Customer Reviews

A Civil Contract

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As other reviewers have said, this is a departure from the standard Georgettes, in a couple of ways. First is the less sentimental view of romance, along with a marriage early in the book and a denoument that doesn't entirely follow the formula. Second and maybe more important is that the characters are more fully realized. Both spouses are treated with so much care that they become three-dimensional to an extent that protagonists in many of the other novels just don't reach. This novel doesn't give "Ahhh" romantic satisfaction in a way that most of Heyer's Regency novels do, but it provides something more lasting that might help your own marriage.

A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer was a book I had wanted to read for quite awhile. I had heard it didn't fall in line with the traditional romance ---- especially not any romance of Heyer's ilk. What I found instead was a careful meeting of minds. A marriage of convenience, tradition and civility that blossomed not into passionate love rather into mutual understanding and respect. I must admit to being someone devoid of my usual Heyer-fulfillment at the end due to the fact that Jenny's long unrequited love for the dashing and solemn Adam was not reciprocated in the way she desired. Instead, it seemed as if she was settling for the only love from him she was likely to have. The story wrapped up neatly; but not with the same heart-stopping felicitation as other Heyer novels. This certainly made it more believable and certainly the dark undertone of the story spoke to Heyer's malleability and craft. That being said, I read Heyer for romanticism and while I got it in a small scooping, I wish I had been overcome with it at the end of the novel. A very well written book.

I love Georgette Heyer's Regency books. For those who don't know... it is a genre she invented, and one that was then heavily copied by many others. She did real research: she read diaries, books, and letters from the Regency era. (The Regency era consisted of the very early 1800's. It was pre-Queen Victoria and the extremes of modesty she insisted on where not yet in force. It was an era of much looser behavior, more open mindedness, and freedom.)

Heyer has the slang and the speech patterns down perfectly, as well as the knowledge of the clothing they wore, the hairstyles, the way the rich lived, and how they gambled, raced horses, and had love affairs. She also wrote some books set even earlier in the late 1700's, which are not as good in my opinion but still better than 9 out of 10 "romance/adventures". Her mysteries were mainly set in what were for Heyer modern times: in the 1920's, '30's and I'm not too fond of them.)

There are a few books which are non-fiction and cover the Regency era well: An Elegant Madness: High Society in Regency England by Venetia Murray and Georgette Heyer's Regency Worldby Jennifer Kloester. Of the two I prefer "An Elegant Madness". There are also, of course, books about and by Lord Byron, who lived at that time, and Beau Brummell who changed forever the way men dressed!

Many compare Heyer to Jane Austen who lived at this time, and whose books are set in this era. Heyer has the same dry humor and wit. Her books are also, as others have pointed out, very "clean"...she wrote from the age of 15, in about 1922, until close to her death in 1974. So, HER Regency Romances are definitely not bodice rippers or soft porn. I'm not being prudish, just want to be clear on that. One of her books, "Bath Tangle" which sounds as if it could fall into that other category is actually about a romance in the British town of Bath...

This book (and I truly wish the editorial reviewers had not given so much of the plot away: if you haven't read it don't!) is very different from all her others. I DO NOT want to give away the plot so I won't go further, but I'll only say I've read and re-read all the Heyer Regency books and this over time, has become my favorite. Its more mature, in a way, the characters and the perfect timing between humor and sadness shows Heyer at her peak, I believe.

Take a chance on this one if you have not already and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

This is not typical escapist Heyer. The romantic hero needs to marry money, the heroine will never have her husband's passionate love and knows it. The need for all the characters to "get real" gives a sober and sometimes painful cast to this best of Heyer's marriage stories. But this book has some of Heyer's most vivid characters and some of her best psychological insight. Although our hero has "sold out" of the army, Waterloo plays a key role in the plot. And the heroine's father, a self-made "nabob" is one of Heyer's best imagined denizens and a delight from start to finish. A grown-up's Heyer story.

I just reread this Georgette Heyer the other night. Like the movie 'While You Were Sleeping' it triggers a deep emotional response for me. There are moments in this book that are so poignant I can't help but cry. I love these characters from the war damaged Adam, to 'trying to keep the people she loves happy', Jenny, craving the spotlight, Julia and Mr. Chawleigh (sp?), Jenny's father, lots of bluster, humble but full of pride and an overdose of love.
It is so painful to see Adam and Julia go through the shattering of their dreams, and watch Jenny suffer in silence as she sees her husbands unrequited love for another woman, all the while trying to make these two people, who she loves, lives easier. Then the slow steady process of Adam falling in love with his plain, comfortable, selfless wife. Every woman would love to have the 'grand passion' in her marriage, but in the end we see that what really matters is all the little everyday things. I love this book and will reread it anytime I need a good cry.

The book was a good Regency Romance. I love Georgette Heyer books and couldn't find this book any where. I was so happy when I located it on Amazon and at such a reasonable price. The delivery was fast and the seller kept me informed of my books progress to me. If I ever need another hard to find book Amazon will definitely be the first place I look.

This is one of my favorite Georgette Heyer books. But any one would be worth reading and re-reading.