Welcome to my monthly post on all things historical fiction!
The author I have chosen to feature this month is one who, I’m sure, has the widest appeal of any I have written about so far in this series of posts. I know there are plenty of readers who don’t usually read other types of historical fiction but love her Regency and Georgian romances, which are so distinctive they belong in a sub-genre of their own. She is, of course, Georgette Heyer.
Heyer was born in London in 1902 and died in 1974, having published over fifty novels, including the romances I’ve already mentioned, six straight historical novels, four contemporary novels and twelve detective stories. I only started reading Heyer relatively recently (in 2010) so I haven’t read all of her books, or even most of them; I know there will be people reading this post who have read – and re-read – a lot more of them than I have, so I certainly don’t claim to be an expert on her work. However, I have read enough to be able to say that, whichever Heyer novel you pick up (of the Regency/Georgian ones, anyway), you can expect historical accuracy, witty, sparkling dialogue, engaging characters and an entertaining plot.
Here are the Heyer books I have read so far, with links to my reviews:
Romances
The Black Moth
Powder and Patch
The Masqueraders
The Convenient Marriage
Regency Buck
The Talisman Ring
The Corinthian
Friday’s Child
The Quiet Gentleman
April Lady
Snowdrift and Other Stories
Black Sheep
Cousin Kate
Charity Girl
Faro’s Daughter – review coming soon
Mysteries
Footsteps in the Dark
Envious Casca
Duplicate Death
If you’ve never read Heyer before, you may be wondering which of her books would be a good one to start with. Well, the first one I read was The Talisman Ring, and although I’ve read others since that I enjoyed more, it was obviously a very successful starting point for me! I also loved The Quiet Gentleman for the sense of mystery, The Masqueraders and The Corinthian for the adventure, The Convenient Marriage for the humour and Black Sheep for the hero and heroine! Really, I would recommend any that I’ve read, apart from maybe Powder and Patch.
You can find out more about Heyer and her work at Georgette-Heyer.com.
I will be looking at more historical fiction authors in future posts, but for now I would like to hear your thoughts on Georgette Heyer.
Have you read any of her books? Which are your favourites – and which would you recommend to readers who are new to her work?
She Reads Novels 
Wonderful post! The Grand Sophie and The Convenient Marriage are my all time favorites.
The Convenient Marriage is a great one – it’s so funny, and I love the hero, the Earl of Rule. I haven’t read The Grand Sophy yet, but I’m looking forward to it as I know it’s supposed to be one of her best.
I’ve always placed Heyer firmly in the box marked ‘Not for me, thank you’ but I trust your instincts and taste Helen, so maybe this summer I will try one. Perhaps one of the mysteries would be a good choice given my love of crime fiction.
I never used to think she would be for me either, which is why I only started reading her books relatively recently. Her mysteries are good (Envious Casca is the best of the three I’ve read), though quite different from the historical romances.
I think I read pretty much all of them years ago
so much fun, I should revisit them
I’m sure they will stand up well to being re-read. I’ll probably want to revisit some of them myself – after I’ve finished reading them all for the first time!
I was brought up on Heyer, my mum was a massive fan and I regularly bought her the latest one for her birthday or Christmas. She remembered hanging out of her dormitory window at boarding school to catch the last of the light so she could finish ‘These Old Shades’. That’s the first of a sort of trilogy, which continues with ‘Devil’s Cub’ and ‘An Infamous Army’, all about members of the same family, and all well worth reading. My other favourites are ‘The Grand Sophy’, ‘Venetia’, ‘Frederica’, and ‘The Spanish Bride’, which is based on fact. My mother thought that the earlier books were better, and once commented that Heyer only had two types of hero, the ‘good but boring’ or the ‘bad but interesting’. It’s a while since I read any, but she is so much better than any modern proponent of the genre, and well worth a look if you haven’t tried her before. Unlike many of her US admirers, she knows the intricacies of British aristocracy inside out!
Our mothers can be such a big influence on our reading. Mine wasn’t much of a Heyer fan, which is maybe one of the reasons I didn’t start reading Heyer earlier. I haven’t read any of your favourites yet – it’s good to know I still have so much to look forward to.
I remember Heyer being very popular among older female readers when working in branch libraries in the early 70s so like Café Society I decided Not For Me. Now that I’ve learned not to be so ignorantly opinionated I’m more inclined to give her the time of day.
I had also dismissed her books as not for me, until just a few years ago. When I finally decided to try them, though, I was pleasantly surprised as I hadn’t expected them to be so much fun to read.
I wasn’t a massive fan of the novels I read by Heyer when I was a little younger- I will definitely read your reviews and give those ones a try! Great post 🙂
Well, tastes often change over time, so maybe you would enjoy her books more now – or it could just be a case of choosing the right one!
Very true 🙂
I love The Quiet Gentleman. (Probably because it was my first Heyer.) And I just checked out the Grand Sophy…because A Convenient Marriage wasn’t available, and I do want to read both this year. I’ll have to look for Black Sheep, too. 😀 She’s such a great author.
I think the first book we read by an author does often hold a special place in our heart. The Quiet Gentleman is one of my favourites too, though. I hope you enjoy The Grand Sophy. I haven’t read that one yet but I’m looking forward to it.
I started reading Heyer’s books within the last ten years I think. I had avoided her for years because I had the impression that her books would be just too light and frothy for my liking. Also the elderly ladies who borrowed them from the library that I worked in put me off reading them. I was so superior in those days! Annoyingly about 30 years ago I turned my nose up at my Granny’s collection of Heyer books when her home was being cleared. You live and learn!
You’re the second person to mention being put off by the elderly readers in the library! I think I also used to have the impression that they would be light, frothy books, so it was a nice surprise when I started reading them and discovered how well written and witty they are.
I haven’t read any Heyer. When I stayed with my grandparents as a child, I read my nan’s Jean Plaidy books rather than her Georgette Heyers. I think it might be time to try her.
I hope you’ll love Georgette Heyer as much as I do if you do decide to give her a try!
How can it be I have not yet read Georgette Heyers, your post has put her on my book radar.
Her books are wonderful – I’m glad they’re on your radar now!
She’s my go-to when I feel I need a bit of literary chicken-soup comfort on blue days. Cotillion! You must read Cotillion! It’s the best and I’ll fight a duel with anyone who says otherwise! 😉
Yes! I scrolled down to leave a very similar comment. I love Cotillion and it is the Heyer I always recommend as a starting point. Though really, you can’t go wrong with any of them. I also really like A Civil Contract.
Ooh, I don’t think I’ve read A Civil Contract – the name isn’t ringing a bell. I must check it out! 😀
I’ve been reading Heyer’s novels at random as I’ve come across them in the library/second-hand bookshops, but I will definitely look out for Cotillion – and A Civil Contract as well. 🙂
I’ve only read a couple.A very, very long time ago. I’m sure I read ‘Regency Buck’ around 1970.
Regency Buck isn’t one of my favourites, but I did enjoy it.
I love love love her and the love has survived from my early teens until now, my mid-40s, and will continue. The Grand Sophy, the These Old Shades trilogy and Cotillion would be my reccs. Never read the mysteries: they just don’t appeal. The short stories are dear, too.
I haven’t read any of your recommendations yet, but I’m looking forward to them as so many people name them amongst their favourites. The mysteries are good but not as good as her romances!
Favourites? All of them, even Powder and Patch. They’re just such fun.
They filled long quiet evenings of baby-sitting when I was a teenager, at a house where the owners had a large book-case of Heyers. I don’t know if they had all her titles, but I worked through a lot, before they got divorced.
Powder and Patch is probably my least favourite of the ones I’ve read so far, but I didn’t dislike it. Heyer is always fun to read!
I’ve read them all. My favorites change as I get older. When I was young, I liked the more romantic ones, like These Old Shades and The Devil’s Cub. Now I prefer the funnier ones, like Friday’s Child and The Convenient Marriage. You should give The Reluctant Widow a try. It’s sort of a combination of a Regency Romance and a mystery.
The Reluctant Widow sounds good. I like the ones with a combination of romance and mystery.
Helen, if I am honest I have never thought to read Georgette Heyer, but you’ve pretty much sold her to me with this post! 😀
That’s good to know! Her books are always entertaining and fun to read.
I’m so happy to have stumbled across your page as I was reading about Georgette Heyer. She was my favorite author from my early teens to my mid-thirties when I started reading more non-fiction. I’m reading them again in the chicken soup way another lady mentioned. I think my favorite might be These Old Shades. Avon is such a complex character. But The Talisman Ring was the first one I bought for myself and it’s a close second. The Foundling is also high on my list. Have you read Mary Stewart? Do you have a page about her books? She set her stories in the 20th century for the most part, but her style is very similar and I can’t think of one author without the other.
Thanks for commenting, Maggie. It’s always nice to hear from another Heyer reader. As I only really started reading her books about ten years ago, there are still some I haven’t read, including These Old Shades and The Foundling. I’m looking forward to both. I do love Mary Stewart’s books and have reviewed most of them on my blog. Nine Coaches Waiting and Madam, Will You Talk? are probably my favourites, I think.