Customer Reviews

Venetia

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not only do I think that "Venetia" is Georgette Heyer's best novel, I think Venetia is one of her best characters, and certainly one of my favorite heroines in all romance fiction. She is extremely intelligent and well read, possesses poise, a wonderful sense of humor, and lots of common sense. She is down-to-earth and earthy in a very ladylike way, and a charming, caring person. Venetia is also quite lovely, but her character is so good and strong, that were she only half as beautiful, she would still outshine her peers.

Venetia Lanyon is twenty-five years old, orphaned, and responsible for her frail younger brother Aubrey, who is crippled by a disease of the hip-joint. She is also legally responsible for the family manse and lands in Yorkshire, while their older brother and heir, Conway, is away at war in France. Although Venetia has much going for her in the way of looks, charm and intelligence, and has two loyal suitors nearby, she is determined not to wed unless it is for love. Her father, when he was alive, was a recluse and showed little interest in his children except to forbid Venetia's coming out in London society, sponsored by her very willing aunt. Unaware of the unattached treasure in Yorkshire, London society and many probable excellent matches had to get by without Venetia.

Then, quite by accident, Venetia meets her neighbor, Lord Damerel, who has rarely visited his land since he returned from exile. Damerel is charismatic but not handsome, middle-aged and quite the worst rake, having flown the country with another man's wife years before. Since that liaison broke up, he has been leading a fast, devil-may-care existence and is not received in respectable society. Of course the lady and the rogue are quite taken with each other, and of course many complications ensue. Yet it is clear from their first meeting that the two are soul mates. This is most definitely not the same tired story of good girl meets bad boy and reforms him, etc. - not with Georgette Heyer at the helm.

Ms. Heyers plot and prose are tight, her writing marvelous, and her wit at its best both in the wonderful dialogue between all the characters, and in the many twists and turns the story takes. Venetia is truly amazing with her matter-of-fact air when faced with outrageous circumstances. And Damerel is a most wonderful dark hero, who finally sees the light. Their exploits are delightful. And Ms. Heyer is able, as always, to build sexual tension to a peak with never more than a kiss between the lovers. Her descriptions of the North Country are lyrical, her unusual cast of characters are well developed, and her description of England during the Regency period is very accurate and fascinating. Superb humor and irony are liberally sprinkled throughout.

This is a wonderful novel, and probably my favorite Regency Romance.
JANA

I am biased. I love this book, and have loved it since I first discovered it. Yes, it is a late Heyer, with all that entails (older hero and heroine, less swashbuckling with Heyer in fact poking fun at a young fire-eater, sometimes slow). But on the other hand, it has all of Heyer's best features: humor, wit and irony; an exquisite sense of time and place; wonderfully lyrically descriptions of the North; very realistic descriptions both of the lifestyle of a middle-aged rake and of the uncomfortable road journeys of the day (and the discomfort such journeys could inflict). And can I say - I love the literary references, the brother who is a bookworm (and who insists on reading even after he is in bed recovering from an accident), the wryly realistic attitude of the heroine towards all men and particularly her brothers, the realistic attitude that she also holds towards her lover. It is less poignant than A CIVIL CONTRACT (which is also a strongly realistic Heyer) but which some detest for the less-than-attractive heroine and for what they see as Heyer's snobbery.

This is not a tale of high adventure, and yes, Heyer has written that type, particularly in her earlier years. It is a tale of a beautiful young woman who has nevertheless resigned herself to spinsterhood and to life as the hostess for her younger brother who is unlikely to marry. Into the neighborhood however comes a rake, who is a slightly unlikely figure in that he is not handsome nor appealing at first sight. But he is attracted to Venetia and she to him, perhaps united by their shared sense of the ridiculous. [Warning: Do not read this book on public transportation or in public libraries, if you do not want to draw attention to yourself].

The story shifts from the North of England to London, and back to the North again. Unlike most of Heyer's heroines, Venetia wants no part of high society or London life; her great desire is to return to her own area and to life with her dear, wicked rake.

As I said, you need to be able to expect a book that is sometimes slow, sometimes full (perhaps over-full) of literary references. And definitely to possess a sense of the ridiculous of the type shared by Damerel and Venetia. Don't expect any grand adventures, but the story of a couple who definitely know their minds - and especially a strong, independent but not feisty heroine.

This is one Heyer that has remained at the top of my list (along with FREDERICA) for nearly 20 years. It has followed me from bedroom to bathroom and into the bathroom. I even have a favorite edition, the one with the pink cover. Despite my bias, I believe that this book is worth a read for anyone fond of Regency romances or who appreciates a good read.

I love just about everything Georgette Heyer's written in the Regency genre, but this book is the best of an excellent crop. Venetia is a delightful heroine, mature and intelligent while at the same time extremely naive about men and the ways of the world - so much so that she has absolutely no notion just how much danger her new next-door neighbour, the wicked Lord Damerel, could be to her. And yet it is her innocence which is her greatest protection where he is concerned.

Their growing friendship, assisted by Venetia's young brother, and the interference of Venetia's other suitors, is portrayed with humour and a light touch by Heyer. But once he decides that he cannot in all conscience seduce her, Damerel believes himself to be unworthy of her. Even when she needs him most, he appears to turn his back on her.

Of course, being a Heyer book, all works out in the end, but the journey to that denoument is alternately witty, sparkling and heart-wrenching.

Like most Heyers, this book is now out of print; however you manage to get a copy, keep it! This is a book you'll want to read over and over.

Everyone looking at the reviews here about this novel will know the plot and that everyone who has posted something loved it. Me, too! Damerel is the very best rake in the Regency canon in my view.

However, re-reading this over the holidays I was struck by the great achievement Heyer made in fixing her characters firmly in Regency soil. So many of the more recent pretenders in this genre insist on applying the moral and ethical values of their own time to characters fixed in a fictional world 200 years old.

So here we have Damerel admitting to his shortcomings, Venetia on the verge of being "cabined, cribbed & confined" to Edward, a young man with a disability that won't magically be cured and a host of friends and relatives whose moral outlook isn't crammed into the garments of 21st century behaviour. Brilliant!

Although first published in 1958, this novel is charming, witty, cleverly plotted and exquistely written. It is full of engaging characters who are allowed to act out an amusing and clever story without bowing to modern prejudices. Invaluable!

If you have never read anything by Heyer, try this one first. You will fall in love with Damerel and be charmed by Venetia and find yourself lost in a long-gone world that Heyer makes come truly alive on a private stage for us between the covers of this novel.

VENETIA is one of my favorite books, reread over and over along with Heyer's THE GRAND SOPHY, THESE OLD SHADES, DEVIL'S CUB, THE MASQUERADERS and FALSE COLOURS.I don't dwell here on the plots. See other reviews for that. I write to point out to today's writers (and readers) of Regency Romance the following:
**the main characters - witty, real, intelligent women and men who meet as equals and challenge each other in fascinating, often hilarious scenes on the way to a well-deserved happy ending; characters who come to life so throroughly that they seem like friends rather than fiction
**the secondary characters - brothers and sisters, neighbors, suitors, all fully developed and adding to the story
**the setting - a Regency world populated with people who think and talk and live their lives according to Regency standards
**the sizzle - astounding heat without a single PG-13 word; take VENETIA for instance - in recently published romances, a scene set in a hayloft would include lots of bare flesh, body fluids and cries of passion; Heyer packs a more powerful punch in a scene where the "friskest" characters are a basket of kittens.

I don't necessarily call for a return to Heyer's G-rated times, but oh, how I wish that today's writers could ever approach the wit and wonder of these classics. If you haven't met Venetia and Dameral, Sophy and Charles, Justin and Leonie, Kit and Cressy, Prudence and Anthony - FIND THESE BOOKS and make these fabulous, fascinating folks your friends

I hesitated between giving this story four or five stars and then settled for five. It involves the exquisitely beautiful Venetia, who thanks to her isolated upbringing in the wilds of Yorkshire, is a pragmatic lass with a solid sense of humour. Pretty soon, she encounters the rake from next door, Mr.Reform-Me, I'm-so-sexy Dameril.

All in all, the plot is a little slow, aside from the ending, when I felt as though I were physically hurtling from Yorkshire to London and back, along with the heroine. However, the characters redeem it; Dameril's rivals are hilarity incarnate, including the love-struck and very aggressive teenage Oswald and Edward, the essence of self-righteous pomposity. There is also a breathtakingly obnoxious mother-in-law who gets satisfyingly routed at every turn and her lachrymose, pregnant daughter. The ending itself has a pretty good twist and best of all, the hero and heroine are believably "right" for each other.

Heyer is absolutely the Queen of Regency romances, and Venetia is, as far as I'm concerned, her best. An independent woman determined to resist her two insistent suitors and take good care of her younger borther; she meets her new neighbour, Damerel, the most notorious rake in England. At first he is tempted to seduce her, but later becomes protective towards her. Then, when her older brother marries and she is forced to leave her home for London, she thinks she will never see Damerel again. Desperate measures are called for...

This is not a typical Regency; Venetia is not a blushing debutante, and Damerel is not a dandified town gentleman. But the characters are delightfully appealing and Damerel is such a wonderful, down-to-earth hero! Read it, re-read it, treasure it for ever. I do.

"Venetia" has the distinction of being the last Georgette Heyer I read before I had to settle for rereads. And while it is a novel that has all the Heyer trademarks of quality -- a good story, memorable and well developed characters, and a truly sparkling and witty prose style -- it is also somewhat different from most of her other novels, in that, as another reviewer on Amazon.com (bookjunkiereviews) has put it, in that the novel's heroine, Venetia Lanyon, has a rather realistic yet sunny approach to life.

The storyline for "Venetia" is simplicity itself: the very beautiful, intelligent and sunny natured Venetia Lanyon had long resigned to herself to spinsterhood -- afterall here she was, at the ripe age of twenty-five, living in the country, running her brother Conway's estate, while he was off playing at being a soldier, keeping house for her sickly but brilliant younger brother, Aubrey, and with two improbable country swains as suitors. Enter the roguish Lord Dameral: neighbour of the Lanyons, this rakish and jaded aristocrat is surely the very last person anyone would expect sheltered and virtuous Venetia to become good friends with. But this is exactly what happens much to the consternation of those who love Venetia...

This is a very "grown-up" kind of novel, about the relationship between two adults of very different upbringings and two very different temperaments, from friendship and a sincere admiration to something more (in fact as several other reviewers have already mentioned, the attraction between Venetia and Demeral fairly sizzles and yet there is not one sexually explicit scene! goodness!!). Georgette Heyer does a fantastic job of charting this blossoming relationship from its incipience to the painful parting to the satisfying and triumphant end. And while I'm ashamed to own that I didn't enjoy this charming novel as it so fully deserved all those years ago, I'm happy to relate that I have enjoyed "Venetia," more and more with each subsequent read, ever since. I've read a great many romance novels, but I don't think that I've ever read anything quite so romantically satisfying as "Venetia."

Lord Damerel's humour finds a perfect respondent in Venetia. The witty interludes between Venetia and Damerel are engrossing, but the narration of the book gets to be a bit cumbersome when it digresses into the history and psychology of the various other characters in the book. Aubrey--Venetia's brother is a delight, while her older brother, Conway thankfully remains obscure throughout. Nevertheless, an unusual heroine and a wonderful love story.

Recently I decided to try my hand at writing a Regency romance, and after re-reading a couple of Jane Austens, I decided to look up my old Georgette Heyers, which I'd read back in high school and college. Of course my old paperbacks are difficult to find, so I was happy to see new editions of "Venetia" and a few others at Borders. Heyer is ideal for anyone who wants to know about the Regency period--unlike Austen, she's writing for an audience who may be unfamiliar with the manners and fashions of the time, so one gets a clearer picture of some details--but her real attraction is, of course, that she knows how to tell a tale, with humor and suspense and intriguing heroes and intelligent heroines that any reader can identify with. Austen reigns, but Heyer stands at her right hand, indispensable for any Regency reader--and for any lover of a good story, period.