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A Civil Contract
A Civil Contract
Author: Georgette Heyer
Although Jenny Chawleigh was bright, well-mannered, and an heiress, she was no match for Julia Oversley, the love of handsome Adam Deveril's life. But Adam desperately needed money to keep his fatherless family together, and a marriage to Jenny would solve all his problems. And Jenny's father, a man of great wealth and ambition for his daughter,...  more »
ISBN: 161019
Publication Date: 1961
Pages: 345
Rating:
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1

5 stars, based on 1 rating
Publisher: Ace
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
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PhoenixFalls avatar reviewed A Civil Contract on + 185 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This was my first Georgette Heyer novel, and I found it truly delightful. I rarely read romances because I have no patience for swooning heroines and brooding heroes, and though one of my favorite authors cites Heyer in general and this book in particular as an inspiration, it took me some time to pick it up.

I had no trouble with the amount of period detail, because it seemed no more overwhelming than reading any period piece (such as Jane Austen, who is mentioned a couple of times in the text); indeed, it was set out in a fairly accessible way, which it often is not when reading something written during that time period. I also had no trouble with the time spent on description, particularly of clothing -- Heyer uses her descriptive passages well, always making sure that they are accomplishing either some character-building or at the very least are humorous. (In many cases they were both.) I did find the characters drawn a trifle broadly for my taste -- each person, when introduced seemed so much a stereotype that I worried the plot would be wholly predictable.

However, once all the principal parties were introduced, Heyer was able to just set her characters at one another, and this was where she soared for me. I giggled throughout the novel, and actually found myself dog-earing pages with particularly witty dialogue so I could read them to my boyfriend later on. I found Jenny a heroine after my own heart, particularly because she would have laughed at anyone even attempting to call her one.

And that was why I loved the ending so very much. The novel has no ". . .and they lived happily ever after", and that makes it feel far realer than a romance has any right to be. There is no melodrama in this novel, no great stores of passion; it is simply two people finding contentment with each other, and discovering that if the choice is between passion and contentment, contentment is to be preferred. Truly, a novel after my own heart, and one I can heartily recommend.
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dizz avatar reviewed A Civil Contract on + 623 more book reviews
My favorite Heyer novel, for its emotional honesty. Because it's not a romantic fantasy, we don't have that conventional passion ever after, rockets in the sky every time ending, so many readers seem to feel cheated -- but there are plenty of writers doing books like that these days. This book is for grownups who understand that you don't get everything in life, but along the way you are given some things that are very good indeed. Sometimes you even get happiness.

Five stars - a true & total classic.
reviewed A Civil Contract on + 9 more book reviews
It is a realistic book. A realistic love that blossoms between the main characters. While a bit bitter sweet, it leaves you aching for Jenny to have something more - what she deserves. You are left with a strong desire for Lynton to love her so much more passionately. I was disappointed and sad.


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