These Old Shades by Georgette HeyerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Georgette Heyer may have been quite young when she wrote this, but I found it very entertaining and well written. I've read and enjoyed books from much later in her career, and I can see where she matured in certain areas, but she already knew here how to tell a great story with flawed, quirky, engaging characters. I liked it.
This tells the story of [sort of a spoiler here] a young woman rescued from poverty and ill treatment. Lord Avon, usually a rake but capable of kindness, sees something in her and makes her his ward, seeing that she is established in a proper home (with his sister) and given an education into life among the elite. Besides being young and beautiful, Léonie is high spirited, confident, and original, with unaffected manners, and these qualities endear her to Paris society. She is a hit, but she is also a mystery, and the novel tells both how she manages in the new world and how her true identity was discovered.
I don't care for the very first part, when Léonie is passed off as Lord Avon's page, pretending to be the boy she appeared when he rescued her. That section seems odd and almost pointless in terms of plot development. But from the time he takes her to England for her education, I found it super engaging and fun. I thought the ending might be a little different, but it was satisfying and logical and worked very well. As I always do when I read a book by this author, I wonder why it isn't being made into a movie or series. I could see ten awesome episodes out of this book...
Anyway, this is recommended for Austen readers (where I was introduced to this author) and romance readers in general, as well as historical mystery fans. I think most people will fall in love with Leonie. :)
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