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These Old Shades

These Old Shades

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4.14

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Published by Sourcebooks
Set in the Georgian period, about 20 years before the Regency, These Old Shades is considered to be the book that launched Heyer's career. It features two of Heyer's most memorable characters: Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, and Leonie, whom he rescues from a life of ignomy and comes to love and marry. The Duke is known for his coldness of manner, his remarkable omniscience, and his debauched lifestyle. Late one evening, he is accosted by a young person dressed in ragged boy's clothing running away from a brutal rustic guardian. The Duke buys "Leon" and makes the child his page. "Leon" is in fact Leonie, and she serves the Duke with deep devotion. When he uncovers the true story of her birth, he wreaks an unforgettable revenge on her sinister father in a chilling scene of public humiliation. PRAISE FOR GEORGETTE HEYER: "Our Georgette Heyer display of the Sourcebooks reprints has been a huge success, not only to those early fans like myself, but to many new readers who appreciate her style and wit." Nancy Olson, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC "Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen." Publishers Weekly "Wonderful characters, elegant, witty writing, perfect period detail, and rapturously romantic. Georgette Heyer achieves what the rest of us only aspire to." Katie Fforde "Absolute monarch of the Regency romance." Kirkus Reviews
Set in the Georgian period, about 20 years before the Regency, These Old Shades is considered to be the book that launched Heyer's career. It features two of Heyer's most memorable characters: Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, and Leonie, whom he rescues from a life of ignomy and comes to love and marry. The Duke is known for his coldness of manner, his remarkable omniscience, and his debauched lifestyle. Late one evening, he is accosted by a young person dressed in ragged boy's clothing running away from a brutal rustic guardian. The Duke buys "Leon" and makes the child his page. "Leon" is in fact Leonie, and she serves the Duke with deep devotion. When he uncovers the true story of her birth, he wreaks an unforgettable revenge on her sinister father in a chilling scene of public humiliation. PRAISE FOR GEORGETTE HEYER: "Our Georgette Heyer display of the Sourcebooks reprints has been a huge success, not only to those early fans like myself, but to many new readers who appreciate her style and wit." Nancy Olson, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC "Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen." Publishers Weekly "Wonderful characters, elegant, witty writing, perfect period detail, and rapturously romantic. Georgette Heyer achieves what the rest of us only aspire to." Katie Fforde "Absolute monarch of the Regency romance." Kirkus Reviews

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categoriesBooks, Fiction & Literature
Publish date: Oct 1, 2009
Added to Scribd: Aug 26, 2013
Copyright:Traditional Copyright: All rights reservedISBN:9781402228049
List Price: $11.99

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03/28/2014

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9781402228049

O. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. Cover image © Bridgeman Art Library Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks. Inc. Title. Sourcebooks. Any similarity to real persons. Naperville. Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca. Box 4410. Inc.914--dc22 2009029781. All rights reserved. Copyright Copyright © 1926 by Georgette Heyer Cover and internal design © 2009 by Sourcebooks. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher. P. PR6015.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Heyer. an imprint of Sourcebooks. p.E795T47 2009 823’. These old shades / Georgette Heyer. Georgette. Inc. living or dead. 1. cm. I. Inc.sourcebooks. Illinois 60567-4410 (630) 961-3900 Fax: (630) 961-2168 www. England--Social life and customs--18th century--Fiction

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beckymmoe_1 reviewed this
Rated 3/5
This one was definitely not my favorite Heyer. In fact, if it had been my first, I doubt I would have read any more of hers, which is a shame because she's one of my favorite authors. This one, though, was difficult for me to get through.

First of all, I had a hard time with the hero, Justin Alstair, the Duke of Avon. His motives at times seemed highly questionable. He claims he knew from the first that his new page was a girl, yet he let her continue with the charade much longer than seemed necessary; in fact, he went out of his way to flaunt his new page all over Paris society, taking her into places that few men brought their pages, places that were not at all suitable for a nineteen-year-old girl. I know it was all part of his plot to ruin his old rival, the Comte de Saint-Vire, but it showed a tremendous lack of respect for Leon/Leonie as a fellow human being rather than a disposable pawn. The fact that he called her his child over and over in the story was also a bit disturbing, given where readers know the story is going to end up. Leon/Leonine's slavish devotion to him, too, seems to be a bit much. Their relationship just had a few too many "ick" factors for me to be completely comfortable.

If you can get past the hero and heroine's questionable motives and actions, though, many parts of the story are enjoyable and trademark Heyer. The secondary characters are, as always, wonderfully drawn. The antagonist is delightfully evil, and the plot itself is good. The last third or so of the book did have my complete interest as much of the first half did not. All in all, I'm not sorry I read this one, but I am very glad that it wasn't my introduction to this author.
sunflower38_1 reviewed this
Rated 4/5
It was a good book with lot's of twist and turns. The ending was as expected. However, having figured that out about 25% into the book it was still a great read and kept my attention. The characters were all interesting and most played a huge part in making the story enjoyable.
veracite reviewed this
Rated 3/5
I really like the way Heyer doesn't fuss about trying to make the plot twists a surprise.
poonamsharma_1 reviewed this
Rated 3/5
The title, I learn after a little 'wiki research' is after the characters who are shades of those in Heyer's first book 'The Black Moth'. (I still haven't had occasion to come across this one in the library.) Since plot of this book was no sequel, Heyer just changed the old characters to new name though they retain their mannerism and felicity.

Book was delightfully written - only two complaints being the age difference between the lead pair was mammoth, 20 years! And I feared that if the book continued 30-40 more pages, I would be irked of same 'delightful, innocent and at the same time 'infantile' tone of the heroine of the novel. However, Heyer did rein it tightly to keep the humor alive all through the book.

This one works for humor than for the passion.
maureene87 reviewed this
Rated 4/5
These Old Shades is the first book in the Alastair series; the other two are Devil's Cub and An Infamous Army. I read Devil's Cub first and then Infamous Army. As it just so happens, Devil's Cub is basically my all-time favorite Heyer book and Infamous Army is excellent in a different way than her usual. So These Old Shades had a lot to live up to. Ultimately, I enjoyed it, especially on a second read-through, but it didn't quite meet my expectations. Set before the French Revolution, it follows Justin Alastair, Duke of Avon, through his wild life in Anjou. When his life collides with a young page named Leon, he begins a new course which will ultimately change everything.

I enjoyed seeing a new view of Avon and of Leon *cough*, and especially of Rupert! Nonetheless, Devil's Cub remains my favorite (mostly because of Mary).
auntieknickers reviewed this
Rated 4/5
I came very late to Georgette Heyer, having read my first of her books only a couple of years ago because it was on the Guardian's 1000 Novels You Must Read list. I'm working my way through, and found that one of the most recommended books, An Infamous Army, was listed as third in "the Alastair trilogy." This is the first of those, and the first of her books I've read that is not set during the Regency period for which Heyer is best known. I believe the time period is about 1760, well before the French Revolution and Napoleon, so Justin Alastair, Duke of Avon, can readily travel between Paris and England. Justin is a typical Heyer hero -- arrogant, rich, handsome and apparently quite selfish. When a young boy cannons into him on the street, fleeing from a brutish relative, Justin has no qualms about buying the boy with a piece of jewelry. He already suspects that all is not as it seems, and that his new page may be the means of settling an old score. Surprises are in store for one and all, and not least for Justin himself. A very enjoyable read, and as well-researched as the Regency books as far as I could tell.
jenneb_2 reviewed this
Rated 3/5
This book was strangely perverse, but I kind of enjoyed it anyway. Despite the AMAZINGLY IRRITATING main character.
condorena reviewed this
Rated 4/5
Tis story was foreshadowed in Georgette Heyer's first book The Black Moth because the main characters bears many similarities in both books. But in this case Justin Alaistair the Duke of Avon is more fully fleshed out. He is never as bad as he is painted.

The story begins when he rescues a waif from the streets of Paris with striking hair and makes him his page. There is a mystery subtly interwoven in between action and adventures that makes this book very enjoyable.
kathleen586 reviewed this
Rated 1/5
I got about half-way through this book before my digital library loan expired. I didn't mind very much, because this book is bizarre. I disliked all the main characters, and the beginning third of the book was very strange. It would have been fun to see how the Duke enacted his revenge on Leonie's real family, but I have better books to read right now. :P

I still want to read some Georgette Heyer romances, so hopefully I can eventually acquire an Alameda County library card (they have a large selection of Heyer Kindle books).
sly_wit reviewed this
Rated 3/5
I had read Heyer before, but not her more popular ones. I decided that it might be nice to read a few of these classic Regency romances as a break from my literary classics reading this year. These Old Shades was a good start, although it takes place before the Regency period. I would recommend it on its own, but especially as the prequel to The Devil's Cub.
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