The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer ~ 1946. This edition: Arrow Books, 2004. Softcover. 278 pages.
It’s probably not a good sign that as I stare at this blank screen, trying to communicate my thoughts on this Georgette Heyer novel, all I can think of is the “next novel” I’ve just left still-to-be-finished on the night table, David Beaty’s The Four Winds. Giving myself a mental shake, back to Heyer it is.
The Georgette Heyers on my bookshelves have been something of go-to, reliable, comfort reads during these past few years, when our escape literature has taken on new importance what with the generally stressful situation related to the current pandemic and its far-reaching effects on pretty well everything we thought we could take for granted.
My Heyer collection is far from complete. but a recent stint of re-readings of those on hand nudged me to seek out a few more, so off to Thriftbooks I went, and as the wonderful book-shaped parcels trickled in, I figuratively (and yes, perhaps literally) rubbed my hands with glee. New-to-me old-book reads! Such fun!
But I am sad to report that this one has fallen with a (figuratively) damp thump onto the B-list Heyer stack, joining a few others, rarities from an otherwise reliably entertaining writer.
Now, you either know Georgette Heyer or you don’t, and if you don’t I’m not going to try to woo you over to the Regency side, but if you do, I’m guessing you’ll get it when I say this one is pure GH formula, with a few initially intriguing twists.
Condensed as much as I appear to be able to condense things, which is pretty darn long-winded most of the time, here we go.
We’re in the Regency era in England, right in the midst of the Napoleonic Wars of the early 1800s. One Elinor Rochdale, a young woman of good family, sadly fallen in her personal circumstances due to her father’s highly unwise financial endeavors and subsequent demise, is now pursuing a career as a governess.
Hopping off her stagecoach at a rural stopping place, appointed rendezvous with a new employer, Miss Rochdale inadvertently hops into the wrong coach, and finds herself embroiled in a complicated and never very lucidly explained scheme which finds her married to a young ne’er-do-well on his deathbed that very night. She’s a widow by morning, sole inheritor of a deeply encumbered estate.
There is a trio of handsome and charming brothers, a large and bumptious dog (something of a Heyer staple), a collection of dedicated family retainers, a dreadfully rundown manor house with a secret staircase, hidden papers, a spy plot, several sudden deaths which we are not terribly perturbed by because obviously the victims “had it coming”, and lots of prattling on about Wellington and the Prince Regent and “Boney” and traitors and collaborators and such. The romantic fates of Miss Rochdale – oops, now Mrs Cheviot – and her masterful second-husband-to-be are telegraphed loud and clear early on and there are ZERO surprises, even when the traitorous “secret” spies are revealed.
This ultimately slight tale had a lot of initial promise, and there are numerous passages of deeply pleasurable Heyerian “piffling” (in the Lord Peter Wimsey sense of the term), but overall, this novel is a bit of a yawn-inducing mess.
One person’s opinion, of course, and I’d be absolutely pleased to hear what others think. “Your mileage may differ!”
My rating: 5.5/10
I almost abandoned The Reluctant Widow to her foretold fate, but I kept plugging along because I hoped so hard she might at some point surprise me.
No such luck.
I’m keeping the book, and it will be shelved with the rest of the Heyers, because no doubt it will get re-read at some future time-of-reading-desperation, and who knows! – maybe my response will be more favorable second time around.
Leaves & Pages 
Like you, I keep this on my Heyer shelf but it’s not one I eager rush back to reread often. It’s too gothic for me and I don’t think gothic is something Heyer did particularly well – hard to pair her sparkling comedy with darker concepts too easily. It just ends up in a mess.
I totally agree with you Claire, but then I prefer her light-hearted domestic romances rather than her few romances which involve crimes, murders, spies, etc.
I recognise this wasn’t your intention, but The Reluctant Widow sounds like a fun read. Then again, I’m drawn to the wildly improbable, cleverly plotted novels of May Agnes Fleming.
What do I know; the only Regency romance I’ve read is Maid-At-Arms by Louise Cushing and Andre Norton. I remember you were intrigued. Can I encourage you to read it? I’m dying to know what you think.
Brian I remember this discussion. Maid-at-Arms is on its way. (Might have to brown paper that cover to escape familial teasing! Those are TIGHT pants.)
I have this in my Georgette Heyer collection but I read it only once about 20 years ago unlike others that I re read more than once.
Ms Heyer has been my escapist reading all my life.
I love her whodunits too although I am sad there aren’t more of them.
I struggled with her A Christmas Party?! recently because it was just WAY too long. 😂 I like the mystery but it could have had 200 less pages. 🙃
I enjoy The Reluctant Widow as a fun romp with very tongue in cheek humor. Yes, the plot is farcical, overly complex and lacking in logic. I play it in my head as a 1950’s era film, although the actual film made of this book was awful. But I think it could have made a fun one. I think the level of enjoyment depends on ones response to satire. And Nicky and Bouncer and Miss Beccles. In fact, so many fun characters.
I think it would have worked better for me if it was all just fun and light farce – but the intrusion of the spies and of course the violent deaths which were just breezed over – felt like two different novels all juggled together. Just…awkward, Not up to par with some of the better ones, but hey! – the good bits were still quite charming. Miss Beccles and the team of siblings – those bits worked. But I think the heroine was not allowed to shine as brightly as she could have, and Carlyon was just so darned SMUG. I wanted to kick his shins numerous times.
Well, yes. It’s among my fairly complete Heyer collection, but probably never had more than one reread.
But then, I have to admit they’ve been gathering dust these past few decades, because the Pan paperback print grows ever smaller. Can that be?
Still, they have their place on the shelf.
I think it’s important to consider the events happening in the world at the time Heyer wrote each book when evaluating the content. I don’t know how long it was before Reluctant widow was written before it was published but considering what was happening in the mid 1940’s I think a book about war and spies was quite timely.
Oh, right. The flashy gentleman is a cross between Percy Blakeney and James Bond.