Member: ncgraham

Hahaha... and to think I wasn't even online to see it! I beatcha, just for once! :)

Thank you SO MUCH for the author favouriting advice! I'm sure that option wasn't there when I tried before... I have followed your sage advice and added Heyer, noting that all three of my current listed favourite authors could count as 'fluff'. Oh well.

Speaking of Heyer, have you read one yet? Haveyouhaveyouhaveyou??

posted by ChocolateMuse at 6:37 pm (EST) on Nov 22, 2009

Yesssss, we rock! :)

Of course, my review is only hot because it's a quiet period for thumbing - I mean, 2 thumbs? Well, thanks for yours, and Amy for hers... what are friends for, right? ;-)

posted by ChocolateMuse at 4:35 pm (EST) on Nov 19, 2009

And so humble, too!

posted by wisewoman at 3:53 pm (EST) on Nov 19, 2009

Book-jealousy, how well we know it! Yes, this particular set looks darling--just the right size, heft, summery colours, cartoony style... The illustrations inside are black & white, would be nice if those were colour too, but oh well. Just in case you're interested, it's a Folio Society edition, and their books are easily found secondhand, often much cheaper than the original price--though of course there's no guarantee for any title at any given time...

posted by LolaWalser at 6:46 pm (EST) on Nov 17, 2009

Ha, I love that you checked the spelling! :P

posted by wisewoman at 3:12 pm (EST) on Nov 17, 2009

Hmmm. Well, unfortunately none of them are her very best. And as these are romances and you are a guy, I'm not sure if my way of rating them will be the same for you.

Here's my opinion of each of your options, for what they're worth:

Toll Gate - one of Heyer's Regency Adventure stories, where the romance is rather token. Not one of her funniest, the characters are admirable rather than endearing for the most part - with some notable exceptions such as the highwayman and the cook. Actually, this is probably quite a good one, though not representative of most Heyer.

Infamous Army - This is the only Heyer (apart from My Lord John) that I began and did not finish. The reason for this is not because there's anything wrong with the book - definitely not - but it's so not Heyer! It's serious historical fiction with an emphasis on relating the battle and the real historical figures of the Napoleonic War. It also, I believe, mentions briefly characters from various other books of hers, so not a good one to start with.

These Old Shades - This is a problematic one. It's got fantastic characters, is funny and endearing, and I used to think was quite romantic, but of late I find it a bit disturbing, in that the female love interest dresses as a boy and calls the male love interest Monseigneur (Master), and other things along that line. It makes sense in the context and isn't meant to be disturbing, but for me it kinda is. It used to be my all-time favourite though, when I was too young and innocent to pick up on strange sub-texts that I imagine Heyer didn't even mean to put in. I do highly recommend it, but with reservations.

Devil's Cub - Brilliant, I love it. But it's a sequel to These Old Shades, so it's best (though not absolutely essential) that you read that one first.

Beavallet - Not a good one to start with. Amy's written a good review on this one which says all I would say about it. I enjoy reading it, but only because I'm a die-hard Heyer fan.

False Colours - This is good, middle-of-the-range Heyer. Great twists and turns of the plot. A bit of a slog right at the beginning, where Heyer unusually does a whole long slab of telling rather than showing, so you get a massive info-dump. Don't judge the rest of the book by that, once it's over with it gets much better. The mother and her elderly corseted beau are both great characters.

Hope this helps, I cannot wait to see how you go. I do say though - don't pass final judgment on Heyer until you've read Friday's Child!

posted by ChocolateMuse at 7:26 pm (EST) on Nov 15, 2009

Hello, NC - Nope, The Florist's Daughter is the first Hampl book I have read. Not sure yet if I'll try another of hers. There are so many good books - and never enough time. If you haven't read many memoirs, I'd certainly suggest you start doing so. One of the best ways to learn writing is to study other writers' styles. Looks like the Hampl book is the only one we have in common - at least here on LT. You'll notice that I read more memoirs than anything else. Everybody's got a story to tell. Since you seem to enjoy YA books, I will heartily recommend (children's author) Roald Dahl's two memoirs, BOY and GOING SOLO. I loved both of them. Keep reading. - Tim

posted by TimBazzett at 9:54 pm (EST) on Oct 31, 2009

I made it private because I was pointing out your mistakes and didn't think you'd want them trumpeted to the world in general :-P. But I'm quite happy to trumpet publicly if that is your desire. Perhaps I take the whole "be sensitive when criticizing" a little too far. I know I soften things at work when I take things to the designers...

Yes, you ARE obsessive about thumbs! I'm sure you will get more. If you don't, I will oblige ;)

Yes, "opera music" is a bit clunky now that I ponder it. I will edit that. I was a bit worried I might commit an unwritten sin like that! If you do decide to read it, let me know; there are a couple specific things I would warn you of. I don't want to be one of those people who indiscriminately recommend books with content that could be problematic to other readers.

posted by wisewoman at 11:52 am (EST) on Oct 12, 2009