These Old Shades
by Georgette Heyer
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Book Summary Information
Author: Georgette HeyerEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-07-01
ISBN: 0373835590
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Harlequin
Book Reviews of These Old Shades
Book Review: Not my sort of heroine
Summary: 3 Stars
Lately, I've been grabbing all the Heyer's I can possibly get my hands on from my local library; and since this particular book had been so highly rated by everyone, I felt compelled to read it. Now let me preface my review by saying that I prefer Heyer's older heroines to her younger heroines. As a result, I wasn't as enchanted as everyone else was by Leonie. Like so many of Heyer's heroes, I'm not at all interested in ladies just emerging from the schoolroom. Leonie's behavior was just too immature and childish for my tastes. Furthermore, I wasn't a big fan of Justin Alistair, who seemed cold, scheming, and too concerned with revenge.
As others have mentioned, the random French dialogue in the book can be rather off-putting for people not familiar with the language. I don't know French myself, but I do know some Spanish and Italian, so I was able to decipher most of what was said.
In addition, this was a Georgian era book, not a Regency novel. So what you'll see in this book are powdered wigs, face patches, and other signs of French fashion. I prefer the greater sense of propriety and etiquette of the Regency period versus the more free-love aspect of the French-styled Georgian period. So, for me, this book already had 2 strikes against it.
Unlike others, however, I was not disenchanted by "These Old Shades" because of the age difference between the two main characters. One of my favorite books is Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" in which the hero is 40, and the heroine is only 18. So the age discrepancy in this Heyer novel was not an issue with me. But I do agree with other reviewers that the father-daughter relationship that existed between Leonie and the Duke for most of the book suddenly morphing into a romantic relationship was a rather strange and disturbing event. An adoption would have been more believable in Leonie and the Duke's case, in my opinion.
If you prefer older heroines like Abbie in "Black Sheep," Deborah Grantham in "Faro's Daughter," Arabella in "Arabella," Frederica in "Frederica," Sophy in "The Grand Sophy," and/or Eve Matheson in "Lady of Quality," "These Old Shades" might not be your cup of tea.
I can only recommend "These Old Shades" to people who enjoy Heyer's younger heroines. Read this book if you enjoyed Amanda Smith in "Sprig Muslin," Horatia in "The Convenient Marriage" (also a Georgian novel), Penelope Creed in "The Corinthian," and/or Phoebe Marlowe in "Sylvester." These Heyer books all feature younger, "schoolroom misses."
I suppose everyone has their own personal favorite, but in my opinion, Georgette Heyer's best book is still "Frederica." And a close second is "The Grand Sophy."
Summary of These Old Shades
Justin Alastair, the coldhearted Duke of Avon, had revenge in mind as he plucked a flamehaired urchin off the Paris streets. For Avon suspected the truth about his delicately handsome page?that "Léon" was really Léonie and none other than the wicked Comte de Saint Vire's legitimate daughter, deprived of her heritage by the comte's dastardly desire for a male heir. The duke's plan was simple: parade Léonie in front of his enemy and have his adoring, innocent ward reclaim her birthright, destroying her true father in the process. But the duke hadn't expected Léonie's breathtaking transformation or the tender emotions she awoke?and he'd already set his dangerous scheme in motion.A gentleman was strolling down a side street in Paris, on his way back from the house of one Madame de Verchoureux. He walked mincingly, for the red heels of his shoes were very high. A long purple cloak, rose-lined, hung from his shoulders and was allowed to fall carelessly back from his dress, revealing a full-skirted coat of purple satin, heavily laced with gold; a waistcoat of flowered silk; faultless small clothes; and a lavish sprinkling of jewels on his cravat and breast.The gentleman in question is Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, known by friends and enemies alike as Satanas--the devil. On this particular evening, the dangerous rake crosses paths with Léon, a red-headed youth of low birth who is fleeing a certain beating at his brutal brother's hands. On a whim, Avon buys the boy and makes him his page. It soon becomes clear, however, that Léon is not what he seems, and that Avon has an ulterior motive for bringing him into his household. Set in pre-Revolutionary France, These Old Shades follows a twisting course as young Léon (or is it Léonie?) is swept up in a dangerous mystery: how to account for the page's amazing resemblance to the sinister Compte de Saint Vire, for example; and why will this man go to any lengths to get the youth in his power?
Georgette Heyer's historical romances tend to fall into two different camps: later novels such as Cotillion, False Colours, and Sylvester feature larger-than-life comic characters and romantic pairings more akin to Beatrice and Benedick than Hero and Claudio. Earlier works such as These Old Shades, however, tend to be darker, tinged with mystery and overshadowed by very real menace. What both types share is Heyer's fine storytelling and encyclopedic knowledge of Regency mores and manners--her books are the next best thing to a time machine. These Old Shades's greatest asset, however, is the charming Léonie: beautiful, brave, and loyal to a fault, with a fondness for swordplay and pistols and a delightfully incomplete grasp of the English language. Heyer herself was so fond of this character that she featured her in two more novels, Devil's Cub and An Infamous Army. --Alix Wilber
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