Venetia (by Georgette Heyer)

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The novel 'Venetia' is one of my favourites by Georgette Heyer.  She is definitely my most re-read historical fiction author. I have been collecting her books for nearly thirty years, and re-read them all regularly.

Venetia is one of my all-time favourite literary heroines. Twenty-five years old, in Regency England, she was brought up in Yorkshire by a reclusive father who rarely lets her out of the locality. Not that he was unkind to her. She has plenty of money which she can spend however she wishes, and the freedom to go out for walks by herself: something that most upper-class young women of the time would never have done. She runs the household too, and several of the servants are devoted to her.

When the book opens, Venetia's father has died some time previously. She is still living in - and managing - the house, although it now belongs to her brother Conway, until such time as he returns from the army. Their younger brother Aubrey is also living at home. He is a brilliant scholar who has a weak hip-joint, which meant that he was never able to go to school or to take part in the sporting activities that most young gentlemen of the time expected to enjoy.

Moreover, despite their rather narrow circle of acquaintance, Venetia has two suitors. The romantic Oswald, who cultivates a Byronic windswept appearance; he is six years younger than she is, but determined to rescue her from her dreary life. Then there's the ultra-worthy Edward, a stickler for morality, who likes to tell her in a patronising way how she ought to run her life. Venetia has never taken Oswald very seriously, but does sometimes wonder if marrying Edward - despite finding him boring - would be preferable to a spinster life forever looking after Aubrey, which seems to be her only alternative.

Out of the blue, their neighbour Lord Damerel arrives to spend a few days in his home. Damerel is called the 'wicked Baron' by local children, because his life is reputedly filled with orgies, gambling and loose women. Even more shocking for the time, when he was about twenty he ran off with a married woman. Venetia has never seen him before, but has an unexpected encounter when she is picking blackberries on his grounds. Their first meeting is not successful, but soon afterwards Aubrey has an accident while out riding, and ends up spending some time at Lord Damerel's home. Venetia and Damerel quickly realise that they have a shared sense of humour, and enjoy the same kinds of books; they quickly become good friends.

It's obvious that Venetia is falling in love with Damerel, but nothing is ever easy in Georgette Heyer's books. She must deal with the feelings of her two suitors, and the disapproval of the local respectable gentry who consider Damerel to be beyond the pale: entirely ineligible as a husband for the beautiful Venetia. Indeed, rumour has it that he doesn't intend to marry at all; the gossip is that he wants to seduce her, and keep her as his mistress. The horror of such a life for an upper-class lady can only be imagined in today's quite different moral standards.

Alongside this main story, there are plenty of subplots. Conway, absent for so long, suddenly shocks Venetia and Aubrey with a situation that provides light relief and also growing appreciation for Venetia's strong and caring character. Conway himself does not actually come into the book directly, but we get a good picture of him as a conflict-avoidant, pleasant but passive (and sometimes very stubborn) young man who likes other people to do his dirty work.

I have read 'Venetia'  at least four times and enjoy it afresh with every re-read. Venetia is such a likeable person! She's quick-witted, intelligent, kind, and has a great sense of humour. I suppose it's unlikely that somebody shut away from society would be so generous and strong, but Venetia is a reader; not as brilliant as Aubrey, but well able to counter quotations from Damerel, and highly educated, versed in all the classics from Greek tragedy to Shakespeare.

The style of writing is excellent, too. Of all Regency writers, I find Georgette Heyer by far the most plausible. Suitable language flows from the lips of her characters without seeming out of place. Her people are imaginary, but are set in realistic times, with reference made to relevant public figures at appropriate times.

In addition, Heyer's plotting works brilliantly. She has a gift of bringing several sub-plots together for an exciting climax, something which certainly happens in this book. There's light humour and some caricaturing in the minor characters - the worthy Edward really is VERY boring, for instance, so much so that his speeches are amusing rather than tedious. There are surprises throughout, yet none of them is impossible or even unbelievable given what went before.

I also like the way that Lord Damerel is portrayed. He's a typically villainous type for the time: promiscuous, wild and generally untrustworthy. Yet as he finds his way into Venetia's heart, so he finds his way into mine. He's not particularly tall or dark, and not at all handsome. Yet it's quite obvious that he's the only person who will do for her, even though their circumstances, their backgrounds and their morality are so vastly different.

I first read this book in my mid-teens, shortly after I discovered Jane Austen. In some ways the style is similar, although the writing is not quite so convoluted.  I expect anyone who enjoys classic historical romance books would enjoy this. However I appreciate it more as an adult, more aware of the conventions of Regency society contrasted with the moral freedom we have today.

The only slight disadvantage with it is that if you're unused to historical fiction, the language used might seem a bit confusing at first. I lent this book to a friend who had never before read Regency novels, and she found some of the old-fashioned slang and the somewhat formal (albeit ironic) style to be a bit off-putting. 

However she persevered, and, after a while, found that she got used to the style and very much enjoyed the story. It's not necessary to understand every word. I've picked up several terms just from the context, but it might be worth using a dictionary if you're concerned by not knowing what's meant by - for instance - a pelisse or a mail-coach.

If you already like Georgette Heyer's novels, I expect you'll love this one. If you haven't tried any of them before, but enjoy a good read, this is an excellent one to start with.