Customer Reviews

Foundling

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a more subtle story than most of GH's romances. On the first reading, I liked it but wasn't 'in love' with it, after the handsome, dashing heroes of 'These Old Shades', 'Venetia', 'Frederica' et.al.

But upon re-reading it, I've started to enjoy it more. It hasn't actually got much romance -- the comments about the lack of character in the hero's fiancee, Henrietta, are pretty accurate. She's a timid and rather dull portraiture.

What struck me upon re-reading it was the deeply affectionate relationship between Gilly and his cousin Gideon. Gideon is in fact the perfect Regency hero -- dark, tall, handsome, dashing -- but although he races off to Gilly's rescue when he learns his little cousin is in danger, his help turns out not to be needed as Gilly rescues himself, growing up considerably in the process.

In fact, this is the only Heyer novel that shows such an openly caring relationship between two men raised as brothers. It's actually a nice change from the usual romance formula, watching Gilly gain confidence during his adventures after suffering for so long under the well-meaning tyranny of his guardian and the old family retainers.

Most of Heyer's novels tend to have better-drawn female characters than male characters, so it's an interesting change to read one of her books where the male characters are much more vivid and active than the females.

A great book? No. But a very charming one, and I re-read it more often than I first thought I would. I like Gilly a lot -- all those incredibly handsome, dashing heroes get a bit wearisome after a while! He's very believable, and engages one's sympathies in being burdened with wealth, responsibility and titles that he isn't sure he can live up to.

Another Heyer gem!

Adolphus Gillespie Vernon Ware, the Duke of
Sale, is tired of all the pompous trappings of his position. A mild
mannered and kindly young man, he's also tired of being treated like a
semi-invalid child by his family and retainers alike. Longing for an
adventure, he leaps at the chance to help a young realtive who has
written some unwise love letters to an unsuitable young lady, and who
is now being sued for breach of promise. What follows is a series of
adventures, some hilarious, a few somewhat dangerous, as the young
duke comes into his own.

A truly excellent book. The young Duke of
Sale is exactly the kind of romantic hero one wishes one read more of
instead of the autocratic-almost-a-rapist "hero" one comes
across more often in regency romances today.

This is one of Heyer's least 'romance-driven' Regencies, but it's one of my favorites. I really like the mild-mannered Gilly and his dashing cousin, and The Villain of the Piece is hilarious. The dialogue, descriptions, and historical inter-weavings are all top-notch, as usual. This ranks right up there with The Unknown Ajax, The Talisman Ring, and Sprig Muslin (none of which pay overwhelming attention to the romance part of the plot,and all of which are enormously entertaining).

He's shy. He's well looking but small in stature. He is immensely rich. The posthumous son of the last Duck of Sale, His Grace, the Most Noble Adolphus Gillespie Vernon Ware has been orphaned and sickly from birth. He has for years been suffocatingly coddled and swaddled by well-intentioned relations and old family retainers. While his rank and financial interests are cared for and his every want met, his wishes are dismisssed as inappropriate to his rank and duty. Poor sweet Gilly nurses wistful dreams of being Mr. Dash, a Nobody, of Nowhere in Particular. Now about to attain his 25th birthday and take control of his large estates and larger fortune, Gilly is informed that a match has been arranged for him with a young woman of impeccable credentials. Although he has known Harriet from childhood and sympathizes with her situation--her guardians dominate her too--she is not the choice of his heart. But his sweet nature and upbringing does not permit him to hurt anyone's feelings and he obdiently offers for her. Then unexpectedly, Gilly's attempt to help a young relative offfers him the chance to disappear, to break loose and become Mr. Dash for a few last days, and Gilly plunges headlong into his first adventure. For the first time, he finds people turning to him for help. As plain Mr. Dash, he rescues an outrageous schoolboy escaping his own moralising tutor as Gilly himself had often longed to do. Then an innocent dasher of the first water throws herself on his mercy. Together the ill-assorted trio fall from one escapade to another, in the process throughly alarming Gilly's old retainers and well-meaning guardians. There is humour, adventure, and a sympathetic hero, but this is not a top rate Heyer and I found it ultimately disappointing. Her stories often start slowly, but I was impatient with Gilly until he broke loose from his moralizing guardians, who were too boringly real to be truely funny. However, when the story does break loose along with Gilly, how he finds himself and his heart's true choice and learns to turn the tables on his preceptors is an enjoyable read. Although it contains some good characters and characteristic Heyer humour, the whole confection lacks the energy and fizz of her best brews. I thought it might be fun to look at what I think are some reasons for this. In The Foundling, both the hero and heroine are unconventional in the genre sense. There is no problem with this in itself. In many of her books it is a strength. Heyer assembled a stock cast in her early books, rather like traditional Italian Comedie with its Harlequins and Columbines--or like the pieces in a chess game. There were standard characters--the sardonic rake, the impulsive romantic young woman, the hedonistic bachelor, the effeminate tulip of fashion, the dowdy governess or relative, the empty-headed beauty. Each played their bit or supporting part as friend, uncle, brother, or mother, sister, governess--or took center stage as hero and heroine. But then, having set up these expectations, Heyer tossed the characters into the air and let them fall and inhabit new roles. And in the process taught us to like something else even better. A put-upon poor relation wins first the heart of the reader then that of the handsome Earl. A forceful, charming rake turns out to be selfish and becomes unattractive. A stammering comedy part reveals unexpected qualities which win the heart of the reader before than of the heroine. However, these surprises delight. They enhance the genre and do not disappoint our essential reason for reading the book in the first place. They intensify the coming together of two people as a relationship develops based on values and characater rather than appearance. In fact, Heyer teases us with appearances in order to provide us with something richer. In The Foundling, however, Gilly is the only protagonist. The story is about Gilly's development more than it is about the development of a relationship between two people. It is really more a coming of age story than it is about two people coming to love and appreciate each other. One does not preclude the other, but here, the woman and the relationship take a seat so far from centre stage that they are merely a subplot, a token. What there is of her has potential, but that is not developed sufficiently. Not only does this remove some needful tension from the narrative, but it disappoints my reason for being there. By ignoring the heroine, Heyer fails to keep her contract with her readers. The Foundling is (possibly)one of Heyer's early experiments with the role surprises which are fully realized in books like Cotillian and A Quiet Gentleman. As such it represents only a partial success. Gilly himself is sweet and the supporting cast well drawn and humourous. And that is fine as long as you only expect a trip through a Regency countryside without the London Season.

I have just re-read this book for the umpteenth time. Every time I read it, it grows on me more. One does get a bit surfeited with romance, and this is a coming of age story more than a romance. It is one of Heyer's humorous works, with a loveable hero somewhat on the lines of Freddie in Cotillion.

As Gilly, Duke of Sale, takes on the role of Mr. Dash of Nowhere in Particular, he realizes his own strengths and abilities. When his heroic cousin Gideon - a typical Heyer hero - comes to rescue him from the cellar where his kidnappers have put him, Gilly has already escaped, buring the house down in the process! In his gentle, but not weak way, Gilly finally grows into his ducal shoes.

Heyer's ability to plot an intricate story, with many sub-plots, reminds me of P G Wodehouse. She can weave all these diverse strands until a satisfactory resolution ends the book. Her characters in this book are rich, funny and diverse. Heyer almost always has the ability to draw characters from all levels of society. Not always two-dimensional, but always interesting. In The Foundling, Tom Mamble provides some of the comic relief - his backward race on two pigs, a cow and an old horse, is hysterical! But Tom, scion of a very wealthy but vulgar ironmonger, saves the day at the end of the book... I won't disclose this in case the reader of this review has not yet read the book. Belinda, the foundling named in the title, is perhaps the most beautiful but empty-headed Heyer heroine of all!

And yes, the heroine's role in this book is a small one, but she, too, is coming of age and her gentle assertiveness grows as she grows in confidence of Gilly's love for her. She seems a perfect, and loving, match for Gilly. No, there is no tension about this romance, but it is gentle and sweet, and perhaps inexorable.

I no longer care for romance novels where the hero is a brute, and the love making takes on the character of sexual harrasment, to put it no higher. I like books that are well-plotted, have interesting characters, are historically as well as practically accurate. The Foundling fills the bill!

Heyer's books would make wonderful made-for-tv movies as only the BBC can do it. Why has this not happened yet?

I ended up staying up till the wee hours of the morning to finish this book. I have recently read quite a few Georgette Heyer books. I found them while looking for clean regency style books. I have enjoyed them thoroughly. Some of course I have liked better than others. And have to say I was surprised to find that The Foundling was right up there as one of my favorites. The characters were so well drawn and the dialog so crisp that I could well see this as a very entertaining movie. Tom Hollander (Pride & and Prejudice, and Wives and Daughters) would have to play Gilly! One of the previous reviewers talked about the relationship between Gilly and Gideon. It was very well done. And Lord Lionel was the perfect loving but overbearing uncle. I will be sad when I have gone thru all of GH's regency novels. I may have to start them over again.

I have always enjoyed this one very much, but as I read it recently, I felt that it was really a brilliant novel. Not a romance, but a coming of age story of a late bloomer. It's enlivened with an amazing cast of characters and there's just not a false note in the entire book. It's funny, sweet, exciting, amd yes, romantic in a strangely understated and very touching way.

As always Georgette Heyer's humor is the major draw for me and humor abounds in this one. There's witty dialogue, flat out slapstick, and dryly funny narration.

The characters in the book are wonderful, the stars are Tom, Belinda, and Mr. Liversedge, as well as, of course, the Duke, but supporting characters like Nettlebed, Matthew, and even a character we never actually meet, Mr. Clitheroe, keep the reader chuckling, if not laughing loudly.

The best part of the story, what I think raises it above the other works by Heyer, is the story of Gilly, as he discovers how resourceful he is. He stays sweet, courteous and chivalrous, and still, by the end of ths story makes himself the man he wants to be. Wonderful!

As regency novels go, Georgette Heyer never wrote anything less than five-star books. Indeed, she essentially created the genre, and her writing set a standard that has rarely been equaled by the many regency novelist who have followed her. Her writing is witty and graceful, and NEVER is there overt sex.

Of course, her novels vary in quality, and within her work, I would rate The Foundling as four-star. It is gratifyingly lengthy, and the plot and characters are well developed. But it doesn't have quite the sparkle of her very best work. Nevertheless, you will enjoy it.

A word to the wise.... Heyer also wrote six mysteries, now becoming available again, and they are also very much worth reading.

For avid Georgette Heyer fans, The Foundling will be an interesting and satisfying departure from the romance novels. The Foundling focuses on the Duke of Sale and his adventures as he goes "undercover" as a regular man. Gilly is a sympathetic and interesting leading character trying to overcome years of being overprotected. Gilly encounters all sorts of personalities while trying to end his cousin's entanglement, fortunately, Gilly reacts to the unexpected with kindness, a gentle manner and considerable common sense. The Foundling is witty, unexpected, and great fun.

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (September 2009), 448 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

This was never one of my favourite Heyer's when I first started reading her books, probably because I was looking for romance, and in this book that element very much takes a back seat. I re-read it recently on holiday however and really enjoyed it for completely different reasons. The story mainly focuses on Gilly (the Duke of Sale) who is fed up with being molly coddled by his many doting retainers and protective relatives. Our hero is far from your traditional tall, dark and handsome alpha heros but is 'below average height', slightly delicate and very gentle with a 'sweet disposition'. He is reluctant to hurt the feelings of those who have his interests so much at heart but is totally fed up with being thwarted every time he tries to assert himself by all the well-meaning busy bodies who surround him. He decides he'd like to see what it's like to be just plain Mr Dash from Nowhere and his cousin Matthew gives him the opportunity. Matthew has become entangled with a very dodgy character who claims to be the guardian of the blindingly beautiful but extremely dim-witted Belinda (the Foundling of the title). The adventures Gilly encounters as plain Mr Rufford are what makes this book so charming and so enjoyable. He becomes involved with a runaway school boy, various colourful rogues, highway men and inn-keepers, he gets captured, escapes and manages to fend for himself very well in the end. As usual there is loads of wonderful detail and plenty of funny moments. They wind up in Bath where Gilly enlists the help of his betrothed (who he proposes to at the beginning of the book at the suggestion of his uncle who has virtually arranged the match). His Harriet is the perfect match for him, shy and gentle but with a strong core and the whole muddled, complicated plot comes out happily in the end. Of course. If you are looking for passionate romance this is not for you but if you love Heyer, her insights into Regency life, her humour and originality this one is definitely worth reading.