JENNIFER KLOESTER – GEORGETTE HEYER: THE BIOGRAPHY OF A BESTSELLER

Non pubblicato in Italia. Una profonda e interessante biografia della regina del Regency romance.

“I am to be found in my work” – Georgette Heyer

After reading many of her novels, I thought it was about time to read the biography of the author whose books have taken much of my reading time in the last few months.

Born in 1902 in Wimbledon, Georgette’s early life was much influenced by her father, a French professor and poet. She wrote her first novel, The Black Moth, when she was seventeen years old to entertain her sick brother. After the death of her father, she used the money she earned from her novels to support not only her own family, but also her mother and her two younger brothers. Although she is mostly known for her Regency romances, she also wrote short stories, detective and contemporary novels. Overall, Georgette Heyer wrote 32 Regency romance novels, 12 detective novels, 6 historical novels, and 4 contemporary novels.

Georgette Heyer: The Biography of a Bestseller is well-written, impartial, and honest so that, sometimes, it wasn’t easy to like its protagonist, who could be headstrong, judgemental, and snobbish. Jennifer Kloester, the author of the biography, is an expert on Georgette Heyer and, during a period of ten years, she had access to her notebooks, letters, and private papers. She used this research to write this delightful, informative, and detailed biography about the Queen of Regency romance. I may not always like the author, but I love her books and this biography is a fantastic resource if you want to know more about her.