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    Venetia
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    Venetia
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    Venetia
    Ebook418 pages7 hours

    Venetia

    By Georgette Heyer

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen."—Publishers Weekly

    Beautiful, capable, and independent minded, Venetia Lanyon's life on her family's estate in the country side is somewhat restricted. But her neighbor, the infamous Lord Damerel, a charming rake shunned by polite society, is about to shake things up.

    Lord Damerel has built his life on his dangerous reputation, and when he meets Venetia, he has nothing to offer and everything to regret. Though his scandalous past and deepest secrets give Venetia reason to mistrust him, a rogue always gets what he wants.

    As Venetia's well-meaning family steps in to protect her from potential ruin, Venetia must find the wherewithal to take charge of her own destiny, or lose her chance at happiness.

    Charming characters and flawless prose make Venetia a fan favorite from the Queen of Regency Romance. Fans of Mary Balogh, Elizabeth Hoyt and Jane Ashford will be delighted by this story about finding love, redemption, and the courage to follow your heart.

    Other Regency Romances from Georgette Heyer:

    Frederica

    Sylvester

    Cotillion

    What reviewers are saying about Venetia

    "A wonderful story whose characters, settings and, most importantly, dialogue combine to create such a well-crafted story."—Bags, Books, and Bon Jovi

    "Wonderful characters, elegant, witty writing, perfect period detail, and rapturously romantic"—Katie Fforde

    "Wonderful and lovely and perfect! Venetia is one of the most charming characters EVER."—Once Upon a Bookshelf

    "An absolutely rollicking Regency romp. I loved it from the first page."—Library Queue

    What everyone has to say about the Queen of Regency Romance Georgette Heyer

    "Georgette Heyer was one of the great protagonists of the historical novel in the post-war golden age of the form. Her regency romances are delightful light reading..."—Philippa Gregory

    "[Heyer's] characters are witty and beyond charming, her prose is flawless and lighthearted, and her historical detail is immaculate."—Read All Over Reviews

    "Georgette Heyer is unbeatable." —Sunday Telegraph

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSourcebooks
    Release dateMay 1, 2011
    ISBN9781402266379
    Unavailable
    Venetia
    Author

    Georgette Heyer

    Georgette Heyer (1902-1974) was an English writer of historical romance and detective fiction. Born in London, Heyer was raised as the eldest of three children by a distinguished British Army officer and a mother who excelled as a cellist and pianist at the Royal College of Music. Encouraged to read from a young age, she began writing stories at 17 to entertain her brother Boris, who suffered from hemophilia. Impressed by her natural talent, Heyer’s father sought publication for her work, eventually helping her to release The Black Moth (1921), a detective novel. Heyer then began publishing her stories in various magazines, establishing herself as a promising young voice in English literature. Following her father’s death, Heyer became responsible for the care of her brothers and shortly thereafter married mining engineer George Ronald Rougier. In 1926, Heyer publisher her second novel, These Old Shades, a work of historical romance. Over the next several decades, she published consistently and frequently, excelling with romance and detective stories and establishing herself as a bestselling author.

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    Reviews for Venetia

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Venetia Lanyon is an orphaned eldest daughter who has spent most of her twenty-five years living a small and isolated life in a small community in Yorkshire. With only her younger brother, Aubrey, for company, Venetia's life is not as adventure-filled as she'd like and her two local suitors are more irritating than in anyway suitable to her personality. However, when her notorious rake neighbour, Lord Damerel arrives at his country estate he turns her quiet country life upside down.An utter delight from start to finish, this is an excellent example of Heyer at her writing peak. The characters are fantastically well-drawn and while I was briefly concerned at Damerel's introduction that I was going to have to deal with an obnoxious alpha male, his character very quickly reveals far more depths. Venetia is bright, funny, and genuine and remains a delight throughout even in the midst of all the craziness that comes from her various family members and her two ridiculous suitors. An excellent point for sampling if you've never tried Heyer's Regency romances.
    • 4/5
      Aspects of this Heyer romance are great, with intriguing characterisations. Unfortunately, idiocy occasionally overwhelms the story such as [Spoilers] the unexpected arrival of Conway's bride and her extremely unpleasant mother (imho, Venetia could well have depressed the mother's pretensions); then the revelation that Venetia's mother is alive and living in London. This was a weak gambit to make her acceptable to the socially scandalous Lord Damerel.
    • 4/5
      Venetia would in all likelihood be considered a spinster at 25 if it wasn't for her great beauty. Thanks to her reclusive widower father, she has never been out of Yorkshire, let alone experienced a London season. With her father now dead and her elder brother with the army in France, Venetia is managing the family home and looking after her disabled younger brother. She is also fending off two unwanted suitors. Just as she's resigned herself to a life of spinsterhood, she meets the notorious Dameral from the neighboring estate. With Dameral's eye for a pretty face and Venetia's inexperience, their mutual attraction is inevitable. What surprises them both is the friendship that quickly grows between them. Obstacles, some expected and some unexpected, inevitably come between them, but Venetia is determined to remove them and find happiness with her dear rake.I enjoyed the friendship between Venetia and Damerel, and I loved that they drew Venetia's younger brother, Aubrey, the long-time household help, and even the family dogs into their circle of affection. The humor derived mainly from Venetia and Aubrey's quick-thinking wit in responding to their antagonists' attempts to assert their will. I did wonder, though, how Venetia and Aubrey could be so conversant with the current slang in their social isolation.
    • 4/5
      This is the first Georgette Heyer novel that I've either read or listened to, although she has been recommended to me many times. I listened to an audio version, masterfully narrated by Richard Armitage; my only regret is that it was an abridged version. Overall, it was a nice bit of fluff, perfect for listening to while on a long drive. Generally, I don't care much for romances, but this was more like a witty Jane Austen romance instead of either gushy drivel or a bodice-ripper. Venetia is a sheltered young woman, shut away in a country home by her father after her mother's death. She (and everyone else) fears that she will end up a spinster as she has reached the ripe old age of 25 and is still not engaged; she has two suitors, but neither appeals to her independent spirit. But then the handsome local rake, Lord Damerel steps into her life . . . As I said, there were a lot of elements that reminded me of an Austen novel: Venetia's care for her lame younger brother; the arrival of her elder brother's pregnant wife and her mother, who plan to take over the estate; Venetia's witty exchanges with Damerel and her brother Aubrey; the bumbling suitors. The novel has many twists and turns as well--it's not written according to a formula, as are so many novels of this genre. It's not great literature, but its a good, fun read.
    • 5/5
      My favorite Heyer and probably the sexiest hero she ever created. It reads great, but the best way to discover Venetia is by listening to the Richard Armitage audiobook on NAXOS. Truly swoonworthy.
    • 5/5
      "I know! She was the delightful creature who cut up her brother, and cast the pieces in her papa’s way, wasn’t she? I daresay perfectly amiable when one came to know her."—Venetia on Medea.Venetia is about soul mates. Two people who, despite completely dissimilar life experiences, recognize in each other a mind that works the same way, a shared appreciation of the absurd, a fundamental decency toward others, and to some extent, a disregard for convention. The eponymous heroine is not quite so willing to flout convention as her new friend Lord Damerel, who has a reputation as a rake, but as she comes to know him, she becomes more willing.Venetia is a victim (though not a bitter one) of the selfish behavior of others. Owing to her father’s obstinate reclusiveness after the loss of her mother when Venetia was young, she has hardly gone out in society, except among her sparse neighbors near her Yorkshire home. Her father’s death a few years earlier, rather than setting her free, left her in a situation that is in some ways worse. She manages the estate for her army officer brother, whom everyone expects home at any moment (since the defeat of Napoleon three years before) but who hasn’t shown any remote interest in taking up his inheritance and merely writes that he is sure Venetia knows best what to do. Her younger brother, who is preparing for Cambridge, is a brilliant scholar with a deformed hip that causes him to retreat into the world of books as much as their father ever did—but they at least hold each other in affection.Venetia makes the best of things. She suffers no illusions about the selfishness of the men who control her life, but she does not bear grudges. She remains amiable and cheerful, taking people at face value; and her naïveté is natural, without guile, while not preventing her from knowing her own mind or seeing people clearly. She resists the efforts of anyone to manage her life, beyond what she perceives as her duty to people she acknowledges have a right to control her. These include her father and brothers, possibly one uncle, and no one else. If she has a failing it is her inability to force those about her to take her seriously. It is not so much that she cannot stand up for herself as it is her unwillingness to force an issue when she knows it will lead to conflict and hurt. It is all the more remarkable because no one in her entire life has ever provided her with a model of self-immolation: indeed, the members of her family are almost without exception egoists who care only for their own comforts. But it is not in Venetia’s nature to repine or to hold their faults against them. Even when she acknowledges that there was no love lost between herself and her father, she is not resentful.So when Lord Damerel rides into her life, and they discover an affinity of minds that neither has ever experienced before, she is grateful to have found a kindred spirit. "I always wished for a friend to laugh with," she says to him. For Austen fans, it isn’t difficult to find familiar character archetypes, though of course they are well developed, as Heyer’s characters always are.Edward Yardley, Venetia’s worthy suitor, is similar to Mr. Collins in both his capacity for self-delusion and his supreme confidence in his own qualities even in the face of a firm refusal. Instead of acknowledging his object’s capacity to think for herself, he attributes her refusals to his proposals to various excuses that comport with his rigid notions of propriety and mistaken view of her character. He also represents the option of the loveless but comfortable marriage that will give a gentlewoman her own home. Venetia seriously considers marrying him, but knows how unfulfilling she would find life as his wife.Lady Denny, a neighboring matron, fills a similar niche to Lady Russell, though Venetia has never allowed her judgment on an important matter to supersede her own. But she has Venetia’s interests at heart and tries to take care of her protégée, and Venetia generally values her counsel and her society. There are others, of course, but no space to delineate them all. And the plot itself, beyond this introductory set-up, deserves no spoilers. Suffice to say that it is highly satisfactory to see everything work out in the end. Indeed, for many Heyer fans, the final scene is their favorite from her entire œuvre. One final and remarkable aspect of Venetia is the sprinkling of quotations throughout the novel. Lovers of the Elizabethan poets will find their favorites, as well as references to classical mythology, and, perhaps most entertainingly, choice biblical bits from Venetia’s old nurse when she is strongly moved.Note: I wrote this review for Austenprose, where it was published on 29 May 2011.
    • 4/5
      Of all of Heyer's books I've read so far, this was the one I had the most trouble with. Which is to say, by the end, I loved it and loved Venetia and Damerel's banter and relationship (That whole orgy banter! Be still my heart!) but as I was reading, it felt long in places. I had a harder time getting into it than with some of Heyer's other novels: it was a bit too much inside of Venetia's head somehow, and too traditionally 'Romance', especially in the beginning. But I still loved all the characters by the end, and was sad to get to the last page. (Especially Aurelia. Such an authentic voice there, I actually heard her voice very distinctly in my head.)
    • 5/5
      I started reading Georgette Heyer when I was a teenager, some thirty five years ago, when my mother gave me Friday's Child and told me she thought I would enjoy it. Since then I have read all the romances, a number of them countless times. They have long been the books I turn to when I'm feeling unwell, a bit fragile, or when it's cold and wet and I need a comfort read!

      Just recently I have started listening to audiobook versions of Heyer novels. I did not think that I would enjoy listening to book readings, but I have been acquiring audiobooks to give to my mother, who has lost her sight and have greatly enjoyed listening to them myself. This brings me to Venetia. I still have my first copy of Venetia, a 1971 paperback edition, now showing signs of multiple re-reads. I am currently listening to the unabridged audiobook read by Sian Phillips. (There is an abridged version available and as much as I appreciate the narrator, Richard Armitage, I am sure I would get annoyed listening to an abridged version of such a well-loved book.)

      I realized this afternoon, as I listened, that I always feel tears come to my eyes at exactly the same place in the narrative. Feeling weepy is not my usual reaction to reading Heyer. Indeed, off the top of my head, I think that the only other one of her books to have that effect on me is Sylvester, in which a scene towards the end of the book never fails to bring a lump to my throat. Venetia may not be great literature, but in my view it has quiet emotional power, great sweetness and an engaging narrative. It is a book that I have probably read upwards of a dozen times over the years. I am sure that I will read it (or listen to it) many more times in years to come. Venetia is one of Heyer's most likeable heroines and Damerel is one of her most attractive heroes. The minor characters are interesting and even Flurry the dog is beautifully realized! Venetia is definitely on my Top Five Heyer list. Today it's my absolute favourite, but I suspect that's only because it's the one that's engaging me right now!

      Update: 5 October 2011. I have just finished a re-read of this novel, as a buddy read with my friend Jemidar. This time I read it on kindle, to save my 1971 paperback edition from further wear and tear. It remains as special to me as ever, my pavlovian response of tearing up in the middle of chapter 15 quite unchanged.
    • 4/5
      A sensible but inexperienced young woman falls in love with a rake, and even more unexpectedly, the rake falls in love with her, too. Still, the course of true love never did run smooth...Heyer is always good fun, and I liked this one very much.
    • 2/5
      I've read some pretty entertaining books by this author, but every so often I encounter a real bore. Sadly, this novel falls into the latter category.Not enough happens. It's just a lot of dull talk with no action. The typical humour one expects to find in a Heyer novel is seldom in evidence.There are occasional good moments, hence why I've rated this two stars instead of one, but on the whole I found this a tedious read.
    • 3/5
      Well, this book made me experience a lot of Feelings. Not all of them entirely welcome.I enjoyed the writing, it was light and sparkling and delightfully witty. I also enjoyed Venetia, she too was light and sparkling and delightfully witty. Her brother Aubrey was entertainingly and sympathetically grumpy. The hero, Damerel ... tried to be light and sparkling, even when it went against his nature. I didn't love him, but Venetia did in a believable way, so I was ok with it.I did not enjoy the setting. I've read many times that Heyer writes historically accurate Regencies, and I absolutely believe that. Unfortunately, I find many of the social mores of Regency England grotesque -- the slut shaming, victim blaming, patriarchy soothing that Venetia experiences and has to respond to -- in many cases apologizing to her suitors because she didn't make them understand that no means no, she's not interested in being courted by them -- that all conspired to make me seethe through a good portion of the book.The classism bothered me less, possibly because people weren't shown apologizing for being in the wrong class in the same way that Venetia was shown apologizing (basically) for being female.I consider myself a cultural relativist in many ways, but I do have my limits. And the normalized abuse that most of the women in this book experienced (and propogated) is a limit for me.In any case, I did enjoy the writing enough that I'll try another Heyer. This time with the foreknowledge that it might make me stabby.
    • 4/5
      A charming heroine and a great rake hero.
    • 5/5
      No one who has had the pleasure of reading the work of the incomparable Georgette Heyer, whose many novels are universally charming and well-crafted, would deny that she is a stylist par excellence. Her language sparkles, her characters amuse and entertain, and her romantic narratives are so adroitly resolved that the reader comes away with a delightful sense of effortless and graceful ease. Indeed, her prose is so seamless, that it sometimes gives the impression of having come, fully formed, and with no need of any editing or revision, from its author's pen.But despite these many and undeniable virtues, even Ms. Heyer's most devoted readers will no doubt admit that her work is generally quite light-hearted, and there is rarely anything in it to spark deep reflection, or to ignite deep emotion. These are books meant to comfort and reaffirm, and they generally uphold a very conventional notion of love and romance, in which the heroine (or hero) finds the "right" mate, all difficulties are happily resolved, and the unworthy get their just deserts.Every rule must have its exception of course, and having just finished re-reading Venetia for the umpteenth time, it has suddenly occured to me that its status as my favorite Heyer novel is owing in large part to the fact that it does not entirely fit into the pattern described above. The story of innocent Yorkshire beauty Venetia Lanyon, and her love for her notorious neighbor, the rakish Lord Damerel, has all the outward trappings of the stereotypical "innocent beauty redeems worldy sinner" plotline, which has proved such a perennial favorite among more romantic readers. But unlike so many Heyer characters I could name, Venetia and Damerel are too complex to be reduced to "types," and are capable both of hurting and being hurt. The scene in which Venetia believes that Damerel no longer cares for her stands out as one of the most poignant in all of Heyer's work, and provided one of the few moments of true emotional connection that I have felt to her characters. I do not, of course, want to overstate the case. This is still Georgette Heyer, with all the witty dialogue, delightful narrative, and light-hearted fun that anyone could desire. But the deeper emotional undercurrents make Venetia arguably the author's most satisfying novel of all...
    • 4/5
      A good Heyer with more humor and less mystery than some. Otherwise notable chiefl;y for the large size of the heroine, if I recall.
    • 4/5
      I liked Venetia and Damerel and Heyer's usual cast of the good, the bad and the ugly, particularly the awesomely awful Mrs Scorrier and the unbelievably obtuse Edward. The final plot twist seemed ludicrous, but delivered Lambton to the page and so can be forgiven for being incredible.

      In this book, though, that double standard that is never discussed in Heyer's other books, or is brushed past or blinked at, is really discussed and it can't be blinked away. Boys will be boys: women have to wear it. I suppose I'll have to stop reading Heyer's for a bit. Good thing I've run out of my borrowed pile.
    • 5/5
      Venetia - Georgette Heyer (9/10)I started this a while back when in a down moment as it has always been my favourite Georgette Heyer novel. I'm delighted to say that it still is as books don't always live up to our fond memories of them. Venetia and Damerel's autumn idyll, their bright wit and playfulness survive the years intact and I loved the book as much as ever.
    • 5/5
      Georgette Heyer is one of my favorite authors, and this is my favorite book by her. The characters are wonderful, the story interesting. I've read all the Heyers often, though not so much recently, but she is still my favorite comfort read.
    • 5/5
      I love just about everything Georgette Heyer's written in the Regency genre, but this book is one of the best of an excellent crop. Venetia is a delightful heroine, mature and intelligent while at the same time extremely naive about men and the ways of the world - so much so that she has absolutely no notion just how much danger her new next-door neighbor, the wicked Lord Dameral, could be to her. And yet it is her innocence which is her greatest protection where he is concerned.Dameral is a real treasure. From his bold advances to his sardonic smile to his wit to his complete social disregard...he alone is worth the book. Did I mention his habit of strewing rose leaves...well you will just have to read it to find out about that. As fortune would have it though, there are a host of other characters that add so much delight. The worthy suitor, the lively spinster, the firey younger brother, the brooding halfling, the nurse! You can't go wrong with this one.
    • 4/5
      Friends who knew I liked the Regency era turned me on to Georgette Heyer years ago. They started me with Frederica knowing that the man's perspective would appeal more. So now I have read more than 20 of her Regencies and have some perspective.Finding others who like Heyer, I had been urged to reread Venetia, since Frederica actually does remain my favorite. I can see how this appeals to womem fans of the regency. Yet there is so little regency here.So much is spent in the heads of our romantic couple about why they shouldn't be attracted to each other, that what is brilliant to me about regencies is missing. That which tells us of the world of the period. What we have in Venetia is a look at country life, not as encompassing as Austen, and a reflection on societal mores, again not as well done as Austen who lived during the period,Heyer never desired to be Jane Austen and her development of a vocabulary clearly illustrated that. With Heyer you get a consistent universe and that is very enriching. In Venetia you get a glimpse of that world of Heyers, a smaller subset, but when you are sure that the story has run its course, a plot twist arrives to lengthen it, then a second. Finally in the last twist, we are returned full circle to home. When looking back at this book, then that first half, the pacing of a plot twist earlier may have made the end more enjoyable. As it is, it comes to late and makes the last half of the book, which has the best of the action, irrelevant. A story that could have been better with technical detail.
    • 4/5
      One of Heyer's Regencies. There are several excellent reviews on LibraryThing, so I will merely say that I adored it.
    • 5/5
      One thing I've been appreciating during my recent Heyer craze is that, though on one level all her novels are about the same thing, she doesn't tell the same story over and over again. Some of the books are Austen-ish, some Scarlet Pimpernel-esque, and this one--well--it's rather Gaskell-y.

      In other words...Georgette Heyer, you're singing my tune today.

      I think Venetia has the most emotional depth of all the ones I've read so far. I mean, it still has the light, witty prose that you'd expect, but it's not quite so frothy. There are points when you feel the characters' pain and happiness very deeply.

      While Venetia herself isn't as flashily awesome on the surface as, say, Sophy Stanton-Lacy, her forthrightness and fortitude are very appealing. And I super love how she's all, "well, maybe I am my mother's daughter; maybe I am a secretly scandalous rake-loving sexpot on the inside."

      And Damerel, Damerel...let's just say they really do make 'em better in Yorkshire. Initially I thought I would dislike him because of, ah, how he behaves in his first meeting with Venetia, but I surprised myself here. Best rake ever.

      Even the minor characters are awesome: Marston (valet of my heart), Sir Lambert, Aubrey, Flurry the dog. Also, everyone runs around calling each other "Stoopid!" all the time.

      Basically: favorite Heyer so far. I need a sequel.
    • 4/5
      Growing up in a somewhat selfish family with a scholarly brother, Venetia is not the ignorant bubblehead some neighbors take her for. Stuck out in the country, she's managing fairly well, but changes are coming her way. The first of these is the rake, Damarel ...Excellent character portrayals in this novel. Quiet scenes and a conflict with a new resident in the house. With her self-assurance and sense of humor, Venetia is easy to like and root for.
    • 5/5
      Far and away my favorite Heyer, it's a beautiful, sexy, and funny interweaving of the Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast fairytales set in Yorkshire during the Regency.
    • 3/5
      I'm not an avid romance reader--I've certainly read my share of books with romances in them, from Middlemarch to, most recently, Mr. Weston's Good Wine, but I don't seek out romance novels. Just making that clear, in case this is a particularly good example of the genre--I'm holding it to the same standards as all other books, whether written by Faulkner, LeGuin, or Koontz.

      It was a pleasant, charming read, with many pleasant, charming characters.

      Ms. Heyer appears to have discovered the word "nuncheon" (an afternoon snack) and as a consequence very few characters ever ate breakfast, lunch, supper, tea, dinner, or late night snacks--nope, it's nuncheon almost all the time. That took me out of the story a bit. But my biggest complaint, which keeps this from 4 stars, is that after the initial set-up and development, nothing happened until halfway through the book. The second half is full of incident and new characters, but the first half is a bit of a slog--we meet some attractive people, and then they have conversations and gradually get closer with no impediments whatsoever--which is great in real life, but not so great in fiction.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorites of Heyer's. Not quite as comical as some of her others, but more robust love story.
    • 4/5
      This book was a pleasant surprise.

      It caught my eye solely because Richard Armitage narrates the audiobook. I figured, hey, even if I can't stand the story, at least I'll get to listen to an amazing voice for a few hours.

      Lo and behold, I got invested in the story. I loved the character of Venetia. And I'm anxiously awaiting my chance to listen to some more audiobooks.
    • 2/5
      Will I never learn? There should be an automatic warning on Amazon that pops up whenever I blindly deposit another Heyer romance in my shopping basket: 'You do not like Georgette Heyer. Please remove this item'. In fact, buying Venetia on Kindle was even worse than that, because I remembered - too late - that I had already borrowed the same novel from the library, and then returned the book unread because I couldn't get past this instructive, nauseating description of the Heyeroine: 'But Venetia had been born with a zest for life which was unknown to him, and a high courage that enabled her to look hazards in the face, and not shrink from encountering them.'And that, in a nutshell, is my first problem with Heyer: there is absolutely no subtlety, depth or insight in any of her Regency romances. The heroes and heroines are entirely straightforward and safe, and the plots are formulaic. There is absolutely no comparison with Austen, and this from a reader who only discovered the genius of Jane's writing last year! My excuse for buying Venetia is that one online review likened the eponymous Heyeroine to Jane Austen's Emma, a tenuous recommendation that nevertheless drew me in. However, the similarities are purely superficial: despite Venetia Lanyon's secluded upbringing (in Yorkshire - another lure), her independent status, and an older love interest who resides in a neighbouring estate, she is a mere pretender to Emma Woodhouse. Austen created timeless personalities in her own time, but Heyer seems so concerned with researching the Regency era that she forgets to craft believable - or even varied - characters. Venetia is twenty-five, stunningly beautiful (with 'large, brilliant eyes' and 'guinea-gold hair'), intelligent, charming and loved by all. Not even one pretend-flaw. Damerel, the 'Wicked Baron', is a watered-down Rochester, all swarthy features with a reputation that exceeds him. They meet, he kisses her 'ruthlessly', thinking her a servant girl, and a very tepid romance develops - slowly - over three hundred pages. He's not even allowed to be a proper rake, only a misunderstood Byronic hero transformed by the love of a good woman! Secondary characters are introduced to stretch out the story, take up a chapter or two, then vanish without a trace. Is there a sequel - what happens to Venetia's pregnant sister-in-law and her domineering mother? Does Conway ever return home? Will Edward marry Clara? Not a clue.He repeated very creditably: '"Idiotish"!' A laugh shook him. 'I thought I should never hear you say that again!''Do I say it a great deal?' she asked, and then, as he nodded: 'Oh dear, how very tiresome of me! I must take care!'My second gripe is with Heyer's excessive use of Regency slang, or 'flash talk', but not because I find her doublespeak hard to decipher - most of her expressions make sense in context (bar 'antidotes', which I think are old maids, and how 'eating Hull cheese' can possibly mean getting drunk). I am not 'stoopid', or illiterate, but Heyer's constant, indiscriminate swapping of plain English for Woosterish terms, irrespective of character or situation, drives me up the wall! Venetia and her scholarly brother Aubrey have been sequestered in remotest Yorkshire since they were born, and yet they bandy slang terms like the 'Pinkest' dandies in London. Historical detail is all very well, but some brave editor should have told Heyer to put down the 1811 Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue and step away. Without constant references to York and Thirsk, I never would have known that the Lanyon family are supposed to live in North Yorkshire, because they speak exactly like the haut ton in the fashionable south, and sound just as idiotic (or should that be 'idiotish'?) The only clever riposte in the whole story - 'More hair than wit' - actually comes from Shakespeare!Georgette Heyer had the best intentions - painstaking research, inoffensive characters, entertaining plots - and thousands of readers still love her Regency romances, but I cannot balance her fluffy, girls' own frolics with Austen's sharp eye and skilful narratives. I keep trying, for some reason, but have yet to find the Heyer novel that breaks the mold.
    • 5/5
      I have been asked many times in the last few years if I have ever read anything by Georgette Heyer. The answer to that question was no. Georgette Heyer has come recommended highly by several different people. My awesome mom bought me the audio book, Venetia. I don't listen to audio books very much but I think I will in the future. I don't get to read as much as I'd like to because life and laundry get in the way. So, I would put on the CD whenever I was folding laundry or busy cleaning and listen to Venetia. I found myself wanting to clean more just so I could listen. Venetia is read by Richard Armitage. If you're not familiar with him, Richard Armitage has starred in North and South, BBC Robin Hood, and Spooks. He did and excellent job reading this book. He gave each character a distinct voice. He made listening to Venetia very pleasurable. I loved this story. As I mentioned before this is my first experience with Georgette Heyer. I will tell you right now, it won't be my last. Veneita is funny, romantic, mysterious and very entertaining. I found myself captivated by it. The main character Venetia has been kept in the quiet country her whole life. She has some unwanted suitors who plague her life. She goes from one day to the next without much excitement until she meets Lord Dameral. He turns her world upside down. Lord Dameral is a rake. He's also very charming, witty, and extremely handsome. Georgette Heyer definitely knows how to write a man to make all the ladies swoon. This story captivated me from beginning to end. I was sad when the book ended because I wanted more. I would definitely recommend this book to you. If you like regency romance I would put this book on your TBR list.
    • 4/5
      I hadn't read this in years, and had forgotten some of the details. Most of it is fun to read, although it doesn't make it onto my favourites list. I'm not really a big fan of the reformed rake romance theme, but I think Venetia herself is a wonderful character.
    • 5/5
      Nice. Venetia is a lot of fun to deal with; Damerel is fun too, when he isn't letting propriety tell him how to act. The two suitors are so perfectly wrong for her it's amazing - in two entirely different ways. I hope Oswald develops a brain. I agree that Clara would probably do very well with Edward - hope they realize that. What Aubrey might get up to I don't know - I'd like to see him as an adult. I wonder if he'll ever fall in love and be removed from himself, for a change? Very likely not, particularly as he has no need for an heir. I really like this story - it's full of idiots, but they're depicted as idiots, we're not expected to accept them as the protagonists. Damerel is the classic Heyer hero, with a clever mind and a sneer - but when he falls, he falls hard. And Venetia is not quite the classic Heyer heroine - she's usually not particularly pretty but merely the most sensible person around. Venetia is described (constantly) as a beauty - and while she's perfectly sensible to herself, no one else seems to agree with her. Still, she gets her way in the end. A full and proper Happy Ever After. This is another couple I'd have loved to see a few years down the road - particularly, I'd love to see Damerel with a child. This one goes on the Favorite Heyers list, for a reread down the line.