Quiet Gentleman

After enjoying my first ever Heyer novel, Sylvester or the Wicked Uncle, earlier this month, I was very much looking forward to reading The Quiet Gentleman, the second of the Heyer books that I received from Sourcebooks to celebrate the birthday of Georgette Heyer this month. It seemed the perfect book to take along with me on our recent summer holiday to Hokkaido, and I can tell you it made for a great holiday read.

Gervase Frant has inherited his title and the family estate after the death of his father, but it seems the other members of his family wish he’d died in the wars. He puts up with their insinuations and fancies until things take a dangerous turn. These are no longer harmless comments. Someone seems out to kill him!

This story was quite different from Sylvester, with less focus on the romance, and more on the mystery subplot. The romance is still there, but it’s very subtle. I admit it took me a little longer to get into The Quiet Gentleman, and to warm up to the characters, but once I did the characters come alive on the page, and became completely memorable. The Earl’s spoiled step-brother, Martin. The ridiculous stepmother and proud matriarch. The clever and sensible houseguest, Miss Morville. And of course the Earl himself, who with his quiet confidence, and charming ways, is a very likeable hero.

Like with Sylvester, what I loved most about The Quiet Gentleman were all the rich details of Regency life. The day-to-day goings-on at Stanyon Castle. The niceties to be observed. The Regency way of life. Perhaps it’s the English teacher in me but I also love the vocabulary of the period. I really think we should bring back the usage of “funning” as a verb!

The Quiet Gentleman has all the right ingredients for an enjoyable summer, or anytime, read. A little bit of suspense, attempted murder, with a dash of romance. All in all, it was another delightful journey to Regency England. I know I’ll definitely be reading more of Heyer’s novels! Thanks again to Sourcebooks for the chance to finally experience this well-known, well-loved author for myself.

This was the first book I’ve read by Heyer and it might not have been the best one to begin with because I don’t think it’s one of her more romantic books. I went in thinking that it would be a regency romance, but there was more emphasis on the brothers’ quarrelling and the mystery.

I did enjoy the mannerly dialogue and writing. It was quick, witty, and Austen-esque. I can see how Heyer has such a large following.

I actually liked Gervase, the quiet gentleman, a lot. I found myself saying "Poor Gervase" quite a lot because so many people were out to get him! He was a sweet guy and there were always people yelling at him.

Main Characters: 4/5 (Gervase)
Supporting Characters: 3/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 3/5
Uniqueness: 3/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 5/5

Bottom Line: I loved the author’s writing style and I can’t wait to read a more romantic book from her long list of titles.

I know! Two Heyer reviews in just over a month. But Sourcebooks sent me both Venetia and The Quiet Gentleman, and I have turned out to be helpless in the face of a hot summer evening and some Regency hijinks.

AND it was Georgette’s 109th birthday on the 16th, but the combined packing efforts of a vacation and a major move rendered me incapable of, you know, planning shit. But bonne belated fête, Georgette. I wish you were not dead, because I will eventually plow through your ridiculous massive backlist and then where will we be?

But The Quiet Gentleman. Some 20ish pages in we have met both the Earl and Miss Morville, a pair of unflappable and prosaic individuals in a maelstrom of tempers and high opinions of self. Incidentally, they have also just met each other, and when we are informed that the Earl finds Miss Morville rather dull we are all, JUST YOU WAIT, Earl. I see what is in store for you. And then we rest back on our collective haunches to see how they will eventually come to find each other terribly exciting indeed.

But the novel wanders on, and they don’t show the usual signs of Eventual Hook-Ups (strong dislike bolstered by opposition of temperaments but countered by either raw physical attraction or genteel admissions of the other’s fine looks, depending on your era). It’s not that they despise each other, it’s that they seem to not care. And the Earl is busy being attempted-murdered and Miss Morville is busy advising her friend, the flaxen-curled, sapphire-eyed, etc. Marianne, on her potential suitors.

And there is less ZIPPING WIT in The Quiet Gentleman than in, say, Venetia (which is almost entirely plotless but so chocked with banter you’d never notice). But there is more being shot at, and more mystery and intrigue (who is trying to kill the Earl, long come into his inheritance but only lately returned to claim it? Could it be Martin, the late Earl’s younger son who, quite reasonably, expected the current Earl to be killed in battle eventually and the inheritance to come to him? Could it be Martin’s hilariously snooty mother? Could it be that creepy git Martin hired as his manservant? YOU WILL HAVE TO READ TO FIND OUT!) so it all evens out in the wash.

And there is no small amount of sherry consumed and a valet with a subtly disturbing reverence for boots and the word ’bamming’ is used quite a lot. It’s Heyeriffic.

If you Regency fans out there haven’t yet read The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer, you’re in for a treat with this romance filled with comedy and danger.

The earl of St. Erth has come home—not that anyone wanted him to. Banished by his father because he was a constant reminder of the wife who deserted him, Gervase has spent his years at war. His stepmother and half-brother hoped a bullet would find him. After all, war is dangerous. But St. Erth is home, to a sullen family, a motley assortment of hangers-on and the no-nonsense Drusilla, a guest of the family. Matters worsen when Gervase and his brother compete for the same lady. And then the accidents start. Or are they accidents? Does someone want the earl dead?

The Quiet Gentleman is the type of romance I like, plenty of regency and with something else, in this case comedy and mystery, contributing to the action. I also love a secret identity story, and The Quiet Gentleman is one without masks. Gervase, blond, blue-eyed (I LOVE blond heroes) his manner unassuming, gives the impression of a lightweight. But he’s no pushover, as the other players in the story soon discover.

The danger mounts with the page count. And not only the serious danger from a killer, but that most dreaded of comic regency dangers, rabid mothers seeking the earl as a matrimonial prize for their daughters. And, in a refreshing change, the heroine is the antithesis of the beautiful but not-much-else female.

I haven’t read Georgette Heyer in a while, and I’d forgotten the sheer pleasure of wallowing in everything Regency. The history, the customs, the situations, the clothes, and most of all the language. Granted, I don’t understand some of the thieves’ cant, but that’s part of the fun. If you really want translations, page through the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.

They don’t write regency romances like this any more. In these days of wallpaper, if you want a more authentic regency experience, read Georgette Heyer’s The Quiet Gentleman.

Another Georgette Heyer book to add to my LOVE list! I just can’t get enough of her books and want them all for my collection. Not only are they great reads, but the covers are so pretty!

First published in 1951, The Quiet Gentleman begins with Gervase Frant coming home from the Battle of Waterloo. He wants his inheritance, but his step-mother and half-brother have other plans…

Gervase and Drusilla, his lady love, are great characters. He is funny and completely charming and she is totally endearing. She isn’t the most sexy or the smoothest – but she knows it and in fact, is critical of it. But, I liked her even more for it. It was refreshing to have a female character that isn’t the most beautiful girl in town. So many other characters, good and bad, round out this mysterious, sometimes funny, and very entertaining story. Romance isn’t the main focus in The Quiet Gentleman which was also a nice change.

For me, the storyline was completely unpredictable. It had all of that Heyer wit and sarcasm that makes her books a joy to read. I keep thinking I’ll come across a book that I don’t enjoy but thankfully that hasn’t happened yet. I can’t wait to read another one.

The new Earl of St. Erth finds that upon arrival at his castle that his remaining family would have preferred him to have died while fighting Napoleon. Happily for him he survived to claim his title as the seventh Earl. His half brother Martin had been treated as the heir and is quite put out that he is not! But is he put out enough to murder?


The Earl’s cousin Theo has been taking care of the estate since his uncle took him in as a young boy and he has done very well as its steward. Theo worries that Martin will do harm to St. Erth and watches him like a hawk. Also living at Stanyon Castle are the dowager duchess and a visiting friend, Drusilla Moreville.


The tale is full of the witty dialog for which Ms. Heyer is so famous. It rolls along like a bright, sparkling creek. The plot is a good one including romance in unexpected places, murder attempts, secret passageways and loyalties misplaced. The dowager duchess is a marvel of self absorption - except when it comes to her "perfect" son, Martin. She can see past herself for him. But ONLY for him. She provides much comic relief in the midst of the tension.


This is my second book by Ms. Heyer and it has only whet my appetite for more.



My thoughts:
My second Heyer book was a bit different because there was a big mystery in it, still it was not one of her true mystery novel. There is romance, mystery and the stillness that is proper manners.

First I was not sure about this one, mostly cos I felt Gervase was going after the wrong woman. Well I feared so. Though that fixes itself because he is a very quiet gentleman. A proper and nice man, a bit too nice actually. But then I do think Heyer seemed to like second chances and being all nice and all.

Back to the story. Gervase comes home. His younger step-brother resents him because he wants to be lord of the manor and get the pretty girl. Soon strange things start to happen. Who wants to kill Gervase? And that is the question. The way she continued to spin things did have me wondering even if I guessed it (ok I did not settle, I had options).

Martin the step-brother was very young and rushed into things. Still I never disliked him. Cousin Theo was all nice and managed things around the place. Miss Morville I liked from the start and hoped Gervase would fall for her. Miss Bolderwood was the beauty everyone fell for but yes just too pretty and nice (not the smartest cookie in the jar). Lucy (not a girl, just a nick-name) was Gervase’s friend and fell for the local beauty too. But before you think everyone fell for her, I think I can spoil things and say that Gervase did not. It’s not really a spoiler since he kind of realizes it at once. It was a full cast of characters who all brought something to the book.

And again, everyone is just so proper and it is fantastic. The style is truly Austen and the language so too. I can’t help to giggle when a certain young woman cries that someone tried to make love to her. Oh the phrasing is just wonderful. She meant kiss, nothing more.

Still I did feel it was a bit slow at times, but I enjoyed it none the less.

Conclusion:
Heyer is just fun.

Rating:
Nice



Before I start my review, I just wanted to mention that I believe Georgette Heyer to be the Queen Bee of Regency Mystery/Romance novels and I’m a big fan of her work. I’d also like to give many thanks to the publicists over @ Sourcebooks for providing me with several great Heyer titles over the past couple of years. They are the reason I discovered this wonderful author.

Now onto my review....I think you might already be able to tell how it will go.

About:

Gervase Frant returns home after surviving the Napoleanic Wars. Gervase is now the Earl of St. Erth and is home to claim himself as master of the estate known as Stanyon Manor. His step-mother Lady St.Erth, and step-brother Martin, are both openly unhappy about this. Also staying at Stanyon Castle are Gervase’s cousin Theo and Miss Morville who is a guest.
One day while out riding, Gervase stumbles upon a maiden in distress. Miss Marianne Bolderwood has fallen off her horse.
Gervase notices right away how lovely Marianne is and begins, like so many others, to give her his attentions. This makes Martin furious, he thinks that Marianne is his personal property and plans to marry her someday, fueling his hatred of Gervase even more.

With Gervase waking in the middle of the night swearing someone was just in his room, to his being setup to purposely take a tumble off his horse, the new Earl has the distinct feeling that the jealous Martin is behind it all. Miss Morville actually tries to help Gervase figure out who is trying to do him harm and she becomes a good friend to the new Earl.


My thoughts:

Since I first read Heyer’s work she has reminded me of Jane Austen.
Heyer brings Regency England to life in her stories, and as I read, I am instantly transported there. She set a Gothic mood in this novel from the start with her description of Stanyon Manor and I really enjoyed that.

Heyer had a knack for creating fun characters and storylines. There was a sweet and unexpected romance in the plot.

Gervase Frant himself is a well thought out character and he is definitely The Quiet Gentleman, never losing his composure and finding clever ways to get through difficult situations. He makes for a great hero.

There’s a swordfight, people wandering the castle at night, a ball, men fighting over a female, witty dialogue and murder attempts. What more could you want in a book?

I giggled as I read, was swept into the storyline and sighed as I turned the last page. Heyer had me guessing until the end and the person behind trying to harm Gervase wasn’t who I thought it would be.

I enjoyed reading The Quiet Gentleman so much that I was up past 1:00 AM to finish reading it, even though I had to be at work early the following day.

With interesting characters, a Gothic like mansion, a dash of humor and some romance, you have a fun mystery the likes of which only Georgette Heyer can weave.

"Good God! The fellow’s nothing but a curst dandy!" p.13

Although most of Heyer’s romances seem to follow a formula of witty heroine vs the world who doesn’t realize the direct path to everlasting love, The Quiet Gentleman sets itself apart. Focusing on Gervase Frant, the Seventh Earl of St Erth, the novel strays from the female point of view and even adds a bit of gothic and mysterious tones. Our hero, Gervase, returns to his (estranged) deceased father’s estate after serving in the army to claim his inheritance, much to the dismay of his half-brother and stepmother who didn’t actually think he’d survive Waterloo. Gervase is of the character where he could shrug off their dislike of him, but things get dicey when strange happenings occur that put Gervase in harm’s way. Could his half-brother Martin really detest him so much as to wish that Gervase were dead? Is the step-mother the epitome of the evil witch? Or, is the house really haunted?

The romance comes in when Gervase meets Martin’s love interest, Marianne, who is a beautiful and cheerful young lady with many admirers. Martin is quite protective of his invisible tie to her, and Gervase is a bit more dashing than Martin and an immediate rivalry occurs. Luckily, Gervase’s cousin Theo is on Gervase’s side and acts as a bit of a buffer between the brothers and is a trusted confidante of Gervase. And when Gervase’s friend Lord Ulverston comes to stay, Martin earns another foe. Thrown into the mix was Miss Drusilla Morville, neutral friend and loyal companion to all (who could always be counted on to do the Dowager’s tedious tasks).

It has been my previous experience with Heyer that her novels take a bit to get used to its jargon of Regency speak and a myriad of characters who normally take a bit of time to comprehend. With The Quiet Gentleman, there was not an immediate onslaught of unfamiliar names and we are taken right to the action after the opening description of the magnificent homestead of Stanyon, which is somewhat of a medieval fortress turned castle turned grand estate, which in itself becomes a bit of a character in the story.

I enjoy Heyer’s writing because of the way she writes with class, and I love knowing that I will be entertained just because of a silly situation or a witty remark. I am not expecting a thrill-ride or something so extraordinary to knock my socks off; I simply appreciate the story and the setting. Heyer had such a clever mind and writing style, and she did it very well. Heyer is similar to Austen and I often feel that Heyer is overshadowed by Austen, even though Heyer was so much more prolific. I have read ten Heyer’s and one full Austen now, and I have not been disappointed with Heyer’s romances and mysteries yet. I think I enjoyed this one most of all because of its slightly different formula. It is put in her romance genre, yet I enjoyed the mystery of it most of all. And the fact that it didn’t focus on a woman and instead followed the gentleman (and then the women in his life) was a nice change of pace for me. For real Heyer and Austen fans, this one should not disappoint in the least.

My Thoughts:

Georgette Heyer is the Queen of the Regency Romance novel for a reason. The woman could write one heck of a story. The Quiet Gentleman starts off a bit slow, but before you know it, the reader is surrounded with quite a cast of characters:

* The Dowager Countess, who knows everything and can’t be told any different. Quite like Austen’s Lady Catherine from P&P, always with a family story to tell too.
* Martin the younger half-brother, who feels he should be the Earl damn it! Really, why couldn’t Gervase just die in the war like everyone else?
* Cousin Theo, who is ever so helpful and has undying loyalty to Gervase. He’s a little too good come to think of it....
* Miss Bolderwood,the local beauty, who is not the smartest lass in the land but she has quite a fortune
* Miss Morville, the smart, quite, and unobtrusive woman who everyone underestimates or overlooks
* Lucy, Gervase’s close friend from the war who is himself a Viscount and a dandy. A typical Regency buck you could say.
* Our hero of the story, Gervase, who is not the typical silly dandy that everyone takes him for. He knows what his family thinks of him, has great insight into people’s behavior, is quite smart, and sarcastic.

Gervase finds himself in series of coincidences that threaten his person, and his brother Martin is the first one to be suspected. This is easy since Martin flies off the handle over the littlest thing. He can act like quite the big baby, storming off in a huff, in a respectful manner of course. That just makes it all the funnier. Poor Martin, he is such an immature country gentleman. All he needs is some brotherly guidance so he can grow up.

This is a multi-layered story, with sly complex characters, and wonderful period descriptions that make the reader forget time and place. The dialogue is witty, full of double meanings, and if you’re not careful, you may miss a tid bit if information necessary to solving who wants to off Gervase. I probably should have figured out who wanted to off Gervase. Looking back I had my suspicions, but I was too busy enjoying the story and reading in the moment that I didn’t wholly care about that aspect of the story. I liked all of the interplay between the characters, and that’s what Heyer excels at.

I can’t think of which character I liked the most, because they were all drawn so well. Each one represents the typical people you would meet in a Regency novel, and I love that cast of characters. This would make a great Masterpiece Theater show.

The was a fun, light, and enjoyable read that reminded me why I need to read more of Heyer. Excellent!


Through the course of my blogging travels, I have seen the name Georgette Heyer appear from time to time on a few of the blogs I love to read. Totally unfamiliar with this famous and prolific author, I agreed to review The Quiet Gentleman for Sourcebooks.

Georgette Heyer’s writing quite resembles that of Jane Austen’s. (What an adjustment from the likes of Hemingway whose writing I’ve feasted on this summer! Consider these two descriptions of spring, the first from Georgette: "It was a fine day towards the close of March, the ground rather heavy from recent rains, but fast drying under a strong wind, blowing from the east. The hedgerows were bursting into new leaf, and the banks were starred with primroses." Compared to Ernest: "In the spring mornings I would work early while my wife still slept. The windows were open wide and the cobbles of the street were drying after the rain." from A Moveable Feast)

Like Austen’s novels, The Quiet Gentleman is categorized as romance; however Heyers’ writing can be differentiated further into the category of Regency romance because it contains elements of mystery and satire, lots of dialogue between members of the opposite sex, and detailed descriptions of balls, hunting, riding, theater, suppers and other social activities pertaining to 19th century England. Here is one of the first bits of mystery in The Quiet Gentleman:

He awoke very suddenly, he knew not how many hours later, as though some unusual sound, penetrating his dreams, had jerked him back to consciousness. The room was in dense darkness, the fire in the hearth having died quite away; and he could hear nothing but the rain beating against the windows, and the howl of the wind, more subdued now, round the corner of the building. Yet even as he wondered whether perhaps he had been awakened by the fall of a tile from the roof, or the slamming of a door left carelessly open, he received so decided an impression that he was not alone in the room, that he raised himself quickly on to one elbow, straining his eyes to see through the smothering darkness. He could hear nothing but the wind and the rain, but the impression that someone was in the room rather grew on him than abated, and he said sharply, ’Who is there?’

Such suspense! Reminiscent even of Jane Eyre, this passage had me caught up in the intrigue wondering what, in fact, was going on. All I knew was that Gervase Frant, the seventh Earl of St Erth, had returned to his home after the death of his father. At this home, Stanyon, live his stepmother, the Dowager, as well as Martin, his brother, and Theo, his cousin. A heated rivalry has occurred between Martin and Gervase because Martin felt threatened about losing the affections of Marianne Bilderwood to his elder brother.

Suspicious events occur: the omission by Martin of informing Gervase that the bridge is not safe to cross when Gervase is out riding his grey horse, Cloud; the aforementioned intrusion into Gervase’s bedroom in the middle of the night; and then a cord, stretched across the path, causes Cloud to stumble and Gervase to lie stunned in the middle of the road where house guest Miss Morville comes upon him and rescues him. Is anyone attempting to take Gervase’s life? Is it, in fact, Martin? Who will win the lovely Marianne Bilderwood’s affection? These are a few of the plots within this novel, one which I was surprisingly delighted to read.

There is enough romance, enough ridiculous repartee, enough family drama to enrapture any one’s heart. Even mine which, rather jaded, tends to scorn books in the romance department.

Gervase may have inherited the family estate after his father’s death, but no one was very excited to see him come home…

This is another Regency Romance written by Ms. Heyer. She wrote numerous mysteries and romances and none of the ones I’ve read have disappointed me. Her writing style provides a lot of period detail and the plots move along slower than most modern works. That fits well with the time period she’s talking about and she always comes up with a well thought out story.

Ms. Heyer had an interest in people and how they behave because her characters are always authentic. Her main male character is just trying to stay alive and figure out who is trying to kill him. The biggest suspect is his stepbrother, who thought he would be the Earl because Gervase would get killed in the war. Ms. Heyer gives us two interesting young female characters; one all sweetness and grace with beauty and one who is very practical and handles any crisis with ease but is more plain.

Mix the pot with attempted murder, love, jealousy, and greed and you get a story that moves right along with several suspects. This author takes all these emotions and swirls a story together that make sense and surprises you with the solution. She also smoothes out all the emotional issues so things are calmer at the end of the story.

Why not visit Regency England with Ms. Heyer and follow the Earl on his quest to find out just exactly who wants him dead and why? And if he falls in love on the way there, who can complain?

Format: Paperback

Dimensions
Length: 8 in
Width: 5.25 in
Weight: 14.00 oz
Page Count: 368 pages