Devil's Cub: Georgette Heyer Book Club Part 3

[DilysPrice]

My calendar has reminded me that we are back from half term and it is Devil's Cub day.

Avon is still omnipotent and omniscient (and GH still totes has a crush on him even though he's 60-something). Leonie is still mad as a box of frogs. Rupert is still good value. And Juliana's unfortunate fiancé performs the Hugh Davenent role of sane observer making dry quips at the craziness around him (but doing it much better IMO because he has an actual plot function).

Which leaves us with the romantic leads. Mary is brilliant - one of my all time favourite GH heroines. Dominic has his moments but although GH thought his actions were forgivable, can we ever accept him as a "happy ending" from our 21st century perspective? GH is clearly aware (from the other characters' comments) that she's pushing the "girls love a bastard" angle as close as possible to its limit, and the fact that she never went that far again in her later books I think shows her awareness that she'd crossed the line.

But the plotting - oh how I love the plotting.

Thoughts? Can we accept Dominic as a romantic lead? Did you swoon over him as a teen?

First one I ever read!

I wish I could remember precisely what I thought - I was about 12 probably, & my boyfriend's mother gave it to me to read, telling me she hadn't been allowed GH when she was a teen! I remember finding it terribly romantic & loving the ending with Vidal & Mary finally united. Now like the other posters I am uncomfortable with the whole minimising of attempted rape & the Vidal being a 'sulky boy' that Mary could manage. Mary is great though & I still find it a really witty read.

Is The Infamous Army next then? Have never read it, will need to get a copy.

Infamous Army ties in two story lines, so don't read it before you've read Regency Buck or you'll get confused. Regency Buck is the more direct link to Infamous Army, but yes, Mary and Vidal make a brief cameo appearance as Bab's grandparents in it.

Regency Buck should be next on our list. Previous books' threads have started on a Monday evening - do we think 25th June, or 2nd July would be good?

Oh I've read Regency Buck, so no fears there.

The 'she was asking for it because she's a tease' mindset was the only way I could think GH could justify Vidal's behaviour. And yes, Jubilucket, certain areas of the Press still seem to think that's an okay excuse.

I can't remember who mentioned the OTT drama in this one and how she calms that down in later books but my favourite novels of hers (Frederica, Arabella, Venetia, Lady of Quality, for example) are those which have very little drama but focus almost entirely on the characters.

::focuses on the really important part of book club::

Are we casting the TV adaptation of Devil's Cub yet?

Leonie has found this chap who admirably fits the bill for Vidal, imo.

Oooh, comes over all unnecessary at that link LadyDameral/Leonie
Yes please

I have no idea who he is but he knows how to rock a cravat.

Plus he's dark haired and grey-eyed so he's a perfect Heyer hero, the question is, who?

No, no, not for Vidal - perhaps Sherry or Mr Beaumaris, one of the other younger ones at least.

Aisling Loftus as Mary? Mary is dark haired, isn't she?

Ah, good point, he is. Mr Beaumaris then?

She didn't do so many young heroes, did she - not really. I liked Sherry, twit that he was to start with - he just needed to grow up massively.

That 2nd link by LadyD might do for Perry - but again, can't remember his hair colour!

I had a quick check on Heyerlists and over half of the heroes are 30+, whereas the majority of her heroines are around 20.

Vidal and Freddy Standen are the youngest at 23 and 21(ish) respectively.

I think Sherry's blond too. So I should be fishing out Regency Buck for a re-read? Haven't snuggled down with that one for ages, but I'm pretty certain I've got it.
Lady D your second one is more Vidal-ish, he looks sulky, like a young Rupert Everett. The first one is gorgeous. Aisling Loftus is lovely, she looks sensible too, so perfect for the intelligent girl heroines.

once married they never spent much time together though (IRL) so it was irrelevant if they had anything in common. Young wife more likely to produce an heir, lack of life experience less likely to interfere with the "mounting a mistress", plus looks-wise as a woman you were past it by 35 in any case. It's a shame we don't get to see many of the couples post marriage (off the top of my head it's only a Civil Contract for the main hero/heroine) to see how they interacted, and the differences between the two states.

The Age-gap thing, well, "The Corinthian", and "Arabella" in particular spring to mind. It was of course the accepted romantic convention back then, that the man had to be older and dominant. It you've ever read any Mills and Boon from the 60s and 70s you'll see just how pervasive it was, to the point where abusive and even sadistic relationships were utterly normalised. .

It goes a long way towards explaining GHs wide-ranging appeal - intelligent heroines who were the intellectual equals of the heroes, but with enough of the romantic tropes in place to satisfy the romatic fiction fans. I always thought she modelled her best heroes and heroines on Beatrice and Benedict - I remember the frisson of pleased recognition when I first read Much Ado About Nothing!

April Lady and The Convenient Marriage are both about married couples, though not half as good as A Civil Contract. Still, they are both quite thoughtful about what it means for an older, experienced man to marry a much younger bride (Horry in The Convenient Marriage is only 17).

there's quite a lot of talk about how an older husband would suit particular girls/women - Frederica wonders about one for her sister, Julia in C.Contract ends up with an older man which is regarded as a good thing for her. On the other hand, Judith (Regency Buck) is quite disparaging about her royal suitor's age, more so I think than his looks/manners.

Forgot about April Lady (don't like it for some reason, so very rarely read it) and Con. Marriage. Don't think Horry is your typical GH 17 year old though .

Even the older heroines - Annis Wychwood and Abigail Wendover, in particular who are 28/29 - marry men who are in their 40s so the age gap is still considerable.

I was thinking about Horry & Rule while I was at work a few weeks ago. We had an 18yo student in and she was so young (she made me feel old and I'm Rule's age, put it that way) and I did wonder what on earth these established men of the town found to talk about with their excessively young wives.

The whole premise of GH is that the couples marry for love, regardless of age/class/family barriers, isn't it? Presumably that means the men wouldn't take a mistress after they were married; a couple of the heroes (Damerel and Oliver Carleton spring to mind) promise that their days of being in the petticoat line are over.

I like to think they're faithful, anyway!

Here you go, Leonie, if you're a mathematician you could work out the average, mode and mean age gaps. Just don't ask me, I only teach up to Y4 for a reason .

oh but the age gaps are primarily, IMO, to show how special and important these young heroines are - their beaux have been "men of the town" for years, had any number of caps thrown at them, and have resisted all the matchmaking mammas and family members thus far - until they meet our fantabulous heroine, and all their world-hardened cynicism and philandering ways are blown away by their love for this particular woman.

Doesn't have quite the same effect when the hero is only a couple of years older than the heroine routinely.

But, much as I love the books, I do deprecate the need to display even the most intelligent and independent heroines as going weak at the knees at displays of brute strength by their beau, and the concept that they (the women) can manage their brutishness - sends a terrible message to women who suffer abuse in their relationships.

"I do deprecate the need to display even the most intelligent and independent heroines as going weak at the knees at displays of brute strength by their beau..."

I don't think it's a co-incidence that I've come to appreciate A Civil Contract more and more as I get older, Jenny does the rescuing imo, bit of a martyr of course but at least Adam does come to appreciate her.