Faro's Daughter
Written by Georgette Heyer
Narrated by Laura Paton
4/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Georgette Heyer
Georgette Heyer (1902-1974) was an English writer of historical romance and detective fiction. Born in London, Heyer was raised as the eldest of three children by a distinguished British Army officer and a mother who excelled as a cellist and pianist at the Royal College of Music. Encouraged to read from a young age, she began writing stories at 17 to entertain her brother Boris, who suffered from hemophilia. Impressed by her natural talent, Heyer’s father sought publication for her work, eventually helping her to release The Black Moth (1921), a detective novel. Heyer then began publishing her stories in various magazines, establishing herself as a promising young voice in English literature. Following her father’s death, Heyer became responsible for the care of her brothers and shortly thereafter married mining engineer George Ronald Rougier. In 1926, Heyer publisher her second novel, These Old Shades, a work of historical romance. Over the next several decades, she published consistently and frequently, excelling with romance and detective stories and establishing herself as a bestselling author.
More audiobooks from Georgette Heyer
The Black Moth: A Romance of the 18th Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bodies from the Library: Selected Lost Tales of Mystery and Suspense by Masters of the Golden Age Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Faro's Daughter
585 ratings39 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Scrumptious.I can't type it here, the Spoiler Stasi would waterboard me, but Z.O.M.G. this entire ending is the outside of enough! I pity the fool who doesn't indulge in the occasional Heyer. A diet of them would be akin to steamed pudding for breakfast, Queen of Puddings for lunch, and a Pavlova for dinner, but damme how they are like vintage champagne served with an exquisite entremet.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A dollop of Regency silliness. I listened to a Chivers audiobook which delivered the witty dialogue well. It was on cassettes. I'm wondering if much Heyer is available on CD's or downloads. Anyway it was a dollar well spent on my library's discard.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Entertaining Heyer as always. Both the H and h vow to get revenge on the other and it becomes a giant game of one-upmanship. That is until Ravenscar realizes how much he initially misjudged Deborah. In terms of stubbornness, temper and pride - they are a perfect match for one another.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I suppose its fitting that what I've deemed "the year of Georgette Heyer" ends with a Heyer, and what a fantastic one to end on! Nothing gets me more than a good Heyer hero.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer was the first novel by Heyer I have read, and I can hope that it was not one of her best, given her reputation. It wasn't bad, and the writing was, in fact, rather clever, but the characters were not particularly likeable or well developed and once again the characters' actions often seemed inexplicable.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe just 3.5 stars for this unabridged audiobook edition as I found Laura Paton's voice for some of the characters jarred on me. In particular, I didn't like the voice for Max Ravenscar... but the story is so much fun that I soon was able to ignore that!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Some quality humour features throughout this title, as you'd expect from a Heyer novel, but I don't feel the author's at her best here. The plot reminds me of a tamer version of several other works she wrote that are set in the late 1700s/early 1800s, while on a similar note the characters come across as watered-down interpretations of the type one usually finds in Ms Heyer's books.The last two chapters I found brilliant, so it's a pity the previous 20-odd weren't up to the same standard. In short, I don't consider this a Heyer classic but it's still well worth checking out.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Max sets out to rescue his cousin Adrain from - as he sees it - the toils of a scheming girl from a gaming house. However the girl turns out to be strong-willed and obstinate. A delightful battle of wills ensues. Good historical background exposing some class prejudice, with an exciting ending.
A little stressful in places, and I don't think I enjoyed it quite so much on re-reading, six years after the last time, but still a good story. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An entertaining and fun read. Although not one of Heyer's greatest novels, the plot is very predictable, the joy is in the dialogue. I particularly loved the exchanges between Max and Deb, especially the ones in the cellar which Heyer manages to contrive to be simultaneously very silly (the use of the cellar as a plot device feels quite lazy) and important as they really begin to get the measure of each other. The minor characters are joy, I particularly loved Max's relationship with his half-sister, and Deb's subtle manipulation of Adrian - the moment she 'discovers' him with Miss Laxton is priceless. A wonderful comfort read.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Two days ago, I finished Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer, another one-off from browsing the library shelves. It was a quick read and moderately entertaining. It is a straightforward predictable plot involving a masterful and sporting hero who has never faced resistance and a beautiful, upright, and smart heroine. Of course he misunderstands her and assumes the worst, of course she is deeply insulted and decides to play on his prejudices and have her revenge, of course they loathe and despise each other right up to the end. Our heroine Deborah, is forced by circumstances to work as a dealer in her aunt's gambling parlor, so tastefully run in a private home, but barely respectable. And of course she cannot afford to alienate the men who patronize the establishment, including the college boy who wants to marry her and the requisite middle-aged painted roue who wants her to become his mistress. When our hero Ravenscar, the boy's tall, dark, handsome, and very rich uncle, comes to disentangle him from his infatuation, he of course assumes that she must be sleeping around and intentionally seducing the boy--what other sort of woman would be in a place like this and encouraging the attention of more than one gentleman? The old roue is not a villain so much as a plot device to demonstrate our hero's masterful cardplaying, apply leverage to the heroine, and finally provide some insight into her fine, upstanding moral qualities.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Max Ravenscar is a gamester and claims that he is uninterested in romance. Deborah Grantham is planning to marry his young cousin Adrian and when they meet sparks fly. Fun read from Heyer.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Deb Grantham is twenty five years old, beautiful, feisty and unmarried. She lives with her aunt who has opened a gambling establishment in their home in order to cover their living costs. Needless to say, polite society does not approve. Deb presides over some of the tables and is very popular with the clientele. Several men have less than honorable intentions but one young man, Lord Adrian Mablethorpe, is madly in love with her and has proposed marriage.Adrian's mother is horrified. How can he think to marry a hussy from a gambling den? She sends Adrian's uncle, Max Ravenscar, to buy Deb off. They take an instant dislike to one another and he soon discovers that Deb is more than she seems. Not only will she not take his money, she comes up with an inventive feminine battle plan, determined to best him.I have heard about Georgette Heyer books for years but this is the first time I have ever read one. I don't know what was keeping me away, maybe they seemed a bit old fashioned. When I first started Faro's Daughter, I wasn't sure that I was going to like it. The use of period slang does take a little getting used to but it adds such atmosphere to the book that it soon seemed a perfectly natural part of the narrative.This is a witty, light story with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, set in a flawlessly evoked Regency London. Now I see why this author has had legions of fans for well over half a century. I'm thrilled to know that there are fifty more titles to choose from, I will be reading Georgette Heyer books for many years to come.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Deborah Grantham is a heroine delightfully reminiscent of Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet. Orphaned and left in the care of her aunt since childhood, she works in the family gambling establishment. (By the way, faro of the title is a card game that was popular in England and France during the 18th century.) Despite her family's less-than-respectable business, Deb is beautiful, smart, independent, loyal and kind. Max Ravenscar is Deb's Mr. Darcy. Enormously wealthy, gruff, completely lacking in social graces, yet full of integrity, and perhaps even a little kindness beneath that prickly exterior. The dialogue between Deb and Max felt very authentic to the time period in which the book was set, and at the same time was absolutely delicious, fast-paced and clever.I loved the fact that this novel reminded me so much of Pride and Prejudice. Besides time and place similarities, the writing style and dialogue between characters are pleasantly Austen-esque. There were enough differences, however, to make Faro's Daughter fresh and surprising. Sourcebooks Casablanca has recently re-released a number of Heyer's Regency romances. (Regency romance is a sub-genre of romance set in England between the years 1795-1837.) Though it took a few chapters to get into the groove of this book's style, it was well worth it and I look forward to reading more from this prolific and talented writer.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is not a bad book. Indeed, the writing is charming, the characters are well developed and interesting, and the plot is fun and enjoyable. The problem with this book is the same problem I had with The Corinthian - you don't get any idea that the two central characters have any feelings for each other until the very end. They honestly seem to hate each other until suddenly they're declaring their undying love (or he is, anyway). It just seemed to come out of nowhere. Other than that, this is a cute enough book.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Weak story. No romance. The main characters hate each other the entire book until the last few pages of the of the final chapter.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of my favorite Heyer's! Deb is brilliant, Max is annoying. Haha!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I love Georgette Heyer and know all her books well. Most audio efforts are annoying because of wrong emphases and lack of knowledge of idioms. This one started reasonably well but towards the end deteriorated. The story was as usual delightful.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5My least favorite Heyer novel of the few I've read. I didn't like the characters, and I didn't believe the romance between the male and female protagonists. I plowed through, but I must admit it was difficult. Fell asleep several times. The narrator for the audio didn't help much. Her pace was too slow.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Enthralling. Very entertaining. Cant wait to hear more of similar.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Classic Georgette Heyer!!! Witty dialog, fun story, likable and not so likable characters, and good narration. Just plain fun. If you haven’t read or listened to this one, you should.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I have always loved Georgette Heyerdahl but missed reading this one. Wonderful!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I always love Georgette Heyer, and the narrator was very good.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I think this is my favorite Georgette Heyer book. It’s a great story with very fun characters. I feel bad for so many authors these days that try to follow in her shadow. I love Jane Austen, but Georgette is a fun afternoon read and I only wish I had found her sooner in life!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Smart, funny, true, a great read for all times. Intriguing and full characters.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This heroine is me - her rage, her sense of justice, her stubbornness. I LOVED her! The hero is great fun too, of course!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oh, this was so much fun! Why hasn’t anyone adapted Heyer’s novels? In hindsight, this story brims with Pride and Prejudice parallels, but that didn’t really occur to me at the time, nor bother me now, because the characters’ personalities, circumstances and motives are different.When Max Ravenscar hears that his twenty year old cousin, Lord Mablethorpe, plans to marry “a wench from a gaming-house”, he sets out to intervene. Deborah Grantham has no intention of marrying an infatuated boy five years her junior, but although the money Mr Ravenscar offers would alleviate her aunt’s current financial distress, Deborah is deeply insulted by Mr Ravenscar’s assumptions about her and by his attempts to bribe her. So, to annoy him in revenge, she pretends that she's going to take full advantage of his cousin’s infatuation. Things get a bit out of hand, Heyer-fashion, but I like that Deborah has strong ideas about what is off-limits. She’s passionate and has a fierce sense of honour, but she can also be sensible and kind -- and she doesn’t hesitate to help when she meets a distressed young woman who is being pressured into an odious marriage. As for Ravenscar, he’s level-headed, he has positive dealings with his younger relatives, he has a sense of humour and he knows when to apologise. I was delighted by the interactions between him and Deborah.The audiobook narrator, Laura Paton, did a wonderful job of giving the characters distinct and lively voices (and I suspect I would have interpreted one or two of them less warmly if I had just been reading printed words on a page). And the ending was satisfying in a way not all of Heyer’s novels manage… which, I will admit, I might not have appreciated to the same degree if my expectations had been different. “You have had Ravenscar murdered, and hidden his body in my cellar!” uttered her ladyship, sinking into a chair. “We shall all be ruined! I knew it!” “My dear ma'am, it is no such thing!” Deborah said, amused. “He is not dead, I assure you!”
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- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I suppose it's as good as any other Heyer - partly, I'm in the wrong mood for a humorous romance, and partly - the major trope here is misunderstanding, my least favorite romance trope. Ravenscar isn't nearly as smart as he thinks he is - he swallows his aunt's reading of the situation whole, and all his investigation consists of going to the house and observing events through the filter of his aunt's assumptions. So he's perfectly set up to egregiously insult Deb...who reacts by deciding to be as vulgar as he thinks she is, because that will "show him". What, exactly, it will show him is really not clear. I think the fact that she's in love with him is pointed out by at least three people, and her immediate reaction each time is to claim she hates him. His behavior is less obviously loverly, at least until he returns the bills. And a grand final twist to make everything worse - and a twist back to make it all better, and happily ever after. Ugh. Not one I plan to reread.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My second foray into Heyer's fictions, and another fun romp to the Georgian drawing rooms and gaming houses. Though I guessed pretty quickly what the end result of all this was going to be, it was very entertaining to see how Heyer got us there.
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- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Faro's Daughter was my first experience with Georgette Heyer's work and I've fallen in love with this book! The plot seemed simple when I read the story summary, but the execution was brilliant and highly entertaining. This charming historical romance kept me up late just to see how things would play out between Deborah and Max. Heyer paints vivid pictures with each and every scene, allowing the story to progress like an exceptionally created movie in your mind. The dialogue is witty, humorous, and full of emotion, all of which compliment Heyer's passionate characters.Many thanks to my GR's friend Karishma for recommending this author and specifically this book! It's now one of my favorites as well!
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- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Two and a half stars for Heyer? Yes, I am afraid it's true. Faro's Daughter is definitely one of her more "paint-by-the-numbers" Regency romances. It tells the story of Deborah Grantham, a spirited (and naturally very beautiful) young woman who helps/plays/is employed (?) at her aunt's gaming house. Though she is well bred, this is not a respectable position and so it is with great distress that Lady Mablethorpe hears of her son Anthony's infatuation with Deborah's manifold charms. In steps young Lord Mablethorpe's cousin, the worldly-wise Max Ravenscar who will stop at nothing to prevent the marriage. Only, Deborah won't stop at anything herself to take revenge on a man who misconstrues her motives and goals so badly. You can see where this is going; it's hardly a spoiler to say that over the course of several unconventional escapades Max of course falls for Deborah himself. He's a stock Heyer character, the hard-headed, rich, physically superb, untouchably skilled whip who has evaded matrimony thus far until he meets his match in another Heyer stock character, the sassy, attractive, smart, stylish heroine. Heyer wrote to pay the bills and among her many wonderful novels there are several that show this more than others. She is often predictable but you don't read her Regency novels for the plot twists or lack thereof; you're there for the fun. So even as I mentally rolled my eyes just the tiniest bit at all the reused characters and situations, Faro's Daughter still an enjoyable read — and I still finished it in two nights.