‘Celebrating Georgette Heyer’ event wrap-up and poll

Posted on 31 August 2010 by Laurel Ann Nattress

This marks the final post of the ‘Celebrating Georgette Heyer‘ event here at Austenprose. It has been a wonderful month of 34 book reviews of her romance novels, guest blogs, interviews and all out Heyer madness. I hope it chased away that fit of the blue-devils.

A big thank you to each of the guest reviewers. Well done. I have learned so much and enjoyed your insights. A big round of applause for Vic of Jane Austen’s World for her wonderful interview, author Helen Simonson for sharing her life-passion for Heyer, the ladies at Teach Me Tonight for their blog on Heyer Heroes and an extra shout out to Deb Werksman of Sourcebooks for her wonderful interview and their donation of the majority of the novels in the giveaways.

Remember, you have until September 6th, 2010 to get your last comments in to qualify for the giveaways and then the winners will be announced on Tuesday September 7th, 2010. Good luck to all. Whoever wins the grand prize of 34 novels is one lucky sod.

Now, one last challenge. Please vote for your top ten favorite Heyer romance novels. I know it’s a tough job to narrow it down, but it is a great way to see who is a diamond of the first water.

It’s been such fun gang. You all were a wonderful partyers and I hope you will come back and search through the reviews before you choose your next Heyer to read.

‘Celebrating Georgette Heyer’ Event Grand Giveaway

Enter a chance to win one copy of all 34 Georgette Heyer Regency romance novels being reviewed here during the event (YES! THAT’S RIGHT! 34 NOVELS) by leaving a comment during the event in any post during the month of August stating what intrigues you about reading a Heyer novel or who your favorite hero or heroine is by midnight Pacific time, Monday, September 6th, 2010. The grand prize winner will be announced on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010. Shipment to continental US and Canadian addresses only. Good luck!

Cheers, Laurel Ann

Finis

Celebrating Georgette Heyer • August 1st – 31st, 2010

41 thoughts on “‘Celebrating Georgette Heyer’ event wrap-up and poll”

AprilFool on 31 August 2010 at 11:13 pm said:

As for which novel is my favourite, I think (at this particular moment), I’ll go with Frederica. Loved this event!!

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Tina on 31 August 2010 at 11:14 pm said:

I just wanted to say thank you for having this event. Georgette Heyer is one of my all-time favorite authors and reading the reviews, comments and thoughts of others has been really interesting and enjoyable. The posts this month have inspired me to revisit old favorites and to seek out the novels that I haven’t had the opportunity to read yet. Thank you for the chance to add Heyer novels into my collection!

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Jayne on 31 August 2010 at 11:35 pm said:

Thank you, Laurel Anne. This whole month has been simply brilliant!

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Shannon on 31 August 2010 at 11:50 pm said:

This was an amazing event. I looked forward to it daily. =) Thank you.

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Karin on 1 September 2010 at 12:29 am said:

Thank you so much for this brilliant event!

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RegencyRomantic on 1 September 2010 at 2:29 am said:

I don’t have a top 10 list yet, as I have a lot of Heyer left to read. But from the ones I’ve read, I voted for what I’ve loved so far.

Thank you for hosting another fabulous event, Laurel Ann! You are a nonesuch… ;-) I had so much fun (as always!). I am sure that my future reading of Heyer’s novels will be all the more pleasurable from the things I learned from this whole month of Heyer immersion.

‘She learned romance as she grew older…’ (Persuasion, Chapter 4) We will never be too old for Heyer! =)

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Linda B on 1 September 2010 at 4:13 am said:

Thank you so much for this month-long event. I’ve looked forward to every day’s post. I’ve added several titles to the wish list. I’ve read those reviews of the books I’d already read, and reveled in the memories, causing a desire to re-read those really great ones, like The Grand Sophy and These Old Shades. Together with my daughter and my 26-year-old granddaughter, we are a three-generation Georgette Heyer fan club. Thanks again.

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Claire (The Captive Reader) on 1 September 2010 at 4:33 am said:

Thank you so much for hosting this wonderful event, Laurel Ann! It’s been a pleasure to interact with so many other passionate Heyer fans over the course of the month. It can’t have been easy to organize but your efforts have been appreciated!

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Lauri on 1 September 2010 at 4:36 am said:

This was an excellent way to celebrate the long hot month of August! Thank you so much Laurel Ann and all the other contributors. I have enjoyed all the reviews and posts and the comradery of joining other GH fans. I actually read “These Old Shades” last week after reading the review here. Great romance and suspense! I can’t wait to read the novels I haven’t gotten to yet – thanks ladies!

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wisewoman on 1 September 2010 at 5:11 am said:

This was a fun month and it really flew by! Thanks for hosting this. As for my top ten, I haven’t read enough Heyers yet to choose! It’s wonderful to know I have so many still awaiting me.

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Anne on 1 September 2010 at 6:57 am said:

This was such fun!! I had never read Heyer–but thanks to you–I am now a big fan of her books. Thank you very much!!

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Carol Arsenault on 1 September 2010 at 7:05 am said:

I’ve been a Heyer fan for almost 40 years and it has been wonderful seeing how many other fans are out there. It as so nice that her books are being reprinted and made accessible to newer reader. Thank you for a wonderful month of reviews Laurel Ann, I’ve really enjoyed it.

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Lady T on 1 September 2010 at 8:17 am said:

Another thanks,Laurel,for a great blog event-I learned a lot about Heyer and hope to catch up on her vast array of work as soon as can be:)

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Margaret Ransom on 1 September 2010 at 9:44 am said:

I have been reading Heyer for almost 50 years…her books have always been fun comfort reads. As a long time lurker on Heyer List/Almacks, I have really appreciated new perspectives on the romances and the wonderful comments by Austen readers who are new to Heyer. Thank you so much for this month of reviews!
MaggieR

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Sue T on 1 September 2010 at 10:24 am said:

Thank you so much for hosting this event! I am new to Heyer so I haven’t chosen a favorite. I have enjoyed all of the reviews and have saved them for future reference. :)

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Chelsea B. on 1 September 2010 at 12:09 pm said:

I’ve had fun reading all about these books! :-)

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Laura's Reviews on 1 September 2010 at 1:02 pm said:

Thank-you for hosting such a great event! I’ll miss reading all of the fantastic Heyer posts.

I am excited to see which Heyer novels make it into the top 10. I voted for my favorites.

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Keira on 1 September 2010 at 3:55 pm said:

Beauvallet? :(

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- Laurel Ann on 1 September 2010 at 8:49 pm said:
  
  Hey Keira, Beauvallet is considered on of Heyer’s historical novels, so that is why it was not included in this romance review roundup! I have not read it it yet. I understand it is wonderful. Is it one of your favs?
  
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Teresa Thomas Bohannon on 1 September 2010 at 4:35 pm said:

The Grand Sophy!

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Karen on 1 September 2010 at 6:03 pm said:

Thank you for hosting this. I’m a newcomer to participating in blogs and you’ve made it something I’ve looked forward to doing each day. Thank you!

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Jessica@NovelReaction.com on 1 September 2010 at 6:23 pm said:

Thank you so much for putting on this event, it has been great to see other people’s reactions to one of my favorite authors. My favorite heroine would have to be Sophy and my favorite lesser character is Sylvester’s mother, the one with the distinctive eyebrows (for some reason I have always enjoyed her brief scene). I have to admit I want to pull all my copies out and reread them after this great celebration.

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Irene on 1 September 2010 at 7:25 pm said:

I loved this event! Thanks for hosting it, I’ve learned so much more about Heyer’s books. My favourite isn’t listed on here, it’s A Pistol for Two, followed by The Devil’s Cub.

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msaggie on 1 September 2010 at 7:59 pm said:

Thanks for the wonderful month of Georgette Heyer! I re-read several of my favourites after reading the reviews. I thought the draw was a different person for each of the 34 books! Good luck to all!

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- Laurel Ann on 1 September 2010 at 8:30 pm said:
  
  msaggie, the giveaways are one novel of each review and the grand prize of 34 novels to one person. The audio giveaway for The Convenient Marriage is for 3 audio book copies. Hope that clarifies.
  
  Good luck. Thanks for joining in.
  
  Cheers, Laurel Ann
  
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Terri on 1 September 2010 at 8:00 pm said:

I’m just glad you didn’t ask us to number the order of our favorites~for me, that’s impossible!

Thank you for hosting this event. I found this website because the notice about the reviews and giveaways was posted on the yahoo Almacks group site, which is devoted to GH’s books.

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Laurel Ann on 1 September 2010 at 8:57 pm said:

I am really touched by everyone’s praise. It was just as much fun for me.

The poll update:

Frederica 8.5%
The Grand Sophy 7.9%
Venetia 6.7%

I guess I will be reading Frederica next, unless the tide changes in the next week.

Thanks everyone for voting. It does help other readers to know which one is favored. I also like choosing one that is not top on the list so I get balance of an authors work.

Cheers, Laurel Ann

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lmadden42 on 1 September 2010 at 9:58 pm said:

I love to see the changes Heyer manages to ring on the familiar themes and archtypes. And, of course, her wit and humor raise her works a step above most of her imitators. I also find her use of period language both entertaining and invaluable in giving the reader a sense of verisimilitude. The reader feels she/he has actually learned about the period while enjoying a good tale. I’ve known and loved Heyer for over 40 years, though marriages, lovers, and periods as a single mother.
After all this time I am still grateful for her company.

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Paula on 2 September 2010 at 9:25 am said:

I have to tell you how much I enjoyed reading all the reviews of the Georgette Heyer Regency novels. They all sounded so wonderful, I wanted to rush right out and buy them all, but as I still have three historical novels of hers yet to read. . . Royal Escape, An Infamous Army and Simon the Cold Blood. I am half way through The Conqueror, which I am really enjoying.

Thank you for hosting such a wonderful event, and opening my eyes to all her lovely novels and characters.

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Cathy Allen on 2 September 2010 at 2:30 pm said:

I have to agree with the numbers that are tallied as of 2:30PM, PDT on Sept 2nd: my favorites, as are everyone else’s, apparently, up to this time, are ‘Frederica’ and ‘The Grand Sophy.” I can’t decide between those two, sorry; both are delightful!

Thank you, Laurel Ann. I’ve really enjoyed this “Celebration!”

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sue S on 2 September 2010 at 5:19 pm said:

I was surprised by some of the votes..at least the tally so far. But many were expected from the reviews I’ve read. I’ve only read 4 so I voted for those. I obviously have a long way to go. But looking forward to each moment. The excitement keeps building for your giveaway. It’s so close. How exciting!

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Rhonda on 2 September 2010 at 5:25 pm said:

Such a great event! I enjoyed it all, and it inspired me to re-read 5 of my lesser read books along with the reviewers. Thanks for putting it on!

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Monica on 3 September 2010 at 5:05 am said:

I am sooo upset–here it is September and I have just discovered the celebration of G. Heyer is been and gone :-(

But I will ‘favorite’ the site, and hope the contents are up for enjoyment in the coming months–anticipating the holiday season.

Thanks for doing the event!

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- Laurel Ann on 3 September 2010 at 1:49 pm said:
  
  Hi Monica, thanks for stopping by. Sorry you missed the event in real-time, but the posts will not go away and you can read and comment on them at leisure.
  
  Cheers, Laurel Ann
  
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Chrisbookarama on 3 September 2010 at 11:49 am said:

Thank you so much for having me as a guest reviewer! I enjoyed hearing the thoughts of other Heyer fans.

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Pat A. on 3 September 2010 at 8:02 pm said:

Thank you so much for all the reviews. As for my favorite, it has to be the Corinthian. I read it whenever I have a bad day or just feeling down. “Run, Ricky, Run” Always makes me smile.

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Cinthia on 4 September 2010 at 2:46 pm said:

First of all, thank you very much for hosting this novel marathon, Laurel Ann. It has been a great joy to revisit the novels and I am sure you and the reviewers have given encouragement to new readers.

Now about the tough choice. Only 10 top favourites, it really quite forces to leave so many aside. I need to mention all that I really like (in chronological order):

These Old Shades
The Masqueraders
Devil’s Cub
The Convenient Marriage
The Talisman Ring
An Infamous Army
The Grand Sophy
Friday’s Child
Cotillion
Sprig Muslin
Sylvester
The Unknown Ajax
A Civil Contract
The Nonesuch
False Colours
Frederica
Black Sheep
Lady of Quality

I think that Arabella, Venetia and Faro’s Daughter can fare very well without my full support.

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- Cinthia on 4 September 2010 at 3:07 pm said:
  
  I forgot to add for those who are just beginning that beside the Regencies and Georgians, there are of course the mysteries. Although in that field Heyer was eclipsed by Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, her novels are very worth reading.
  
  Beside Jennifer Kloester’s book there are also three other Heyer related books that expand the knowledge on the novels and the authoress.
  
  The biography The Private World of Georgette Heyer by Jane Aiken Hodge, which was reprinted in 2004 by Arrow, so it is widely available again.
  
  Then Georgette Heyer’s Regency England by Teresa Chris, which compiles a lot of information from the novels, and furthermore it was illustrated by Arthur Barbosa (Heyer’s illustrator). It is a book very difficult to find, but very worth the effort.
  
  And Mary Fahnestoke-Thomas’s Georgette Heyer A Critical Retrospective, with many reviews and essays on the novels, beside some of Heyer’s short works that had originally appeared in periodical publications. Mary has lately mentioned tha supplies of this book are ending, so I recommend to everyone hurry up to get a copy of it.
  
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Liz Hanbury on 4 September 2010 at 3:29 pm said:

Laurel Ann, thanks from me too for hosting this great event and having me as a guest reviewer. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it all :0)

Now I have to try and decide which novels to vote for!

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Dawn on 4 September 2010 at 4:54 pm said:

What a wonderful way to wrap up this Heyer event! This poll is perfect and very much appreciated, by someone like me, who has not read Heyer yet. I am going to keep this poll bookmarked, separately from the blog, until it seems voting is finished and then print it up (if I can). This will help me with the daunting task of where to start and allow me to see where and how I rate her books.

I feel like a winner already, having discovered my incorrect misconceptions of Ms. Heyer’s work, through this event (thank you), has opened me up not only to a new author for me but to a new blog devoted to Austen and the like. On top of that I only found reader blogs at the beginning of the summer – what a great summer it has been. All that being said, it would make a great fall to begin it with winning 1 book, 34 books or any number in between, just not zero please!

I am sad for this to be over. This is where the old saying “All good things must come to an end.” can aptly be used. I want to add my thanks to Laurel Ann, all the reviewers and contributors, and Sourcebooks for this wonderful celebratory event.

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Becky on 4 September 2010 at 5:03 pm said:

Thank you for hosting such a great event!!! I loved reading all the Heyer-posts! And it’s such a great resource to have reviews of all these romances in one place!!!

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