Regency Buck (by Georgette Heyer)

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I re-read most of my Georgette Heyer novels regularly, sometimes changing my preferences as I discover new ways of looking at a novel I hadn’t been too keen on - or, occasionally, being less than impressed by one which I used to count as a favourite. I hadn’t read ‘Regency Buck’ since 2018 and noted that I had given it three (or possibly three-and-a-half) stars rather than the usual four to five in my personal rating. But I couldn’t remember what it was about, so approached it with an open mind.

Judith Taverner is the heroine of this novel, which starts towards the end of 1811. She’s tall, attractive, intelligent, and wealthy. She is also feisty with a strong will and little concern for what anyone might think. She and her brother Perry are travelling to London when we first meet them, wanting to meet their new guardian, Lord Worth. He was a friend - or, at least, a good acquaintance - of their somewhat irascible father. They have never met him, but he has full charge of their inheritance until they come of age. 

Once I’d started I did recall the broad outline. It would be a spoiler to say much more about the story; suffice it to say that Lord Worth is not what they were expecting - and he clashes almost immediately with Judith.  Her brother Perry is quieter and generally more amiable, although he’s looking forward to doing all the things young men of his age do in this era, such as gambling extensively and watching fights, both from boxers and (worse) cockfights. 

Apparently this was the first of Georgette Hyer’s ‘Regency’ novels set in the period when there was a Prince Regent in the UK rather than a reigning monarch. This is perhaps why there’s so much historical detail about the royal family, and events around the era; there’s also a great deal of description of the rather garish palace at Brighton which, later in the book, Judith and Perry visit.  

As with most of the Heyer novels, once I’d started it was quite hard to put down, and I found myself reading a chapter or two at every odd moment. It’s quite an exciting book with a cleverly-written plot. Instead of being primarily a romance story, there’s also a crime/mystery/thriller thread that runs through. And it’s so well done that, even though I remembered the outcome I found myself wondering if I’d remembered wrongly: it’s not until near the end that all is revealed and we discover who the villain of the story really is. 

And yet, it’s still not one of my favourites. I found the historical detail a bit tedious and skimmed several passages of description. There’s also a driving race, in the latter half of the book, which is described in detail; perhaps it would be of interest to people who know the places concerned, but although I’m sure it was authentic (Heyer was excellent at historical detail) it didn’t much add to the story. Worst of all were the detailed descriptions of fights, including one early in the book that might have put me off entirely if it were a different author. 

I also found the ‘hero’ rather overbearing and arrogant; Heyer has a few of this kind of hero, but I didn’t find him at all appealing, so the romantic part, while inevitable, didn’t move me at all. 

However the characterisation is very good, with some amusing scenes - Heyer was a master in showing rather than telling, and I very much appreciate her use of language. I also liked the fact that Beau Brummel (a real person) appears as a character in the book, rather than being referred to in passing. No doubt i’ll read this again in another five or six years, but I wouldn’t recommend this as an introduction to Heyer, unless you appreciate a lot of historical detail and description. 

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