April Lady

De: Georgette Heyer

Narrado por: Tanya Reynolds

Brought to you by Penguin.

April Lady is read by Tanya Reynolds, star of Sex Education.

Nell Cardross and her husband are madly in love....

But they're very bad at showing it. While Nell believes her new husband, the Earl, married her out of convenience, Giles Cardross worries that his young wife is more interested in his money than his heart.

And Nell's secretive and extravagant spending is becoming a problem....

As she attempts to pay off her brother's never-ending gambling debts and prevent the Earl's half-sister from eloping with a potentially ruinous match, will Nell's heart of gold lead her - and her marriage - into trouble?

©1957 Georgette Heyer (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"If you haven't read Georgette Heyer yet, what a treat you have in store!" Harriet Evans

"One of my perennial comfort authors. Heyer's books are as incisively witty and quietly subversive as any of Jane Austen's." (Joanne Harris)

Very enjoyable!

I was very excited to see that Penguin produced more Georgette Heyer audiobooks, because it’s a crime how few have been made. And I wasn’t disappointed! April Lady is a fun romance similar to The Convenient Marriage, but sweeter. I liked the cast of characters and had fun listening to Nell’s scrapes.

I thought the reader did a good job. Not on par with Richard Armitage or the narrator for Friday’s Child, of course, but a solid 7/10 performance.

Liked it better the second time around

So many romance novels could be shortened by 90% if people would just look each other in the eye and say what they think! Having said that, I enjoyed the character development and the small details of behavior that make Georgette Heyer’s novels worth reading over and over.

I want to love this audiobook… but I don’t

I have many Georgette Heyer books, in abridged and unabridged audio, print, and hardcover. I mostly love her stories and April Lady is no exception. I recommend this book for that reason alone. The audio is very crisp and the cover is gorgeous!
I looked forward to Tanya Reynolds’ narration, because I loved her in Sex Education and other actors (notably Richard Armitage) have really brought Georgette Heyer’s books to life with their portrayal of different characters and the way they draw us into the story. Sadly, this didn’t happen with the latest version of April Lady. Reynolds’ reading was mostly clear, but she doesn’t seem to get the story. Sentences were broken with inappropriate pauses, and character emotion was mis-conveyed (although this got somewhat better).
I wish I had purchased the earlier version.

Better second time around.

I had read this years ago when I first discovered Georgette Heyer and found it unexceptional. I very much enjoyed this audio version and appreciated the story more so.

not my favorite

this was not my favorite of heyer's works because the plot was frustrating. all could have been easily resolved with a little honesty.

Not her best

I read this novel about twenty years ago, and my memory is that I enjoyed it very much. But listening to the audio version has soured that memory. It's possible this one just doesn't read aloud very well, not all books do.

I will probably not listen to this again, which is saying something. Georgette Heyer books are generally good for several re-reads. I have no idea how many times I've read and/or listened to The Grand Sophy, for example. But in this performance of April Lady, the combination of rushed narration and difficult plot are a bit much to take again.

As far as story goes, this one is frustrating. The main character, Nell, shows by her actions that she values everyone – her mother, her brother, even her spoiled sister-in-law – more than her husband, and then acts surprised that he becomes increasingly aloof. Her husband isn't much better, expecting a woman a several years younger than himself to pick up on his love for her, without ever telling her. It was difficult to finish.

There just isn't a redeeming character in this story.

The ending was a typical Heyer ending, with a collection of diverse characters all ending up in one house. The last 1/4 of the book was pretty good. But struggling through the first first 3/4 wasn't worth the pay-off.

The narration wasn't great. The reader was going at breakneck pace, like she was trying to set some sort of speed record. I found setting the playback speed to 0.85 was just about right.

Georgette Heyer's regency novels tend to be predictable. We don't read them for twists and turns in the plot. We read them for the witty dialog and the clever exchanges (which is why I avoid the abridged versions). They're simple stories that are fun to read. They're well-written, but not terribly deep. But some of them are just not worth the pay-off: A Civil Contract was particularly bad, April Lady is better, but not much.

If this is a favorite of yours, you might find it an easier listen if you set playback speed to 0.85. But if you're looking to try out Heyer's regency novels for the first time, this isn't likely your best place to start. I'd recommend The Grand Sophy, or even The Unknown Ajax. If you're willing to try something a little "regency", Powder and Patch is another excellent choice.