Georgette Heyer Fans discussion

Here you can write spoilers about The Unknown Ajax freely.

The thread without spoilers is here.

Finished this again this morning. What a great story, full of believable characters that you (mostly) care about and a great deal of humour. Hugo is wonderful, from the moment he realises his family’s hostility and decides to take them on. So funny and some great scenes. My only criticism would be that I thought the romance developed a bit too quickly but that is really minor in the scheme of the novel. The final scene is a classic and very enjoyable. Even though this is not my first read, I couldn’t read it fast enough!! Such fun!

GH had a tendre for the giants, didn't she? - John Staple, Sir Anthony, Hugo ... are there more? They are regularly mistaken for big, slow, clumsy bears, and prove to be quite the contrary.

What I like particularly about this book is the stringent construction. There are quite a number of secondary characters and apparently unconnected events, but they all lead the reader inexorably toward the final drama. From the valets to Lady Aurelia, from the blacksmith to the painted ancestor: none of them could be spared. - GH is always good in plot construction and ensemble building, but this book, I think, stands out in this respect.

Two very good points, sabagrey!

I can really appreciate the giants, too; what could be better than a man who is large, sweet and extremely competent?

Who John Staple? The similarity with Sir Anthony is striking, and slipped my mind until now. What I really appreciate this time is the vast cast of characters, who all have their importance and so many of them undergo a serious change of mind towards empathy and responsibility. There is a broad discussion of class and accent. When was it written? Making the aristocracy look very foolish.

For John Staple, see the Toll-Gate. He is quite similar to Hugo - an ex-officer with a sense of mischief.

Ajax was published in 1959. GH's usual romance is populated by gentry & nobility, with the occasional "commoner" thrown in often for comic effect. She comes across as a snob often enough - but not here. She elaborates nicely upon the comparison between Hugo's grandfathers, Lord Darracott and Mr. Bray, "t'gaffer". It's not a compliment for the upper class. The character of Hugo, hybrid by birth, humorous and totally unencumbered by class distinctions, is the link between them and makes sure that what could be a conflict remains a comedy.

Finished and enjoyed it as much as ever! The chapter towards the end where everything comes to a head is genius. I loved it!!

Teresa wrote: "Finished and enjoyed it as much as ever! The chapter towards the end where everything comes to a head is genius. I loved it!!"

I agree. I enjoy the entire book, but that final section is laugh-out-loud funny to me, no matter how many times I read this.

another aspect of Tua is that it is written like a stage comedy, especially the last chapters, I had always a picture of being there, watching,

toll gate! thanks for some reason it always slips my mind

Finished. I had not read this one. And I was in a hurry to finish it so definitely did not read every word.
Enjoyed some of the words “roundaboutation” “fratch” but overall too much of unusual language for this reader.
I enjoyed the gigantic Hugo as male lead.
Overall not a favorite Heyer for me, I much prefer Venetia.

Nancy wrote: "Finished. I had not read this one. And I was in a hurry to finish it so definitely did not read every word.
Enjoyed some of the words “roundaboutation” “fratch” but overall too much of unusual la..."

All the lingo, plus the dialect from some characters, can be a bit much. I struggled with this one until I listened to it on audio. That somehow opened it up for me, and now it's one of my favorites! So that might be something to keep in mind for a reread.

@Teri-K I would agree that listening to a book is a very different experience. I find it isn't what I want sometimes, but very helpful sometimes such as here. The dialog is just better being read by a professional than the voice in my head!

Thank you Teri-K and Jackie.
If I ever tackle this one again I’ll try audiobook version.

I'm with Nancy that this one is not a favorite. I liked Hugo but the rest fell a bit flat for me. That ending though is classic. So funny.

I'm not much of an audiobook person, but that is a good idea to try it that way.

This one is mid-range for me. The heroine was kind of a non-entity.

That strikes me as a bit harsh, but I guess she does suffer from comparison to Hugo who is clearly the star. At least she keeps a good attitude and stands up to her horrible Grandfather.

Rebekah wrote: "This one is mid-range for me. The heroine was kind of a non-entity."

I really love this book, but I'd agree that she isn't a star here. She's decent and likable, but not on the page a lot and not a really strong character. For me it's all about Hugo and how he treats everyone else. Plus I like my romance to have more of a plot than just the two people falling in love, and this one works really well for me. Add in the humor and I'm a big fan.

Now that I think about it - I'm a fan of her mysteries, too, and this almost reads like them. Footsteps in the Dark, perhaps?

Jackie wrote: "That strikes me as a bit harsh, but I guess she does suffer from comparison to Hugo who is clearly the star. At least she keeps a good attitude and stands up to her horrible Grandfather."

don't forget she is the only one of the family who can keep step with Hugo's fibs and jokes. Their dialogues are hilarious.

sabagrey wrote: "don't forget she is the only one of the family who can keep step with Hugo's fibs and jokes. Their dialogues are hilarious."

Good point! It's what makes their scenes together so fun.

It’s ages since I read this but I have enjoyed it mostly.

As a Yorkshire lass, I always liked Hugo’s joke on his family. However I always struggle with the way Heyer romanticised smuggling in her books- and in TUA, the way they treat the excise man.

The hideous and vicious violence of smugglers, including the notorious Hawkhurst Gang in the same area were nothing to admire or glorify. But here, it’s the usual Heyer device where the authorities have to be flouted to protect one of the family.

I agree that the romance is very much reduced to a non-story line.

Enjoyable but not one of my favourites.

well it is a mystery very similar to penhallow, there are a few of her "romances" the quiet gentlemen, tollgate, the foundling, that are historical comic mysteries with a bit of romance at the side

Sophie, I like your description of these sorts of Heyer novels. "historical comic mysteries with a bit of romance on the side." Maybe I lean more towards these types of books, or at least have a special affection for them (although I think the straightforward romances are great too). Both Unknown Ajax and Toll-Gate were 5 star reads, and are perfect novels to me. Hugo & John Staple are highly enjoyable protagonists, maybe my top favorites (alongside Freddie from Cotillion).

I think I'll re-prioritize Quiet Gentleman and The Foundling higher on my to-read list.

mark wrote: "Sophie, I like your description of these sorts of Heyer novels. "historical comic mysteries with a bit of romance on the side." Maybe I lean more towards these types of books, or at least have a sp..."

I think those are some of my favorites, too. I already like mysteries, so that element is enjoyable for me, and I really like Heyer's sense of humor. It makes me happy.