Re-release of Georgette Heyer novel will appeal to Jane Austen fans

By Gabrielle Pantera

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 6/22/08 – “I think myself I ought to be shot for writing such nonsense,” said author Georgette Heyer in a rare interview in 1943. “But, it’s questionably good escapist literature. I think I should rather like it if I were sitting in an air-raid shelter or recovering from the flu.”

In 1974 when she passed away, Georgette Heyer had fifty-one titles in print. Critics of the time were unkind. However, Heyer’s popularity with readers was never in question. She was a steady bestseller. Her work is officially translated into at least ten languages and pirated in others.

In ‘Friday’s Child’, Viscount Sheringham is in need of money and the fastest way for him to get it is to marry to gain his inheritance. When the first woman he asks turns him down, the viscount vows to marry the next woman he sees. The next woman he sees is his childhood friend Hero Wantage.

Hero has been in love with the viscount all her life, but the kind-hearted gambler doesn’t know that. They marry, and the book follows the scrapes and scandals they get into. They both grow quite a bit in the story. The viscount’s friends Ferdy, George and Gil are funny and keep the pace of the book moving.

‘Friday’s Child’ is considered one of Heyer’s best regency romance novels. Heyer’s writing style is old-fashioned, but as you read it you get used to the rhythm of it. The dialog is very witty. There are some great plot twists and the secondary character personalities work wonderfully.

The book’s title is taken from the nursery rhyme Monday’s Child. Hero is the “loving and giving” child.

Monday’s child is fair of face.
Tuesday’s child is full of grace.
Wednesday’s child is full of woe.
Thursday’s child has far to go.
Friday’s child is loving and giving.
Saturday’s child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.

Monday’s Child was published in Harper’s Weekly in 1887, but is much older. Today sometimes the last line is changed to, “Is bonny and blithe and good in every way”, due to the change in meaning of the word gay.

Heyer did meticulous research that shows in all her writing. Besides romance, she wrote serious books and mysteries. Heyer brings readers back to an earlier time. I’ve been reading her books most of my life. They go out of print a few times, but fortunately keep coming back.

“My husband says it’s witty,” said Heyer. “Its period detail is good. And without going to these lengths, I will say that it’s very good fun.”

Friday’s Child
Georgette Heyer
Trade Paperback, 432 pages, $12.95
Publisher: Sourcebooks (April 2008)
ISBN: 978-1402210792