Lovely version

One of my favourite Heyer novels read beautifully. The narrator gets the tone and accents just right. I recommend this very much.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Really good narrator

What a wild story. I couldn’t help but get frustrated with Deb with her wild decisions. But such a lovely romantic tale in the end with a lovely voice actor who made the story.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Classic Georgette Heyer, but …

A good reader can turn a mediocre book into a brilliant one. The reverse is also true. This reader caught the humour of the novel and has a lovely voice but, surely, a producer or editor could have told her that claret is not pronounced claré. There were several similar errors which rather got in the way of the story. One does wonder what the production team actually do, if they let howlers like this go unchecked. I have noticed that a number of older recordings of GH’s romances have been removed from Audible and replaced with new versions. These may have younger “celebrity” readers to attract new listeners, but if the readers don’t understand the meaning of many words, let alone how to pronounce them, it ruins the book. I do wish Audible and/or publishers would reinstate the older recordings by, for example, Phyllida Nash. They are so much better than the new ones. The recent releases of GH’s detective stories - read by the brilliant Matt Addis - are quite the opposite; they are excellent.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

one of my favorite georgette heyers

Loved it. Could visualise it as I heard it. Great fun. Narrator engaging; different voices not brilliant but quite adequate.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

4.5 Stars

The Queen of Regency Romance does it again. The narrator does a good job too.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Classic Heyer, slightly marred by the ignorance of the performance

It’s a shame that Penguin don’t make more efforts to find readers who understand Heyer’s novels. The new recordings clearly seek to cash in on Regency mania, but neither performers nor production staff seem to know the material or the period.

Not only do all kinds of phrases, sayings and figures of speech get garbled by an uncomprehending reader but whole characters are woefully misrepresented.

A glaring example: how on earth did no one involved in this particular recording not pick up that Lucius Kennett is Irish? And how did no one realise that giving him a working class cockney accent was wrong on every level?

Reading an author like Heyer requires far more than mere diction. Expression can only come through understanding and these books deserve better!

No slight meant on that reader’s acting ability or clarity of diction etc which are both excellent. But she clearly doesn’t understand the material and that is a real shame.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

A most enjoyable listen and a delightful story

I have read all the reviews and agree that while generally good Daphne Kouma sometimes reads with a lack of understanding of the text with odd pauses in the middle of sentences and the wrong emphasis. Surely those sections could be re recorded. These however only slightly mar what is a very lively and enjoyable telling of quite an unusual Heyer story. The historical details like the household expenses of the gaming house are fascinating and obviously well researched by Heyer who prided herself on the accuracy of the historical background in her novels. As to Lucius Kennet I would rather have no Irish accent than a bad one.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

One of the best 3

This is one of the best 3 Heyer books I have listened to. Great story and I thought the narrator was wonderful.

Lewis

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Loved it

I've seen a few reviews about the narrator's pronunciations,and, yes, there are errors, but she reads the story well and with pace, and most of her character voices are spot on. Overall very enjoyable. The story is, of course, the usual masterpiece from Heyer, she just writes so well and even her minor characters are charming. I would advise the narrator not to attempt an Irish accent again, though the other voices were excellent.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Terrible narration

Good storyline, terrible narration - makes the heroine sound like a hysterical, rather than feisty woman

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!