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evedream's review against another edition
5.0
Such a classic for me. It literally is a classic, being published in 1926.
If there is one thing that gets me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It's introducing a handsome villain in one book and then giving him a redemption arc in another. My girl Georgie was doing this 100 years before your favs were doing it.
I adore this book. I wouldn't have liked it half as much if it was modern. The very large age gap and the impish, carefree (sometimes almost childlike) behaviour of the FMC can make peoples hackles rise. I think my suspension of disbelieve is just a lot higher with older books like these. The dialogue is amazing. I get reminded everytime just how charismatic the characters are when I read another historical book and compare the two. Alastair could verbally remove the drawers off of any woman.
This book is delightful and it has the added bonus of making me feel super smart and sofisticated that I'm reading something published nearly 100 years ago.
If there is one thing that gets me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It's introducing a handsome villain in one book and then giving him a redemption arc in another. My girl Georgie was doing this 100 years before your favs were doing it.
I adore this book. I wouldn't have liked it half as much if it was modern. The very large age gap and the impish, carefree (sometimes almost childlike) behaviour of the FMC can make peoples hackles rise. I think my suspension of disbelieve is just a lot higher with older books like these. The dialogue is amazing. I get reminded everytime just how charismatic the characters are when I read another historical book and compare the two. Alastair could verbally remove the drawers off of any woman.
This book is delightful and it has the added bonus of making me feel super smart and sofisticated that I'm reading something published nearly 100 years ago.
sunbean's review against another edition
3.0
Like many of Heyer's novels, there is a massive power imbalance between the two love interests. Given the fact this was written in 1922 and set in the 1700s, that's not surprising, as women did not often hold meaningful power in those time periods. Leonie was a "scamp" and did an admirable job of taking what power was available to her and at least attempting to save herself through her many scrapes, and I appreciated her.
This was a fun book to read. It reminded me a lot of Count of Monte Cristo, actually, which is one of my favorite books, with a dash of whimsy, social commentary, and Cinderella fairy-tale-esque flavor. Not as funny as some of her later offerings, there was still plenty to like if you like this sort of thing lol
This was a fun book to read. It reminded me a lot of Count of Monte Cristo, actually, which is one of my favorite books, with a dash of whimsy, social commentary, and Cinderella fairy-tale-esque flavor. Not as funny as some of her later offerings, there was still plenty to like if you like this sort of thing lol
chrisannee's review against another edition
2.0
So maybe I was unfairly biased because it was an audiobook, but I really didn't find it as funny as her others. The characters were flat, somewhat whiny and it was tooooo long.
veronica_strachan's review against another edition
5.0
Such a comfort to read the clever Georgette Heyer's work in These Old Shades. I think it may have been the first of her's that I read many years ago - and it was lovely to read it again and reacquaint myself with the fabulous characters, the detailed world, the plots and ploys of the story.
debralewi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
rachelrosero's review against another edition
5.0
Within the category of my guilty pleasure books this is one of my favorites.
tamarayork's review against another edition
2.0
This is my third Georgette Heyer, and definitely my least favorite. I think the setting is earlier than the Regency books I usually enjoy, so the Duke was always wearing "dresses" in gold/purple/lilac with ruffles and emeralds/diamonds/sapphires waving around his fan and offering his snuff box to others to snort. This is not the manly hero by any means. He buys our heroine from her abusive brother to act as his page (she is dressed as a boy). What follows is a story of revenge and intrigue. But our heroine has a disturbing level of hero worship for the Duke, who is twice her age (40 to her 20). The Duke refers to her as 'my child' and 'infant' throughout the story, thus making the romance of the story extremely cringey. I am glad to be done with this book and I wouldn't recommend it. Pick up a different Heyer instead.