{"id":34516,"date":"2017-10-16T06:29:34","date_gmt":"2017-10-15T17:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=34516"},"modified":"2017-10-08T18:01:23","modified_gmt":"2017-10-08T05:01:23","slug":"why-georgette-heyer-kicks-butt-takes-names-as-a-writer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2017\/10\/16\/why-georgette-heyer-kicks-butt-takes-names-as-a-writer\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Georgette Heyer Kicks Butt &#038; Takes Names As A Writer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2017\/08\/28\/georgette-heyer-a-favourite-putting-good-into-the-world-anecdote\/private-world-of-georgette-heyer\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-34505\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-34505\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Private-World-of-Georgette-Heyer-101x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"84\" height=\"125\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Private-World-of-Georgette-Heyer-101x150.jpg 101w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Private-World-of-Georgette-Heyer-203x300.jpg 203w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Private-World-of-Georgette-Heyer.jpg 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 84px) 100vw, 84px\" \/><\/a>Relatively recently, <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2017\/08\/28\/georgette-heyer-a-favourite-putting-good-into-the-world-anecdote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on August 28<\/a>, I mentioned Georgette Heyer&#8217;s <em>Friday&#8217;s Child <\/em>and also observed that: <em>&#8220;I&#8217;ve certainly smiled and even laughed outright a good deal when reading Georgette Heyer&#8217;s historical romances&#8230;possibly more than with any other author&#8230;&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In short, although Georgette Heyer will never be recognised as a literary great, I think she rocks as a storyteller and here are a few reasons why:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2017\/08\/28\/georgette-heyer-a-favourite-putting-good-into-the-world-anecdote\/s-child-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-34504\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-34504\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Fridays-Child-2-98x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"98\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Fridays-Child-2-98x150.jpg 98w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Fridays-Child-2-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Fridays-Child-2.jpg 309w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 98px) 100vw, 98px\" \/><\/a>Although Heyer&#8217;s novels are generally lighthearted fun, her historical research is impeccable and this research grounds her stories in a sense of the real that gives them considerable authenticity.<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>The sort of humour that keeps you smiling as you read and laughing out loud from time to time is a gift that few authors possess&#8212;but together with the historical research, it&#8217;s the magic ingredient that makes Heyer stand head and shoulders above her many imitators.<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?attachment_id=34546\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-34546\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-34546\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/The-Masqueraders-98x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"98\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/The-Masqueraders-98x150.jpg 98w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/The-Masqueraders-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/The-Masqueraders.jpg 311w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 98px) 100vw, 98px\" \/><\/a>She has a real gift for dialogue, particularly witty repartee between characters, and uses her research to introduce slang phrases from the era, including thieves&#8217; cant. The former keeps the story spinning along, the latter helps build the authenticity discussed under 1.<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Heyer always writes great characters, even if quite a few of them are &#8220;stock&#8221; in type, and even her minor characters come alive on the page: quite an art.<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?attachment_id=34548\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-34548\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-34548\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Grand-Sophy-98x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"98\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Grand-Sophy-98x150.jpg 98w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Grand-Sophy-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Grand-Sophy.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 98px) 100vw, 98px\" \/><\/a>Although her books are lighthearted overall and always considerable elements of fun, Heyer also has sufficient depth to her characters and just enough gravitas to ensure there is substance to the read, without weighing the reader down.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>So when the going gets tough and it&#8217;s time for a comfort read, a Georgette Heyer novel, with one or two exceptions, is always to be relied upon.<\/p>\n<p>Some of my favourites include:<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?attachment_id=34550\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-34550\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-34550\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/These-Old-Shades-85x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"85\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/These-Old-Shades-85x150.jpg 85w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/These-Old-Shades-170x300.jpg 170w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/These-Old-Shades.jpg 269w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 85px) 100vw, 85px\" \/><\/a>The Masqueraders<\/em><br \/>\n<em> The Talisman Ring<\/em><br \/>\n<em> These Old Shades<\/em><br \/>\n<em> The Corinthian<\/em><br \/>\n<em> The Grand Sophy<\/em><br \/>\n<em> Faro&#8217;s Daughter<\/em><br \/>\n<em> Friday&#8217;s Child<\/em><br \/>\n<em> Cotillion<\/em><br \/>\n<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?attachment_id=34552\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-34552\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-34552\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Cotillion-92x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"92\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Cotillion-92x150.jpg 92w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Cotillion-184x300.jpg 184w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Cotillion.jpg 292w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 92px) 100vw, 92px\" \/><\/a>Sylvester<\/em><br \/>\n<em>A Civil Contract<br \/>\nFrederica<\/em><br \/>\n<em>The Nonesuch<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Relatively recently, on August 28, I mentioned Georgette Heyer&#8217;s Friday&#8217;s Child and also observed that: &#8220;I&#8217;ve certainly smiled and even laughed outright a good deal when reading Georgette Heyer&#8217;s historical romances&#8230;possibly more than with any other author&#8230;&#8221; In short, although Georgette Heyer will never be recognised as a literary great, I think she rocks as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-other-writers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34516"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34775,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34516\/revisions\/34775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}