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Loading... These Old Shades (1926)by Georgette Heyer
Work InformationThese Old Shades by Georgette Heyer (1926)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Under the reign of Louis XV, corruption and intrigue have been allowed to blossom in France. Lord Justin Alastair, the notorious Duke of Avon, known for his coldness of manner, his remarkable omniscience, and his debauched lifestyle. Society believes the worst of Justin, who is clearly proud of his sobriquet, 'Satanas'. In a dark Parisian back alley, he is accosted by Leon, a young person dressed in ragged clothing running away from a brutal rustic guardian. The Duke buys Leon, a redheaded urchin with strangely familiar looks... I have hesitated to add a review of this because I'm pretty sure I can't do it justice. Brilliantly written, witty, fun and spot on historically. The Duke of Avon is one of the best heroes ever written. I love him and I can't see that anyone other than Leonie could have broken through his shell. Even though the romance is not torrid, you can see that absolute love he has for her. Sigh... Belongs to SeriesAlastair-Audley (1) Belongs to Publisher SeriesFawcett Crest Books (Georgian Romance) rororo (643-644) Notable Lists
Set in the Georgian period, about 20 years before the Regency, These Old Shades is considered to be the novel that launched Heyer's career. It features two of Heyer's most memorable characters: Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, and Leonie, whom he rescues from a life of ignomy and comes to love and marry. The Duke is known for his coldness of manner, his remarkable omniscience, and his debauched lifestyle. Late one evening, he is accosted by a young person dressed in ragged boy's clothing running away from a brutal rustic guardian. The Duke buys "Leon" and makes the child his page. "Leon" is in fact Leonie, and she serves the Duke with deep devotion. When he uncovers the true story of her birth, he wreaks an unforgettable revenge on her sinister father in a chilling scene of public humiliation. Praise for Georgette Heyer: "Our Georgette Heyer display of the Sourcebooks reprints has been a huge success, not only to those early fans like myself, but to many new readers who appreciate her style and wit." --Nancy Olson, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC "Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen." --Publishers Weekly "Wonderful characters, elegant, witty writing, perfect period detail, and rapturously romantic. Georgette Heyer achieves what the rest of us only aspire to." --Katie Fforde "Absolute monarch of the Regency romance." --Kirkus Reviews No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.912Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1901-1945LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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This was not a romance novel where I really loved any of the characters, they're all ridiculous (and pretty terrible people). It was very entertaining, however. How come Heyer does so much better at the crossdressing tropes than almost anyone in the hundred years since she wrote this? We have both forced masc AND forced fem (
Domemployer by learning to be good at being a girlThe gay subtext is bursting out of every jot and tittle. Hugh and Justin flirt, Justin's fashion is so far out that everyone else makes fun of him for it, and Rupert declares that he's not at all interested in women. That's of course leaving aside the outrageous flirting and D/s text between Justin and Leon. There's a massive power imbalance on top of the age difference, which Heyer is clearly enjoying too much to moderate.
The bad: Fanny has a slave who's mentioned in YIKES terms for all of two lines and then never appears again (small mercies....). The hero is an attempted rapist, but in a genteel kind of way where he "just" wanted to force the lady to marry him. Everyone is stratospheric levels of classist, including the author, who thinks that Blood Will Out and it's just genetics that some people are fascinated by farming and others are so smart and important and beautiful that they are able to take on the difficult but vital work of going to parties, gambling, wearing insane clothes, and torturing each other socially.
Anyway, I'm off to read some outrageous fanfic!
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Wow, I nearly forgot about how mad I was about the "glossary of regency slang" at the back of my edition. a) it's arranged in ten(!) different sections by subject and then loosely by alphabet, so that you have to look at all ten to ensure you didn't miss the word you're looking for. b) YOU DIDN'T MISS THE WORD YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, not a single! solitary!! word!!! in the glossary!! is actually!!! in the text!!!!!!!
I noticed when I actually hit the end of the book that this was just a "sneak peek" at a glossary of regency slang someone else is publishing, and I think I might have to go rate that one star out of spite.