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    Venetia
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    Venetia
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    Venetia
    Audiobook12 hours

    Venetia

    Written by Georgette Heyer

    Narrated by Phyllida Nash

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Venetia Lanyon, beautiful, intelligent and independent, lives in comfortable seclusion in rural Yorkshire with her precocious brother Aubrey. Her future seems safe and predictable: either marriage to the respectable but dull Edward Yardley, or a life of peaceful spinsterhood. But when she meets the dashing, dangerous rake Lord Damerel, her well-ordered life is turned upside down, and she embarks upon a relationship with him that scandalises and horrifies the whole community. Has she found her soul-mate, or is she playing with fire?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNaxos Audiobooks
    Release dateFeb 28, 2010
    ISBN9781843798606
    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

    678 ratings64 reviews

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    • 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
      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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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
      Heyer's books are quickly becoming a guilty pleasure of mine! The elegant prose and vivid imagery captures my imagination and carries me into the story as a silent observer. I'm amazed at how quickly I get attached to her characters and love the timelessness of these romance novels. In this story, Heyer stays true to society rules and plays a difficult game with her characters' reputations, leading to a few interesting twists that hadn't thought possible! It was very enjoyable and a book I plan to reread over the coming years.
    • 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
      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.
    • 4/5
      This is truly a charming book. Venetia is a warm, charming character with wit and vivacity - but not to the point where she is annoying or anachronistic. Damerel is a perfect anti-hero, a horrible rake who is still completely loveable, and loses his heart over Venetia. Although sometimes Heyer sacrifices character development for plot (like in The Corinthian), all of the characters in this book are well formed and interesting - even the minor characters such as Aubrey, Oswald or Edward. Truly a charming book and one I enjoyed a great deal!
    • 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.
    • 4/5
      Another Heyer, another enjoyable romp of a standard that romps rarely aspire to, let alone realise. I only wish I could find other romance writers with literally half the wit and talent. Venetia's sheltered life receives an unexpected guest in the presence of confirmed rake Lord Damerel. But whilst Venetia may be sheltered, she's hardly a wallflower. Can this feisty lass win over the country's most scandalous reprobate (I think we all know the answer to this one).There's not much point assessing a Heyer novel by the standard of the romance genre. It's like assessing Buckingham Palace by the standard of your average sand castle. Suffice to say, if you've never read Heyer, you're in for a treat. More interesting is where Venetia slots into her existing oeuvre, and my answer to that is in the higher tiers. The book lacks the almost farcical situation comedy that drives my favourite Heyers, like Cotillon, or The Grand Sophy (it is also, if I'm not mistaken somewhat longer than those two novels). However, it makes up for it with some of her best characterisation in the forms of Venetia, her brother Aubrey, and Damerel. There can be a somewhat "stagy" quality to Heyer's books, exacerbated by her gravitation towards stock characters at almost pantomime levels. This book, however, features more nuance on this count than some of her others. It was one of her later novels, and I think it's reflected in a maturity and complexity to the central relationships that compensates for the length and rather less helter-skelter plot than is typical.This is not to imply the book lacks events. On the contrary, the pacing is steady and there's several changes of locale in addition. I guess there's a stronger human element propelling events in this book. The best part is, as ever, the dialogue. Line-for-line, I strongly believe that Heyer is one of the best dialogue writers of all time - in any genre. Again, this book doesn't necessarily vibrate with the zingers of some of her others, but there's a wonderful, almost musical, quality to the conversation. It flows smoothly; every character has a distinct voice; and it shows a deftness and craft that is just a treat for anyone who enjoys reading or fine prose. The colloquial is delivered without sinking into artifice or incomprehension and it cannot be easy. As a reader, there is a particular sensation that I relish from books like this: The feeling of being in safe hands. It's like sinking into bed at a five star hotel; everything is taken care of; someone is doing all the thinking for you and will ensure you enjoy yourself; somebody here really knows what they're doing. I don't get it often, and most usually from writers with a long, successful history in genre like this. But it delights me, every time. If you haven't had that feeling for a while, give Heyer a whirl.
    • 5/5
      I've read all of Georgette Heyer's Regencies and this is one of my absolute favorites. One of the reasons I like it is that it's not like most of her Regencies. The heroine is quite different and although I like the others, I found Venetia refreshing. Loved Damerel too. Great read.
    • 5/5
      This is really very good. Venetia is 25 and running her home for her absent brother. At home she has a younger brother, Aubrey, who is scholastic to the point of being a virtual recluse - his injured hip not helping in this regard. It's been this way since the father died, and the company the young family had welcomed had been severely restricted since mother died. Venetia is perfectly level headed about her probably fate, weighing up the possibility of marriage to Edward with maintaining a house for her brother when he (as is planned) takes up a lace at Cambridge. Edward is an upright, uptight snob who can't get it into his head that he's not an ideal husband. Her other admirer is somewhat younger and in the throes of a first infatuation. This is all upset when Damerel arrives. He owns an adjacent property and they are thrown together by an accident to Aubrey. What happens from there is delightful, distressing, surprising, shows nobility and determination. There are some lovely scenes and set pieces, some ridiculous, some very touching. The end result is wholly satisfying, with Venetia setting out to get what she wants despite various attempts to prevent her. Venetia is a fabulous character as she is quite determined, knows her own mind and quite prepared to resort to all sorts of action and subterfuge, if necessary. You an feel yourself cheering her on from the sidelines.
    • 5/5
      Ah! This is most definitely my favorite Heyer to date. Venetia is a wonderful heroine: unconventional, smart as a whip, plain-spoken, and willful. And the minor characters are incredibly well-drawn, too; of one of Venetia's younger suitors, Heyer writes that he was "a youth of nineteen, with a want of assurance imperfectly concealed by a slight, nonchalant swagger." Who hasn't known that sort of 19-year-old? There's a psychological depth to the characters in this novel that I haven't seen in the other Heyers I've read so far, which made this read more slowly, but also more satisfyingly, than some of the other fluffier, more comic tales.The romance here reminds me a bit of the one in _Black Sheep_, in that it develops between two grownup people who know themselves and the world pretty well, and for whom the superficial trappings of a conventional romance have ceased to be enticing. As Venetia says when someone describes her as a Sleeping Beauty, "You know what the Prince in the fairy tale is like, ma'am! Young, and handsome, and virtuous! And probably a dead bore."This is one I know I'll reread eventually--too much fun not to.
    • 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.
    • 4/5
      I ended up enjoying this book much more than I thought I would have after chapter 1. That bramble scene left me extremely sceptical - I could see no way Heyer would be able to adequately redeem Lord D. and make me buy into this romance. But the dialog was intelligent and snappy, and I liked Aubrey, but most importantly, I'd challenged Bookstooge to read a romance and it would be poor sport to back out myself. Comic relief comes into the first half of the book with Oswald, a wannabe suitor of Venetia's who has embraced Byron's work a bit too passionately; today he'd be called a fanboy. Venetia's other suitor, Edward... I hate this man as much as any fictional character can be hated. He is the stuff stalkers and abusive men are made of, while all the while everyone talks about how kind he is and what a good husband he'd be. I kept hoping he'd die of complications from chicken-pox. We soon come to a mini-crises, a necessary excuse to bring Lord D. and Venetia back together and on terms that would force them to spend time together. I liked the scene in the dining room because Heyer didn't try to pull anything grand, or racy, or shocking; it was just a dinner between two people treating each other as new friends. The ordinariness and subtly of the scene was its appeal for me and I found it put them both to better advantage in my eyes. From there, we have what I think of as the "bluebirds of happiness" moment - when Venetia wakes up in her room and the whole thing feels like a scene out of a Disney movie (Cinderella or Snow White, I forget which). My first reaction to this scene was always going to be to roll my eyes a tiny bit, but if I'm also being completely honest, Heyer nailed what it feels like to realise you've found an actual, real friend; not an acquaintance or even a buddy, but a true friend who 'gets' you. But of course, this happiness can not be allowed to last; things cannot go on as they are as we are sorely lacking in misery and angst. Well, Heyer righted the listing ship with the introduction of Charlotte and Mrs. Scorrier. With Mrs. Scorrier, lots of other authors would have grossly overcompensated, but Heyer uses this opportunity to not only introduce the tension, but also the entertainment. Scorrier is a dragon met constantly by the dampening influence of other dragons, getting better than she gives. The verbal sparring was the highlight of the book, in my opinion. Soon, things come crashing down around Venetia as Lord D. does, as she hoped, fall in love with her. Only the result of this is anything but what Venetia would have asked for. Instead of an offer, she is cajoled by her uncle into going to London to live with her aunt, with Lord D.'s support; he is fully aware that his scandalous past ensures no dignified future with Venetia - even as he works to get his personal affairs in order in preparation to propose marriage. His idiotic I know best / I must martyr myself attitude is sadly cliched but he gets bonus points for pragmatically accepting it was time to reap what he'd sown and do so with a minimum of melodrama. But! Such a twist! So crafty is fate! The very thing meant to separate Venetia and Lord D. offers up the very tool she needs to ensure their future togetherness, and Venetia is not one to lose the advantage when it's handed to her. Unfortunately, this ending felt much rockier, much clumsier than the rest of the book; I can't quite put my finger on what exactly didn't work - maybe it was rushed? Maybe it went that tiny bit too far into unrealistic? I don't know. I didn't hate it, but I didn't think it was quite up to snuff. The best part of it, for me, the very best part, was the final scene between Venetia and Edward. I'd only have wished for her to have more opportunity to really let him have it with both guns blazing. Overall, the book surprised me and I'd happily agree that this is one of Heyer's better books.
    • 3/5
      This is my first ever Heyer book! I had not heard about her before I started book blogging but when I did she was everywhere and I was intrigued by this old icon. If you are reading historical romance then you should read her too, and now I finally have. I liked what I read, a lot. I can't say I noticed that it was originally published in the 50s either.

      To the story. Venetia has lived all her life at Harrorgate and has not travelled at all. Her father wanted her at home and therefore she has not known many men either. Though she has two suitors, but they are soon forgotten when she meets the rake next door. Poor Venetia, she had such a thirst for life but her dad was an idiot when he was alive. Still she is just so sweet that she does not mind because she loves her home and her brother. The thing with Venetia is that she might just be too sweet. I usually do not like heroines this sweet but here it works because, well she is just so nice. She is very forgiving. But she does have a tongue on her too and can put down her suitors when they get too odious. I think that is why it works, because she has a mind of her own and I like her witty style.

      The style is very amusing and the banter between Demarel and Venetia is sweet, and it just made me think Jane Austen (and we all know I love her.) These two just hits it off at once, they are playful, they flirt, and it all so very cute. I know he is a rake, but not with her, though he does say a few things now and then, but so does she. For once I can be shocked for silly reasons. In the end I truly love sweet romances where people at most kiss and that is utterly scandalous of course.

      It is not all a dance on roses. He is a rake, so no one wants him close to them. She does have two very silly suitors. Something happens that will cause a uproar. But this is a lovestory and she knows what she wants.

      Conclusion:
      I am happy to have read my first Heyer book and I will read more. I do recommend this one to romance lovers. The style is humorous and I love the old talk.
    • 4/5
      I squealed with increasing frequency as I read further and further into this book. Venetia Lanyon is beautiful, insightful, and sensible, but her selfish family members made it impossible for her to "come out" as a young lady. Now she's 25, a practically unmarriagable age, and still trapped in the same country house she grew up in. Her beloved younger brother, the self-absorbed and brilliant scholar Aubrey, is going to leave for Cambridge soon, leaving her alone. Just then, the rakish Lord Dameral appears on the scene. Although their first meeting is disastrous, he is so kind and helpful when Aubrey falls from his horse that Venetia is soon won over. They become good friends very quickly, and its a clear relief to each of them to find someone who gets their jokes and reads the same books. (Dameral and Aubrey, meanwhile, develop an adorable friendship based on a mutual love of the classics, and they live together for some time.)
      The course of true love never does run smooth--Dameral abruptly ends their friendship, impelling Venetia to go to London and enter high society for the first time. It is there that her good taste and iron will truly come to the fore.

      I loved this book.
    • 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.
    • 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
      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
      Sigh of happiness and content. But I would like to know whether Conway threw Mrs Scorrier out of his house and whether he stayed married to that drip.
    • 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
      Venetia has spent her whole life buried in the country looking after her family's estate. Little disturbs the quiet of the neighborhood except the infrequent visits by the wicked Lord Damerel. During one visit his path crosses with Venetia. He steals a kiss and finds himself intrigued by the honesty and innocence of the noted beauty. Fate furthers their acquaintance when Venetia’s brother is injured and moved to Damerel’s estate to recover. Venetia is thrilled to discover a similar mind and to have a true friend for the first time. Damerel’s seductive nature is curtailed by his growing feelings for Venetia. When Damerel realizes how deeply he has fallen he decides that he must sacrifice their growing attraction to keep her safe from ruin by his notorious reputation. Venetia has to take matters into her own hands and devises a way to compromise herself so that they can be together.The set up for the story was too long and I almost put the book aside, but the intelligent and self-reliant heroine and the tender love story made the title well worth the read. One of the better Heyer titles.