Cover of These Old Shades

These Old Shades

  • 1926 first published
  • 358 pages
  • ★ 3.6 (21 ratings)
  • 61 editions

Published in 1926, These Old Shades is a historical romance story collection by Georgette Heyer. The story is set in Paris France and England, in the 18th century. Characters include Leon / Leonie, Lord Justin Alastair, Duke of Avon and Comte de Saint Vire.

Open Library readers give it an average of 3.6 out of 5 from 21 ratings, and 140 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 61 editions across 4 languages.

At about 358 pages, most readers finish it in 6–7 hours.

About These Old Shades

Under the reign of Louis XV, corruption and intrigue have been allowed to blossom in France, and Lord Justin Alastair, the notorious Duke of Avon, known for his coldness of manner, his remarkable omniscience, and his debauched lifestyle. Society believes the worst of Justin, who is clearly proud of his sobriquet, 'Satanas'. In a dark Parisian back alley, he is accosted by Leon, a young person dressed in ragged boy's clothing running away from a brutal rustic guardian. The Duke buys Leon, a redheaded urchin with strangely familiar looks, who is in fact Leonie, and she serves him with deep devotion. The Duke suspected the truth about his page--she was really none other than the wicked Comte de Saint Vire's legitimate daughter, deprived of her heritage by the comte's dastardly desire for a male heir. Among the splendours of Versailles and the dignified mansions of Georgian England, Justin begins to unfold his sinister plans, and Leonie should play a fine part in Duke's long-over-due schemes to avenge himslef on the Comte de St Vire. The duke's plan was simple: parade delicately handsome Leonie in front of his enemy and transforming her into the toast of the town, before his innocent ward reclaim her birthright, destroying her true father in the process. But the duke hadn't expected Leonie's breathtaking transformation or the tender emotions she awoke--and he'd already set his dangerous scheme in motion....
Description from Open Library

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Setting

Era

Characters

  • Leon / Leonie
  • Lord Justin Alastair, Duke of Avon
  • Comte de Saint Vire

Subjects

  • Georgian Historical Romance
  • Short stories, Single author
  • Aristocracy, Social class fiction
  • Aristocracy, Social class

Publisher

Quick answers

Who wrote These Old Shades?

These Old Shades was written by Georgette Heyer and first published in 1926.

What genre is These Old Shades?

It is usually shelved as Historical Romance.

How long is These Old Shades?

The median edition has 358 pages, about 6–7 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

What books are similar to These Old Shades?

Readers who like it often enjoy Desperate Duchesses, The Little Pretender and Sense and Sensibility.

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