Finally Liking Heyer

After listening to everyone and their dog rave about Georgette Heyer's books, I tried reading them. First, I tried The Grand Sophy, which was - okay. Then, I tried Sylvester, which was - okay. Finally, this week I tried Venetia.


Lo, my library copy does not look like this. This is the cover for the reissue coming out in November, and like it or not (that dude is a little creepy), it's an improvement on my 1980's-era strange-smelling falling-apart library tome featuring a red-haired lady in blue batting her eyes at a stiff-necked overdressed man on a horse, while a spaniel looks on. Once again, I'm getting eccentric looks on my commuter train - and my copy is large print, no less, which makes me officially, at thirty-two years old, reading an old lady book.

My point, though, is that I like this book. I really like this book. Finally!

The characters are all terrific. Venetia herself is a country-bred innocent who at least has a good crop of brain cells. The hero is a classic Rake With A Past who has - wait for it - wit and a sense of humor. No, he is not constantly drowning in bleak self-pity, though he does get good and drunk a few times. The rest of the time, he's actually fun to read about, and would be fun to be around, so you can see why all the ladies would love him.

The secondary characters are just as good. Nosy neighbors, crusty younger brothers, selfish older brothers, brain-dead dopes, pushy bitches, stuffed shirts - put them all in a book and shake vigorously. Like Austen, not much really happens in this book, except that people have conversations, come and go to each other's houses, go for walks, talk some more, and fall in and out of attraction. But, like Austen, it really seems like there's a lot going on.

My old-lady book is due back at the library next week. Come November, I'll likely buy the reissue and add it to my shelf. I'll miss the large print, though. Dang, it sure is easy to read.