To whoever recommended Georgette Heyer - THANK YOU!

[BellaBearisWideAwake]

Picked up 'Friday's Child' today in waterstones and it's fab. Just the kind of book I needed.

So thank you whoever said to read them

No GHs in the entire library??? WHAT is the world coming to?!

'pon my honour Bella, that's disgraceful. There is a website that allows you to swap books online, you might find some on there. Will look up the URL. Am thoroughly enjoying the MN GH classic thread. Reminded me of the word 'cit'. Must look it up in my companion book.

Wasn't cit a derogatory name for those in trade i.e., coming from the City rather than aristrocratic circles?

it certainly was, DoA. "A bunch of cits and mushrooms" springs to mind as a comment from one of the books, when some lady from the haut ton mixes with the plebs at some lower class function, such as a masquerade.

not sure if cit was a contraction of a city merchant, or a "citizen", as opposed to a titled person; I think the former.

Hmm.. but why mushrooms?

I guess because the nouveau riche just seemed to spring up overnight - transient mushrooms rather than the mighty oaks of the established aristocracy.

Reread The Talisman Ring last night and am off to badger DH about riding ventre a terre to my death bed. I suspect that he wouldn't (being morbidly afraid of horses). Gasp - maybe he doesn't really love me?

yes, I think mushrooms also because they spring up from the shit

Is it wrong to ask for a curricle for Christmas?

CDMForever - ditto

I have a vague feeling that a mushroom is the same as a thruster ie someone who rides too close to the hounds when hunting or something like that.

Right now I'm reading Frederica. First ever read was Regency Buck. Favourites are Arabella, Grand Sophie, Frederica, Regency Buck, These Old Shades and probably The Black Sheep.

There are sooo many names from GH that I wanted to use with my kids especially Felix, Arabella, Amabell and Sophie.

There is truely nothing better than GH in the bath or GH on the sofa in front of the fire with a hot cup of tea and something sweet to nibble on.

I'm also baffled as to why we have soooooo many Austens on TV but never a GH. Amazing.

I'm guessing there's some issue with copyright/being allowed to use the name/books.

I know a screenwriter who does adaptations, will ask what the possible reasons could be, then if they don't seem insurmountable, we can start lobbying the BBC . Although if they get the casting wrong it would be dreadful.

some googling found that she might have put in her will that the books were not to be made into films (one was and apparently she hated the casting); the publishers would love to get them filmed, but no-one is interested in making them; costume drama is really expensive to make. Take your pick of some/all/none of the above.

is there ever any sex (implied that is) in any of the books?

Not really, no. There is occasional vague reference to mistresses and even a bastard child, but otherwise, not really. Although ladies "increasing" does rather imply that sex has happened...

quite a bit of talk of "mounting mistresses" (as in keeping them, not sex with), and mentions of other men fathering the children, but as a young teen that mostly went over my head tbh.

Well OP in Friday's Child the villain brushes off the woman he seduces and her child as I'm sure you remember. I think that is about as close as it gets. As far as I can remember couples don't kiss at all unless they are engaged or about to become engaged unless it is a bad man who tries something on.

Certainly no bodice ripping though. I would have no qualms at all on passing GH on to a young teen.

Yes, I did wonder, because in Friday's Child,, the Viscount and Hero are married but don't realise they are in love until the end, so I suspect they didn't do it until then - separate bedrooms and all that!

I think you're right regarding Friday's child partly because Hero is so innocent and partly because Sherry is in luuurrve with someone else.

Mind you I'm pretty sure people aren't so retiring in the other books when they're married. Apart from Friday's Child, which still isn't one of my favorites, I really don't like most of the ones where the main couple are already married and therefor doing it.

Also I think separate bedrooms back then were very much the thing so I dont think it's a case of only knocking boots once love is involved.

In Venetia there is reference to a hoydenish woman (refered to as someone's "familiar") who is clearly a prostitute brought in for a weekend of orgies and shanigans. SHe is found in her night shirt shrieking because someone has nearly set the house alight with a candle snuffing mishap.

In Black Sheep, Miles imports his ex-mistress (now a madam) along with one of her charges to play a double-bluff on his horrible nephew.

Sherry is referred to as having an opera dancer, and the Earl of Rule in (A Convenient Marriage)has a mistress with whom there is talk of an intimate relationship but not specifically sex.

Evelyn (False Colours) is visited by the mother of his mistress and there is talk of him owing her a handsome payoff now that he is getting married. The mother in her turn had been the mistress of an unspecified Viscount. (It is Kit who has to sort it all out.)

just bought regency buck. bloody mumsnet enablers persuading me to spend money

You know you want need a few more to see you through the holidays .....

It's a very promising start! He kissed her! The scoundrel.

Mmmmmmmm

Oh there is at least one book where the lady is told she can have her own affairs, if conducted discreetly! Mary Challoner in Devil's Cub is one, but I'm sure there are others. And there is definite reference to the second son of some other Lord not being his blood son. This was not uncommon in the rather licentious age of the Regency - so long as the heir was of the right blood line, there was an element of turning a blind eye to discreet affairs on both sides. Bit of a bugger if anything happened to the legit heir, of course...

This thread also prompted me to re read Regency Buck. Just adore it but read it again for the first time in a few years recently and I was actually shocked at how much of an arrogant bugger he is. I guess it does go to show why so many of my teenage boyfriends were quite controlling and arrogant. I must have thought it was GH type lurrrrve.

Yup - that's why Worth never figures high on my list of fav heros. I'd just want to punch him the whole time. That's why I'd go for Damerel (not arrogant) or Hugo Darracott (funny).

I'm not sure that a punishing right is such a desirable male attribute any more.