Georgette Heyer ONLY book club...

[LadyDamerel]

...could we start one?

I know there are loads of GH fans on here, so what do you think?

Daedalus - start with Frederica, or maybe the Grand Sophy which was my first. And GH is most definitely not trash! It's historically accurate literature I'll have you know .

at Venetia and LadyD.

I know them all practically by heart, though slightly that LadyD didn't mention Hugo Darracott.

Don't bother with My Lord John. It is full of ghastly would-be archaic dialogue and really quite dull.

I have loved Georgette Heyer since I was a teenager - my favourite cosy re-reads. Not many comfort reads are so witty.

She had an interesting life, although I'm finding the recent biography heavy going - it's such a shame her family allowed someone who has done a PhD and writes in an extremely leaden style to do Georgette's biography (rather than a real writer with some flair). But I'm such a fan I'm wading through this 'ooh, get me, I've done loads of research' nonsense.

LadyDamerel - what did you have in mind - a general GH love in or an "everyone read and discuss a particular book"? I'm up for either.

You're very kind, LadyDamerel, but I fear I struggle to get the reading done for the book groups I'm already in. I am most attracted to the idea of a nuncheon, though.

edam - have you read the Jane Aiken Hodge biog? It's very well done and readable, whereas I've heard the new one is rather a disappointment.

Ooo I love GH and id be up for a group :-D

I love Arabella. Mr Beaumont is wonderful, but I also love Sylvester, something about the way his eyebrows were described. My dh has dark thick eyebrows and I met him after reading the book... No real link im sure! ;)

IShall . I want to go back to Bath and do a GH tour. Apparently the Jane Austen festival in Sept/Oct time is attended by a lot of GH fans too.

Hullo Venetia, there's a LadyVenetia around somewhere too, poor Jasper must be exhausted with such a harem .

I forgot about Hugo - I do like him too, and Gareth, and Phillip, and Marcus, and Gervase, and the Duke of Avon (she says hurriedly, so as not to offend Leonie), and Vidal, and oh just all of them really. She hasn't written a bad hero in any of the ones I've read so far.

My thought was to do one book at a time so as not to go off on (too many) tangents.

I was wondering about the Jane Austen festival actually, but then it was on Masterchef, and they all seemed very weird. Maybe a MN day out?

Beaumaris - damn phone

The Supersize Georgian/Regency episode with Sue Perkins and Giles Coren had them eating the most disgusting things. I don't think even the best french chef could persuade me to eat cod's head.

I didn't see that IShall. John Torode makes me stabby so I avoid it .

Can we all dress up for the MN Bath Meet-up? I fancy parading around Laura place in figured muslin, a pelise and a poke fronted bonnet.

ooh, while I remember, anyone in the Birmingham area - Aston Hall has some lovely DC Regency dressing up stuff. Sadly we didn't have long enough for DD3 to try it all on, so I only have photos of one outfit, but there were several different outfits which looked reasonably authentic.

What about costumes for the grown-ups?

the best bit about he Jane Austen Cetre talk was getting to see the clothes in the museum, and going all eek-ey at the fact you could see the hand sewing, much to the ment of the large group of American visitors .

Haven't been to the Costume Museum for a good few years (the one in the Assembly rooms?) as almost everytime I try to visit, the Assembly rooms are closed for a private function .

Tatton Park (and Dunham Massey but not as much) in Cheshire is a fantastic place to wander and imagine oneself as a heroine in a GH novel too.

LadyD - no grown up dressing up, but... there is somewhere that has not regency as such, but certainly long swishy dresses, and I can't for the life of me remember where! It's somewhere in Sussex, in a town, a small cottage museum, and there's lots of dressing up stuff. I'll have a think and see if I can find the photos which might trigger the name of the place..

Oh, hello, please can I join in, whatever you decide to do?? I adore GH and have done for years. Have re-read everything countless times. She is most satisfying because of the different types of heroes - whether you're in the mood for dark and saturnine and cynical, or elegant and witty, you can just pick your book. Similarly with heroines - mature and intelligent, young and reckless ... and she is so funny and her language is wonderful and her history, so I gather, is spot on ...
I could go on - but I need a comfort read right now so I'm going to head off downstairs and pull one off the shelf!
Thank you so much for the inspiration!

Sussex, you say? So it could be combined with a trip to Brighton Pavillion?

You certainly can, Willow .

Who wants to suggests a book we can begin with?

found it Anne of Cleves house in Lewes.