Venetia [Abridged] [Audio CD]

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

Venetia Lanyon has grown up in isolation on her family's remote estate. She doesn't feel as though she has missed out on much, after all, she has had the run of the property, has visited with her friends in the local area and been allowed to ride her hearts content. At twenty five she has accepted that it is most likely that she will not marry, but that she will set up a household with her younger brother Audrey, a scholar who is crippled in his hip. For the past few years she has been running the estate for her elder brother Conway while he has been in France as a soldier.

All would have proceeded as planned had not Audrey fallen from his horse and been rescued by Lord Dameral, an absentee neighbour he has never met. Venetia quickly becomes intrigued by this mysterious man. She has heard of him, that he is a rake and a womanizer of the worst kind. Definitely not the type of man that a respectable lady would associate with.

Venetia is put in a difficult position. Aubrey's injury requires him to remain at Lord Dameral's for his convalescence. She insists on caring for him, but risks her reputation each time she enters his house without a suitable chaperon.

This is the first book by Georgette Heyer that I have read. I loved the amount of detail, both of the physical setting, but also of the relationships of the various characters. Reading this novel gave me a feeling of peace and relaxation. Once I was inside it's pages I felt immersed in Venetia's life, that I had all the time in the world to sit and enjoy every cup of tea she drank, every walk she took and even each of her visitors.

Even though I have read books by other authors set in this time period, I was still surprised at how controlling Venetia's neighbours were with regard to her life. They assumed they knew better than her how she should conduct her life, whom she should marry and whom she must not associate with. No one ever explained to her why. It was interesting to follow along with Venetia as she worked out what she would do with her life. It seems to me, that the choices Venetia made were a direct result of her isolated upbringing. She didn't give London society a chance as she had not been brought up there nor had she ever been led to believe that she would be properly introduced to that same society. All she knew was the small area where she had been raised and those few people she had been allowed to interact with. It appeared natural to me that she would fall in love with the first new man to enter her life.

The peaceful feeling I experienced while reading this book has stayed with me in the weeks since I finished it. I hope that I will feel the same when I read further books by Ms. Heyer.

I agee with the other reviewers - Venetia is probably the best Georgette Heyer. My warning here is for the Audiobook version - it says it is ABRIDGED - which means to 'shorten'! What could they have cut out, and why would they cut out anything?