So, which is your favourite Heyer?

[girlyswot]

Surfing my friends' friends list, I came across this, which is apparently the results of a survey of a Heyer mailing list.



Votes as of 12/14/08 (104 votes)
The Grand Sophy (1950) 4.7
Frederica (1965) 4.5
Venetia (1958) 4.5
Sylvester (The Wicked Uncle) (1957) 4.4
The Unknown Ajax (1959) 4.3
Cotillion (1953) 4.3
Arabella (1949) 4.3
The Talisman Ring (1936) 4.3
Devil's Cub (1932) 4.2
The Reluctant Widow (1946) 4.2
Black Sheep (1966) 4.1
The Quiet Gentleman (1951) 4.1
Friday's Child (1944) 4.1
The Nonesuch (1962) 4.1
False Colours (1963) 3.9
These Old Shades (1926) 3.9
Faro's Daughter (1941) 3.9
The Toll-Gate (1954) 3.9
The Corinthian (Beau Wyndham) (1940) 3.8
The Convenient Marriage (1934) 3.8
Sprig Muslin (1956) 3.8
Masqueraders (1928) 3.8
Lady of Quality (1972) 3.7
April Lady (1957) 3.6
The Foundling (1948) 3.6
Bath Tangle (1955) 3.5
Pistols for Two: And Other Stories (1960) 3.5
A Civil Contract (1961) 3.3
Death in the Stocks (Merely Murder) (1935) 3.3
Behold, Here's Poison (1936) 3.3
Regency Buck (1935) 3.2
The Unfinished Clue (1934) 3.2
An Infamous Army (1937) 3.1
Why Shoot a Butler? (1933) 3.1
Duplicate Death (1951) 3.1
Envious Casca (1941) 3.1
A Blunt Instrument (1938) 3.0
Charity Girl (1970) 3.0
Detection Unlimited (1953) 3.0
They Found Him Dead (1937) 2.9
No Wind of Blame (1939) 2.9
Footsteps in the Dark (1932) 2.9
Beauvallet (1929) 2.8
The Black Moth (1921) 2.8
Cousin Kate (1968) 2.8
The Spanish Bride (1940) 2.8
Simon the Coldheart (1925) 2.6
Penhallow (1942) 2.4
Instead of the Thorn (1923) 2.4
The Transformation of Philip Jettan (Powder and Patch) (1923) 2.3
The Conqueror (1931) 2.3
Pastel (1929) 2.1
Barren Corn (1930) 2.0
Royal Escape (1938) 1.9
My Lord John (1975) 1.9
The Great Roxhythe (1923) 1.8
Helen (1928) 1.8

I am surprised that Frederica is quite so high and disappointed that Regency Buck, A Civil Contract and An Infamous Army didn't score more. I love the historical ones too, but I'm not really surprised that they weren't so popular. I've only read a couple of the detective stories so I can't judge (and I wonder if the survey is less accurate for those, since I suspect many of the readers polled won't have read them either).

Which are your favourites and what were you surprised by?

Comments

[frankie-ecap.livejournal.com]

It occurs to me that I am surprised that The Reluctant Widow is so high up the list.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

But it has a cute dog! And Miss Beccles!

I'm surprised Beauvallet is so far down the list, but maybe it's due to it being out of her usual period. I'm surprised April Lady even makes it to the midlist, actually, as the heroine's such a drip.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

I like Beauvallet too. Actually, I like them all, so. But I think you're right that there are period issues and quite a lot of gadzookery which may not be to everyone's taste. Plus the heroine is such a drip. ;)

I like April Lady. (see above). I agree about the heroine, but I quite like the secondary characters. And I'm a real sucker for 'married couple' stories. The Convenient Marriage and A Civil Contract are also high on my list for the same reason.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I like The Convenient Marriage a lot. Less sure about A Civil Contract - I always enjoy it when I'm reading it, and I love Jenny's father, but Julia makes me curl my fingers into my palms and hiss, and I can't see her and Lord Whatshisface... um, Borough, possibly? having a happy marriage, as he's doing all the giving.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

Rockhill. frankie_ecap fancies him. Julia is truly awful, I agree, but I think she is supposed to be and I quite enjoy mentally slapping her a lot.

Brough is the one who marries Adam's sister Lydia.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

The Reluctant Widow is one that I am always surprised by how much I do like it.