Sylvester: or The Wicked Uncle [Paperback]

Georgette Heyer (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 1, 2011

"Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen."
-Publishers Weekly

Rank, wealth, and elegance are no match for a young lady who writes novels...

Sylvester, Duke of Salford, has exacting requirements for a bride. Then he meets Phoebe Marlow, a young lady with literary aspirations, and suddenly life becomes very complicated. She meets none of his criteria, and even worse, she has written a novel that is sweeping through the ton and causing all kinds of gossip... and he's the main character!

What Readers Say:

"A truly brilliant Heyer with an adorable and very real heroine and a hero who is very human!"

"One of Heyer's most unsung achievements, a classic Pride and Prejudice story. Hilarity and adventure throughout."

"The hero may be my all-time favorite. He is so drily funny it takes your breath away. What a wonderful love story."

"Hilariously funny, romantic, even touching in a subtle way."

Georgette Heyer wrote over fifty novels, including Regency romances, mysteries, and historical fiction. She was known as the Queen of Regency romance, and was legendary for her research, historical accuracy, and her extraordinary plots and characterizations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"SYLVESTER, OR THE WICKED UNCLE is a Regency romp at its best. Ms. Heyer creates characters that are realistic, lively, and humorous and the secondary characters are just as entertaining. " - Book Lover and Procrastinator

"It oozes with words classically denoting that time period and flashbacks of Austen careens in the background. " - Aisle B

"The heroes are flawed and arrogant but of course we love them anyway. The dialogue is witty and amusing and these make great beach reads." - Book Magic

"Sylvester is a great historical romance and it really shouldn't be missed!" - Once Upon A Chapter

"Sparkling wit and an entertaining banter between hero and heroine like Austen... " - A Work in Progress

"One of the best Heyer romances I've read so far... " - Stiletto Storytime

"By far and away one of the wittiest romances that I have read..." - Seriously Reviewed

"Another sensational ride into Georgette Heyer's historical world." - Historical Hilarity

"It's easy to see why Heyer is still considered a master of the genre even today... " - Debbie's Book Bag

"A sweet regency romance, with truly funny, witty dialogue." - In the Hammock

"A colorful array of her usual characters... if you are a Georgette Heyer fan and haven't read this book yet, you will be well advised to do so now." - Jane Austen's World

From the Inside Flap

Endowed with rank, wealth and elegance, Sylvester, Duke of Salford, posts into Wiltshire to see if the Hon. Phoebe Marlowe will meet his exacting requirements for a bride. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (April 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402238800
• ISBN-13: 978-1402238802
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #184,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author of over fifty books, Georgette Heyer is the best-known and best-loved of all historical novelists, making the Regency period her own. Her first novel, "The Black Moth," published in 1921, was written at the age of fifteen to amuse her convalescent brother; her last was My Lord John. Although most famous for her historical novels, she also wrote eleven detective stories. Georgette Heyer died in 1974 at the age of seventy-one.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#40 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#60 in Books > Romance > Historical

#66 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical

#85 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical

#100 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#40 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#60 in Books > Romance > Historical

#66 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical

#85 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical

#100 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Proud Duke meets his Nemesis! May 6, 2000

By Dr W. Richards

Format:Hardcover

Sylvester, the Duke of Salford, needs a wife, and is convinced that he only has to ask to be accepted. He compiles a list of suitable candidates, some of whom he has not even met, and is persuaded to meet Phoebe Marlow, his godmother's granddaughter, who is a late addition to the list.

But Phoebe is not at all impressed at being considered for the honour of becoming Salford's wife, and runs away! Part of her problem is that she's just written a gothic novel which is in fact a _roman a clef_ in which Sylvester himself is cast as the villain, though she also found him overly arrogant when she'd met him before.

Then Sylvester finds her after her carriage had overturned, and they're forced to spend several days in each other's company....

As usual, Heyer throws in plenty of witty dialogue, an assortment of hilarious and/or likeable supporting characters, and fast pacing as events begin to spiral out of the control of even the supremely confident Duke.

A wonderful novel, worth reading over and over: as with the best Heyers, there's plenty of subtleties you'll miss the first time and will spot on re-reading.

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book of the creator of the Regency Romance genre July 31, 1997

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Firstly, please ignore the above synopsis; it bears little resemblance to the book.

It is no exaggeration to say that Georgette Heyer is one of this century's best writers. She may not write about deep metaphysical issues but her use of the English language is impeccable. Her vocabulary is extensive, Her novels are tightly plotted and her dialogue fast-paced and entertaining. If you read her biography you will find that Georgette Heyer did extensive research but this is never forced down our throats. Authentic background details are casually mentioned but not so they need lengthy explanations. The characters use the slang of the period but not so in such a way as to make it impossible to understand what they mean. Georgette Heyer has had innumerable imitators but sadly no equals. Nearly all of Georgette Heyer's books are excellent but in my personal opinion "Sylvester" is one of the best.

Comparisons to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" are inevitable. In both novels the hero's pride makes the heroine dislike him. This animosity in turn leads the heroine into difficulties. There is even a very similar marriage proposal scene with the hero explaining how hard he has fought his feelings as the heroine would make an unsuitable wife. However Sylvester, unlike Darcy, is not transformed into a misunderstood hero. Instead Phoebe comes to love him despite his faults, which is much more realistic. In this book Georgette Heyer creates realistic characters who behave in a believable manner but still it makes an entertaining read. If you want long sweaty sex scenes with every grunt and groan detailed this is not the book for you.... Instead you will get an intelligent story, realistic characters, witty dialogues, some hilarious scenes (especially involving Edmund and Sir. Nugent) and plenty of romantic tension.

Mrs. N.Pickard Read more ›

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Heyer's best June 29, 2001

By Emily

Format:Paperback

This is a truly brilliant Heyer with an adorable and very real heroine and a hero who is very human! Sparks fly, humour abounds and the lesser charcters are masterfully portrayed. Improves on second and third reading too. A wonderful book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Richard Armitage reading Georgette Heyer! *swoon* August 16, 2009

By Laurel Ann VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

The combination of Regency Romance Queen Georgette Heyer's classic novel Sylvester and the velvet voiced actor Richard Armitage is irresistable. I dare anyone not to be captivated!

Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle was originally published in 1957, and is one of Georgette Heyer's more popular Regency novels. The wealthy, arrogant and pragmatic Sylvester Rayne, the Duke of Salford, in his twenty-eight year has taken it upon himself to marry, much to the surprise of his widowed mother, producing a short-list of five suitable debutantes that meet his exacting standards. However, among the list of beautiful and accomplished young women she does not see her first choice, the Hon Phoebe Marlow, granddaughter of his godmother Lady Ingham. Sylvester travels to London to consult Lady Ingham, but he is put off by her inelegant attempt to fix the match solely based on the fact that her daughter, Phoebe's mother, and his mother were best friends. Meanwhile, word reaches Phoebe's spiteful stepmother that the Duke of Salford will shortly make an offer for her hand and commands her to accept. Horrified, Phoebe is also put off by the reasons for the alliance and her memory of the cold, proud Duke of Salford from her London season. When they are formally introduced she is shy and dull, and he is unimpressed. In a panic, Phoebe runs away to London, and the sanctuary of Lady Ingham, escorted by her childhood friend Tom Orde. A carriage accident interrupts their journey happened upon by Sylvester who thinks he has discovered a runaway marriage in progress. When a snow storm traps them all together at the local Inn, Sylvester begins to see that Phoebe is actually quite intelligent and interesting, and not at all the young woman of his first impression.... Gallantly, he removes any concerns that she may be harboring on his proposing marriage to her. She in turn, is gratefully relieved sharing that nothing could possibly induce her to marry him!

In typical Heyer fashion her independent heroine and staid hero are the most unlikely couple imaginable. How she will bring them together is a humorous and engaging adventure, filled with pride, prejudice and misunderstandings. In addition, Heyer's cast of secondary characters are predictable, but most welcome: Ianthe the spoilt and impulsive widow of Sylvester's twin brother who thinks he is a villianous brute, Sir Nugent Fotherby her foppish and absurd fiancé, Tom Orde the steady and trusting family friend, and Lady Ingham the meddling but well meaning older relative among others. Heyer excels at bringing out the eccentric and the ridiculous in her characters played against dry humor like few can. The subplot of Phoebe anonymously writing a Gothic novel mirroring the personalities and physical characteristics of her family and friends is brilliant. When Sylvester's signature devilish-looking eyebrows show up on the villain Count Ugolino scandalizing the Ton, she unintentionally admits that she was the authoress resulting in a hillarious fallout. As with all of Heyer's romances, there is a hard wrought happy ending. How all the ill-informed opinions and misconceptions will be resolved, I will leave to the reader to discover.

Richard Armitage's reading of this Heyer classic was a delight. My only disappoint, and he is certainly not at fault, is in the abridgement of this novel. Not only does the reader deserve all of Georgette Heyer's witty dialogue and opulent descriptions of Regency finery, furnishing, and social machinations, but every sumptuous and simmeringly seductive word uttered by Richard Armitage possible. Like the narrator who so wisely advised us in Mansfield Park, "Nobody minds having what is too good for them."

Laurel Ann, Austenprose Read more ›

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wicked romantic comedy August 15, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Audio Cassette

It's difficult to choose a favorite Heyer novel--but Sylvester would certainly be in the Top 5. The plot centers on the heroine Phoebe and the gradual humanizing of the dashing, but proud, Sylvetser, a Duke with wicked eyebrows. This story has it all : an elopement (with the wrong suitor), a roman a clef, a cynical London Season, and a hilarious abduction. When the wicked uncle's nephew cries for his "Button" I cried--with laughter. And of course, Heyer doesn't forget the romance. When Sylvester finally admits his love for Phoebe to his mother (no, this isn't a spoiler--it's a Georgette Heyer Regency Romance, after all) the romantic thrill is all any reader could want.