A review by maplessence
Simon the Coldheart by Georgette Heyer
3.0
3.5✶
A character flaw of mine is that I really hate admitting I'm wrong.
*shuffles feet, looks embarrassed*
I was wrong about Simon the Coldheart.
Members of the Georgette Heyer Fans Group can let their eyes glaze over this section, as they have heard this story many, many, many times before!
My late father (who introduced me to the works of Georgette Heyer) loved this novel as a young boy. Being blissfully unaware that this was one of the titles that the strong minded Heyer had suppressed, he spent many fruitless hours as an adult scouring bookshops trying to find another copy. So I was thrilled to find this [bc:Simon the Coldheart|3535744|Simon the Coldheart|Georgette Heyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1214325575s/3535744.jpg|3083876]. Dad was a fussy devil and I thought I had finally found the perfect gift! Well Dad read this book - & this time round, he hated it. I tried it and I hated it too!
Fast forward to the present. Dad has been on my mind a lot recently, so I thought I would reread this as a tribute to him. I allowed 2 weeks for the read as I thought this was one of GH's leaden titles where I have to force myself to push on, but this was not the case! I rocketed through this read in a couple of days. The first half of the book has "baseborn" Simon giving himself the surname Beauvallet and becoming a page to his father Malvallet's sworn enemy, Fulk. (Note:this enmity never amounts to much)
Fulk comes to love Simon as much as he loves his son, the romantic poet Alan. Rather than being jealous, Alan also adores Simon (I swear I kept hearing that old meme
right through this read!In spite of a singular lack of charm or humour, we are to believe Simon perfect)
Malvallet's son Geoffrey becomes the third member of a devoted trio and like another Heyer [bc:The Conqueror|311191|The Conqueror|Georgette Heyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320418201s/311191.jpg|302156] male friendship and loyalty is a very strong theme.
In spite of all this, the tale was told at a rollicking speed. I really didn't want to put it down! 4✶ until the final third, which was a romance tacked on to the end. I liked the fierce and beautiful Margaret a lot
it was
If you read in the same spirit you watch movies from the same era I don't think you will be disappointed. If you are hoping for the deft plotting and wit of GH's Regencies, you will be.
Simple as that.
A character flaw of mine is that I really hate admitting I'm wrong.
*shuffles feet, looks embarrassed*
I was wrong about Simon the Coldheart.
Members of the Georgette Heyer Fans Group can let their eyes glaze over this section, as they have heard this story many, many, many times before!
My late father (who introduced me to the works of Georgette Heyer) loved this novel as a young boy. Being blissfully unaware that this was one of the titles that the strong minded Heyer had suppressed, he spent many fruitless hours as an adult scouring bookshops trying to find another copy. So I was thrilled to find this [bc:Simon the Coldheart|3535744|Simon the Coldheart|Georgette Heyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1214325575s/3535744.jpg|3083876]. Dad was a fussy devil and I thought I had finally found the perfect gift! Well Dad read this book - & this time round, he hated it. I tried it and I hated it too!
Fast forward to the present. Dad has been on my mind a lot recently, so I thought I would reread this as a tribute to him. I allowed 2 weeks for the read as I thought this was one of GH's leaden titles where I have to force myself to push on, but this was not the case! I rocketed through this read in a couple of days. The first half of the book has "baseborn" Simon giving himself the surname Beauvallet and becoming a page to his father Malvallet's sworn enemy, Fulk. (Note:this enmity never amounts to much)
Fulk comes to love Simon as much as he loves his son, the romantic poet Alan. Rather than being jealous, Alan also adores Simon (I swear I kept hearing that old meme
Women want to be with him, men want to be him
right through this read!In spite of a singular lack of charm or humour, we are to believe Simon perfect)
Malvallet's son Geoffrey becomes the third member of a devoted trio and like another Heyer [bc:The Conqueror|311191|The Conqueror|Georgette Heyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320418201s/311191.jpg|302156] male friendship and loyalty is a very strong theme.
In spite of all this, the tale was told at a rollicking speed. I really didn't want to put it down! 4✶ until the final third, which was a romance tacked on to the end. I liked the fierce and beautiful Margaret a lot
it was
Spoiler
her rescue from the rapacious Raoul did make me want to giggle and reminded me very much of the 1920s cinema - understandable since this was written in 1925, when the author was a young & naive 22/23 year old!If you read in the same spirit you watch movies from the same era I don't think you will be disappointed. If you are hoping for the deft plotting and wit of GH's Regencies, you will be.
Simple as that.