Venetia

No Guilt Here!

I gave up calling Georgette Heyer a "guilty" pleasure a long time ago. A literature major, I was taught that certain genres of writing are just inherently inferior - and one of them, of course, is Romance. Now I know that good writing is good writing, whatever the genre, and writing doesn't get any better than in "Venetia"!

The story is a fairly common one in historical romance: "good" girl heroine attracted to "bad" boy hero. But Heyer does it so well here. The characters (major and minor) sparkle with humor, wit and personality. There are even valuable lessons in tolerance and reserving judgment.

Venetia is an exceptional leading lady, full of life and heart, and I predict that anyone (even those who aren't big Romance fans) will fall in love with her, with her flawed love, with her brother, and even with those minor characters who so perfectly reflect the oddities in our fellow humans.

And no small credit goes to the wonderful Phyllida Nash, who narrates this with great energy and skill. "Venetia" has long been a favorite read; now it's also a favorite listen! Along with Audible's versions of "Sylvester" and "Sprig Muslin", this will certainly appeal to Heyer fans and would be an excellent introduction to her really superior books.

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58 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Heaven for Heyer Fans

Hard on the heels of Naxos releasing "The Grand Sophy" and "Sylvester," two of Georgette Heyer's greatest, comes the equally wonderful "Venetia." All three books were written at the peak of Heyer's career. "Venetia" has a bit more melodrama than "Sophy" or "Sylvester," partly because of the reformed rake with a painful past that is the the hero, Lord Damerel.

All her life Venetia has heard oblique references to her "delicate position," along with veiled warnings that she must be especially protective of her reputation, "so as not to be thought to be...." At which point her well wishers generally trail off and say something like "....but I must say no more on that head," leaving Venetia puzzled, to say the least. The arrival of the charming but brooding Damerel increases these warnings to a fever pitch, for reasons that the reader will probably guess before Venetia solves the mystery.

During her lifetime Georgette Heyer was said to resent the fact that her Regency romances were so much more popular than her mysteries or her historical fiction. I agree her mysteries are underrated (particularly "Envious Casca," which I think is a minor masterpiece that Masterpiece Mystery should dramatize immediately), but, whether she agreed with the assessment or not, her Regencies are in a class by themselves. The best of them -- including Venetia -- stand head and shoulders above the pack. Enjoy!

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57 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Romantic Regency

Georgette Heyer is considered the inventor of the Regency Romance, and although she wrote a wide variety of different types of novels, her comedies of manners set during the Regency period in England are among her best and the best in the field. This book has long been at or near the top of my list, the hero and heroine are both well read and intelligent and share a sense of humor, and I find their dialog to be a delight to read. And this book has more "face time" between the hero and heroine than many Heyer novels. Be prepared, Heyer wrote between 1921 and the early 1970's, and some of her assumptions seem strange to modern readers. But no modern author has been able to match her wit and insight. This book was first published in 1958 and written when she was in her prime.

Phyllida Nash does a good job of giving the listener the proper feel for the story. Well worth my credit to get at once. I am very glad that Naxos is releasing more unabridged Heyer stories. Their earlier abridged versions were not bad, but to get the most from Heyer one needs all the words, and I personally will never purchase an abridged title.

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33 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

ANOTHER GREAT WORK FROM HEYER!

Before stumbling upon my first Georgette Heyer novel a few years ago, I was not into romance stories. But I found "Frederica" to be be a great story with well-defined intelligent characters. I then listened to every book available in audio format - at that time about 25 titles. The beauty of Heyer's books is that it matters not who narrates them as long as he or she is reasonably competent. Because each novel stands on its own, the listener doesn't become overly comfortable with one narrator, causing a disruption if there is a change. It had been a while since a new audiobook had been released so I was pleased to be able to enjoy this one. Lead character Venetia is the usual strong female who can live unmarried but doesn't mind when "Lord Right" comes along. Queen Elizabeth I could have learned a thing or two here - the whole "Virgin Queen" thing was a bit much! Heyer's books are very relevant for our time even though written long before feminism, birth control, and couples being sexually nasty for no reason. I'm no prude but it is nice to read a book where love is supreme, respect is obvious, and sex is hinted at without being graphic.

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18 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

One of Heyer's unusual heroines

Any additional comments?

I enjoy Venetia Lanyon as one of Heyer's more unusual heroines. I can overlook the dated implication that she somehow inherited her relatively "loose morals" from her mother (and if you can't overlook dated ideas, you probably shouldn't bother with Georgette Heyer's novels), and just enjoy the character. She's more implicitly sexual than many of Heyer's leading ladies, and it really is fun to follow the progress of a young woman who doesn't care about the social restraints of the Regency era AND who isn't schooled into submission for it.

All that said, it's not my favorite Heyer novel. The characters, with a couple of exceptions, don't leap to life the way her best ones do, and there are long stretches between plot points. It's an enjoyable listen, and of course Phyllida Nash does a wonderful job here as in all her Heyer readings, but unlike greater favorites (Cotillion, Frederica, Lady of Quality, The Grand Sophy...), this one isn't bearing up to multiple listenings.

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10 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Such a good book

If you haven't tried Georgette Heyer, Venetia is a great place to start. Charming, humorous, fun heroine and hero, witty dialogue. Heyer simply writes a good story. And it's squeeky clean, safe for grandmother's ears.

I was somewhat hesitant to try this narration in that I simply adored the version by Richard Armitage and feared I would be disappointed with another narrator, but I was most delightfully pleased by Ms. Nash's performance. I will certainly seek more books performed by her.

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7 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

5 stars!! I wish I could give it more!!

Georgette Heyer ' s books are delightful. They never cross the line, and always deliver a wonderfully charming story. This narrator, Phyllida Nash, reads the books very well,endowing the characters with life. (And her accent is a great asset.). Buy it. It's enchanting. This is one book I will listen to again and again.
MW

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6 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Ending Wasn't Up to Heyer's Standards

Not my favorite Heyer book. But enjoyable. Typically Heyer wraps up her books quite neatly. The ending to this book - the final resolution, wasn't quite as smooth as I typically find in her books. Phyllida Nash is always an effective narrator on Heyer books.

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6 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

If you like Jane Austen, try this book

This was my second attempt at a Georgette Heyer book. They are so frequently recommended, but the first Heyer I read just didn't do anything for me. I thoroughly enjoyed Venetia, however. Phyllis Nash does an excellent job reading it, which probably helped more than a little, and the main character was fabulous.

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3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Caution - Don't Listen While Driving!

What disappointed you about Venetia?

Please do not listen to this book while driving, you will fall asleep. The only good part about this book was listening to it enabled me to fall asleep faster than usual. The performance was not bad it was the story and the writing. I listened to this for about 40% hoping it would get better but it didn't.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

boredom

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3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile