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Tatiana's Reviews > The Grand Sophy
The Grand Sophy
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I think "The Grand Sophy" is an excellent recommendation to fans of Jane Austen and regency romance, especially those who are quite sick of contemporary versions of the genre filled with throbbing members and heaving bosoms.
This book is very clean, light and reminiscent of Austen's masterpieces in its humor and focus on domestic issues - marriage, unwanted engagements, cheating husbands, gambling debts and such. The language is sophisticated, the characters are well drawn and likable, and the romance, infused with funny flirtatious banter, is quite compelling. If I have to compare Heyer and Austen, however, Austen wins without a doubt. Her observations of the society are much deeper, her characters are much better developed, her wit is superior.
While "The Grand Sophy" is a very entertaining story, it drags in places, sometimes gets repetitive when the same events are described and explained to several people, and the ending is a little hectic, with too much going on simultaneously to enjoy the final love confessions.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book, would recommend it to those looking for Jane Austen substitutes (instead of those horrid zombie parodies and sequels) and will probably read Heyer in future.
P.S. I saw some reviews accusing this book of being anti-Semitic. That's a huge stretch IMO.
This book is very clean, light and reminiscent of Austen's masterpieces in its humor and focus on domestic issues - marriage, unwanted engagements, cheating husbands, gambling debts and such. The language is sophisticated, the characters are well drawn and likable, and the romance, infused with funny flirtatious banter, is quite compelling. If I have to compare Heyer and Austen, however, Austen wins without a doubt. Her observations of the society are much deeper, her characters are much better developed, her wit is superior.
While "The Grand Sophy" is a very entertaining story, it drags in places, sometimes gets repetitive when the same events are described and explained to several people, and the ending is a little hectic, with too much going on simultaneously to enjoy the final love confessions.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book, would recommend it to those looking for Jane Austen substitutes (instead of those horrid zombie parodies and sequels) and will probably read Heyer in future.
P.S. I saw some reviews accusing this book of being anti-Semitic. That's a huge stretch IMO.
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Reading Progress
January 18, 2010
– Shelved
March 1, 2010
–
Started Reading
March 4, 2010
– Shelved as:
2010
March 4, 2010
– Shelved as:
historical
March 4, 2010
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-22 of 22 (22 new)
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message 1:
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Hannah
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rated it 2 stars
Mar 01, 2010 02:30PM
Is this your first Heyer, T?
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Yes, it is, and I am liking it very much so far. I can smell Darcy/Lizzy kind of romance coming on:)
Tatiana wrote: "Yes, it is, and I am liking it very much so far. I can smell Darcy/Lizzy kind of romance coming on:)"TGS is consistently ranked as one of the best Heyer books from fans. I really need to get back to reading more, as they are Austen-like, and much better then some of the more recent regencies. I look forward to your review :^)
If you like Heyer and continue reading her, consider joining the Heyer board here at GR:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
Later~
Thanks for the invite:)I picked this book because it was listed as the most popular on GR. That's what I now do when an author is not familiar to me - I just pick the most admired work.
Having read now almost a 100 pages, I have to say I should probably take back the Austen comment. Heyer's language is definitely more modern, well end of 19th century modern. But I still like it a lot.
This is my FAVOURITE heyer book. :)When I first discovered her years back, I used to read her books over and over again and never get bored.
I could recommend which of her books are the best. 0=)
Ok, I'll get back to you when I need the next Heyer rec:)
Fabulous! I always get overly zealous when it comes to Heyer. :)
So, 3 stars huh? Will you be writing a review?
I'll write it up tomorrow morning. I liked it, it got a little tiring though. I understand why you said a little Hayer goes a long way.
A very balanced review (as usual). I'll read this one one of these days.I've just requested from my library Heyer's "A Civil Contract". This one gets mixed views because it's more sober and doesn't have a nice, fluffy HEA ending. I'm intrigued.
Thank you:)She wrote some mysteries too I think
Nice review. I do somewhat agree with you on the ending and the other things you pointed out but I do still feel quite attached to Sophy. I wish the ending was better but I guess its sort of done in line with Sophy's character. She is quite chaotic. ;pYes, she did write mysteries which I've read. They read like the better written golden age mysteries, say more along the lines of Ngaio Marsh and a bit of agatha christie's marple series. I loved them all because it was a nice balance between whodunits and romance.
Hannahr, I've read A Civil Contract and yes it isn't like heyer's usual lighthearted stories but I did like how the "hero" developed throughout the book. You feel for the heroine, the poor thing.
I liked Sophy a lot. And there was a real chemistry between her and Charles. I just wish she would express her feelings as well.
Salford wrote: "Hannahr, I've read A Civil Contract and yes it isn't like heyer's usual lighthearted stories but I did like how the "hero" developed throughout the book. You feel for the heroine, the poor thing...."I'm glad to hear your opinion on A Civil Contract, Salford. It looked intriguing to me because:
A. It sounded like a more "mature" love story
B. It garnered many love it/hate it ratings
C. I sometimes get tired of HEA books :)
I just wish she would express her feelings as well. With every reading, I wished that even more. Lol
May I ask what HEA stands for? :')
Happily Ever After:)
Oh, hehe thanks. ;) A Civil Contract does have a relatively happy ending. ;p
Not only is the accusation of the antisemitism IN the book not a stretch, but the author was a known anti-semite and racist in her personal life.
I don't know anything about Heyer's personal life but the section with Goldhanger was jarringly anti-Semitic and certainly made me suspicious of her. Goldhanger was the only character who wasn't treated affectionately -- even Eugenia and Bromford faired much better. That whole section was really quite off-putting.
I think the original book IMO had unpleasant aspects due to the moneylender part of the story but the edition I've just reviewed with the comments by Eloisa James as to why they have editted it for the 21st century is a much better piece of writing.
