Masqueraders

By: Georgette Heyer

Narrated by: Eleanor Yates

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

A delightful romantic adventure from one of the best-known and beloved historical novelists of all time.

Robin and Prudence Merriot have been dissemblers since they were children. And in this age of slippery politics, they need to be. So it is nothing for them to rescue a rich heiress from her abductor. But once committed to their masquerade, they must see it through....

For more than 50 years, Georgette Heyer was the undisputed queen of historical romance. And as these hugely successful reprints have shown, she still has a large devoted fan base.

©1928 Georgette Heyer (P)2021 Penguin Audio

A favorite Heyer story

This story of intrigue and cross dressing, sword, fights, heroics, and one of the most delicious romances of all Georgette Heyer novels is just plain fun! The performance was wonderful, and the voice ever so beautiful. The French accent was exquisite except him a couple of words that truly shocked the listener as they were unexpectedly wrongly, pronounced. Nevertheless, it was a fun performance.

Dressing up, elopements, duels, and a lost heir

This late 18th c.-set novel has everything! Maybe too much of everything? A family of tricksters take London high society by storm--but what will happen if they fall in love for real and reveal their true identities? Lots of action, multiple disguises. The plot has a nice symmetry to it, in fact. Eleanor Yates's narration is pleasant, but somewhat lacking in lower registers for the male characters. On the whole, however, Masqueraders is a good time.

Love Heyer!

This is one of my favorite books by her. The reading was very nice. Was sad when it was over.

much better

this reader was way better than the one from the previous recording. this story is a little hard to get into at the beginning, but once it gets going it's very enjoyable.

Long-awaited Edition Excels Expectations

When older editions of Georgette Heyer's audio books started disappearing, I feared I'd lost my chance. And thankfully now, some new Penguin U.K. editions are now available in the U.S. The Masqueraders performed by Eleanor Yates is superb! She has a soothing alto voice, and she has mastered the careful timing needed for this difficult novel. And it is a difficult novel. Whether reading print version or listening to audio, it takes a little concentration to sort out the Peter/Prudence and the Kate/Robin characters. After the first couple of chapters, however, the plot unfolds to reveal Heyer's mastery.

In the Masqueraders there are escaped Jacobite rebels, siblings cross-dressing and pretending a part, an egotistical father pulling the strings, unlikely romance, and a lot of fun. As always, Heyer commands the setting with convincing descriptions, lively historical characters, and an authenticity that makes one believe it is truly 1746.

So, so, SO VERY HAPPY to have unabridged Heyer available again!!!!

Out of all of Heyer's Regency novels (which I would classify more as romantic comedies or in this case even adventure more than just romance) I feel that this one doesn't get mentioned often enough. It requires some suspension of disbelief but not to the point where it completely strains credulity. And the narrator is very good!

A rollicking good time with a wonderful narrator

I’ve listened to this audiobook twice now, and enjoyed it thoroughly both times. The plot is lively and improbable, but full of wit, warmth, and great characters. The narrator voices the characters expertly. The story is full of high drama and is super entertainment. I especially appreciate the portrait of Prudence/Peter as courageous, physically capable, clever, unflappable and wryly amused. She’s the best female character o that I’ve yet come across in any of the Heyer audiobooks I’ve listened to. But all the main characters in this novel are delightful.

Disappointing

I wish whoever has redone these Heyer audiobooks had found better narrators. The newer recordings are very hit-or-miss. The plodding pace of this narration is particuarly irksome. It sounds as though this is her first encounter with the book, and she's reading it to children.

It may be a generational thing. The younger actors may just be unfamiliar with Heyer's brand of wit and intelligence. If only I had bought and downloaded all the old ones before they were "disappeared."