Seen On the Blogosphere: Heyer Better than Austen?

While doing background research for Georgette Heyer, I ran across this statement:

"I don’t quite remember when I started reading this book [Friday's Child], probably at the end of June or beginning of July and I only finished it tonight! I’m already not a fan of romance books but I thought I’d give this book a try as it was sent from Sourcebooks. This was my first Georgette Heyer book and at least, it’s better than Austen."

Let's hope this writer is absurdly naive and young and that she is just beginning to flex her critic's muscles. Heyer, as serious readers will agree, is most definitely not "better" than Austen. Had this young person written that Heyer's books are fun, breezier, and easier to comprehend, I would not have given her statement a second thought. For those who have difficulty reading Jane Austen's 19th century language or understanding Regency customs and etiquette, Georgette Heyer's books provide a rollicking introduction to understanding that bygone time. Sherwood Smith observes:

"If a person has read enough Heyer and others who emulate her, he or she ought not to find Austen's language impenetrable, and will probably be able to comprehend the wit. Anyone who loves, say, Friday's Child ought to laugh out loud at the absurdities of Mrs. Norris, or enjoy the sly selfishness of Isabella Thorpe--or recognize how John Dashwood, so continually worried about his position in society, becomes more servile than his servants."

While Georgette Heyer does not possess Jane Austen's immense literary stature, one can be assured that her novels are historically accurate. An Infamous Army is so true to life (every line uttered by Wellington in the novel is attributed to the real-life man), that it was rumoured to have been on the reading list for the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Sourcebooks has been reissuing Georgette Heyer's frothy regency romances, allowing me to fall in love with the author's works all over again. For my review of The Corinthian, go to Jane Austen's World.

Coming soon from Sourcebooks: The Grand Sophy. I consider this novel to be one of her best and have been Twittering about it at this link.

An Infamous Army Book Contest: Another Opportunity to Win a Georgette Heyer Novel

What joy! Just as one book giveaway is over, another one has begun! On May 23rd NPR announced its summer book recommendations, and on June 20th it highlighted Georgette Heyer's An Infamous Army, which comes highly recommended by Nancy Pearl, the “rock star librarian” and book commentator on NPR’s Morning Edition. She will make an announcement about her choices some time this week.

An Infamous Army is a novel of Wellington, Waterloo, love and war. In the summer of 1815, with Napoleon Bonaparte marching down from the north, Brussels is a whirlwind of parties, balls and soirees. In the swirling social scene surrounding the Duke of Wellington and his noble aides de camp, no one attracts more attention than the beautiful, outrageous young widow Lady Barbara Childe. On their first meeting, dashing Colonel Charles Audley proposes to her, but even their betrothal doesn't calm her wild behavior. Finally, with the Battle of Waterloo raging just miles away, civilians fleeing and the wounded pouring back into the town, Lady Barbara discovers where her heart really lies, and like a true noblewoman, she rises to the occasion, and to the demands of love, life and war...

The Battle of Waterloo in all its glorious and horrifying detail then becomes the center around which the book's characters orbit. Definitely a romance for the historically minded reader, there is no fluff here. As the conflict rages, Lady Barbara helps to nurse the wounded men who wander back into the city, learning much about life, death, and love in the process. No magical happy endings occur, just the contentment of two people who have grown into their love for one another. - Library Journal

The Contest Rules are Simple
In honor of the novel's inclusion on Nancy Pearl's list, Source Books is giving away two free Georgette Heyer books! If you did not win one last month, now is your opportunity to try for another one. If you would like a copy of An Infamous Army or Faro's Daughter, please recommend a summer book for others to read. That's all you have to do! Contest ends on July 14th, midnight, EST. As always, I will draw your names randomly out of a hat.

More links:

• Jane Austen's World review of a Royal Escape, another Heyer historical novel.

• Margaret Drabble, a huge Georgette Heyer fan, discusses the author in this BBC Radio 4 Women's Hour podcast. Click here to listen.

Posted by Ms. Place