Customer Reviews

Penhallow

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

 

 

Could this really be by the same woman who wrote Cotillion, and The Grand Sophy, and many other marvellously witty historical romances? It is a Heyer that isn't a typical Heyer, but I highly recommend it. If you thought Heyer could only write romantic fluff and froth, you failed to notice and appreciate the cast-iron gauntlet of reality beneath the soft swansdown-trimmed velvet glove. Penhallow is a very unusual book, written to persuade Heyer's publishers to break off her contract - and it shows just how much talent Heyer had. She sat down and rushed off this book, and it came out as this deeply disquieting, deliberately dissatisfactory - but yet compelling and fascinating novel. One of her most savage and dysfunctional families comes together in this book. The imagery is powerful, the writing pulls no punches. This book will shock you if you thought you knew Heyer's style, it may even be a severe disappointment (I do not find it disappointing, but it is admittedly very hard to categorise) but it is frighteningly good. The tyranny and sadism of the old man unfortunately is all too believable, as are the reactions and behaviour of his family. It is a psychological novel with no romantic elements, and must not be read with the expectation of romance, but rather, prepared for the macabre, and the insights into the downtrodden or controlled psyches and minds. It is an extremely interesting book, and astonishingly well-written.

I have to totally agree with the above review. This book is excellently written! It is similar to Agatha Christie's 'Hercule Poirot's Christmas' - only Heyer wrote her version about 5 years earlier. An old man is the tyrant of his household. When he is murdered, everything comes apart. Georgette Heyer conveys the emotions of dispair and hopelessness and regret much better than Christie does in her version. The murderer thought things would be better, they're not, but the old man can't be brought back to life again. I didn't like it because I like more light hearted books - and this is not Heyer's normal light-heartedness, admittedly, but it is very well written.

Those who expect Heyer's usual romance, or even her usual mystery will be disappointed. "Penhallow" tells the story of an elderly tyrant, who keeps a tight reign over his numerous family. Depending on their respective personality, most of them are either nervous wrecks or are holding in deeply repressed anger. With such an atmosphere, it is no wonder that Penhallow gets murdered; but the reader knows who the murderer is. There is no mystery, in other words, though there is a plot twist which allows the murderer to get away. Instead, the focus is on the intense atmosphere of bitter rivalries and anger between the members of the family. It is fascinating, in a warped sort of way, and therefore a good read; but some may find it unpleasant.

Recently I've been re-reading books written by Georgette Heyer. I remembered the book but not the story. It is no wonder. I doubt that I finished it. The characters are uninteresting and unlikable. The story rambles. I understand what the author is trying to achieve, but she doesn't pull it off.

This surprising book might be the product of England's Darkest Hour (an Americanization of Churchill's "Finest Hour.") Penhallow himself might be Hitler or Mussolini. His numerous offspring could represent Axis or occupied nations. It would be a game to try to piece all these elements together, But, I think it's a mistake to try to analyze the book outside the context of WWII. The Blitz had just ended, though I suppose it was difficult to be certain of that; Heyer and her family had just moved into bombed-out London. England had apparently lost a major war. The times were too serious for Regency frippery and I think Penhallow may have been the result.

Penhallow is an odd story. Heyer spends about 200 pages introducing Penhallow and his browbeaten family, most of whom want to murder him, before he is finally murdered - and the reader gets to see the murder happen. The police are a side-plot at best.

It's a creepy story and all of the main characters have nasty flaws that they let run their lives. I won't go through the list in case I give you a clue about the murder and the final twist in the end. They are compelling enough characters to reread the story but be prepared to do something cheerful afterwards.

By far the darkest of Heyer's mysteries, Penhallow is more a psychological study. The intensity of the environment is a departure from the rest of her writing. Probably her best from a literary standpoint, but if expecting Heyer's usual comedies of manners, the reader will agree with last line found in the book..."A very unsatisfactory case."

DL

Everyone has some failings -- and I have plenty of them. One thing I never could seem to do -- and still can't -- is to follow the plots of "whodunits". "Red herrings", (plot devices put in mystery novels to confuse the action --and the reader or viewer), ALWAYS confuse me totally, (and, for me, turn into "red SHARKS" -- completely destrooying any weak, brave attempt I manage to muster to discover 'whodunit'), and, more often than not, despite my best and hardest efforts, I wind up suspecting just the most WRONG person. (In one TV mystery wherein a pocket-watch without a crystal was an important clue -- due to the soon revealed blindness of one of the characters -- I thought the PROP department had made a mistake!) It's a good thing, therefore, that I am NOT a detective, or more innocent people would probably be in jail, and more guilty ones would happily be free.....(happily for THEM, of course, not for the population in general.)

However, "PENHALLOW" is the ONE mystery even I could follow! Perhaps, because, (as another reviewer has called it), it is an "Upside-Down Mystery." In any event, though I have not yet read any other of Ms. Heyer's mysteries, I certainly CAN vouch for this oen. Romantic, chilling, suspenseful, full of atmosphere and, (of course), very good writing, it also has THE one element any mystery SHOULD have -- the reader can follow the action! At least, I could -- and, I hazard to guess, if I can follow the action in this mystery, just about ANY reader can. This edition, as well, has -- or a mass-market paperback book -- a nice dark and larger-than-usual print size. And a wonderfully mysterious painting on the front cover. It is a regency-romanc-mystery, SO well done, as, it seems, only Georgette Heyer could do it! Totally first-rate on ALL accounts. A book to buy, read, keep and treasure!

I consider this is one of Georgette Heyer's best but it's not her usual regency romance. It's more of a dark comedy drama -tragedy than mystery. You know who committed the murder however it was not solved by the police and the killer's identity was mistaken by the family(except the killer.) The killer got her punishment everyday for the remaining of her life after the murder so the justice was done in a sense.

As usual it's all light hearted wickedly funny with fantastic characters full of irony and witty sparkling dialogs too. Every character are flawed but never dull. It really makes you think. So this is a true serious literature in a sense. I consider this is classic.

"Penhallow" is not your standard Heyer mystery with a light romance, though written in 1943, it reads as if it was published today with all the stark emphasis on the macabre of human behavior. Adam Penhallow exercises all his power to draw his sons & their wives, his sister and his wife into his malevolent realm of hatred and malice. It isn't a question of when he will be murdered, but by whom. There is little doubt as to the identity of the killer, but there is no evidence.
"A very unsatisfactory case," is the last line when a killer gets away with murder, but the devastating portraits of each person is so riveting you stay to the end. Not a story to be dismissed because it lacks the standard Heyer flair, but one to be relished as she demonstrates a unique talent of grim insight into the human psychic. This myster is one that was ahead of its time.
Nash Black, author of "Qualifying Laps" and "Sins of the Fathers."