]

This was the first GH that I read and is probably still my absolute favourite even though I know it usually initiates controversy. I was 11 when I discovered this in the local Public Library and I immediately followed up with These Old Shades (almost an equal favourite). I have read both, innumerable times in the intervening sixty years.

I got a paperback of Devil’s Cub for Christmas that first year from my lovely, ever observant Mum; and thus began several years of birthdays and Christmases when at least one Heyer book was present in my pile of presents. All ended up falling apart and have been replaced two or three times until I became an e-book convert.

I am reading it on my iPad this time as paperback font sizes are too challenging! Cannot quite figure how to copy a photo of the cover to here!

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Lovely story Susan.

My dad's copy of this book (the copy I read) was by his lazyboy when he died. He had given me most of his old Pan GH paperbacks, but he reread this one frequently.

[Jackie]

wow, Carol, your Dad was a fan? that is pretty special. I learned to like Heyer from my Mom who has been gone a long time now.

[Emmy]

I think it's such a shame that Heyer novels are given such "romantic" (not to say girlish) covers, because there is nothing in them that a man might not enjoy reading. Stephen Fry is a fan. I introduced my husband to them, and he loves them. There is way more adventure and comedy in them than there ever is sentimentality.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Emilia wrote: "I think it's such a shame that Heyer novels are given such "romantic" (not to say girlish) covers, because there is nothing in them that a man might not enjoy reading. Stephen Fry is a fan. I intro..."

Well, if we ever get a GH movie/television series more men will get exposed that way - hopefully.

In my Dad's case, you would have to consider his age & circumstances (born into the 1920s to a rural, poverty stricken family) So he read anything he could get his hands on.

& a lot of GH's early books were strongly influenced by Rafael Sabatini & Jeffery Farnol - my Dad read both of them as well as a teen & bought reprints of their books in the 70s. So I guess you could argue that romantic fiction was more acceptable to his generation as long as there was a strong adventure element as well.

Towards the end of his life he read a lot of contemporary romantic fiction though. I think he was always a romantic sort of guy,

[Susan in NC]

Emilia wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "This was my first time rereading this one, I listened to the audiobook, and appreciated the comedy more this time."

I tried listening to this one on audiobook, but did not like..."

I agree, I didn’t love him, but it was the only audiobook version I could find, and I’m doing Christmas knitting, so...good enough for me!

[Jackie]

Emilia wrote: "I think it's such a shame that Heyer novels are given such "romantic" (not to say girlish) covers, because there is nothing in them that a man might not enjoy reading. Stephen Fry is a fan. I intro..."
I strongly agree, Emilia!

[Susan in Perthshire]

What is wrong with Romance? Men can read and enjoy romance just as much as other genres.

I certainly don’t go along with the notion that enjoying romantic fiction is somehow shameful or less worthy than other genres. More power to people like Stephen Fry and the men we know, who enjoy GH as we do.

I am not ashamed of enjoying romances! 😉

[Jan]

Barb in Maryland wrote: "Confession time--1) I still like These Old Shades better than Devil's Cub and 2) I haven't re-read this in years."

Barb I'm in a similar position. I always liked These Old Shades better too, and haven't read Devil's Cub in a while. I'm going in with an open mind. I really want to like it more this time.

I'm liking seeing the different covers everyone is sharing. I don't have my paperback anymore - going to read it on kindle this time (which BTW is still on sale in Australia for $2.99). I quite like the updated kindle cover - at least Mary's dress is reasonably period appropriate (and a pretty dress too). I'm not too sure about the pistol - clearly I need to reread to remember that part! I might get started today.



And here is the dark, shadowy cover of the old paperback I gave to the thrift shop:

[Margaret]

Jan wrote: "And here is the dark, shadowy cover of the old paperback I gave to the thrift shop:"

That's the paperback I still have. :)

I recently reread both These Old Shades and Devil's Cub (for another group), and found that while I still find Avon more romantically attractive than I do Vidal--that's simply a matter of taste--I find both books enjoyable as stories. But then, I've never had to be romantically attracted to a Heyero to find one of Heyer's books enjoyable!

[Jan]

Margaret wrote: "Jan wrote: "And here is the dark, shadowy cover of the old paperback I gave to the thrift shop:"

That's the paperback I still have. :)"

Yes there must be plenty of them still floating around. I do prefer the kindle cover to that one though. It's so dark and gloomy and hard to make anything out, actually, till you look really closely. Doesn't attract the eye.

[Margaret]

And you'd never be able to tell from the cover art that it was a romance!

[Jan]

Margaret wrote: "And you'd never be able to tell from the cover art that it was a romance!"

True.

[Emmy]

Susan in Perthshire wrote: "What is wrong with Romance? Men can read and enjoy romance just as much as other genres.

I certainly don’t go along with the notion that enjoying romantic fiction is somehow shameful or less wort..."

No, no, nothing wrong with romance, only that they (and Heyer novels) are often marketed directly at women. Everything about their covers seems to suggest it's women's literature, and I just think it's not. I think a comparison to Sabatini is much more apt, esp. since Heyer started writing specifically for her brother. Yet the covers are very often just... misleading.

I mean...




These books are so much fun, so much adventure and comedy happens in them (to keep this spoiler free), but all the covers will lead you to think it's about a pair frolicking in parks and gardens.

[mark]

Emilia wrote: "These books are so much fun, so much adventure and comedy happens in them (to keep this spoiler free), but all the covers will lead you to think it's about a pair frolicking in parks and gardens...."

Agree! Not that I have anything against frolics in parks & gardens, of course.

[Emma]

I've only read Devil's Cub once and that was about four years ago, so I'm looking forward to reading it again.

I found my copy in a charity shop -

Not my favourite cover, but a £3 book in great condition is not something I sniff at!

[Susan in Perthshire]

Carol - thanks. Mum is now 95 and in a Care Home near us as she has Alzheimer’s. I like to remember the times when she was ‘herself’.
She read to me as a baby and toddler, and then taught me to read before I went to school; and she made me a member of the public library when I was 4. I am convinced she gave me a huge advantage in life. 😘
And what a lovely story about your Dad. 😊 brought a lump to my throat!

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Susan in Perthshire wrote: "Carol - thanks. Mum is now 95 and in a Care Home near us as she has Alzheimer’s. I like to remember the times when she was ‘herself’.
She read to me as a baby and toddler, and then taught me to re..."

Awww thanks.

I probably didn't make it clear though that GH was my Dad's favourite author too.

[Teresa]

I'll be starting in a day or two. I've only read it once, a long time ago so it'll be like a new book to me.


This is the one I'll be reading.

[Teresa]

I'll be starting this in a day or two. I've only read it once, a long time ago so it'll be like a new read for me.



This is the one I'll be reading.

[Jenny]

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "I am reading my Dads old copy of this

I have probably read this book over a 100 times.

I've already started - & it is like being with old friends. :)"

I really like that cover! It's the one I've got and though it makes Vidal look a bit dumpy I do think it encapsulates the book. Of the paperback covers I like the Pan ones best, except for their unfortunate habit of giving the heroines 1960s make-up and even hairstyles sometimes - but this one avoids all that.

[Jenny]

Emilia wrote: "I think it's such a shame that Heyer novels are given such "romantic" (not to say girlish) covers, because there is nothing in them that a man might not enjoy reading. Stephen Fry is a fan. I intro..."

My Dad liked them too!

[Jenny]

Jan wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Jan wrote: "And here is the dark, shadowy cover of the old paperback I gave to the thrift shop:"

That's the paperback I still have. :)"

Yes there must be plenty of them still flo..."

I always think about that one that the illustrator had only read the first couple of chapters and couldn't be bothered to read any more!

[Elliot]

I'm reading the Sourcebook paperback for this one - the one with the guy and the gal and the horse on the cover. (Yay, gotta love a guy who brings his horse to a tryst!)

Looking forward to re-reading - although honestly, this one has never been in my top ten, even tho' TOS always has been - principally because I find Vidal such a repellent personality.

I've been reading a book on screenwriting called Save the Cat! - taking its title from one of the principal concepts, which the author calls the "Save the Cat" moment - a little scene, or even a fragment of a scene, just a line -near the beginning of the story that indicates that the hero/heroine, no matter how hard-boiled or off-putting they may appear to be, has some redeeming facet that's going to make us root for them.

So far, I'm into Chapter Four and there's been no "Save the Cat" moment for Vidal yet. I seem to recall there is one later...a couple actually, if you account for sense of humor...but then, it comes too late for me to care. : (

Still, the writing is lively and engaging - of course! - and I love the glimpses we get of the rest of the Alastairs.

[Teresa]

On reading the first few chapters I thought, oh no, here we go again. I didn't like TOS, couldn't take to the characters at all. I found Vidal to be in the same mold. Then Mary came into it and the story started here for me. I really like her and story is very engaging now.

[Emmy]

Teresa wrote: "On reading the first few chapters I thought, oh no, here we go again. I didn't like TOS, couldn't take to the characters at all. I found Vidal to be in the same mold. Then Mary came into it and the story started here for me. I really like her and story is very engaging now."

Mary is a great heroine. She feels more real to me than someone like the Grand Sophy.