Sunday, December 7, 2008

Review: Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer

Deb Grantham is twenty five years old, beautiful, feisty and unmarried. She lives with her aunt who has opened a gambling establishment in their home in order to cover their living costs. Needless to say, polite society does not approve. Deb presides over some of the tables and is very popular with the clientele. Several men have less than honorable intentions but one young man, Lord Adrian Mablethorpe, is madly in love with her and has proposed marriage.

Adrian's mother is horrified. How can he think to marry a hussy from a gambling den? She sends Adrian's uncle, Max Ravenscar, to buy Deb off. They take an instant dislike to one another and he soon discovers that Deb is more than she seems. Not only will she not take his money, she comes up with an inventive feminine battle plan, determined to best him.

I have heard about Georgette Heyer books for years but this is the first time I have ever read one. I don't know what was keeping me away, maybe they seemed a bit old fashioned. When I first started Faro's Daughter, I wasn't sure that I was going to like it. The use of period slang does take a little getting used to but it adds such atmosphere to the book that it soon seemed a perfectly natural part of the narrative.

This is a witty, light story with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, set in a flawlessly evoked Regency London. Now I see why this author has had legions of fans for well over half a century. I'm thrilled to know that there are fifty more titles to choose from, I will be reading Georgette Heyer books for many years to come.

Faro's Daughter is published by Sourcebooks. ISBN 978-1-4022-1352-6

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5 comments:

Michele said...

I haven't yet read a Heyer book...can you believe that? Now I'm seeing reviews popping up and everyone is just loving them. That's so good to know. There's something comforting about knowing there is a plethora of books out there by a good author just waiting for me to get around to reading them. :)

Nice review, Carey!

ps...email coming your way soon.

The Tome Traveller said...

This was my first one, too. It was good, very wry and witty. Took just a little getting used to the slang but I can definately see her appeal and she knows her historical period, too. (Lots of used copies available, I like that!)

S. Krishna said...

I really enjoyed this one as well!

tashiana said...

haha how cool
for some reason this reminds me of taming of the shrew
it does seem a bit old-fashioned but so is pride and prejudice

rohit said...

An enjoyable read Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer. loved the way you wrote it. I find your review very genuine and original, this book is going in by "to read" list.


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Bibliophile, Anglophile, Traveller... I have been an avid reader all of my life, since I took the Dr. Seuss Dictionary away from my Mom when I was less than a year old because I wanted to read it myself. In college, where I earned my degree in English Literature, I was often asked "What are you going to do with it?" Now I finally have the answer to that question!!! Being employed as a Flight Attendant for twenty years has given me a lot of life experience and, better still, a lot of time to read. I love to travel for fun, too.