Black Sheep

Author:

Georgette Heyer

Published:

Bantam, September 1968 ; 232 pages

Subgenre:

Regency romance

Setting:

England -- Bath, 1810s

Main characters:

Miles Calverleigh and Abigail Wendover

Sexual explicitness:

Just kisses

Keywords:

Humor; black sheep, elopement, family secrets, heiresses, nabobs, nieces and nephews, spinsters

Reader rating:

Reader comments:

My tenth or so Heyer this year and definitely up to snuff. Loved the ending where Miles comes through in grand style and all the loose ends get tied up. (Y.F.P., 3-27-98) Delightful, witty dialogue, intriguing char. portrayal and devl and just a great read. The tension of similarities and contrasts between Calverleigh uncle and nephew was absolutely great and the love story of Abby and Miles wonderfully mature and tender and then the final comeuppance of Stacy which took me completely by surprise. (Y.F.P., 3-15-98) Delightful, witty dialogue, intriguing char. portrayal and devl and just a great read. The tension of similarities and contrasts between Calverleigh uncle and nephew was absolutely great and the love story of Abby and Miles wonderfully mature and tender and then the final comeuppance of Stacy which took me completely by surprise. (Y.F.P., 3-15-98) Terrific and amusing example of Heyer's best comedy of manners and ironic mode. The Hero's attraction lies in his rogueishness and his freedom from concerning himself with the views of Mrs. Grundy. Not insipid, nor completely trivial. Don't underestimate Ms. Heyer. Often her novels are as complex and biting as Ms. Austen's and Black Sheep falls right into that category. That fact that she also wrote some amazingly substandard books shouldn't be held against her. (J.R., 1-12-98) Heyer is WONDERFUL! She is one of the few authors that get you to laughing out loud. Her accuracy is second to none, and she did indeed "invent" the regency genre. I've not read any other regency author who even comes close. (Jane Austin is NOT a regency genre author--she was writing contempory novels in her own time, which is entirely different.) BLACK SHEEP is great--very funny, well-drawn characters, and believable situations. (V.M., 1-9-98) Don't even try to read this Book! Don't get me wrong, I teethed on Ms. Heyer, but this book was decidely not up to scratch! The 'hero' is absolutely hideous and so is the book. (S.D., 5-18-97) I really enjoyed this book when I first read it many years ago. Heyer's plots and characters are generally rich and full, not like most of the drivel now written. Her historical accuracy is great as well. (K.F., 5-8-97) Heyer certainly is a grade B Austen imitator, but her stuff looks pretty good compared to many historicals now written, with the stylistic sophistication of an easy-to-read fifth-grade text and cookie-cutter characters and plots. The Black Sheep is one of my favorite Hyer novels because the lovers are not your run-of-the-mill youthful beauties. (S.N., 4-5-97) The first of Ms. Heyer's books I ever read was THE TALISMAN RING. After that I was caught, I read every one of her books that I could get my hands on. (G.G., 2-15-97) Delightful fare from the originator (and grand master) of the Regency, a feast for Anglophiliacs, with lots of wit, charm, Regency-era slang, and other period detail--and NO sex, of course. Heyer is often described as an imitation Jane Austen, though as a 20C writer she naturally lacks the satiric barb, instead viewing Austen's era with some nostalgia--and a pretty firm belief in the British class system. BLACK SHEEP is one of about fifteen really delicious books that also include ARABELLA, BATH TANGLE, FALSE COLOURS, FARO'S DAUGHTER, FREDERICA, THE GRAND SOPHY, LADY OF QUALITY, THE NONESUCH, REGENCY BUCK, SYLVESTER OR THE WICKED UNCLE, THE TOLL-GATE, VENETIA, Heyer's great Georgian historical THESE OLD SHADES (sometimes inaccurately labeled a Regency) and its sequel DEVIL'S CUB, and the Elizabethan swashbuckler romance BEAUVALLET. However, she also wrote quite a few duds! (E.P., 1-30-97)

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