Rating: 
Summary: Historical Background
Review: "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..."
That's the main character, and no, he's not masquerading. I thought someone should mention these facts somewhere. Written in 1926, Georgette Heyer was about 22 years old. What kind of men were women drooling over then? Think about silent movies in the year before the movies became "Talkies" became the new big thing. In 1926, the movie Don Juan with John Barrymore was realeased. To get a better feel for this, get your hands on the video SINGING IN THE RAIN with Gene Kelly in satin brocade and powder wigs, with heels and a walking stick, as he portrays a Silent movie star making the transition to Talkies. If you can get ahold of the 2 disc version, you can see clips from the John Barrymore movie, in striped tights Then you'll get the feel for this book. The average man of the time had limited education and were blue collar, and women longed for someone with refinement. Language seems a little stilted, but I think it went with the era. I would not have missed reading this book.
Rating: 
Summary: a loveley and romantic lovestory
Review: "These old shades" was the first Georgette Heyer I ever read. This was a few years ago and I never forgot this story of hate, revenge and true love. The duke of Avon is a cynical and cruel man, very aristocratic (this was before the french Revolution) and hautain. Leonie (or Leon) captures his heart with her passionate love and devotion for him, even when he was still her master and she his page. She is the most enchanting of romantic heroines and will never be forgotten. The other figures in this story are amusing and charming. There is the young brother, the silly and loving sister and a real villain. The book gives a very nice discription of the aristocratic "beau monde" in England and France before the Revolution, just like the Scarlet Pimpernel- books by baroness Orczy. I think many people will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Historical Background
Review: "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..."
That's the main character, and no, he's not masquerading. I thought someone should mention these facts somewhere. Written in 1926, Georgette Heyer was about 22 years old. What kind of men were women drooling over then? Think about silent movies in the year before the movies became "Talkies" became the new big thing. In 1926, the movie Don Juan with John Barrymore was realeased. To get a better feel for this, get your hands on the video SINGING IN THE RAIN with Gene Kelly in satin brocade and powder wigs, with heels and a walking stick, as he portrays a Silent movie star making the transition to Talkies. If you can get ahold of the 2 disc version, you can see clips from the John Barrymore movie, in striped tights Then you'll get the feel for this book. The average man of the time had limited education and were blue collar, and women longed for someone with refinement. Language seems a little stilted, but I think it went with the era. I would not have missed reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: A delightful novel.
Review: "These Old Shades" was the first ever Heyer novel that I read and it improves with every subsequent reading. The book is very well written, full of witty, brilliant dialogue and sustained drama. Both the protagonists are well drawn, while secondary characters like Rupert and Fanny are lively, interesting characters. Probably the best feature of this book is that the events and the characters are believable as well as the fact that there is nothing cloying or sentimental in the novel. It is a wonderful, happy romp, with Heyer at top of her form.
Rating:
Summary: a loveley and romantic lovestory
Review: "These old shades" was the first Georgette Heyer I ever read. This was a few years ago and I never forgot this story of hate, revenge and true love. The duke of Avon is a cynical and cruel man, very aristocratic (this was before the french Revolution) and hautain. Leonie (or Leon) captures his heart with her passionate love and devotion for him, even when he was still her master and she his page. She is the most enchanting of romantic heroines and will never be forgotten. The other figures in this story are amusing and charming. There is the young brother, the silly and loving sister and a real villain. The book gives a very nice discription of the aristocratic "beau monde" in England and France before the Revolution, just like the Scarlet Pimpernel- books by baroness Orczy. I think many people will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: words cannot describe how WONDERFUL this story is
Review: 'These Old Shades' is my absolute favourite by Georgette Heyer. Out of so many wonderful stories that she has written this book is in a class of it's own. No romance reader should ignore this book. It has it all - romance, intrigue and humour. It is more enjoyable because it doesn't have any of the heavily erotic love-making scenes that can be popular today. 'These Old Shades' is so well written that it doesn't need to rely on them. It is, purely and simply, a romance story in its truest form.In several ways Barbara Cartland's 'Love Me For Ever' is very similar to 'These Old Shades' - runaway meets cycnical Duke, is briefly disguised as his page, calls him Monseigner and becomes his ward. 'Love Me For Ever' is one of my favourite Barbara Cartland stories, but 'These Old Shades' has more depth and the characters, Justin, Duke of Avon and Leon/Leonie, and even the supporting characters are much stronger. Please read 'These Old Shades'if you get a chance. You won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: re Andover/Avon dispute
Review: Avon appears in both books, I have just re-read it! (but in the Black Moth it is just a passing comment, the characters are similar in many ways, but not the same. Has anyone ever come across a copy of "The Great Roxhythe"? I adore all the old Heyer novels, having been introduced to them at around twelve years of age by a neighbour with similar reading tastes. Most of my copies are now almost falling apart! Niki Hannah
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books of all time
Review: But I would like to point out that it's not a Regency. The third book in the series, An Infamous Army, takes place at the battle of Waterloo. The heroine, it becomes clear, is the great-granddaughter of the hero and heroine of this book. It's much more accurate, therefore, to describe this book as early Georgian. Regardless of one's awareness of history, Heyer does a brilliant job of depicting 18th-century England and France. Her characters and settings sparkle. After 20 years of reading her work, I can't get enough of this book!
Rating:
Summary: Heyer's best, charming, witty, full of humor
Review: For a light-hearted read, this is one of the most wittily written Regency romances ever published. Full of believable and captivating characters, These Old Shades will take you body and soul to a time and place long past, if indeed it ever existed. The Duc of Avon is the male lead; he is an unrepentant reprobate whose basic good nature has not quite entirely withered away. He adpots a street waif in Paris, playing along with the charade that the child is a boy. His motives are not of the best, at first, but as the story unfolds, we are allowed to watch a subtle shift in the thrust of his plans. The two main characters are supported by a rich cast of characters, from the household servants to the pinnacle of Paris society. The Duc's bubble-headed sister is not as much of a lightweight as she would have you believe, and his younger brother is just a simple, nice fellow. The biggest appeal of this book, for this reviewer at any rate, is the language-of-the-day, with which Ms. Heyer brings these people and this era to brilliant clarity.
Rating:
Summary: The Duke's First Love
Review: For anyone who has read "These Old Shades" and loved it as much as I did - the Duke, pre-Leonie, is featured in "The Black Moth," where he plays the bad guy! I promise you, you'll love the Duke when he's being bad just as much as when he's being good... well, good-ish! In The Black Moth he goes after a young innocent who has enough sense to realize she's no match for him, and run the other way. In the end you'll have more than a little catch in your throat when he realizes that not only has he lost the game, he's lost his heart too. Or maybe it wasn't love he was looking for in the first place... but a chance at salvation. You'll love it, I promise - and you'll love "These Old Shades," and his true salvation, even more after reading it.
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