A Civil Contract

by Georgette Heyer

Can the wrong bride become the perfect wife?

Adam Deveril, the new Viscount Lynton, is madly in love with the beautiful Julia Oversley. But he has returned from the Peninsular War to find his family on the brink of ruin and his ancestral home mortgaged to the hilt. He has little choice when he is introduced to Mr. Jonathan Chawleigh, a City man of apparently unlimited wealth and no social ambitions for himself-but with his eyes firmly fixed on a suitable match for his only daughter, the quiet and decidedly plain Jenny Chawleigh.

Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, Regency, Historical Romance, Historical, Fiction, Regency Romance

375 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Georgette Heyer was a prolific historical romance and detective fiction novelist. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth.

In 1925 she married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer. Rougier later became a barrister and he often provided basic plot outlines for her thrillers. Beginning in 1932, Heyer released one romance novel and one thriller each year.

Heyer was an intensely private person who remained a best selling author all her life without the aid of publicity. She made no appearances, never gave an interview and only answered fan letters herself if they made an interesting historical point. She wrote one novel using the pseudonym Stella Martin.

Her Georgian and Regencies romances were inspired by Jane Austen. While some critics thought her novels were too detailed, others considered the level of detail to be Heyer's greatest asset.

Heyer remains a popular and much-loved author, known for essentially establishing the historical romance genre and its subgenre Regency romance.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review contains some spoilers

I know from reading Jennifer Kloester’s excellent biography of Georgette Heyer* that A Civil Contract was not an easy novel for Heyer to write. Before starting work on it, Heyer wrote to a friend that she wanted to write a new kind of novel that would be “neither farcical nor adventurous”. Heyer wrote that the novel would depend for its success on whether she could make the hero as charming as she believed him to be and also on whether she “could make a quiet story interesting”. (Kloester p 330).

However, completion of the novel was delayed because Heyer’s mother became ill and required care. When she went back to writing it, she wrote to her friend that the manuscript remained

much where it was – & where it ought to be is in an incinerator & would be if I hadn’t pledged myself to write it. To be honest with you, I do not want to write this book. Or any other book. I have no inspiration, no energy, no enthusiasm, & no power-of-the-pen! I sit & look at the bloody thing, & wonder what can have possessed me to embark on it.

I am very glad that Heyer overcame writer’s block and completed the novel. For while I probably wouldn’t have thought much of it if I’d read it when I first discovered Heyer’s novels at age fourteen, having read it for the first time forty years later I think it is one of her best works.

This is the story of Adam Deveril, Viscount Lynton, who fought in the Peninsular War. Returning to England after his father’s death, Adam finds that his father’s extravagant spending has reduced the family fortune to a pittance. Adam’s financial situation is so dire that if he doesn't find a way to acquire money, he will be unable to support his sister and, crucially, he will have to sell the family home. All of this means that Adam cannot marry his beloved, Julia Oversley. In order to save the family estate, Adam agrees to contract a marriage of convenience with plain and practical Jenny, daughter of the fabulously wealthy but vulgar merchant, Jonathan Chawleigh, who wants his daughter to achieve the social status that marriage into an aristocratic family will bring. Jenny, who is an old school friend of Julia’s, marries Adam knowing that he continues to love Julia. They have a child, Adam manages to win back some of his fortune through speculation and they ultimately settle down to a happy and comfortable – if not passionate –life together.

Heyer did manage to achieve something different with this novel. While it doesn't have the sparkling comedy or wit of many of her other novels, it does have other qualities. At its heart, the novel is an exploration of what makes a successful marriage. And Heyer’s conclusion is that it’s not blinding, heart-stopping passion which makes a relationship last, but friendship, kindness, tolerance, patience, a commitment to the same goals and a shared sense of humour. That’s not something I would have understood or appreciated as a teenager. As someone who has been happily married to the same person for almost thirty-five years, it's now a message that rings true.**

That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with a bit of blinding, heart-stopping passion in a marriage. And this is why there’s an undertone of sadness in the final paragraphs of the novel, as Jenny, while assured of Adam’s love for her, is nevertheless conscious that she had had an “impractical dream” of inspiring in Adam the “passionate adoration” that he had felt for Julia. However, Jenny is right in concluding that “life [is] not made up of moments of exaltation, but of quite ordinary, everyday things”, which are “not very romantic, but … really much more important than grand passions or blighted loves”.

Of all Heyer’s novels, A Civil Contract owes the most to Jane Austen. Indeed, it can be read as a tribute to Austen in general and to Sense and Sensibility in particular. Heyer establishes the link to Sense and Sensibility very early on, by describing Jenny as someone who “looked as though she had more sense than sensibility”. Shortly thereafter, Jenny says that she is reading a book which is “by the author of Sense and Sensibility”. Jenny remarks that she liked Sense and Sensibility, although Julia “thought it too humdrum”.

It’s not surprising that Julia thought Sense and Sensibility humdrum, because Julia is very much like Marianne Dashwood, in both temperament and in fate. (She eventually acquires an older suitor who knows that she loves another man). Indeed, the novel can be read as what would have happened if Willoughby had married a rich but physically unattractive woman a lot like Elinor Dashwood in temperament, while still having to see Marianne socially. For Jenny has a lot in common with Elinor: she’s sensible, competent, practical and puts other people’s needs – well, Adam’s needs, anyway – ahead of her own. She’s also a little like Fanny Price from Mansfield Park (another novel which Jenny is reported as having read), but only insofar as she is in love with a man she knows loves another woman. Adam’s character can be distinguished from that of Willoughby, though. He is not a cad and while selfish and at times insensitive, he is mostly aware of his faults and makes some effort to overcome them. Of all Adam's shortcomings the worst is probably that he doesn't realise that Jenny actually loves him, and is not just sensible and kind.

The parallels to Austen added a lot to my enjoyment of this novel. However, there’s more to it than that. Adam and Jenny are interesting characters in their own right. Jonathan Chawleigh is a masterpiece. (Heyer wrote that he “continually tried to steal the whole book, & had to be firmly pushed off the stage”. Kloester page 334). Adam’s sister Lydia is enchanting and his annoying mother and overbearing aunt are a lot of fun. The novel also benefits from its historical setting. Heyer sets the narrative at the time of the premature celebrations that followed the initial defeat of Napoleon in 1814 and the financial panic which preceded the victory at Waterloo the following year. Her research is excellent and historical detail is conveyed in an unforced manner, without resorting to the dreaded information dump.

While my fourteen-year-old self would not have appreciated this novel to the extent it deserves, my adult self appreciates it a lot. And while I rather wish I’d read it some years ago, I’m very glad that I've finally done so.

This was another enjoyable buddy read with my friend Jemidar.

*Georgette Heyer: Biography of a Bestseller

** ETA: I don't mean to imply that these factors are a substitute for love in a successful relationship. Rather, they are an important part of what constitutes love.

[Melindam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opinion unchanged on re-reading. :)

The only thought to add concerns Lydia. Proof that GH CAN write teenage characters who are young, unexperienced, and yet endearing (or at least highly entertaining).
My recent encounter with the horrible Horry in The Convenient Marriage has shaken my faith a little in GH, so I really needed to reread this book to redress the balance.


---------------------------------
Original Review:

Before I picked up this book, I was in a MOOD and a certain state of mind. It is when I know I should be reading something very-very specifically suited to my needs, but have no idea what these are.
Yeah, I hate it, for I know that unless I find A BOOK to fit said mood/mindset, I would go on like this



and like this



But then I read Emilia's absolutely awesome review of A Civil Contract and just knew that I have to try it, even though books by Georgette Heyer had not previously transported me to places of pure literary delight (well, apart from The Grand Sophy, but that is a different story altogether - yet to be written), only to mild entertainment. But obviously, I have reached the point in my reading history where this is to change and I will give books by Heyer (new and already read) another chance and we begin our relationship anew.

But before I go on, I still need to pay hommage to Emilia and to her aforementioned review. I agree with her in all the points she raised and also find it hard to write a review of my own without copyright infringement. But I will try. If you read both reviews and find I did steal: it is owing to her strong influence. :)

I read my first Heyer books in 2019 (Venetia, Frederica, The Grand Sophy) and I did not fall in love with any of them. It must have been due to some false expectations (although in Venetia's case also some personal disgust with Damerel). For some reason I kept searching for romance and chemistry, which I did not find. I should have known better and now I do. After I reread Sophy for the 2nd time, I came to love Heyer's characterisation, the dynamics between her creations and humour and found the absence of "romantic" love very refreshing.

It was the same for A Civil Contract. The relationship between the main couple (heroine-hero are just not fitting titles for them) was so good: REAL, RELATABLE and UNROMANTIC and it was just what I needed.

It was also with this book that I realised just how accurate Heyer's grasp was on the Regency era whether it was military history, manners, fashion, housekeeping and what have you.
Since then I have read her biography (Georgette Heyer: Biography of a Bestseller by Jennifer Kloester, so I know that yes, she did a great amount of research with her books that can easily be called academic, so



As one of my pet peeves in historical romance books is the annoying as heck sad fact that most authors haven't got the slightest clue about the eras they choose to write about or think it necessary that they should, I appreciate the effort Heyer put into her books as well as the fact that they DO manage to transport me back to a kind of Regency that feels authentic.

Quoting from Jennifer Kloester's GH biography (Chapter 33): "Since first writing about the Regency in 1935, Georgette had built up a personal library of some 2000 volumes with many general reference books and dictionaries of biography, phrase, slang, dialect, place names, Latin, French, Spanish and English. She had collected a range of history books , texts about specific subjects such as snuffboxes, coaching inns, the military, London, etiquette and clothing. Fore details of life in the period and it slanguage she favoured primary sources over secondary and owned works by most of the 18th and early 19th century diarists. Other contemporary books about Regency life included The English Spy, The Hermit in London , memoirs of the Court of England during the Regency, Harriet Wilson's autobiography and Georgette's own particular favourite: Pierce Eagan's Life in London, a treasure trove of Regency argot and etiquette. ... Jane Austen was a vital source and Georgette regularly sought inspiration, vocabulary and phrases from her favourite author's letters and novels.
Georgette's extensive knowledge of Regency Fashion cam mainly from studying contemporary magazines including "La Belle Assembly", "The Ladies Monthly Museum", The Gentelmen's Magazine" .... She also read contemporary books about hunting, sports, postal system, household management and expenditure. She kept all the useful details in reference notebooks, compiled alphabetical lists of slang terms and popular expressions, gathered colloquial phrases.

I also loved that the book itself gives a bow, or at least a polite and kind nod to Sense and Sensibility.



And it is not in copying the plot point blank, but by highlighting Austen's ideas and "messages" and proving how universal and true to life they are.
We are shown how by indulging in exaggerated sensibilities people can do harm both to themselves and to others and how phony and tiresome this behaviour may be even in the eyes of one's loved ones. It also advocates the "simple joys of life" as opposed to grand passion, but not in any didactic and spoonfeeding way. Through the character of Lady Julia (the embodiment of these sensibilities), Heyer manages to make her point quite brilliantly. I was super impressed with the way we are introduced to Julia through Adam's lovelorn eyes and then how by degrees we are led to realise what is behind the beautiful and beguiling facade (nothing very dreadful, just realistic :). It is extremely well done.

Koestler writes in her biography that Heyer “had hopes of writing a new kind of novel, but was unsure about it. She thought the book would be neither farcical, nor adventurous and would depend on success whether I can make the hero ‘as charming as I believe he was. And also, of course, if I can make a quiet story interesting.’ She wanted “A Civil Contract” to be quite different from previous books and planned to set the story in 1814 to 1815 with the culminating point the financial panic in London over Waterloo.

For me, she managed to make the story interesting and intriguing and the "hero" of the story Adam, besides having personal charm, also has integrity, honesty and is quite considerate of the feeling of others even if he does not like them.

The story starts when Adam, an officer under the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsula Wars, has to return to England after his father's death. The old chap has left the family in financial ruin. Adam -now a Viscount- is determined to clear his name and his father's debts and is even willing to sell his inheritance (his seat in the country). He also has to realise that these are not the only sacrifices he has to make: he also has to give up his dreams of marrying the love of his life, the beautiful, sylph-like Lady Julia.
Julia's family is on the most friendly terms with Adam, but her father tells him that there is no way he can consent to their marriage. However, to help Adam out of his financial difficulties, he sends Mr Jonathan Chawleigh, an honest, but vulgar and fabulously wealthy businessman from the City to him. Mr Chawleigh has an offer to make: Adam marries his plain, but well educated daughter, Jenny and makes her a viscountess. In return, Mr Chawleigh will take care of his financial problems. Adam is both repulsed and entertained by the offer and is determined to refuse, but in the end the marriage comes through and a new life awaits both of them full of pitfalls.

I do not mean to spoiler how it all goes, but GH builds up the relationship dynamics between all the characters beautifully. It is fascinating to watch the characters interact with each other and see how they are navigating the waters. But whether they are determined to change (Jenny) or reluctant (Adam) or unaware that they are changing (Mr Chawleigh), change they do, if not in character, but certainly in awareness and reevaluating ideas and principles as they go along.

All characters -main and supporting- are superbly done, but GH was right in fearing that Mr Chawleigh would outshine them all (‘he continually tried to steal the whole book and had to be firmly pushed off the stage’). They way he and Adam interact is as fascinating to watch as Adam's relationship is evolving in certain directions both with Julia and Jenny.

Adam's sister, Lydia is another awesome character and I loved her storyline.

The plot of what happens before and after Waterloo is very exciting and made the whole Regency-feel more authentic.

I loved the book from start to finish and will reread it soon.

I have listened to the audiobook narrated very well by Dominic Thorburn.

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounding up: this is an unusual story that has grown on me. A Civil Contract is a marriage of convenience tale, very different from Georgette Heyer's other Regency novels that I've read. There is a romance at the heart of it, as usual, but it's practical-minded and a little bit heartbreaking, as well as heartwarming. It’s much more like real life than your typical romance novel.

Captain Adam Deveril, now Lord Lynton, returns to his ancestral home from the Napoleonic wars when his father unexpectedly dies. Unfortunately, he also returns home to a mountain of debt left by his profligate father, more than he can ever hope to pay off. Initially Adam decides to sell his estate and any valuable assets, but that will still leave him with insufficient funds to take care of his family, a mother and two sisters. The only alternative: marry an heiress, suggests his money manager. Adam finds the idea completely abhorrent, especially since he's just broken up with the lovely girl he loves, Julia Oversley, because he can't afford to marry her.

But Julia's father has the same idea as Adam's manager: if he can't marry for love, he should save his land and home and marry someone with money. Oversley introduces him to an impressively vulgar but good-natured middle class businessman (or "Cit"), Mr Chawleigh, whose wish in life is for his shy daughter to be able to marry a man with a title. And when Adam's teenage sister starts talking about marrying an old man for his money or pursuing a career as a stage actress, that's the last straw. Adam agrees to the marriage of convenience with Jenny Chawleigh, a plump and dowdy girl whom he barely knows. Chawleigh buys up Adam's mortgages and debts and gives the couple enough money to take care of their needs.

Adam is trying his best to be kind to Jenny, but he resents her father's showering them with ostentatious gifts, and he's still in love with Julia, who never misses an opportunity to let him know that she's also still painfully in love with him. Jenny (who's actually been in love with Adam ever since she met him through Julia) is trying to make the best of their marriage as well, but it's difficult when you're rather shy and unattractive and your husband is in love with your beautiful, vivacious best friend ... who doesn't want him to ever forget that he REALLY loves her.

A Civil Contract was a group read for the Georgette Heyer group, and we've had some rousing discussions in the discussion threads about whether Adam made the best choice, whether Jenny was a terrible person for marrying the man her best friend Julia was in love with (but forbidden to marry), and whether this is even a good book. Opinions vary widely, but I found both Adam and Jenny to be honorable people, trying to make the best of the circumstances they're in. The choices for both of them were very limited by their circumstances and the social restrictions of the time.

Georgette Heyer was a bit of a snob and regularly dealt in stereotypes. Jenny's brash, vulgar father, and Jenny's own physical and social shortcomings, seem to support the disdain the gentry had for "Cits," the working class. But at the same time, both of these became very real characters to me, and the story wouldn't have been the same if Adam's choice of wife had been an easier one to adapt to. The romantic part of me wished for more of a Cinderella moment for Jenny and/or more of a glorious Happily Ever After for her, but Heyer handled this in a more realistic way.

Julia and Jenny are, personality-wise, quite a bit like Elinor and Marianne in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, and Heyer's characters mention that novel several times, just to make sure we don't miss the point. Julia, like Marianne, is a bit over the top, but I always did sympathize more with sensible characters in my books.

This book won't end up on my favorites list; there's a little too much pain and not enough joy and humor for me to really love it as a romance, and there's also a heavy dose of Napoleonic history toward the end that, frankly, I started skimming through. But I did find much to appreciate in it, not the least the importance of behaving with kindness and honor despite adverse circumstances.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fifth Heyer I've read, and it's my favorite to date. Given that Georgette Heyer wrote dozens of books, I still have a way to go before I can claim it as my favorite of all, but I think I've sampled enough to get a feel for the type of books she wrote and the character styles she favorited.

A Civil Contract is a departure from the Heyer romantic plotlines. Although marriages of convenience are standard regency romance fare, Heyer takes this and stands it on its head by keeping the hero and heroine from ever (yes, EVER) discovering wild, heart-stopping *lurve*. There is no conventional HEA. No passionate liplock or smoldering declaration of deathly love from our hero and heroine. The hero of the story, Adam, is young, vaguely stupid at times, and unintentionally cruel to his lower-class wife throughout the book. Our heroine, Jenny, is not your typical romantic powerhouse at all: She's lower class, dowdy, short-necked, and red-faced. She's also possessed of a meek nature that rarely takes her lordly husband to task for all his slights to her and she seeks only to make him comfortable. She's even willing to help him through his unrealistic obssession with the beautiful and vapid Julia (who would typically be the poster girl for romantic heroines the Regency world over).


Gentle reader, I found it refreshing....


I'm so sick of perfect Mary Sue/Gary Stu characters that look like models, smell like freesia, and fart rainbows and unicorns out their perfectly proportioned buttocks. Oh, sure, it's fun for the first 1,000 or so books, but after 1,001, this wish-fulfillment perfection becomes as stale and repulsive as your breath after a weekend bender.

At least it does to me.

ACC isn't for the HEA obsessed, but for those readers who like a little more realism added to their regency reading romps. Perhaps a bit of age or general cynicism is also helpful in enjoying this book (both qualities I've got in spades).

If you're thinking of reading Heyer for this first time, don't pick up A Civil Contract, as it really doesn't fit her general mold. But if you're tired of the same 'ole/same 'ole complete with the HEA, give this one a try.

[mark monday · Rating 5 out of 5]

the marriage is a transaction. she is short, squat, plain, and plump. her conversational skills are minimal; she is more comfortable with being dry and straightforward than sparkling and ironic. her tastes in decor and couture are what would be expected of a nouveau riche heiress: gaudy, loud, overdone, not the thing. he married her for her money. she understands this, but doesn't care: she has loved him for a very long while. we, the reader, rarely see inside of her; instead we are mainly with her new husband, a kind fellow who treats her kindly, but with some distance and no passion whatsoever. he is deeply in love with another, more vibrant woman. and so we see our heroine, Jenny Chawleigh, at a certain remove. no matter! Jenny is completely admirable and loveable, as the reader soon sees and, of course, as her husband eventually will. eventually.

this is an amazing novel in so many ways. although it is formally a romance, there is very little of that in the book. instead the reader sees the lovers Adam Deveril and Julia Oversley slowly fall... out of love. theirs was the passion of youth; a passion that did not allow them to fully see let alone understand each other. I didn't realize that most of this book would be about Adam's restraint and his coping with his reduction in independence, his recognition that he must move past his pride at the transactional nature of his marriage, and of course his slowly dawning understanding of Jenny's worth, her strengths, the deep value she has as a human being, beyond her wealth that will save his sister and estate from destitution and abandonment. but Jenny remains on the sidelines for much of the novel. Adam must fall out of love with Julia before he begins to fall in love with Jenny. (and the same goes for Julia - she is no villain.) this slow waking does not happen until near the end of the novel. a long wait! but so worth it.

I'm so grateful that Heyer made her protagonist a modest man of quiet, empathetic affect, rather than having him be one of her more supercilious, arched-eyebrow, man-of-style type heroes. I was able to feel some sympathy for him, as he ever so slowly woke up out of his dream-state in which Julia was the only person he truly loved. Heyer has given readers many dashing, lightly villainous dreamboats who are comfortable with a little (or a lot) of cruelty and much sardonic wit at the expense of the slower-witted. that sort of hero would have been a terrible fit for this gentle, wise and very adult tale of, well, becoming an adult.

needless to say, Jenny had my fullest sympathies, from beginning to end. I appreciated that Heyer did not stack the deck in her favor! she is awkward thing, most definitely. Heyer made this quiet, stolid woman who is getting what she has dreamed of - but getting it in the worst sort of way - so dignified and careful, so understandable, so herself, that I was enchanted by her. I love that Heyer doesn't even allow the idea that Jenny has loved Adam for so long - despite him barely even registering her presence - any space on the page. that love is a subtle thing, in her words and actions, between the lines. but that understanding, undemonstrative, clear-eyed love is there all along. they are perfect for each other.

what a uniquely affecting story! I've read nothing like it.

[Grace Tjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having just read a god awful Pride and Prejudice ‘sequel’, I wanted to read a bona fide Regency romance, and picked one by no one less than Georgette Heyer, the originator of the genre, and perhaps the only romance novelist who comes with glowing recommendations from A.S. Byatt. Not being a romance reader, I didn’t know what to expect, but I thought that this book is one decidedly odd romance. Imagine pitching it as a rom com/costume drama script to a Hollywood studio executive:

Studio Executive (EXEC): “So what do we have here? A Civil Contract? Is it a John Grisham thing?

Scriptwriter (SW): “It’s a story about marriage of convenience in Regency England. A sort of a period rom com, actually.”

EXEC: “Oh, Jane Austen! Costume drama! Pride and Prejudice was pretty good, and that little Anne Hathaway movie did OK. Chicks like them. ”

SW: “It’s not from any Jane Austen book, but it's from a novel set in the same period. Specifically, it’s about the people who are involved in this marriage of convenience: the mercenary groom, the social climbing father-in-law, and the plain bride.”

EXEC: “You mean they marry just for the money?”

SW: “The hero --- Adam Lynton --- has to marry the heroine, Jenny, because otherwise he would go bankrupt. You see, the guy’s dad, the late Viscount Lynton, left the ancestral estate so deeply in debt that the only way to save it is for Adam to marry rich. Enters Mr. Chawleigh, a filthy rich, self-made man from humble backgrounds, who desperately wants to marry his daughter to the ‘nobs’.”

EXEC: “So this Adam guy --- he just ran with it?”

SW: “Uh, no. He’s kinda of reluctant, actually, being a gentleman and all. But as the head of the family, he needs to take care of his old mom, and provide dowries for his sisters. There’s just no other way out. He thinks that he’s sacrificing himself for the good of his family.”

EXEC: “Okay. So, how plain is the girl? I’m thinking Natalie Portman --- or that Hathaway girl. Just put her in some kind of a dowdy getup.��

SW: “Actually, she’s kinda short and plump --- “a little squab figure” is the word that’s used to describe her in the novel.”

EXEC: “Eh --- gotta get someone petite for her, then. But she’s basically okay looking, right?”

SW: “Umm, no. The novel says that she’s certainly not a beauty with her short neck and “mouse-coloured hair”. And she dresses funny.”

EXEC: (grumbles) “How’s that gonna sell the movie?”

SW: “But she’s a sensible girl, and pretty shrewd too. She knows that her husband doesn’t love her, but gets up early every morning just to make tea for him anyway. She personally embroiders his handkerchiefs with super tiny stitches. She makes sure that there’s hot supper on the table, no matter how late he returns home. Men like to be comfortable, and by golly, she’s gonna make him very comfortable.”

EXEC: “Is that all she does? No dashing across the moor on a spirited stallion? No clever, witty talk? No ahead-of-her-time intellectual interests?

SW: “Nope. She’s a born housewife whose sole purpose in life is to make her husband comfortable.”

EXEC: “Fantastic! We’re gonna have the movie picketed by every wannabe feminist in town.”

SW: “But she’s feisty --- in her own way. She keeps the ancestral house spick-and-span. She reins in her snobby mother-in-law like an expert horsewoman. She transcends her vulgar background to become a proper lady. And she eventually wins herself a handsome nobleman who in normal circumstances is way out of her league.”

EXEC: (skeptical) “But where’s the drama? That can’t be all there is?”

SW: “Before he was compelled to marry Jenny, Adam dated Julia ---the beautiful daughter of Lord Oversley, another rich nob --- and Jenny’s best friend from school. Julia’s dad put an end to their budding romance, because he wouldn’t have a bankrupt Viscount as son in law. But the two still have the hots for each other, even though Adam is now kind of married.”

EXEC: “So that’s what the audience has to sit through the movie? Whether plain Jenny will be successful in making her husband so comfortable, that he’ll overcome his first love and fall in love with her?”

SW: “Yep. That would be the gist of it.”

It’s as if, having written dozens of romances, Heyer decided to throw herself a challenge and deliberately picked the most unpromising premise for a romance. The heroine is hopelessly plain, and virtually has nothing to make her distinguished other than her ability to be an uber Martha Stewart. The hero, despite being conventionally handsome, married her for mercenary reasons. Despite all this, Heyer managed to tell an enjoyable, even occasionally amusing story about the coming together of basically decent people who try to do their best under tawdry circumstances. There is no passionate sighs or heaving bosoms here, just the gradual triumph of prosaic sensibility (and homemaking ability) over “impractical” youthful passion. That’s a pretty subversive notion for a romance.

The one interesting thing about Jenny for me is her true motivation in accepting the marriage of convenience. She knew that Adam was her best friend’s beau and yet has little compunction in ‘stealing’ him when circumstances permitted. This seems to be grossly at odds with the rest of her characterization as a modest, sensitive, eminently sensible little homemaker. She rationalizes her actions as making the best of a bad situation (“The choice is not between you, Julia, and me, but between me and ruin!”), but it doesn’t ring true to me (Come on Jenny, admit it, you’ve got the hots for the guy since like, forever --- and you snatched him up when there’s opportunity. I don’t blame you, girl). I wish that Heyer had explored this further, but perhaps it’s too much to ask from this genteel romance.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read quite a few of Heyer's novels and this one struck me as particularly interesting. Heyer is a legend among romance readers--her characters have depth, the events make sense, and while these are books with more talk than action, that talk is lively and always well written.

Heyer's novels fall into a few categories: silly, young heroine marries worldly hero and the two agree to a "French" marriage, only to discover they are in love; older, independent, sophisticated woman finally meets a man that's up to scratch and is persuaded to marry; independent, free-spirited mature lady (i.e., in her twenties) wreaks havoc among society before finally being convinced to settle down; older woman resists a convenient marriage to an even older eligible bachelor, only to find that said bachelor is in fact in love with her.

A Civil Contract isn't quite like any of those. Adam returns from Salamanca only to discover that his newly inherited estates are heavily mortgaged. His only choice is to sell the family seat or to marry a wealthy heiress. He gives in and weds plain (but loaded) Jenny Chawleigh, but sacrifices his own happiness in the bargain--settling for money means he can never marry Julia, the beautiful young woman he's been in love with for a few years. Practical Jenny decides at the outset that she's determined to make him comfortable, and so she sets up his house, makes sure his favorite macaroons are always around, has a son, and generally turns a blind eye to the fact that her husband practically drools every time Julia walks into the room.

The usual antics ensue in which patient, devoted Jenny martyrs herself on the altar of domesticity and good housekeeping, while Julia turns out to be a selfish flirt. The novel is odd however: Jenny has a son. This is the only Heyer novel (to my knowledge) in which the heroine has a child. Given the awkwardness of many of the scenes between Jenny and her husband, the romantic fantasy is radically disrupted by the idea that (within the framework of the romance formula) these two practically perfect strangers are "breeding" (as Jenny puts it). Heyer even incorporates this break into the story itself: Julia, upon learning of Jenny's pregnancy, can only utter "Only to be expected. How--how stupid of me!" Julia could well be echoing the reader's own thoughts on this topic. The pregnancy, instead of drawing the couple closer together, has only heightened their conflicts and brought to the surface both Adam's emotional infidelity and his lack of respect for the excellent qualities in his wife. It is, in fact, only to be expected that even a marriage of convenience would result in children, and yet this is the only Heyer novel in which this occurs. Such a plot structure hardly bodes well for a satisfactory "happy ending."

To Heyer's credit, she doesn't give in, either. It would be so easy to make Adam suddenly do a 180, but this is not a novel that can end happily--Adam is selfish and thoughtless. Jenny, despite her refreshingly prosaic nature, has determined to devote her entire life to making Adam comfortable and happy. The novel ends with Adam admitting that he loves his wife and that he couldn't do without her. Julia becomes "only a boy's impractical dream," but practical Jenny must admit to herself that Adam still loves his dream more than he loves his reality. Jenny argues to herself "they would have many years of quiet content: never reaching the heights, but living together in comfort and deepening friendship . . . I daresay I'm better off as things are." Once again, the romance reader cannot help but agree with such an assessment, and yet admitting Jenny is right is paramount to admitting the fallacy of romance fiction, in which "heights" and "deepening friendship" go hand-in-hand, just like the simultaneous orgasm. Heyer has written a wonderful anti-romance romance, and yet it seems very fitting to me that this should be her only one.

[Woman Reading (is away exploring) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ☆

In real life tragedy and comedy were so intermingled that when one was most wretched, ridiculous things happened to make one laugh in spite of oneself.

I had watched a PBS episode of "A Very British Romance with Lucy Worsley." British literature in the late 18th century is sometimes called “the Age of Sensibility,” in recognition of the high value that many Britons placed on the explorations of feeling and emotion in literature and the other arts. In 1811, Jane Austen published Sense and Sensibility in which Austen esteemed a middle position rather than an endorsement of either extreme. Despite being a fan of Austen, I wasn't enthused about Sense and Sensibility. Released in 1961, A Civil Contract was Georgette Heyer's contribution to that discussion. I've come to regard Heyer as a novelist whose love of the Regency period was used primarily for entertainment, not social criticism. But A Civil Contract is a cut above many of her other novels, and it surprisingly fascinated me.

Many of Heyer's novels have fallen just a bit off of the mark for me, especially with her abrupt endings. Heyer also had indulged in too much detail -- be it clothing, a long list of London attractions to tempt callow gentlemen, the patois of Yorkshire folk or any other class. (I have no idea whether all that slang was even accurate, especially as it sometimes reminded me of the 1920s). While all of these details may have flaunted her knowledge of the Regency period, they also often interrupted the flow of her stories.

"Lord, if we were all to marry our first loves what a plague of ill-assorted marriages there would be!”

After all, life was not made up of moments of exaltation, but of quite ordinary, everyday things.

But in A Civil Contract, Heyer revealed her total comprehension of the mores of English society, which is more challenging to represent than material details. The late Viscount Lynton was a gamester and he died in a hunting accident before his luck could turn. Adam Deveril, the new Viscount Lynton, was shocked by the shabby state of his financial affairs. Fontley Priory - the ancestral home in Lincolnshire - and the London townhouse must be sold. Even with these drastic measures, Adam couldn't be sure whether he and his two sisters would escape ruination. Adam broke the news to Lord Oversley, a longterm neighbor and the father of Julia, the young lady whom Adam desired as his bride. Adam knew that his plight precluded approval for his suit.

"I say that you owe it to your name to seize any honourable chance that offers of bringing yourself about," [advised Oversley].
"Honourable? Adam ejaculated. "Selling myself to a wealthy Cit's daughter? Oh, no! Not myself: my title!"

Adam was initially repulsed but his pragmatic side overcame his delicacies. A "Cit" was an insulting term for someone who made his money as a member of the merchant class. Aristocrats' wealth, on the other hand, were derived from their land holdings. Oversley, whom Adam wanted as his father-in-law, introduced him to Jonathan Chawleigh, possibly the wealthiest financial wiz in London. Mr. Chawleigh liked Adam and suggested his only daughter Jenny as a marital prospect, one with a dowry that would permit the Deverils to keep Fontley Priory.

There was a suggestion of squareness about [Jenny]; she was already plump, and would probably become stout in late life. She was certainly not a beauty, but there was nothing in the least objectionable in her countenance.

She was as unlike Miss Oversley as she could be. There was no brilliance in her eyes, no allure in her smile, no music in her flat-toned voice, and not the smallest suggestion of the ethereal either in her person or in her bearing. ... looked as though she had more sense than sensibility.

Within a month of meeting the Chawleighs, Adam entered a marriage of convenience with Jenny. His personal affairs, such as the need to sell out his captaincy commission, required a great deal of attention.

Dreams were without a future, and [Adam] did not try to discover what his might be, being too tired to force his brain to look forward...
Adam, back in his unquiet dream, only observed the dictates of his breeding. Good manners demanded a certain line of conduct, and it was second nature to him to respond to that demand.

But Julia Oversley was a fairy-like creature who reveled in her sensibility. She wouldn't relinquish her hopes of a future with Adam. A Civil Contract followed Adam and Jenny's life during their first 14 months together against the dramatic backdrop of Napoleon's capture and escape and the epic showdown at Waterloo.

This couple had the widest social gulf of all the pairs I've read in Heyer's novels. The author unobtrusively highlighted the unwritten social rules that separated the aristocratic and Cit classes. Then there was the question of how to behave in a marriage that had arisen only because of the transfer of funds. Life was further complicated by Julia's insistence upon forming a triangle. All quite interesting as I've written. The only complaint I have with this story is Jenny's behavior. She completely effaced herself and epitomized a Stepford wife. Her subservience to Adam was so thorough that it could only foment the women's liberation movement a few years after this novel was published. As Jenny told Julia,

"[Adam] didn't choose between me and you, Julia; it was between me and ruin.
You say he won't be happy but at least he'll be comfortable."

[Christmas Carol ꧁꧂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 2016 review

I don't have much more to add. Adam will never be a favourite Heyer hero for me - too class conscious and often, too ungrateful. But he grows on me as does the maturing of his and Jenny's relationship. But the character I really loathe is Adam's late father. Such is GH's gift with characterisation that the late Viscount never has to appear on screen for us to get the picture of a thoroughly selfish man who doesn't care about the destruction of other people's lives and dreams.

A wonderful tale - recommended for those who want some variation in the romances they read.

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...

[Emmy B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am one of those who, after reading this novel once in my twenties, put it away with a sense of disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I still thought this was a solid regency novel, quality-wise as good as anything Heyer was capable of producing. But the romance! All the way through I sympathised with Jenny and was pained for Jenny, and in the end when she still wishes so much that Adam could love her as he loved Julia, I had felt unsatisfied and annoyed.

Revisiting this novel in my thirties, I have to say... it's like I'm reading a different book! Honestly, I would posit that this is the only real romance Heyer ever wrote.

Let me explain. Also, warning...



Instead of reading this novel from Jenny's perspective, as I did before, I read it, this time, from Adam's. I guess this is something new readers of Heyer might not know, but Heyer started writing for her brother, and was guided and edited by her father, and so her romances are actually very sympathetic towards men and much more oriented towards masculine sensibilities than you might be used to from other romances. In fact, I thoroughly recommend her novels to everybody, man or woman, romance-reader or not, because there is so much more adventure, history and comedy in them, than there ever is of the smooshy stuff. But that's by the by.

So, reading this from Adam's perspective changes everything, because he is the actual protagonist of this novel, not Jenny. He is the more complex character, the one who grows and changes, the one whose arc we are really observing.

Adam is a soldier, an attractive young man who is in love with a beautiful girl. When his father dies and saddles him with a ruined estate and mountains of debt, the dream of marrying the beautiful girl has to die, along with any plans and hopes Adam might have had. His world is turned upside down and out of a sense of responsibility he agrees, reluctantly and with some misgivings, to marry the plain and prosaic Jenny. She is the daughter of a vulgar but kind tradesman. She is not vulgar herself, though, but practical, sensible and (though Adam doesn't know it) in love with Adam. She agrees to the match because (as she later confesses to his sister in one of this novel's most heartbreaking scenes) this is the only way she could have helped him. She knows he is in love with somebody else. She knows she is too plain to ever attract him the way his first love, Julia, did. But she is determined that he shall be comfortable with her, at least, and so sets to work to accomplish this.

Heyer does not mince matters. She goes to work to find the places in which such a marriage would rub and clash. She tells you, the reader who expects sighs and budding lusts and ugly-duckling-to-beautiful-swans transformations, that Adam looks upon his bride, the girl he had just married, and is momentarily repulsed by her. She tells you how awkward their honeymoon was. She lets Jenny's father trample into their marriage with his well-meaning but annoying and domineering offers to lavish the couple with every extravagant luxury. She also lets Adam yearn for another woman.

But as the novel goes on, she also allows Jenny to shine - not in the way Julia did, not by ever becoming slender and beautiful, but by being herself: solid, plain but sensible, attentive to her husband's actual needs, attentive to her new home, intelligent, resourceful, caring. She allows Adam to see it, and as he grows up, to slowly appreciate and learn to love her. The story is really about his growing up: from the boy who yearns to be a soldier in action and desires with all his heart and body the beautiful, unattainable dream of a girl, to the man who farms, brings his house out of ruin, and loves his plain but capable wife.

As a young romance reader I really wanted him to fall head over heels in love with Jenny. But as a grown up married woman, I know now that if that were what Heyer had written, I would have found it sweet for a few seconds and then I’d have put the book down and forgotten it as a nonsensical fantasy. Even when I did not like this romance, I have to admit, I never forgot it. Scenes from this one stuck with me much more than any from any other Heyer novel. Adam gaining a thorough, genuine appreciation of Jenny, a deep and warm liking, a feeling of being comfortable and being at home is romantic in a way that stays with you and makes you wonder, more deeply than any other romance, what love really is. And whether the romances we read really are about love. It seems by definition that they should be. But how often are they about couples who, seeing each other once, get all horny and behave silly? How often is it about couples who don't know each other really at all? That’s not love, is it? Love is about knowing someone and understanding them to their core, caring about someone, worrying about them, feeling complete and relaxed when in their company. In that sense, Jenny and Adam’s is the most really romantic romance of all of Heyer’s work.

For all that Heyer makes you go through to get to that ending, it really is satisfying when Adam finally sees Julia for the sentimental airhead she is. It is soul-satisfying to have her bothering him with nonsense when he hasn't even had his breakfast yet. Jenny might have her own unrealistic fantasies about love, just the way Adam does, but when he looks upon her and kisses her and tells her that he loves her, I know that that is precisely what he means. He is not infatuated with her, blinded by her or giddy with longing for her. He loves her the way a husband loves his wife when all that nonsense passes. In fact, he loves her the way you, the reader, know he would never have grown to love Julia. With her he'd only ever have had that first rush of blind bewitchment, and when that dissolved, it would have left him with nothing but pleasant memories of a youthful passion. She would have grown as tiresome a burden to him as his mother is.

So, here I am, ready to eat crow! I apologise to all my GR friends with whom I argued about this novel being unromantic! I was wrong and you were right. There.

[Christmas Carol ꧁꧂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

GH's most unromantic romance. But does romantic love last anyway or does it change to comfortable companionship?

GH explores this theme with (as usual for her) a rich cast of colourful characters & she deftly weaves some real life history into the plot. She handles several romantic plots with considerable aplomb.

Like many of her later romances, Adam isn't an idle aristocrat - he is originally a soldier, then becomes a gentleman farmer - & he is called home to England when his recently deceased father brings the estate to the point of ruin. Rather than lose the estate (Fontley)Adam gives up the girl he loves & marries Jenny - daughter of a Cit. While Jenny always loved Adam, Adam comes to love Jenny and appreciates he is better with a practical wife who will create a comfortable home, than Julia who is in modern terms, a bit of a drama queen!

[Christine PNW · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to gush.

I've read a lot of Georgette Heyer - as the originator of the regency romance, she is a hugely influential author. She is a talented, careful writer with a flair for comedy, and some of her best books are also some of her funniest.

A Civil Contract is a departure from her usual formula, and it knocked my socks off. It begins with Adam Deveril being forced to return home from his position in the Army, as his spendthrift father has unexpectedly died in a riding accident, and he has inherited Fontley, the rapidly deteriorating family seat, and a whole pile of debt incurred by his improvident parent. I'm sure he intended to remake the family fortunes, if he could step away from the gaming table/horse races long enough to stop losing money, but whatevs, dad. Way to go.

Adam is most definitely not cut from same cloth as his father, though they may share a tailor. He is a clear-eyed realist with some actual scruples, and it becomes apparent that Fontley is going to have to be sold to pay for the debts left behind when dad kicked off the mortal coil. His business manager is relieved to note that Adam doesn't seem to have many illusions about winning back the family fortunes on the turn of a card, but isn't thrilled to see the family seat go out of the family, and suggests that Adam look about for an heiress to marry.

Adam, on the other hand, is deeply infatuated with the sylph-like Julia Oversley, this year's most popular and sought after debutante. And Julia reciprocates these affections. He realizes that he can't marry Julia, given that once Fontley is sold he will quite literally not even have a pot to pee in, but in the interests of love, he is going to sacrifice himself on the altar of bachelorhood.

And then he meets Jonathan Chawleigh, a wealthy Cit whose made his fortune in trade. Here there be cashflow. Chawleigh has no illusions about Adam being likely to fall in love with his daughter, the ordinary Jenny, but that's all right with him. He wants Jenny to marry into a social class to which he himself will never gain entry. While he was hoping for an Earl, Adam, a mere Viscount, will do.

He meets Jenny. Small, a bit plump, with a short neck, she is no Julia. But they get on, a bit, and agree to marry.

"He was obliged to master an impulse to retreat, and to tell himself that her acceptance of the proposed match was no more coldblooded than his own.

He was quite as pale as she, and he replied, in a strained voice: ‘Miss Chawleigh, if you feel that you could bear it I shall count myself fortunate. I won’t offer you false coin. To make the sort of protestations natural to this occasion would be to insult you, but you may believe me sincere when I say that if you do me the honour to marry me I shall try to make you happy.’

She got up. ‘I shall be. Don’t think of that! I don’t wish you to try to – Only to be comfortable! I hope I can make you so: I’ll do my best. And you’ll tell me what you wish me to do – or if I do something you don’t like – won’t you?’"

And so it begins. They marry, and try to make a life together.

There are several times in this book where my heart just broke for Jenny. She is obviously in love with Adam - she had been friendly with Julia and had met him while he danced attendance on her much prettier friend. But she is wise beyond her years, and realizes that while she cannot compete with Julia in looks or fairylike appeal, she is married to him, and Julia is not. She sets out to make a place for herself the only way she knows how: by becoming the mistress of Fontley, by not complaining if he is late, by making sure he has his tea how he likes it. If this sounds like Jenny is masquerading as a Golden Retriever, well, I can understand that. But that's not how it felt. It felt wise. And generous.

And, in the end, Jenny shows herself to be a better person, and a better wife, than the immature and self-centered Julia would have been. Speaking to Julia as she makes the claim that it is Jenny who has gained the most as a result of the marriage, Adam says:

"He did not answer for a moment, and then he said gently: ‘I owe Jenny a great deal, you know. She studies all the time to please me, never herself. Our marriage – isn’t always easy, for either of us, but she tries to make it so, and behaves more generously than I do. Given her so much! You know better than to say that, my dear! I had nothing to give her but a title – and I wonder sometimes if she sets any more store by that than you would."

Finally, charmingly, convincingly, Adam falls in love with "his Jenny," not in the infatuated way that a callow youth loves a lovely girl, but with gentle and real commitment:

"Yet, after all, Jenny thought that she had been granted more than she had hoped for when she had married him. He did love her: differently, but perhaps more enduringly; and he had grown to depend on her. She thought that they would have many years of quiet content: never reaching the heights, but living together in comfort and deepening friendship. Well, you can’t have it both ways, she thought, and I couldn’t live in alt all the time, so I daresay I’m better off as things are."

And so, Heyer convinces me that, in the end, they will be a truly happy couple. Adam will fondly remember his brief but passionate love for Julia. But he will always come home to Jenny, because she, as it turns out, is the love of his life.

"After all, life was not made up of moments of exaltation, but of quite ordinary, everyday things."

[Crazy About Love 💕 · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ five stars -

Five solid stars for this stellar fiction novel, from the late great Dame Heyer that’s a romance, but is not really a romance 💁‍♀️

If you follow my reviews, you know that I keep a sorted list of all the Georgette Heyer’s I have read. The list includes all of her Regency romances, as well as a handful of her other works. Heyer is on my favorite author list and will remain there as I reread these books near compulsively (my top ten favorites mostly), and these books have been my comfort go-to reading throughout my lifetime.

“A Civil Contract” is one of her more ambitious Regency romances, and this story falls at number twenty on my own personal Heyer list. The story here starts out as a through-the-looking glass type of read where the reader has the engaging perspective of what happens inside the drawing room of a high-flyer and her beau. While the reader is privy to a ringside seat to what would be a normal courtship, or one that would take place in any one of Heyer’s typical romances, it quickly becomes apparent to the reader that we are seeing a view of the B Side of a standard romantic Regency Couple in Heyer’s Regency.

It’s morbid curiosity of this doomed courtship that opens the story, and what starts off as a disappointment for the perceived perfect couple quickly spirals into tragic heartbreak. How can this be a romance, you’re asking? Well, the story morphs into a tale that is spun with infinite care and plotted skill, and becomes a wonderfully drawn character study.

This story, in my own humble opinion, is more about our Hero. The reader is treated to his thought processes, and they are those of a bankrupt, landed peer. I just loved this part of the story, and his whole character arc was fascinating to me.

The romance that this book settles on is a marriage of convenience for our H. Does he come to love her? In all of his stiff upper lip glory, we are never quite sure. There is a scene where he meets with his first love again (the secondary heroine/OW from the opening scene), and it’s becomes quite clear that the great love of his life is his titled property. This insight into his character is well drawn. The reader feels the emotion, and it’s heartfelt.

Does he come to love the wife he tied himself to in order to save his inheritance and to meet his ambition of transferring the property intact to his future offspring? We aren’t quite sure; nor is his wife, unfortunately. The heroine, on the other hand, suffers emotionally from unrequited love, or so we are told.

This book is one of the better stories I have ever read. The overall tragicness of love lost, but loved gained, has stayed with me. The ending is one I will never forget.

I did love this story for what it is: a well written, top twenty Heyer (on my own list), and an emotional, heartfelt read. I do reread this one every few years or so. Not as often as higher rated Heyer’s from my own list, but it does get a reread now and then.

Five solid stars as only Heyer can provide. Do recommend.

[boogenhagen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to confess this, but I am really not a GH fan. I have read them all, but srsly, I just don't feel the love. Probably because the very first GH I ever read was this one, and it damn near ruined my appreciation for historicals for life.

All I can say is thank goodness I soon ran into Candace Camp and Marion Chesney and most especially Loretta Chase and Elizabeth Neff Walker's The Loving Seasons pretty much saved the entire Regency Genre for me.

This is an excellently written novel, unfortunately it is not very romantic. I realize Ms. Heyer was trying to convey the realities of an arranged marriage but I read romance novels for the happy ever after and the ending of this novel was anything but.


My heart breaks for Jenny who is faced with the prospect of a continuing marriage with more love on her side than on his. Adam is carelessly affectionate towards her, and seems content, but you just know a few years down the road he'll have some discreet, pretty mistress and Jenny will be stuck. This is one time I wish the heroine could have gotten a fabulous lover who would make her feel as loved and adored as Adam initially felt for Julia.


I don't think Adam can ever appreciate just how much Jenny had to adjust to be married to him and he will never appreciate how much she loves him. The writing itself is very good, but every time I read this novel I always wish Ms. Heyer had put in some illuminating moment for Adam to realize what a great treasure he found in Jenny and would have him tell her how much he adored her. All in all a fascinating novel to read but definitely not a romance

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old-fashioned story with a new-fashioned problem, a Victorian era viscount needs money to keep his estate going so he marries the daughter of a merchant, instead of his fiance. The new bride knows exactly why she was chosen instead of the beauty.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've reprised my print version review because I really didn't have anything different to add on the content of the story and will only include my narration thoughts at the end.


A Georgette Heyer Regency Romance unlike any other she wrote. It's one of the most hotly debated about Heyer stories because it is hate and loved in equal turns. She, herself, hated it at least in the middle of writing it. Personally, I think it is one of her best and delves deep into the unromantic side of romance, unrequited love, secret love, friendship, class differences, and marriages of convenience all in one.

The characters are still colorful and sparkling. There are the witty dialogues if not as frequent and some humor. There is also a bittersweet flavor.

A heroine who is a decided underdog in personality, appearance, and ability must find her way against a rival for the affection and respect of a man who married for necessity and resents his situation. I loved seeing shy, awkward Jenny paired with the dashing, disappointed Adam.

I read this one for the first time when in my thirties. I point this out because I think it makes a difference where one is at in age and life as to how this book will speak to them. I never was a dreamy romantic teen, but I don't think I would have understood enough about relationships to appreciate this book if I had read it then. I would have liked it because when all is said and done; its a good story. But, I might not have loved it and praised it as one of her best like I do now. It's not light, flirty, and easy as most. It's more akin to her historicals like The Spanish Bride or An Infamous Army of which its a contemporary story set during the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

Heyer really put in the time with how a marriage of convenience, particularly with partners from a different class, would work out for them and their families. There are nuances in this one and little bits of discovery. Jenny's motives all along are deliberately kept vague until near the end. Characters on the peripheral like Lord Rockhill and Lord Brough see things so much more clearly than others who are close to the source. The hero, Adam, is so lost, defeated, bitter, and angry. I liked that she brought him along slowly until he came into his own learning his own worth and that of Jenny.

The book ends at the place that some might describe as more open-ended than happily ever after. It leaves things at a point where it is easy to see the direction for the future depending on how the reader understood the vague subtleties. Much of the obvious, open conflict is resolved, but yet, it leaves off without making any big, solid declarations about the future as the beginning of something new has started.

All in all, I think it shows another facet to the writer's storytelling. This one is a not so obvious gem and great if the reader is looking for marriage of convenience and class difference tropes all in one.

I had the opportunity to snag the Audible Original version with Phyllida Nash as narrator and an already fabulous book was made even better. She vocalized both genders, individuals, class differences, and the emotions of this understated piece brilliantly.

[Nick Imrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange one. The main relationship here isn't between the hero and heroine (Adam Deveril and his wife Jenny) but between the hero and his father-in-law: pushy millionaire Jonathan Chawleigh.

Heyer has a wonderful talent for mixing hilarious charicatures with rather subtly drawn and insightful characters. Chawleigh is wonderfully well-intentioned, but he can't see that his generosity is over-bearing and insulting. Deveril is too proud, but it's understandable that he wouldn't want to be a dependent charity-case. Watching these two men alternately fight and finesse their way to a respectful understanding is gripping.

But hang on - isn't this meant to be a romantic comedy? Well, there is the usual Heyer humour and stock characters: over-bearing mothers; stupid young men; impetuous beauties. But otherwise, there is not quite so much banter as one expects from Heyer, and no farce! Partly this is due to the difficult heroine: Jenny is plain, sensible, practical, humourless. I respect her, I feel sorry for her, I think I would like her if we met real life, but she's not a great romantic lead.

This makes the romance painful and bittersweet. Jenny's love and devotion to her husband is more pathetic than anything else. Her stoicism in the face of his love for Julia is heroic, but so terribly self-abnegating that it begins to look like masochism. And her talent for manipulating him into comfort and happiness looks almost machiavellian to the modern reader, although perfectly understandable in a woman living in the regency period, whose entire happiness depends on her husband's good will.

I must say that I'm glad that Heyer never does sex scenes. Deveril is still deeply in love with his sweetheart, Julia, for most of the book. And the early scenes between Jenny and Adam are mostly marked by awkwardness and anxiety. Yet she's pregnant long before they overcome either of these hurdles which means they must've been having some dreadfully dutiful intercourse. In the end, they never really do overcome entirely. They end happy (it's not a spoiler! This is a Heyer romance for goodness sake!), but the stress laid on the practical, not romantic nature of their love is rather melancholy.

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

...You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you might find you get what you need.
- Rolling Stones

A Civil Contract should have been boring, as it was an unromantic description of an arranged marriage that proceeded with all parties behaving decently. There was very little drama, and no Big Misunderstanding, the usual hallmarks of these regency romances. Jenny, the heroine, was not pretty and did not become so in one those transformation scenes that I usually enjoy. Jenny and Adam went into the marriage with a clear-eyed understanding of the deal. Her father had money and wanted a title for his daughter. Adam did not love her, but he always treated her with consideration and respect while still pining in his heart for his first love, the beautiful Julia. Jenny, meanwhile, did her best to be a good and supportive wife.

Instead, we watch the relationship of Adam and Jenny develop as they both do the best they can with the circumstances they have been dealt. There was much humor to be had with the interaction of his genteel relatives with her rough, self-made father; and their gradual acceptance and appreciation of each other. There was some obviously well-researched detail about the Napoleonic war that supported a major turning point in the narrative. All in all, I enjoyed every minute of this book.


Random Note: I can't recall if Heyer EVER includes a bedroom scene in her novels - I think not, and I applaud that decision. But in this one case, I would have liked some hint at what point Adam and Jenny moved on to the heir-producing portion of the program and how it went! I did enjoy Julia's appalled reaction to the news of Jenny's pregnancy :)

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its been twenty odd years since I read many of Heyer’s Regency romances. I forgot how funny and entertaining they are. A Civil Contract was very enjoyable. Adam near bankruptcy enters a marriage with Jenny the daughter of Mr Chowleigh a wealthy merchant. This marriage of convenience turns out to be just what Adam needs.

His past love the beautiful self centered Julia is on the scene and gives meaning to the term drama Queen. Set in London, Bath and Adam’s swampy ancestral home.

The story is set around 1815. The etiquette, fashion and class structure is captured so well by Heyer. The comedic element is superb. Look forward to reading a few more of her novels in 2022.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I see that I gave this five stars the last time I read it and I actually didn't remember this.
5 stars again this time. I loved it!!!
I like the marriage of convenience story and the fact it wasn't overcome or settled with stars in their eyes or drumbeats and bugles playing. It wouldn't have suited either of their characters. Adam is a bit staid and serious for a young man and Jenny quite plain and hard to shake out of her character. I liked this. Not everyone is the same in life and it's nice to read about the ordinary people too.
I disliked Julia, the great beauty, from the start. She didn't quite ring true for me. Too insistent on money not being everything when it very obviously was.
Loved Jenny. She was caught between a rock and a hard place but played her part extremely well.
I think with this novel Heyer gave free rein to her own inclinations. She gave us the usual fun light Regency romance but included her love of history for her own interest. I enjoyed learning the parts she put in and being one of her longer books it broke up the fluff with the serious.
This will definitely be a reread for me in the future.

September 2024
Just as good as the last time, if not better. I think I paid more attention to Jenny and Adam's relationship this time. Jenny is still my favourite character. She may be portrayed as staid and uninteresting but to me she's the most level headed in the book. The only flaw for me is her giving into Adam on everything because she wants him to be comfortable and unworried about anything. He owes her a lot but doesn't come to see it until quite late in the book. Adam's sister, Lydia, is a hoot and it wouldn't be the book it is without Mr. Chawleigh!

[Zara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't even know where to start.
A Civil Contract was hard and tedius to read to from the get go, mostly because of the language and partly because of the unnecessary information thrown at us. I had to skim a lot just get through the chapters.

So why did I decide to keep reading?
Mostly for that ending. You know, where Adam would realise how lucky he was to have Jenny.
Sure, Jenny was stout, plump, and not pretty at all. Sure, he was forced to marry her because he needed her money. Sure he "fancied" himself in love with Julie - pretty, slim and basically the complete opposite of Jenny.
But in the end he'd have that ah hah moment and see just how fortunate he was.

So, I kept reading. Even when Adam was revolted (yes, that exact word) with Jenny and her appearance. I keep reading, even when Adam was mooning over Julia, basically every time he saw her, even after the birth of his son (Adam wasn't very pleased at the knowledge that Jenny was pregnant).

I kept reading until I finally got that moment. That moment was squeezed into the last ten pages of the book. OK, whatever as long as I got that triumphant ending. I waited with bated breath for when Adam would realise how imperfect Julia really was.
And he did. But it was so anticlimactic. Nothing at all dramatic. And the ending? That triumphant moment where the guy realises that the plain girl is actually the best match for him and how much he loves her? Yeah, that moment never really happened.
Sure Adam tells Jenny that he's over Julia (after, like, a year and half of marriage and - let's not forget - the birth of his son) and that he loves Jenny but Jenny is left with the bittersweet realisation that Adam will never love her like he did Julia and how she'll never measure up to Julia but that she should be content with the knowledge that Adam loves her, in a way but not the way she wanted.

The End.

I'm serious. Can you believe it? Well I couldn't. I had to re-read the ending twice to believe that the author would just leave it like that. After everything, all we get is that crappy, depressing ending - basically telling women everywhere that no matter what you do for your husband, be the perfect wife, don't nag him, give him free reign to have as many affairs he wants (though in Adam's defence he didn't but still), giving birth to his son, you have to be pretty and beautiful for him to truly love you. Maybe if you're lucky (like in Jenny's case) your guy will come to (at the most) appreciate you. In a year or two, at the very least.

[Lady Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterful job by Georgette Heyer that deserves to be liberated from the "Regency romance" ghetto and considered as serious fiction. It's not really even a romance, given that the main characters marry because of money and nothing else. We watch them grow, however, into a sort of love based upon their strong commitment and sense of honor. Very touching, with a dose of humor delivered by the bride's impressively vulgar father.

[Desi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The realness of some of the bursts of negative emotions experienced by the characters, the bile sometimes expressed, made me somewhat uncomfortable at times while reading this.

This is why it is not my favorite Heyer. It's slightly dark overtones means it really isn't a relaxing read.

Love the historical details. As always I learnt something new about the period. The glimpse into the life of a cit was intriguing. And she somehow managed to make a completely vulgar character affable and charming in his own right in the way the dad was portrayed.

Amusing as always in parts but the focus here was more about life being about settling and making the best of things.

And how we cling to and revere what we can't have much longer than we ought. Hero needed a bit of a dressing down for his behavior at times and the heroine was a bit self deprecating but they were both wonderful for all that.

The realism, longing and angst was too much for the reread pile though. Great for a first time let's finish the Heyer collection read, though never as a recommendation for someone who doesn't already know and love the author. Maybe ok for the cynic first time reader who hates traditional romance?

On a unrelated side note I am ashamed to say I was hit out of left field by her pregnancy. My first shocked thought was "Wait, how is she pregnant... they've slept together!?"

Lol. In my defense they really had no change in interaction to indicate physical intimacy. Spoiled, I am! ... I tell you, by all these infinitely blatant, unnecessarily explicit modern style historical romances which totally made me forget there was a more subtle touch possible. Not everything has to be contrived modern writer trope/ plot nonsense about "let's get to know each other better before consummating our arranged marriage". Of course he was taking care of his husbandly duties off scene from the minute they were married. Duh!

[Mela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I loved it even more the second time. Almost all views of my previous review are valid, save one point: I like Jenny now. I understand her better now. Yes, like she, I am a bit sad, for that tiny part of her heart who longed (against all odds) for something she would never have. Yet, she was a marvelous human being, so consistent.

I also like and understand Adam more.

I was savoring this story, how the relationship between the main couple evolved. How they worked for their marriage.

I know, typically, it would have been Julia and Rockhill as romantic heroes, but Heyer showed that also so an "unromantic love story" can be beautiful.

-------- My review after first reading --------

This is one of Heyer's late books, and one can see this novel is thoughtful.

Yes, it wasn't a witty Regency romance. I would not say it was a sad story but it was neither Cotillion nor Sprig Muslin (the fans of Heyer will know what I mean).

This piece is something between historical romance and historical fiction. You can see how much Heyer knew about the Regency era, especially the everyday life (mostly) of nobility. I don't recall that in any other Heyer's book, there is so much about agriculture in those times. It was quite interesting.

On the other hand, there was a "gossip world" about royalty. The Prince Regent was in the background of many Regency novels (it is obvious) but here I felt almost as if I would have gossiped with them.

The third main group of historical information is about fights with Napoleon. There were moments when I recalled An Infamous Army. I was a little bored once or twice, but only because I knew it too well.

Let me say it one more time: "A Civil Contract" had more historical facts than most Heyer Regency romances. And those facts were added to the plot in a smooth, engaging way.

Now, let's get to the story and characters. As you would have expected there were interesting characters: Mr Chawleigh, Lydia, Lynton, Charlotte, Julia Oversley, Jenny, Rockhill, and so on. Everyone gave something special to the novel. One can see how good a writer Heyer was. I couldn't find one tiny piece of evidence of fortuity in this story.

Even so, I must admit I was not a fan of Jenny. But, as I have written many times, I don't have to like a character to like a book/a story. And the story was original. I say, even phenomenal. There weren't romantic raptures between the main couple. The hero was in love with the other girl. I was expecting to the end that he would have looked at Jenny and would have passionately fallen in love with her at last. But honestly, how it was it made the story and book more wonderful.

I am sure that for some people this atmosphere (as in the below quote) can be boring. But not for those who understand what kind of story it is.

'Jenny, are you sure you like this scheme?’ Adam asked, when they were alone.
‘Yes, that I do!’ she replied. ‘Don’t you?’
‘Oh, yes! As long as it won’t put you to a great deal of trouble.’
‘It won’t put me to any trouble at all. But if you had rather –’
‘No, there must be a party, of course – or, at any rate, you all think so!’
‘Well, it’s natural we should, but if you don’t wish it –’
‘My dear, you are perfectly right, and I do wish it!'

This is the story which you can understand by reading the quotes below:

The next days brought their duties, their small successes, and their annoying failures

But it was only in epic tragedies that gloom was unrelieved. In real life tragedy and comedy were so intermingled that when one was most wretched ridiculous things happened to make one laugh in spite of oneself

After all, life was not made up of moments of exaltation, but of quite ordinary, everyday things

As you see there was more to read between the lines. So, in my opinion, it was one of the best books of Heyer. Although you can't describe it as a typical Regency romance.

[Susan in NC · Rating 5 out of 5]

4/7/16 - still a five-star book for me; I really enjoyed reading this book (third time) with the GR Heyer Fans group. Several readers loved it, some hated it and thought it was too much of a departure from Heyer's usual sparkling, witty romances, but I think we all got a lot out of the discussion, sifting through the many layers of this wonderful book and it's many flawed and fascinating characters. This is a book I will return to often, so much to discover and savor.

July 2015 - this is still a five-star book for me - I read it over the course of two long days driving in the car and it made the time fly! I first read it several years ago and gave it five stars but could not remember a thing about it, but I'm on a quest inspired by the GR Georgette Heyer group discussion to reread several of her books.

I loved this book because it has all the wonderful qualities I expect from one of my favorite writers - witty, sparkling dialogue, memorable characters and funny scenes, but with this book Heyer set out to write a very different, non-traditional love story, and she certainly succeeded, I think! Adam is a handsome, titled officer and hero of the Peninsular Wars, but he's in love with the dumpy heroine's friend; he doesn't even recall meeting the ravishingly beautiful Julia's friend Jenny. He is called home upon the sudden death of his father, a dashing spendthrift who cared more for running with the Prince Regent's profligate Carlton House set than managing his crumbling estate (and fortune). Adam's worst fear comes true - the family is financially ruined and his only option to support his mother and sisters is to sell the ancestral home - or find an heiress to marry.

Appalled at the idea of selling himself to the highest bidder, Adam prepares to sell the estate and honorably breaks off his attachment to Julia; her father, Lord Oversley, suggests to Adam that he might consider marrying plain but practical heiress Jenny. Adam caves and proposes to Jenny, and the two begin the difficult task of navigating the yawning class divide between the two families.

Adam's interactions with Mr. Chawleigh, Jenny's extremely wealthy but coarse and common father, are priceless and illustrate the gulf between the rising merchant class and the landed aristocracy. I was touched by the developing relationship between Jenny and Adam as their marriage of convenience slowly grows into something more, even as they deal with his obvious continued infatuation with Julia and her drama-queen hysteria! Heyer, who pretty much invented the Regency romance genre, turns it on its head with this mismatched pair.

I always enjoy Heyer's characters, but she gives us some real standouts here - Adam, despite his heartache, sacrifices and disappointment is a charming, sweet-natured, strong yet warm-hearted and unfailingly polite gentleman - and he faces extreme provocation from his gruff vulgarian of a father-in-law! Yet Mr. Chawleigh truly hides a heart of gold under his rough exterior; the Dowager, Adam's mother, is the perfect counter-balance with her die-away airs and the guilt trips she attempts to lay on her children (which they see right through, of course...) Adam's younger sister Lydia is a delight, funny and outspoken and painfully honest, leading to lots of laughs for the reader and groans from her hypochondriac mother. Julia is the self-absorbed beauty who finally admits to Adam that she "cannot live without being loved", keeping her from being too black-and-white of a villainess "other woman" stereotype, even if she is an annoying drama queen!

And finally Jenny, my favorite character - she's a real treat and a rarity for Heyer, a plump, plain and plain-spoken young woman with good manners instilled by her exclusive finishing school but no end of common sense. Jenny knows exactly who she is and what she's getting into with this arranged marriage - she so obviously loves Adam and only wants "to make him comfortable, for men like to be comfortable." She also dearly loves her controlling, overbearing father and wants to honor his dream of buying her a title and the aristocratic husband attached to it, but she loves Adam for his adorable self and means to build a lovely life together, and they do! This book really made me happy and was a feel-good read I will return to again. Highly recommended if you can suspend your expectations and appreciate an unromantic, yet deep and abiding love story!

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Georgette Heyer Regency Romance unlike any other she wrote. It's one of the most hotly debated about Heyer stories because it is hate and loved in equal turns. She, herself, hated it at least in the middle of writing it. Personally, I think it is one of her best and delves deep into the unromantic side of romance, unrequited love, secret love, friendship, class differences, and marriages of convenience all in one.

The characters are still colorful and sparkling. There are the witty dialogues if not as frequent and some humor. There is also a bittersweet flavor.

A heroine who is a decided underdog in personality, appearance, and ability must find her way against a rival for the affection and respect of a man who married for necessity and resents his situation. I loved seeing shy, awkward Jenny paired with the dashing, disappointed Adam.

I read this one for the first time when in my thirties. I point this out because I think it makes a difference where one is at in age and life as to how this book will speak to them. I never was a dreamy romantic teen, but I don't think I would have understood enough about relationships to appreciate this book if I had read it then. I would have liked it because when all is said and done; its a good story. But, I might not have loved it and praised it as one of her best like I do now. It's not light, flirty, and easy as most. It's more akin to her historicals like The Spanish Bride or An Infamous Army of which its a contemporary story set during the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

Heyer really put in the time with how a marriage of convenience, particularly with partners from a different class, would work out for them and their families. There are nuances in this one and little bits of discovery. Jenny's motives all along are deliberately kept vague until near the end. Characters on the peripheral like Lord Rockhill and Lord Brough see things so much more clearly than others who are close to the source. The hero, Adam, is so lost, defeated, bitter, and angry. I liked that she brought him along slowly until he came into his own learning his own worth and that of Jenny.

The book ends at the place that some might describe as more open-ended than happily ever after. It leaves things at a point where it is easy to see the direction for the future depending on how the reader understood the vague subtleties. Much of the obvious, open conflict is resolved, but yet, it leaves off without making any big, solid declarations about the future as the beginning of something new has started.

All in all, I think it shows another facet to the writer's storytelling. This one is a not so obvious gem and great if the reader is looking for marriage of convenience and class difference tropes all in one.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adam Deveril of the Duke of Wellington's 52nd Regiment has only recently returned to active combat duty after being wounded when he learns of the tragic death of his father, Viscount, Lord Lynton of Lincolnshire. He is more shocked to learn that his father died in massive debt and their estate, Fontley Priory is mortgaged to the hilt. Adam has only one choice: sell. How can he sell his family home? Should he? He has a mother and two younger sisters to support. Even if Charlotte accepts her beloved Lambert (despite Mama's disapproval), there's still Lydia to support and dower. Sell he must. Adam's man of business proposes another solution: marry an heiress. The idea is repugnant to Adam. Though he is in love with the beautiful Julia Oversley, she is not the heiress he needs but neither can he offer marriage situated as he is on the brink of ruin. Julia's father, Lord Oversley, agrees with Wimmering that Adam should marry an heiress and he has just the woman in mind. Lord Oversley has an acquaintance, a friend you could say, in the City with a very nice daughter of marriageable age. When Adam first meets Jonathan Chawleigh he is aghast at the idea of having this larger than life man with a loud voice and poor taste in clothes as his relative, but Jonathan Chawleigh is a man used to getting his own way and before Adam can really object, he finds himself married to Chawleigh's only child, Jenny. He vaguely remembers Jenny as one of the satellites orbiting Julia aiding his recovery but he can't really recall anything about the woman. Jenny Chawleigh is neither beautiful nor a sparkling wit. She's dumpy and shy but she lacks the sensibility necessary for a grand romance and promises to do her best to make Adam happy.

This is Georgette Heyer's un-romance novel. It's completely different from anything else she ever wrote. It starts off very similar with the familiar old characters: the military hero, the drama queen Mama, the saintly sister, the hoydenish sister, the beautiful girlfriend and a proposed marriage of convenience. The beginning of the story moves very slowly. It took me longer than normal to read this book because the first half didn't really hold my interest. I found it a little too concerned with boring details about estate management, farming and domestic comfort. The last half of the book picks up and I couldn't put it down. I wasn't quite sure how it would all work out. The dust jacket describes this book as "a social comedy at its happiest." That is not how I would describe the novel. It has funny moments and happy moments but most of it is more sober and mature than Heyer's other novels. Here Heyer offers us a look at what she considers a successful marriage. There is some great commentary here and some lovely passages describing the characters' relationship.
The sense side of me really valued the novel for this interesting and realistic look at marriage but the sensibility side prefers the marriage plot romances.

Adam is a complicated character. He is the only surviving son which puts a great burden on him. He's lived with the knowledge of his father's hedonistic lifestyle his entire life but couldn't do anything to stop his father from ruining himself. Adam is first and foremost in his mind a soldier. His family's happiness and comfort has to take precedence over that and it's difficult for him to adjust. He's also very proud and his pride can make him prickly and sometimes even subtly cruel. I didn't like the way he treated Jenny at first but I know he was still grieving for his old life and too proud to admit he didn't know what he was doing and the situation was out of his control. I think this is the first time in Adam's adult life he has had to make decisions. In the army he did what he was told and make decisions based on what wouldn't get himself and his men killed. Transition to civilian life is tough for Adam. This really comes out at the end, on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo when he can't believe the world is going on much as it did before. I grew to like Adam a lot by the end of the novel. His character growth is amazing as he comes to terms with his situation and starts trying a little harder to be a good husband.

I really liked Jenny. I can relate to being dumpy, shy and sensible. I don't think she's a doormat as some people have criticized her. She does try hard to please Adam and be the "angel in the house" that was becoming the ideal. Jenny agreed to the marriage, so it was her choice. She knows not to expect romance. She's aware of Adam's feelings for Julia and how Julia considered Adam hers. Jenny has no illusions that her marriage will be the be all end all of romantic lobe stories. She takes the time to learn what Adam likes and how to make him happy. I think that is what a good partner does. They take an interest in the other's activities and interests. Jenny does have opinions and she knows how to get things done. She can be forceful when she wants and after bottling up all her emotions, she pops like a cork in a bottle and it all comes out! She is a much better wife for Adam than Julia. The one thing that bugged me about her was her excessive use of slang. I don't know where or how she picked it up but all the characters use the same slang and understand each other though they come from different backgrounds. It doesn't bother me in other books but because Jenny's father is nouveau riche (a "mushroom") and she's an only child, it didn't quite ring true.

Julia is not a character the sensible reader will like. She's not like Marianne Dashwood. Julia is a spoiled brat who thinks the universe revolves around her. She's used to having men fall in love with her and Adam is kind of different because he's a wounded war hero. She's romanticized him in her mind and also romanticized The Priory. Julia needs to be the shining star of her universe. She needs to be loved and adored while Adam just wants to be a comfortable farmer. Julia is a lot like the awful Tiffany in The Nonesuch but not quite as horrible. Julia's parents are aware of her faults and her father knows that as much as he loves his daughter, she would never make a good wife for Adam. In a way, I almost feel bad for Julia because her personality is not one that attracts young men to marriage and her story is kind of sad.

As always, Heyer populates her book with some quirky secondary characters. The largest being Jonathan Chawleigh. A "Cit," he's a businessman to the core who scrabbled his way up from nothing. He loves to throw money around and has horrendous taste but his heart is pure gold. He is a doting Papa and loves his only daughter. Though he wants a title for her and to have her accepted into society, it's for her mother's sake. It was her mother's dream and not Jonathan's. He wants nothing for himself except the happiness of his beloved daughter. He loves to lavish gifts on people because it makes him happy to make them happy. Or at least he hopes they'll be happy. He's not very good at choosing the right gifts but he means well. He doesn't understand Adam and Adam doesn't really understand Jonathan.

The next larger than life character is Adam's little sister Lydia. Not yet "out" she has a limited view of the real world. She's stuffed her head full of silly romances and gothic novels. She's so young and innocent she thinks sacrificing herself to marry an old man or becoming an actress is romantic. She has no conception of what treading the boards actually meant and how it would affect her family. Lydia adds a lot of comic relief to the novel. She's lively and fun and for some reason, Jenny really responds to the younger girl's enthusiasm. I love how loyal and kind Lydia is without being a boring goody goody like her sister Charlotte. Lydia's story is a coming of age plot where she comes to understand how real life marriages are messy and complicated and vastly different from the fairy tales she has imagined. Like Julia, Lydia is happy when someone pays attention to her, but unlike Julia she's not selfish or "puffed up on her own consequence." I loved her and wished she was in more of the novel.

Another character I loved and wished there was more of was Aunt Nasington. She reminded me of a Maggie Smith character and if the BBC and PBS want to team up to produce a series of Georgette Heyer adaptations, Maggie Smith would be the best choice for Adam's aunt. She comes on to direct the action, utter a bon mot and then she exits again. I also really liked Adam's friend Brough. He was funny and comes across as stupid when he isn't really. He's a loyal friend and a good brother.

Besides Julia, the one character I couldn't stand was Adam's mother. She's a lot like an older version of Julia. She makes mountains out of molehills and revers the memory of her late rakehell husband when he doesn't deserve it. She's selfish and manipulative. The Dowager Lady Lynton is a character type Georgette Heyer used in other novels.

Read this once you are past the starry eyed romantic stage of life. This is not a conventional romance or a conventional Heyer. It's not even The Convenient Marriage. It's different but I liked it more than I thought I would.

[Abigail Bok · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Georgette Heyer's "lane" so much that I want her to stay in it. She invented, and perfected, the frothy period romantic comedy, and I find myself resenting her attempts to monkey with the genre. Her most popular books all have a likable heroine and/or hero, vividly drawn secondary characters, witty set-piece scenes that grow organically out of the clash of personalities, acting against the backdrop of the All-Observing Eye of Regency-era high society and its collective mind.

In A Civil Contract Heyer deliberately set out to defeat all those expectations. I can understand her having become bored by her own formula, but the formula is successful for reasons. It makes for a happy escape from the stresses and reverses of everyday life; it allows for gentle laughter over the oddities and absurdities of human behavior; it makes the optimistic case for the existence of true love, belonging, and a safe haven. And in the hands of a master like Heyer, it allows one to indulge the dream without the embarrassment of being pandered to by a hack. Who doesn't want to live in that head space for a bit?

In this book, Heyer dishes up instead an unglamorous, middle-class heroine for whom marriage is not the culmination of her story but the beginning--and it's a marriage of convenience, proposed by the groom so he can use her father's money to save his estate and provide a dowry for his sister. To cap it off, the groom is in love with one of the heroine's closest friends.

This is not a fantasy scenario I want to plunge into. The heroine, Jenny, has many admirable qualities, but the life she has chosen for herself is humiliating. Yes, she's dignified and unbowed by all the humiliations--the in-laws who consider her beneath them, the husband obviously repelled by her and yearning for a glamorous rival who's clearly a worthless piece of work, the society folk sitting in judgment, the embarrassing and intrusive father--but surely a worthy heroine could enjoy a happier fate? And the hero is not a person I can respect, so I don't even want to root for them as a couple. There isn't even the relief of adorably ridiculous secondary characters, although the secondary characters are ably drawn. And even the London social scene is held at arm's length (the hero's world is cushioned by a few understanding friends who are better than he deserves), depriving the story of any strong plot driver. The whole setup feels like an intellectual exercise, the product of a bored author asking herself, "What would happen if I created a scenario that defeated all expectations?" A lot of the foundational premises of the story also seem implausible to me--why would Jenny ever be friends with a person like the antiheroine? Why would a hero with the life experience he is given not be able to see through that antiheroine?

What we get is a semi-realistic portrait of a marriage of the early 1960s model, where the husband gets to lead whatever life he chooses and the wife chooses to contort herself to suit him. In this case the husband ultimately makes some decent choices, but that's not enough to redeem him in my eyes. It's a richly developed portrait of something I don't want to read about.

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t imagine having a family dependent on me and spending my monies beyond my assets. All the while, frivolously enjoying myself with the nobility as did the late fifth Viscount, Lord Lynton. In the end, he left a financial mess and what should have been a tale of ruin.

Adam, the sixth Viscount and new Lord Lynton, met with his deceased sire’s man of business. In order to hold on to his estate, he was given an answer and it was as clear as day. He needed to marry an heiress.

~~~~~
Before I go on with my review, I need to get one minor quibble out of the way! This is the second story I have read by Georgette Heyer and I may have overlooked it before now! Can you guess?! It is her use of exclamation points when a person is having a conversation! I don’t think of myself as having OCD but it got to the point that as I read each page I couldn’t help but go back to count the (!)! It ranged from 6- 16 on any given page before I finally surrendered my tendency to tally the totals!
~~~~~

That said, I enjoyed this realistic story with a marriage of convenience theme. I speak with experience as I have read almost 90 MOC romances over the years. I have rated some with 5 stars and others I have marked DNF. A Civil Contract is in my top ten because the main characters were portrayed in such a human fashion.

Adam planned on selling his home, Fontley, and give up his dream of marrying the beautiful Julia Oversley. It was hard to beat the conversation between Julia’s father and the weary Adam. Within a short while, Julia’s father set up a meeting between Adam and a Mr. Chawleigh. Chawleigh had high hopes for his own daughter and wanted her to marry a gentleman. Once again, I loved the author’s crisp description of the two men and their conversation forthwith. Ms. Heyer’s intricate research was spot on and I understand why she has so many fans.

Long story short, Adam was given an opportunity to save Fontley, provide for his sisters and mother AND bring himself out of debt if he agreed to marry the wealthy Cit’s daughter: Jenny. Short with a flat-toned voice and plump. Shy, well-behaved, and sensible.

Unlike Julia, Jenny’s beauty was not skin deep but found in her character: her common sense and goodness. She knew Adam loved Julia. She didn’t demand deep affection. At the outset, she hoped for dignity and respect.

As a couple GR friends pointed out, I found the heavy history on Napoleon and his battles time-consuming and unnecessary. I have read enough about it in other Regencies. Adam’s younger sister, Lydia, and her antics added humor to the story. I enjoyed the verbal sparring between Lady Nassington and Chawleigh. And more than once I needed to remind myself that Adam and Jenny were a product of their time. I can honestly say that A Civil Contract was an intelligent novel of marriage that never disguised its frailty.

[Jennifer Kloester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georgette Heyer is on of my all-time favourite authors. I've been reading her books for years and one of the things I love about her novels is the way they change for the reader over time. Books I loved when I was younger are often perceived differently as I get older. I don't love them less, I just love them for different reasons. One of Heyer's novels that I wasn't all that fond of when I first read it years ago is A Civil Contract. Today, it is one of my all-time favourites among her many brilliant and enduring books. Of all Heyer's novels, A Civil Contract is the most thoughtful and in some ways the most poignant and heartfelt. It's the story of Jenny Chawleigh and Adam Deveril (Lord Lynton). He's come home from the Napoleonic Wars to find that the family estate is bankrupt. He's advised to find a rich heiress and marry her to save the estates (a common and effective solution for many cash-strapped aristocrats right through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries). Jenny Chawleigh is to be that heiress - the only problem is she's the daughter of a vulgar 'cit', a businessman who makes his money from - shock, horror, trade! Jonathan Chawleigh is super-rich, and unfortunately for Adam, boy, does he like to flash his money about! Jenny is plain and practical, but intelligent and funny and... well, I won't tell you any more of the plot. Only to say that it's a wonderful novel, possibly Heyer's best (although many people would argue with me about that because there are several candidates for that accolade) and certainly one of her most perceptive. I love the way the many different relationships develop in this book, the way each character evolves and emotional highs and lows of the story. There is also great comedy here and Jonathan Chawleigh is one of Heyer's greatest comic creations, which is saying a lot because she was so good at comedy. Highly recommended especially if you love Jane Austen.