Helen

by Georgette Heyer

A contemporary romance set in the changing times before and after World War 1, the heroine is Helen, a young girl with antiquated Victorian values, who does not approve the new Edwardian society. Admired by several suitors, she does not think she can marry a modern man.

One of the four "contemporary" novels Georgette Heyer had suppressed.

Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Regency

328 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1928

About the author

Georgette Heyer was a prolific historical romance and detective fiction novelist. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth.

In 1925 she married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer. Rougier later became a barrister and he often provided basic plot outlines for her thrillers. Beginning in 1932, Heyer released one romance novel and one thriller each year.

Heyer was an intensely private person who remained a best selling author all her life without the aid of publicity. She made no appearances, never gave an interview and only answered fan letters herself if they made an interesting historical point. She wrote one novel using the pseudonym Stella Martin.

Her Georgian and Regencies romances were inspired by Jane Austen. While some critics thought her novels were too detailed, others considered the level of detail to be Heyer's greatest asset.

Heyer remains a popular and much-loved author, known for essentially establishing the historical romance genre and its subgenre Regency romance.

Reviews

[Pepa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐
entretenida, pero poco más.
La primera parte muy aburrida, centra toda la situación en el miedo de Helen a confesar una verdadera tontería... y le da vueltas y más vueltas a un tema que no da tanto de sí
A la mitad de la novela el tema se anima un poco y he leído la ironía y el desparpajo de otras novelas de la autora, pero no es lo mejor que he leído de ella, ni de lejos

[Margo Thaxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost missed out on this wonderful little gem because it was only rated 3 stars. Looking over the reviews now, I realize people hated Helen because she was conservative and had old fashioned values. I love Helen because she is conservative and has old fashioned values. This book is a new favorite of mine. It is so well written! The way Heyer can turn a phrase is just delightful!

[Arlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to my grandmother, I've read a number of Heyer's historical books, so I was curious when I saw a more modern book at the library. One thing I like about her regency books is that they are quite entertaining and have interesting characters. I can't really say the same about this book. It wasn't horrid, although the ideology surrounding WW1 really upset me and was ridiculous ("It's a great adventure! I'm quite sorry it's over..."), I have to remember that books like All Quiet on the Western Front weren't quite the school reads they are today. To really sum up my feelings on this book, I'd like to say it's a good thing it ended happily. If it hadn't, it really would have been a waste of my time. Books that aren't very good should always redeem themselves by at least leaving the reader with happy fictional ending.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps the last of Heyer's "contemporaries" that I'll force myself to read, Heyer shares once again her dislike of women and her reactionary conservitivism (conservitism?) Chock full of scorn for 1. women 2. pacifists 3. fast women 4. divorce 5. Girl Guides (really!) 6. social work and any number of other things. I can only think that it must have been fashionable in 1928 to talk about how feminism had gone too far and that women really didn't want to be equal. An interesting study of attitudes during/after WWI, though. Also (and I suppose importantly since it's a romance) the heroine and hero seem to not have much spark and they only come together in the last page and a half (shades of other Heyer novels for sure!)

[Susan Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

needs copy editing

I enjoyed the story but there were so many many typos. Sometimes I couldn’t figure out what was meant. Definitely interfered with reading.

[Kathy]

I have chosen to tag this as historical fiction because the setting is before/during/after World War I, even though Heyer was writing during that period. As in so many of her books, she is depicting attitudes that were prevalent during the time she is writing about, and I don't necessarily assume that she shares those attitudes. It's eye opening to realize how things were changing during that period, especially for the upper classes in England, but I had to wonder whether some of those things still prevail in that segment of society.

"She was young; she had missed previous years of youth during the war, and when she should have danced and played, she had had to work. . . It was surprising how much could be crammed into a day and a night. One rode, of course, in the Park, sedately; there would be a lunch somewhere, probably at the Berkeley, and a matinee or a private view; tea at Hurlingham, or a run in someone's car out to the country. And there would be dinner at some very smart, very out of the way little restaurant, followed by a theatre, or dancing, or both."

I just don't know many people who would have so little ambition while enjoying so many privileges; they exist, of course, but not in my milieu.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen is an amazing book but so are just about all georgette heyer books. Helen is more of a coming of age book but georgette heyer mostly wrote romatic comedy

[K · Rating 1 out of 5]

Least favorite Heyer book. Pedantic.

[Flora Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

A coming of age story and I think a glimps into the real life of Georgette Heyer and her deep love and friendship with her father (George Heyer) who died suddenly on 15 June 1925, three years before this book was originally published in 1928. This book is unlike the Heyer books one is use to, this book is filled with raw life and hard truths as Helen sails through the choppy water (we all must travel through) of ones 20s to earn what one believes and plumb the depths of the soul to find out who one truly is.

"I haven't educated Helen on those lines. I don't want her to be able top pass senseless examinations, or to waste her time over subjects that won't do her a bit of good. " pg. 42
"I don't want Helen to be able to analyze a lily, or to bisect an angle, or to parse a sentence. I want her to have a general knowledge of the things that matter. The sort of knowledge that will make her an interesting woman..." pg 44
"Love's so enormous. You can't find any end to it; you can't have life away from it. It's so huge, so much a part of you, you can't even grasp it... it can lead you horribly astray...A little, half- understood passion, ephemeral, self seeking! That's not love. Love is in itself understanding. It can't lead you astray: it's Truth; it's God. Selfishness and cowardice, creeping in, can pervert, but where there is Love there's no room for those... Love is the greatest force in the world..." (pg. 232)
"...sheilding and sustaining; he stood for love, and for friendship, and for security; she saw her future stretch before her; she thought she had come through storm and sorrow, to a haven, and to happiness." (pg. 289)

[bluerose]

The book that finally made me download the Kindle app because how can I resist an out of print Georgette Heyer? Unfortunately this was so riddled with typographical errors that at times it was nearly impossible to decipher the author's original meaning. Here's hoping for a coherent copy at some point.

[Susan Royston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many typos

I normally am a huge fan of Georgette Meyer books, but this one had so many typos that it made for a difficult read. The book was written almost like one of her mysteries. But I don't know what I would classify this book, mystery romance or coming of age story. I don't know what it would be marketed as either. It simply is very different.

[Dante Kennels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Editing

Someone has done an abysmal job of editing this book. In the first half Iwas only an occasional slip but by the end it was close to errors on every page. As one of the premiere Bristish authors of the mid 20th century and the heir to Jane Austen, Ms. Heyer's work is deserving of far greater care than shown in the editing of this book.

[KimJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a little skeptical because of other reviews, but I loved this book. The editing (or lack thereof) did make it a challenge and I frequently had to go back and reread sentences to interpret the “He” that should be “She”. I am a Heyer fan and was so glad to find an unread one since I have read many of her others multiple times.

[Margaret Sullivan]

Interesting so far.

[CJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book. It lacked the wit and humor I’ve come to look forward to in Heyer’s Regency novels. Instead it had a seriousness in exploring the societal changes that occurred around WWI. Overall I found the book interesting and thought provoking though some parts were a bit slow moving and hard to plow through.

[Norreida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent rough draft

I LOVE the plot and characters, but it definitely reads like someone found an unfinished manuscript and published it without proofreading. Parts of the storyline are a little bit rushed, and there are numerous grammatical errors. Pronouns are frequently wrong. Misspelled words. In one place, Victoria is written as victorious. Reading past all the errors makes a chore of a good story.

I think Heyer wanted to show her own mixed feelings about post-WWI England. Her normal style is very much "show rather than tell," so I think the sections where her characters become philosophical about Helen's pull between her sheltered upbringing and exposure to the free and wild Roaring 20's is unfinished. Those monologues don't fit with the style of the rest of the book. I assume she meant to go back and edit those sections.

I still recommend the book. I enjoyed it. A good read despite these problems. Heyer has a true gift of bringing a reader from laughter to tears and back again. Her characters are authentic and settings are well researched, and you feel like you're actually there. She's one of my all-time favorite authors.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A growing up story that starts out adorable and deepens through the Great War and her relationship with her father to maturity. This is a more searching type of novel than the Regencies that Heyer is famous for, firmly set in the emotions and values of early 20th century England.

[Angie Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great Heyer book. A little more comtempory for Heyer in that she writes about her own time period and the changes in men and women roles as a result of WWI. There is more depth to this story than to her regency romance novels, but as always, a great read!

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed the character development in this one. The confusing verbal play of the early 1900s was confusing, so I ended up skimming over most of that, but I enjoyed the story of Helen herself, and the role her father took on, his development, after her mother's death.

[Mary Ronan Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

.

My review is on my blog:

http://maryslibrary.typepad.com/my_we...

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely of its time and sad given what was to follow.

[Mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Para nada mejor que El tío Sylvester, Arabella, Venetia o El dandi... Pero es Georgette Heyer. Y se ha disfrutado como tal.

[Sarah Ehmke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5