Whenever a reader asks: Which of the Georgette Heyer books ranks among your favorites? Venetia invariably springs from my lips. Mind you, I had not read this book for decades, but I savored its memory. In recent years I began to question my younger self, for while I loved rereading The Grand Sophy last year, I didn’t find it quite as splendid as the 24-year-old Vic had. As I grew older, other GH books made their first appearance on my favorites list, such as The Quiet Gentleman and The Reluctant Widow.
When Sourcebooks sent me a review copy of Venetia I did not choose it for my first critique, for I did not want to spoil my youthful impression. Once I began reading the book, I discovered that the 25-year-old heroine of Undershaw in Yorkshire captivated me all over again.
Amongst the pick of the debutantes at Almack’s she must have attracted attention; in the more restricted society in which she dwelt she was a nonpareil. It was not only the size and brilliance of her eyes which excited admiration, or the glory of her shining guinea-gold hair, or even the enchanting arch of her pretty mouth: there was something very taking in her face which owed nothing to the excellence of her features: an expression of sweetness, a sparkle of irrepressible fun, an unusually open look, quite devoid of self-consciousness.”
Venetia Lanyon is no ordinary heroine. Like Jane Austen’s Emma, she has largely led a protected life, thanks to her reclusive father, and allowed to go only to the dance assemblies in York and as far as the seaside town of Scarborough. Although she might not have been given a Season in London, Venetia is smart, lively, and resourceful. After her father’s death and in her elder brother’s absence, she runs the estate and makes all the important decisions overseeing the house, servants, herself and her young brother, Aubrey.
Waiting for her brother Conway’s return (he is a soldier), Venetia fends off two local suitors, the priggish Edward Yardley, who is as dull as a post, and ardent Oswald Denny, who, too dazzled by Venetia’s unselfconscious beauty and overly influenced by Lord Byron’s romanticism, is unable to recognize that he is much too young for her. Venetia lives a sedate life in her back country neighborhood, whose denizens are all respectable and predictable, except for one – Lord Damerel, a rake and ne’er-do-well, and a blight upon Undershaw’s spotless reputation.
“His family was an old and a distinguished one, but the present holder of the title was considered by the respectable to be the neighborhood’s only blot. It was almost a social solecism to mention his name in polite company.”
Venetia’s uneventful life unexpectedly changes when she encounters Damerel as she picks blackberries on his lands while wearing an old and rumpled gown.
“He was a stranger, but his voice and his habit proclaimed his condition, and it did not take her more than a very few moments to guess that she must be confronting the Wicked Baron. She regarded him with candid interest, unconsciously affording him an excellent view of her enchanting countenance.”
Mistaking her for a trespassing servant maid, he kisses her. And so the fun begins, for we are still at the very start of the novel.
Which brings me to the hero. As a young woman, I preferred dark brooding heroes like Damerel – men whose vices, dissipations and disappointments turn them into cynics; men whose good qualities are awakened by spectacular women like Venetia, men who on the surface are all wrong for the heroine. And so in Damerel I found my perfect unforgettable hero. Now, in my more advanced age (ahem), I find that I am still enamored of him.
Several qualities make Venetia stand head and shoulders above most of GH’s other novels. The plot is intelligent and complex and gets better and better with each page, continually taking us in unexpected directions. In fact, there were three twists that threw me for a loop and that kept this love story fresh and alive until the last page.
Several minor characters stand out from the ordinary. I could read an entire book about Aubrey, Venetia’s physically disabled but fiercely independent and brilliant brother who likes books more than people. Then there’s Mrs. Scorrier, an unforgettable vulgar character in the mode of a Mrs. Elton. Presumptuous, overbearing, and encroaching, she promises to overset Venetia’s and Aubrey’s well ordered lives (and those of the servants). Then there’s the matter of a little mystery, for as the book progressed I kept asking myself, when will we meet Venetia’s brother Conway? So much of the plot revolves around his absence and his anticipated return, that I was keen to meet him.
I am one of the GH readers who luxuriates in her use of Regency cant, and Venetia offers this language in spades:
She made the shocking discovery that he was a member of the dandy-set – indeed the pinkest of Pinks, a swell of the first stare! Not having the least guess that the old lady holds every Bond Street beau in the utmost abhorrence, the silly pigeon rigged himself out as fine as fivepence, and trotted round to Grosvenor Square looking precise to a pin: Inexpressibles of the most delicate shade of primrose, coat by Stulz, Hessians by Hoby, hat – the Bang-up – by Baxter, neckcloth – the Oriental, which is remarkable for its height – by himself.”
There are readers, I found to my surprise, who are put off by Ms. Heyer’s cant (Ten reasons why I can’t read Georgette Heyer) and who could care less about her historical accuracy. This novel is not for them, for it is filled with colorful antiquated language and wonderful tidbits about the Regency era that I found fascinating but that will turn them away.
I rate Venetia five out of five teacups
Did I like Venetia? No, I loved it, and I hope you will too. I give it five out of five Regency tea cups.
Order the book here
ISBN: 9781402238840
Other Georgette Heyer Reviews on this blog:
Jane Austen's World 
I loved Venetia also. What can I say it was just plain fun. One of those that make you laugh out loud. I just finished The Grand Sophy a week or two ago and I have to say I enjoyed it tremendously also. Problem is now that I’ve read 8 or so in the last couple months I’m having a horrible time remembering all the intricacies. I need to use better sticky notes at the back of the book. I loved your review and perhaps I’ll use the others to remind me of why I loved the ones I’ve read without redoing my sticky notes.
Venetia is my overall favourite too (though I do flip flop about depending on mood etc). I like These Old Shades and Devil’s Cub for drama and wicked rakes, Cotillion for wit and froth, Frederica for humour, Sylvester for the attraction of opposites and I very much like Bath Tangle, the Grand Sophy and Faro’s daughter too.
Like you, I like Venetia for its intelligence. Heyer turns the beautiful damsel/wicked rake story on its head. It’s not about that at all – it’s about the development of a friendship, a warm intelligent meeting of minds. Damarel is my absolute favourite reformed rake and Venetia herself is such a likable person. I think all the characters are well rounded and some of the comic characters, like the nurse and the step-father are brilliantly drawn. It’s one of the most mature of her books.
I also love the cant and the detail in Heyer books – it brings the whole world alive for me. It’s part of the enjoyment of reading the whole regency genre for me.
Have you heard the audio book version of Venetia? I’m not much into audiobooks but Richard Armitage and Georgette Heyer are a sublime combination. Listening to that at work was one of my guilty pleasures!
My favorites are The Masqueraders for shear fun and adventure and False Colors for the marriage proposal with the fat dandy and spendthrift mother. Hilarious. I loved The Grand Sophy but choked on the blatant anti-semitism that was so unnecessary to the story. The money lender could have been better written without the cliches.
More sophisticated is the character of the money lender in Madame Bovary who is French and in Flaubert’s mind worse than any Jewish money lender.
Right now I’m reading Bath Tangle which is perfect vacation reading and more than many Heyers exposes the snobbism and gossipy nature of the ton.
Your experience parallels mine; I started reading Heyer at 13 or 14, and hadn’t read “Venetia” in over 40 years, until last year. It is a delight. However, if I were stranded on the proverbial desert island and could only bring one GH novel, it would have to be “The Convenient Marriage.” Written in 1933, it has at least four passages which are echoed in “Gone With The Wind” (1936) in descriptions of Scarlett and Rhett, who resemble more than a little Horatia Winwood and The Earl of Rule. It turns out that Margaret Mitchell was a Heyer fan according to an article i read about her literary preferences, which also included mystery writers as divergent as Phoebe Atwood Taylor and John Dickson Carr.
I love Venetia. I’m still at the beginning of my discovery of Heyer, but I suspect it will always remain at the top of my list. Damerel is, in my estimation, the perfect alpha hero. He has the requisite sordid past, and he’s not very apologetic about it at all… until he realizes he loves Venetia. he would not make her a sinner, and it was far too late to become a saint himself… I love that. Then of course he’s extremely clever, able to interest even Aubrey in conversation.
And I agree, this is a first-rate audio book as well. Richard Armitage does an excellent job with all the voices. Of the three books I’ve read of his, I would say Damerel is the voice he does the best… perhaps part of the reason I love the character so much.
Venetia and Frederica are my top favorite Heyer novels. I love the witty dialogue, (especially the period language), the ridiculous secondary characters but most of all the relationship between Venetia and Damerel. I’m SO in love with him!
“…a swell of the first stare!” I lurve it! Thanks for sharing your review – I enjoy them all as usual.
I’m a lover of Heyer’s Regency novels, choosing a favorite is like naming your favorite child. Her mysteries are less successful to my taste. As an older reader, I’d want to mention A Woman of Quality, the Nonsuch, and The Black Sheep. Ladies who “are on the shelf” find interesting mates. Thanks, Vic.
Kaylene
That’s “A LADY of Quality.” In the period Heyer writes about “woman” would be used to describe a servant or someone someone of the lower orders.:)
I, too, love VENETIA. It’s interesting how tastes change over time. There are a few of GH’s books I now don’t care for (THE CORINTHIAN, among others). However, I do completely enjoy THE RELUCTANT WIDOW, THE QUIET GENTLEMAN and A CIVIL CONTRACT. Her use of language, historical accuracy and sparkle keep her books on my shelf! Thank you for this review, Vic!
Oh how lovely. Your review is wonderful. I see I shall need to read this one. I loved the Grand Sophy, and several other GH books I’ve collected.
Venetia is one of GH’s books that’s up there with The Grand Sophy and Frederica with a strong heroine. I loved the audio version this book with Richard Armitage’s narration,but make sure you have the book/ereader to go over some cant phrases or words that are probably period in origin. I was somewhat not happy that the hero did not think that Venetia was worth it to “risk” to reform himself nothwithstanding his bad past and rakish past. She was the one who made it happen at the end while he was drowning away in sorrow.. doing you know what all confirmed rakes do.. without giving the storyline away. And I was surprised that Venetia was smart enough to assume he won’t giving up his rakish past that easily when he made the decision to go and get him anyway…Interesting…Other that little aspect, it was a great read!