Note added 6.21.21: Heyer has become a controversial subject since these reviews were written, about a decade ago. I still strongly feel her books are worth reading, but I also want to acknowledge and condemn her disturbing anti-semitism and classism. The subject warrants a far larger discussion than this mere paragraph, but I want to point readers to my 2011 review of The Grand Sophy, and Heyer's horrible portrayal of the Jewish moneylender Goldhangar. My understanding of the use of narratives to bolster dominant social groups has further developed during this time. We also have far more terminology available to us now than we did then. Today, I certainly hold Heyer more accountable than I did in 2011. I think I would call out her anti-semitism first, not in closing, and I would certainly highlight Sophy's extreme privilege and the ease with which she weaponizes it. I think it is useful for us all to see how our attitudes evolve (or fail to) with time, and I am not ashamed of my old opinions, even as I now disagree with some of them. I do continue to believe that we must confront and understand the racism of the past, not hide from it, in order to properly confront the structures that perpetuate racism today.
Don't forget her mysteries! Those are the books that I'm most interested in, but I've always been a mystery reader and a few years back I discovered Jane Austen sequels. I have three of the Georgette Heyer Regencies, one historical, and most of her mysteries.
ReplyDeleteI've only read one of her mysteries, but I never wrote a review of it. There are several of her books I haven't reviewed, though I've read them more than once. These are just links for my Heyer reviews. Thanks for checking it out!
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