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Sylvester: Or the Wicked Uncle

4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 · rating details · 3,883 ratings · 324 reviews

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

"Rank, wealth, and elegance are no match for a young lady who writes novels..."
Sylvester, Duke of Salford, has exacting requirements for a bride. Then he meets Phoebe Marlow, a young lady with literary aspirations, and suddenly life becomes very complicated. She meets none of his c...more

Paperback, 400 pages

Published April 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Casablanca (first published 1957)

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Clean Regency,Georgian,Edwardian,and Victorian Romance

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Aug 11, 2008 Abigail rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Georgette Heyer Fans / Regency Romance Readers

Shelves: georgette-heyer, romance

Review Temporarily Removed.

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May 06, 2012 Sakura Yue Michaelis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: clean-romance, funny, paper-books-i-own, great-characters, regency, audiobook

What I like about Georgette Heyer´s books is that there is a pattern in all her stories: the rich titled man who is so refined and correct and suddenly, he is in the middle of the main female character´s adventures and problems. Also, you can never miss a little boy who actually behaves like a little boy; the inevitable dog and the naive/loyal/funny brother of the main girl. So this book has all of this lovely ingredients: duke (check); girl in problems (check); instead of a brother, a loyal fri...more

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Dec 21, 2009 Lennongirl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: medium-audiobook, read-in-english, type-fiction, read-in-2009, t-read-by-armitage, 4-stars-really-liked, g-romance-chick-lit, g-historical-romance

Sylvester and Phoebe are a most unlikely match. He's as arrogant as it gets, she's wild and quite adventurous. Even though they don't have any interest in one another, fate brings them together again and again - with the most hilarious results. I enjoyed this story lots and lots, much more than I'd expected. I laughed out loud a couple of times, and I found myself intrigued by the plot. There are many lively characters in this one, not only Sylvester and Phoebe, but their family and friends - th...more

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Dec 02, 2008 Ria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: to anyone who likes the author

Recommended to Ria by: Jaimey Grant

I'm not good at writing reviews. But I'll give it a try.
I thought that Sylvester had some really good parts to it that when taken in with the whole book are the ones that would make read this book again. But I may get bored with it till the parts I like are reached. That was the only bad part for me with reading this book.
To be fair, some of the books that I really like start that way, but I will read them again, when I get my hands on them.

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Mar 22, 2009 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

I still have not yet exhausted my desire to read the most popular of Georgette Heyer’s novels…this time reading Sylvester which has become my new favourite. Sylvester is the Duke of Salford and at the age of 28 has decided it is time to marry, but of course only to a suitable girl who meets all his particular requirements. His mother concerned for his happiness secretly prefers him to marry for love to keep in check his sense of consequence and deep reserve, and suggests he consider the granddau...more I still have not yet exhausted my desire to read the most popular of Georgette Heyer’s novels…this time reading Sylvester which has become my new favourite. Sylvester is the Duke of Salford and at the age of 28 has decided it is time to marry, but of course only to a suitable girl who meets all his particular requirements. His mother concerned for his happiness secretly prefers him to marry for love to keep in check his sense of consequence and deep reserve, and suggests he consider the granddaughter of a very good friend, Phoebe Marlow. Phoebe being neither beautiful nor elegant and quite lacking in confidence had perceived a cut from the Duke on a much earlier occasion and formed an instant dislike of the Duke’s arrogance. So much so that she used him as the model for the villain in her first published novel…the dastardly Count Ugolino. Both Sylvester’s and Phoebe’s relatives muddle in the affair and further complicating things Phoebe’s novel becomes a success…from here follows a rollicking tale of misunderstandings and missteps.

Sylvester reminded me at times of Pride and Prejudice. Although the setting and exact nature of the grievances are not the same, what is similar are the bumbling of the hero and the lack of tact from the heroine. Miscommunication leads the characters to make assumptions about one another and because of the violence of their emotions efforts at reconciliation often have even more disastrous results. The Duke’s arrogance and self-consequence create misunderstandings with Phoebe and Phoebe has made assumptions about the Duke’s unfeeling character because of his treatment of those beneath his consequence.

Sylvester has much in common with Heyer’s other Regency stories; humor, witty dialogue, fast-paced plot and great characters…but what makes this story distinctive from the others are the incredibly interesting complex characters. The toplofty Duke who must be taken down a peg or two, the talented guileless ingénue who is always getting into scrapes, the mischief-making nephew, the meddlesome cranky grandmamma and the foppish dandy obsessed with his boot tassels! I loved every bit of the story and hated to finish it.

http://myobsessionwithbooks.blogspot....

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Mar 12, 2009 _inbetween_ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is why I will never be able to discuss Heyer's works with people reading her these days; the elegance and clarity of vision just cannot be compared to other writers, and if it's done, all discussion is pointless.

The first novel in my OV/re- reading where no long-standing acquaintance between the couple exists. They had met in the past, so once again Heyer makes use of time to have room for more change and development, but even more so than Bath Tangle, which was the first focused-on-h/h one...more This is why I will never be able to discuss Heyer's works with people reading her these days; the elegance and clarity of vision just cannot be compared to other writers, and if it's done, all discussion is pointless.

The first novel in my OV/re- reading where no long-standing acquaintance between the couple exists. They had met in the past, so once again Heyer makes use of time to have room for more change and development, but even more so than Bath Tangle, which was the first focused-on-h/h one I OV/re- read, this is a getting to know each other story.

Sylvester seemed a more dour version of my beloved Devil's Cub, maybe because I hadn't read it to death, so although the most memorable scenes are once again painfully short now, it was more satisfying. The only regret I have is that I had misremembered Phoebe as pudgy. The only not-thin heroine was in the only unequal ending, ie. even after a baby she knew he'd stray again. But I had also misremembered Phoebe as older and stronger, and the well down subtle issue of "unkindness" is more visible now. I remembered her stepmother turning her stupid, insipid and scared, and that I might have seen her first ordering Sylvester to get the doctor is slightly unfair, though his later cruelty was worse.

Now I see Phoebe was never unfair, but also Sylvester is so not not not that awful duke that Beverly writes, and their antagonism is never the frightful sexual terror of her novels. Like Gilly, we first see Sylvester at his stately home, and I well remember that very very particular, hard to describe type of arrogance he has, who is always polite and friendly to the least important people. Maybe the very fine tuning and subtlety is what makes Heyer seem boring now, not just the lack of sex.

I enjoyed that so far neither of h/h has ever eyed any of the other's body parts to adore or lust after it. I had always, always enjoyed those mentions of narrow cheeks, a slim silhouette or laughter jumping into ones eye - I see it done so much now that Heyer hardly ever even seems to mention it, except I treasure a quick step, jumping lightly, tiny mentions that are not insignificant because here no line ever is.
There was some disfavourable eying of each other, or mostly her by him, which I remember well but mind not at all now that Phoebe is genuinely not pretty, nor charming or any of the traits other writers give their hoydens. It might have made me insecure that he persisted in his view in the past, but now I might treasure it.
I also like the very understated grief for his twin brother - I remember the injustice that Ianthe does him, and that hurts much less now, but I like the grief more now and see how it moulded him. I remembered how his mother worried he really was Count Ugolino (heheheh, although I was sure the eyebrows were attractive), and that there was a lack of comforting assurances at the end, but now I just like and see how this is really a man who only behaves so badly because he cares.
In a way it is his book (subtitle: The Wicked Uncle) but she is so very present, a young author with a cruel stepmother who keeps verbally abusing him and sometimes it's not clear if it's on purpose, just like for a long time it's really not clear wether he is pursuing revenge or a genuine interest in her. To have other characters mention all possibilities, incl. that his interest might be piqued, actually makes that more uncertain.

For half a page the h/h talk about his offer to mount her while she was in town, her saying she couldn't accept that, him saying he'd love to mount her - and to think this is simply about a horse when all modern historical romances have it as another word for fucking, made me once more wish for better erotic romances.

Group scenes are handled with her usual excellence, the comic males, the endearing youngsters, the drama half-hidden beneath more stupid people's theatrics. The small glimpses of his genuine suffering and his repeated blunders when trying to offer for her and make up for previous blunders is no dear rather than stark. Sylvester's "What am I to do?" still resonates more with me, as do his mother and Phoebe; I guess I need conflict between the couple, as much as I despise those hate-sex "romances".

Once again I think that before computers, people took writing more seriously - not just that too many are doing it now and get published, even unedited, but that everyone has the best gadgets and nobody has the sheer stamina and vision to create complex stories, which might be taught if one had to know exactly what one wanted to say when writing.(less)

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Jan 24, 2009 Parul rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: heyers-i-own, historical

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Sylvester felt to me decidedly different from other Heyers in certain ways. I felt like we were repeatedly made to face the flaw of our hero, the flaw being pride, and at the same time that we actually got to hear a lot of the hero's thoughts for a change which made things interesting! Apparently Sylvester was originally called Snowbound and Heyer said of it "It could and should have been better. And it was better until I got cold feet, and cut out what wouldn't please the Fans". But I liked Syl...more Sylvester felt to me decidedly different from other Heyers in certain ways. I felt like we were repeatedly made to face the flaw of our hero, the flaw being pride, and at the same time that we actually got to hear a lot of the hero's thoughts for a change which made things interesting! Apparently Sylvester was originally called Snowbound and Heyer said of it "It could and should have been better. And it was better until I got cold feet, and cut out what wouldn't please the Fans". But I liked Sylvester a lot and am now wishing so much that we could have found out in what ways she had meant to make it better!? Apparently she cut a lot of it because it was getting too long which is so sad!

What I find interesting about Heyers books are that sometimes the set up of some books are the same but she decides to make the plot go in one direction for one book and another for some other book. Take Friday's Child for example: Sherry is all prepared to marry the Incomparable but he gets rejected and in a fit of pique decides that he shall instead marry the first girl he sees who tunrs out to be Hero, a childhood friend of his who need to escape the evils of her awkward position. So when we see Phoebe Marlow escaping with her childhood friend Tom in order to escape receiving addresses from Sylvester I was reminded a lot of that book but knew that things would turn out quite differently in this one and liked seeing things from a different angle.

Sylvester is about the Duke of Salford who alarms his mother by saying matter of factly to her that he thinks it is time to get married and he has five women in mind and she should pick one. Sylvester isn't a romantic at all. Hearing that Phoebe is the daughter of his mother's dear friend he adds her to the list and decides to see if she is suitable or not. However Miss Marlow doesn't wish at all to be proposed to by a man she has cast as the villainous Count Ugolino in her roman à clef novel and decides that running away is the only way to avoid the situation, something which her childhood friend Tom decides to assist her in. Of course they did not count on their journey falling into a disaster which Sylvester chances to rescue them from.

As always Heyer's characters are utterly delightful be it because of how adorable they are or deplorable. I love Tom as the wonderfully faithful friend and it is so nice to see a deep, platonic friendship between the heroine and a male character. Besides Phoebe and Tom are SO similar in the way they think sometimes - I found it utterly hilarious how they both continually puncture Sylvester's pride by their eloquent looks and sardonic set-downs. Sylvester's mother was wonderful as an intelligent poetess who intervenes to bring the story to its happy conclusion and I like the Dowager and her schemes to bring Phoebe and Sylvester together. And I cannot not marvel at the dandiest of dandies - Sir Nugent. The last half of the book would suffer a lot from his absence because he brought the humour to the already wonderful wit the novel had. Edmund and his constant quarrels with Nugent were the perfect blend of comedy and absurdity especially since Sir Nugent constantly felt the need to argue the point with a kid!! Just thinking about the Button incident or the Tassled Boots catastrophe puts me into a fit of giggles. Phoebe, the heroine, was wonderfully written as a writer who has a knack for caricatures and who has a strong sense of empathy and is a keen judge of character - I liked that she guessed Sylvester's plan of making her fall in love with him because his ego had been bruised by her refusal even when as he thought of it. Finally, I really enjoyed seeing Sylvester's journey from one who thinks a lot about his position and what it is owed (though not in a mean way) to someone who learns to also think about other people, be a little more warmer and genuine in his interactions and someone who finds it in his heart to heal the pain that was left by the death of his twin brother. I really liked the whole conclusion where Sylvester makes a mess of things with Phoebe and confesses the whole to his mother who then helps bring about a reconciliation.(less)

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Mar 16, 2013 Jane Stewart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

Some silliness but nicely done.

I try to avoid abridged books. But I was in the mood for a good narrator, and chose this book solely because it was done by Richard Armitage. I loved how seductive he was in the book Venetia. Unfortunately Sylvester did not have any sensual or seductive scenes, but I still enjoyed the narration.

As to the story, I was surprised, delighted, and smiled many times. It reminded me sadly of how not enough of todays’ authors can do what Heyer does. She draws and shows her...more Some silliness but nicely done.

I try to avoid abridged books. But I was in the mood for a good narrator, and chose this book solely because it was done by Richard Armitage. I loved how seductive he was in the book Venetia. Unfortunately Sylvester did not have any sensual or seductive scenes, but I still enjoyed the narration.

As to the story, I was surprised, delighted, and smiled many times. It reminded me sadly of how not enough of todays’ authors can do what Heyer does. She draws and shows her characters so full and interesting.

To create conflict authors sometimes have characters do things that go against a character’s normal motivation. That’s tricky. If not well done it’s annoying. Heyer does it well. Here are examples of Heyer doing unexpected things and justifying it.

When Sylvester first met Phoebe he was rude. He found Phoebe plain looking and dull. The dullness was because she was accompanied by her difficult stepmother. Phoebe’s unbecoming clothes were also due to the stepmother. Months later Phoebe’s stepmother told her that Sylvester was coming to their home to offer marriage for her. Phoebe’s reaction was to run off and stay elsewhere to avoid this. Sylvester had no intention of offering marriage. The stepmother was wrong. But when Sylvester heard that Phoebe ran off rather than be with him, he decided he wanted vengeance because his self esteem was injured. So he decides to make Phoebe desire him, and then he will reject her.

Later when Sylvester sees Phoebe so forlorn about something yet trying to put on a brave smile, Sylvester did something nice for her. He did it “on impulse” which didn’t fit his vengeance motivation of the moment. But I bought it because he was reacting to the emotion on her face - like seeing a hurt puppy.

Sylvester knew that Phoebe’s grandmother would not welcome Phoebe. When Phoebe asked Sylvester if the grandmother would welcome her, he said yes. Sylvester was being ornery to both Phoebe and the grandmother. He enjoyed the idea of annoying the grandmother. Actually it was a surprise later when the grandmother welcomed Phoebe, because the grandmother had been bored recently.

So you have orneriness and surprising interactions. It was fun rather than slapstickish.

Why not 5 stars?
I wanted more romance at the end - more showing how their feelings developed. But I never get enough of that from Heyer. Also, this was abridged. It’s maybe a third the length of a regular novel.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook reading time: 4 hrs and 51 mins. Swearing language: mild and rarely done. Sexual content: none. Setting: probably early 1800s England with a little France. Book copyright: 1957. Genre: historical romance.(less)

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Dec 07, 2012 Kellie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Adult fiction, romance
I listened to the abridged audio book, read by Richard Armitage (He is a favorite actor, so finding him as narrator helped me to decide to listen rather than read. I usually avoid abridged versions, but this one seemed to be well-edited. It never felt choppy or incongruous. I am curious about what is missing, though, so I probably will find a print version to read)

I first heard about Georgette Heyer from my pal Mendy, who is a prolific reader and always good for helping me...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Keilani Ludlow rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have been re-reading all my Georgette Heyer books of late. I'll probably end up typing up a general statement just to copy and paste into each review (to save time) and then add a bit specific to each book, but for now, this is the only one that has to go back to the library.

I think some of her books, regencies, rate up with Jane Austen. This is not quite one of them, but it's close. It is one of the more favorite ones, though in any romance, I am always a little frustrated by the plot that in...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Debbie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, romance

"Sylvester" or "The Wicked Uncle" is a historical adventure/romance set in Regency era England. I like Heyer's funny novels, but it turned out that this one had more scornful criticism than humorous dialogue or events. It also had a lot more adventure, including a kidnapping and travel in France. It was very exciting, and I hated putting the book down because I could never guess what would happen next.

I didn't really like the "romance," though. There were moments when I could see that Sylvester...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Poonam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library

What is different about book of this genre is the female protagonist has been categorically described as not being beautiful. Her description, more than once, in the book is, 'She will never be a beauty. Maybe if she is animated, she might be taking. But she is an unusual girl'.

Phoebe, Lord Marlow's daughter is unhappy with an insensitive stepmother and silent father. When it seems that she might be married to Sylvester, whom she considers cold, arrogant and dandy duke - she runs away with her c...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Sistermagpie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

::sigh:: I feel like I'm probably in the minority on this book. I started out loving it and wound up really hating it, so I gave it a three.

The problem, I guess was that it just felt too one-sided to me. Okay, Sylvester's snobby and indifferent to people he doesn't care about so it's good for him to get smacked in the face with his flaws. Either from the mouth of the originally (to me) likable heroine or from her pen as the anonymous author of a trashy novel that casts him as the villain.

Unfortu...more ::sigh:: I feel like I'm probably in the minority on this book. I started out loving it and wound up really hating it, so I gave it a three.

The problem, I guess was that it just felt too one-sided to me. Okay, Sylvester's snobby and indifferent to people he doesn't care about so it's good for him to get smacked in the face with his flaws. Either from the mouth of the originally (to me) likable heroine or from her pen as the anonymous author of a trashy novel that casts him as the villain.

Unfortunately, for all his indifference, Sylvester wound up being the character who seemed to feel the most things, and while people criticized him for being cold they also criticized him whenever he openly felt something. Basically I spent a lot of the book sure that it would eventually be satisfying, because after many pages of Sylvester having to face his own flaws surely Phoebe would get her own slap in the face awakening, if only in a short scene. But no, Phoebe was just adorable and her personality was all the best for Sylvester as long as she had the patience to deal with him.

I think the turning point for me was the scene at a ball where Phoebe sees Sylvester for the first time after he's read her novel, knowing that she wrote it. Rather than openly cutting her (and letting everyone know that she was indeed the author) he dances with her, telling her off through a pleasant smile, and promising to keep her secret. But Phoebe can only dish it out and not take it, so Sylvester's just rude for showing actual feelings in response to her book. When she runs off and blows her own cover it's really Sylvester's fault. (No one ever suggests that writing a novel full of caricatures anonymously could also be showing indifference, or be mean, or cowardly.)

So I wound up sick of Phoebe and embarrassed for Sylvester, especially when even the revelation that the specific coldness in him that turned Phoebe off was a by-product of grief didn't make a difference. Like I said, maybe if I read the book again it would come across totally different, but as of now I just found it depressing as a love story between a flawed guy everyone joins in cutting down to size and a flawed girl everyone protects and fusses over. I know that Sylvester himself makes a remark about it, and Tom also does, but there's no scene where she actually has a moment of her own soul-searching. People have compared it to Pride and Prejudice, but it's more like P&P where Lizzie's original picture of Darcy was funny instead of a character flaw.(less)

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Oct 07, 2011 Kathryn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: regency-romance

Sylvester has been compared to Pride and Prejudice, and with good reason; the hero, like Mr. Darcy, is a wealthy landowner who takes his duties seriously and discharges them with honor and charity. Again like Mr. Darcy, however, Sylvester is sadly arrogant and has little concern for others’ feelings. While he never behaves as if he is above his company, he clearly cannot forget his consequence. He’s also blessed with a pair of sharply slanting eyebrows that give his face a rather saturnine aspec...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Linda Banche rated it 4 of 5 stars

A duke who needs to be taken down a notch or fifteen and a battered down young miss who fights back the only way she can. Did I say SYLVESTER, or THE WICKED UNCLE by Georgette Heyer?

Sylvester, the Duke of Salford has decided to marry. And he has his list of requirements and five prospective candidates. Why shouldn't he? He deserves nothing less.

And then he meets Phoebe, a young girl without money, connections or looks. A more unsuitable lady cannot be found. Her straightforward manner attracts a...more A duke who needs to be taken down a notch or fifteen and a battered down young miss who fights back the only way she can. Did I say SYLVESTER, or THE WICKED UNCLE by Georgette Heyer?

Sylvester, the Duke of Salford has decided to marry. And he has his list of requirements and five prospective candidates. Why shouldn't he? He deserves nothing less.

And then he meets Phoebe, a young girl without money, connections or looks. A more unsuitable lady cannot be found. Her straightforward manner attracts a nobleman who has always been catered to.

But only up to a point. That point is reached when Sylvester discovers Phoebe is the authoress of a novel which skewers the rich the famous of the ton, but most especially him. Never expecting the novel to be published, Phoebe cast him as the villain, based on her then-limited knowledge. But when the ton fools blow up the novel's meaning to absurd proportions, everyone assumes she knew all the intimate details of her characters' lives, which she didn't. They punish her for it. Especially Sylvester, whom she has come to like.

Sylvester is a load of fun as the action ricochets from one improbably funny scenario to another. Ms. Heyer pokes fun at fatuous fribbles, feather-brained ladies, too-rich-for-their-own-good noblemen, spoiled brats, and horse-mad country squires who care more for their horses than their children. And she's wrapped it all up in her delightful Regency language.

Sylvester is also a tale about hiding--and what happens when you can't hide any more. Sylvester is an unusual type of hero, the closet tyrant--affable on the outside, but ruthless underneath. Phoebe also fits the closet motif. Powerless under the sway of a cruel stepmother and a weak father, she fights back against the brutal ton that disdains her by writing a novel ridiculing them.

I didn't care for either character. Sylvester is brutish in his attempts to punish Phoebe, and Phoebe accepts the blame for something that is not her fault. But they are appropriate to the time and partially redeem themselves by the end of the book.

I did like Phoebe's life-long friend, Tom, a decent, level-headed young man who calls a spade a spade and sticks up for Phoebe against Sylvester's wrong-headed treatment.

If you like Regency, SYLVESTER is another sensational ride into Georgette Heyer's historical world.

ARC provided by Sourcebooks (less)

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Sep 29, 2011 Kathy Davie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, funny, romance

The Story
Horse-intrepid, but people-shy Phoebe Marlow is terrified of her stepmama and the threat of receiving an offer from the Duke of Salford has her fleeing in the dawn into an oncoming blizzard with childhood friend, Tom Orde. In an unfortunate turn of events, their curricle suffers an accident leaving Tom with a broken leg and both of them prey to recapture.

Fortunately for them, the duke has made his escape from Austerby, Phoebe's home, in time to find and aid them. In a weak moment, Tom l...more The Story
Horse-intrepid, but people-shy Phoebe Marlow is terrified of her stepmama and the threat of receiving an offer from the Duke of Salford has her fleeing in the dawn into an oncoming blizzard with childhood friend, Tom Orde. In an unfortunate turn of events, their curricle suffers an accident leaving Tom with a broken leg and both of them prey to recapture.

Fortunately for them, the duke has made his escape from Austerby, Phoebe's home, in time to find and aid them. In a weak moment, Tom lets it slip that Phoebe was actually fleeing him and that puts the light of battle in Sylvester's eye. He fully intends to make Phoebe fall in love with him before he dumps her.

Sylvester, however, hasn't yet met the real Phoebe…

My Take
I adore Georgette Heyer's Regency romances. They're funny, passionate [without sex], and clever with a lovely insight into human nature. She also does a lovely job of conveying the manners, mores, and style of the time period. Her characters are so individual and Heyer makes you care for them. The most impressive part is how well she writes the entire story in the vernacular of the day.

In this story, Phoebe is so cowed by her stepmother that she's almost invisible and didn't do well in her last Season. Our so-very-clever Phoebe is also quite a wit and took advantage of her stay amongst London's polite society and wrote a savage little romance that played off the weaknesses of that same society beginning with the devilish eyebrows of the Duke of Salford.

Heyer uses this tragicomedy to make fun of the self-absorbed Lady Henry and Lord Marlow, the overly pretentious Lord Fotherby, and demonstrate how arrogance can be cloaked in even the most pleasant-seeming person.

The Cover
Hideous cover. A gilt-framed oval mirror reflects a stoop-shouldered, sleepy-eyed woman who appears to be wearing a sack and a sleep mask while a disapproving man looks over her shoulder. All of which is set on a dressing table littered with flowers, jewelry and boxes against a floral background. I do so prefer her older covers.

The title is too funny as it reflects Edmund's threats to his kidnapper that "Uncle Vester will grind his bones".(less)

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Sep 05, 2011 Vic rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: highly-recommended

Sylvester, Duke of Salford thinks quite highly of himself and is pleased by his impeccable manners and easy smile, which easily influences servants to do his bidding. But Phoebe Marlow, whose mousy manner hides her bright mind and talents as an equestrienne and a writer, was not so impressed when she first met him during her coming out season. She is even less enthralled with the Duke when he arrives for a visit at her father's estate to look her over as a possible bride.

Sylvester's fond Mama al...more Sylvester, Duke of Salford thinks quite highly of himself and is pleased by his impeccable manners and easy smile, which easily influences servants to do his bidding. But Phoebe Marlow, whose mousy manner hides her bright mind and talents as an equestrienne and a writer, was not so impressed when she first met him during her coming out season. She is even less enthralled with the Duke when he arrives for a visit at her father's estate to look her over as a possible bride.

Sylvester's fond Mama also harbors concerns for her son, especially when Sylvester announces his intentions to marry and begins to discuss his preference for a bride with her:

'But I'm inclined to think now that is is more important that she should be intelligent. I don't think I could tolerate a hen-witted wife. 'Besides I don't mean to foist another fool on to you.'

'I am very much obliged to you!' she said, a good deal entertained. 'Clever, but not beautiful: very well! Continue!'

'No, somedegree of beauty I do demand. She must have countenance, at least, and the sort of elegance which you have, Mama.'

'Don't try to turn my head, you flatterer! Have you discovered among the debutantes one who is endowed with all these qualities?'

'At first glance, I suppose a dozen, but in the end only five.'

'Five!'

At this point Sylvester's mama becomes concerned, for she realizes that he is choosing his life's mate with his head, not his heart. The woman who immediately springs to her mind for her son is Phoebe Marlow, and so our cluelessly haughty (yet kind) Duke collides with the novel's heroine, who is not in the least willing to spend any time with him, at least not until circumstances throw them together and she gets to know him better.

The plot revolves around Phoebe's big SECRET: she has authored a book in which Sylvester, with his saturnine brows, is featured prominently as the villain. The more Phoebe gets to know Sylvester, the more she realizes how wrong she was about him and the more she worries about the book's effect on their budding friendship (for Phoebe was uncannily accurate in her representation about certain aspects of Sylvester's life).

Georgette Heyer takes us from the cozy settings of country mansions, to London in High Season, to Dover and over to France. A colorful array of her usual characters add liveliness to a somewhat improbable plot, including Phoebe's good friend Tom, Sylvester's dodo bird of a sister-in-law, Ianthe, and a supremely idiotic and over-indulged fop named Sir Nugent.

In my opinion, if you are a Georgette Heyer fan and haven't read this book yet, you will be well advised to do so now. I give it four out of five Regency tea cups!(less)

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Aug 22, 2011 Sharanya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, historical

This is my second Georgette Heyer book, and it was awesome! There were a few moments where the feminist in me raised her eyebrows, but I was able to quieten her for the most part. Sylvester, I think, was my favorite - he was the first in my experience to be a regency hero who made jokes, teased the heroine mercilessly and showed good humor to those he liked. He was very reserved, yes, but once you got past the "thin sheen of ice," as Heyer puts it, he was kind and humorous. The portrayal of his...more

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Mar 28, 2010 Laurel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: regency-era-fiction, humor, british-society, audio-books, geogette-heyer

Today, August 16th is author Georgette Heyer’s birthday. In celebration of the uncontested Queen of Regency Romance, I thought it quite fitting to read one of her novels this week and review it. However, what I ultimately selected was not based on a plot, or characters, or a recommendation by other Heyer aficionados such as Vic (Ms Place) at Jane Austen’s World, but by pure fangirl fervor. Yes, gentle readers, I do freely admit to succumbing to the charms of a handsome face and sexy voice as qui...more Today, August 16th is author Georgette Heyer’s birthday. In celebration of the uncontested Queen of Regency Romance, I thought it quite fitting to read one of her novels this week and review it. However, what I ultimately selected was not based on a plot, or characters, or a recommendation by other Heyer aficionados such as Vic (Ms Place) at Jane Austen’s World, but by pure fangirl fervor. Yes, gentle readers, I do freely admit to succumbing to the charms of a handsome face and sexy voice as quickly as the next fawning female in selecting a Heyer audio book recording of Sylvester solely based on its reader, Richard Armitage.

For those who know of this talented British actor, I need say no more. For the benefit of the unenlightened, (and I am truly shocked by your egregious remiss), he has starred in both period and contemporary television dramas, monumentally as John Thornton in North & South (2004) and Sir Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood (2006-2009). Known for his dark, brooding, bad-boy looks, piercing blue eyes, and hypnotic voice, the good folks at Naxos Audiobooks may have unknowing chosen the one actor who could elevate Georgette Heyer into the limelight that she so richly deserves. He speaks - and half the world swoons.

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

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

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

Laurel Ann, Austenprose (less)

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Dec 06, 2009 Maria Grazia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2009

It is my first Georgette Heyer ’s novel and I admit that I approached it partly prejudiced (romances!), partly curious, but completely unaware of what expected me. I didn’t want to read much about the writer nor the about the plot before starting. I carefully avoided any review or comment on the book. Then I did something I had already tried with “Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen addict”: I put aside my academic way of reading and went back to when I read just for pleasure. It is not that simple...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Melissa Railey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

OK, I admit it. I bought this audiobook solely because it is narrated by Richard Armitage. I just had to find out if he was a good narrator. And he was very good. Not as great as Colin Firth who hit everything spot on (and who is my favorite actor narrator) but Armitage was pretty darn close. My only complaint with Armitage was that all the older ladies sounded like they were on their deathbeds and I could never tell if they were about to die or not.

As for the story itself, it was pretty good to...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Treasa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, historical-fiction, regency, romance, chick-lit

Sylvester, Duke of Salford, has decided it is time to get married. He doesn't much care whom he marries, but when his mother mentions that she once hoped he would marry the daughter of her dear friend, he thinks it might be worth meeting the girl. Little does he realize that he once did meet Phoebe and did not make a favorable impression on her. In fact, Phoebe, a budding authoress, based the villain in her soon-to-be-published novel on Sylvester. When Phoebe and Sylvester, along with Phoebe's l...more

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May 15, 2009 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-romance, doorway-character

I should preface this by admitting two things: 1) I'm not really a romance reader. Really at all. and 2) I hate it when people compare an author to Jane Austen because NO ONE can do what she did as well as she did it.

So I came to this book expecting to hate it because it was a romance, and people kept telling me it was like Jane Austen's novels. But I enjoyed it. I really did. Even though you knew how it was going to end just a couple pages in. It was the journey that was fun. (And, for the rec...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Heather Pearson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sylvester, Duke of Salford, has decided that at the age of 28, it is time for him to marry. During the past season he survey the eligible ladies of quality and has presented to his mother a list of the five most suitable. While not surprised, she dismisses them all from consideration and suggests for consideration the daughter of her long deceased best friend.

Phoebe Marlow has been raised since an early age by her stepmother. While a very efficient and strict mother, she is not nurturing nor lov...more

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Jul 27, 2010 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, romance

Sylvester, Duke of Salford has made up his mind to get married. He has drawn up a list of women he thinks suits his needs. But when he speaks to his mother she sets him up to look over Miss Phoebe Marlow, a daughter of one of her best friends, Sylvester is lured in a scheme got be obliged to go to her house and meet her.
When Phoebe hears of her parents scheme she engages her old friend Tom to help her escape. They run away but meet with an unfortunate accident that strands them a an Inn. Sylves...more

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Feb 11, 2010 Ana T. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trad-regency, read-in-2010

After finishing Chadwick's The Scarlet Lion I thought I needed something completely different and so picked up Heyer's Sylvester. And what a delightful book this one was, I laughed out loud at Sylvester and Phoebe's confrontations; they were truly a matching of wits...

Sylvester, the duke of Salford is very much aware of his rank and consequence. When he decides to get married he makes a list of suitable young ladies and goes to his mother for advice on which one to choose. His godmother makes hi...more After finishing Chadwick's The Scarlet Lion I thought I needed something completely different and so picked up Heyer's Sylvester. And what a delightful book this one was, I laughed out loud at Sylvester and Phoebe's confrontations; they were truly a matching of wits...

Sylvester, the duke of Salford is very much aware of his rank and consequence. When he decides to get married he makes a list of suitable young ladies and goes to his mother for advice on which one to choose. His godmother makes him add one more name to the list, her granddaughter Phoebe Marlow.

Sylvester decides to visit Phoebe's family to see if they might suit but Phoebe is less than thrilled with the prospect of becoming his wife. She briefly met him in town during her first season and having thought him arrogant made him the main character of the novel she was writing. Not realising that there is a smart young woman behind the shy and repressed young lady he meets there Sylvester starts planning how to leave without being rude but the pressure Phoebe's parents put on her finally lead her to run away to London. But on the road her carriage suffers and accident and it's Sylvester which will come to rescue forcing them to spend some days together and actually get to know each other.

Unfortunately Phoebe's book where Sylvester features as the wicked uncle (which the second title of this novel) is about to be published and the ton not only recognises him in the character but starts believing that what is written might be a bit true. Phoebe have a very angry, and public, quarrel over it with her deserting him on the ballroom floor and their relationship will go through quite a few problems before it can be saved.

There is a really interesting and colourful set of secondary characters who add to the appeal of the story. The scenes where Phoebe and her friend Tom end up being kidnapped by Lady Henry and her second husband, who are eloping to France, not to mention the scenes with little Edmund are completely hilarious. The main characters start as a very unlikely couple and it makes for a really funny journey to watch them spar. I liked Sylvester more than Phoebe because he never felt that arrogant to me and he accepts most of her criticism quite charmingly. We don't see what led Phoebe to dislike him so and in fact she gladly accepts that she didn't know him all that well. In the end one can't help but cheer for Sylvester when he finally quite clumsily blurts out his feelings for Phoebe... It was a hard road to happiness for these two but a lovely one for me.

Grade: 4.5/5 (less)

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Jul 31, 2011 Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: georgette-heyer

Sylvester Rayne, Duke of Salford, eligible bachelor, and guardian has recently determined, at the age of twenty-eight, that it is time for him to marry. Stuffed with pride and consequence, Sylvester expects for his addresses to be readily accepted by any lucky woman he deigns to select. However, when both his mother and godmother mention the same young lady as a suitable bride, Sylvester's interest is piqued and decides to seek out the highly acclaimed Miss Phoebe Marlow and assess her merits fo...more

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Dec 03, 2009 Lightreads rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical, romance

Heyer does Pride and Prejudice. She is the outspoken country girl, he is the prideful but goodhearted duke. They rub each other completely the wrong way, but are then thrown together by hilarious circumstance.

Picture my silly grin right now. I have figured out what my deal is with Heyer: the more like The Grand Sophy it is, the happier I am. By which I mean if our leading couple spend most of the novel being witheringly sarcastic at each other, when they aren't cracking each other right up to th...more

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May 03, 2012 Sally rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the fourth of Georgette Heyer's Regency romances that I have read, and it is the one I have enjoyed most so far. In fact, I could hardly put it down and wished I had it as an audiobook so that I didn't feel the least bit guilty sitting down with a book when I had other busy work I needed to be doing.

In the Regency romance genre there is usually a lot of involvement in the social activities of the times (early 19th century Britain) which included the "coming out" of debutants with all the...more This is the fourth of Georgette Heyer's Regency romances that I have read, and it is the one I have enjoyed most so far. In fact, I could hardly put it down and wished I had it as an audiobook so that I didn't feel the least bit guilty sitting down with a book when I had other busy work I needed to be doing.

In the Regency romance genre there is usually a lot of involvement in the social activities of the times (early 19th century Britain) which included the "coming out" of debutants with all the balls, teas, social visits, riding in carriages around the park and plenty of fancy dress, including what the men wore as well as the attire of the women and young girls. The polite manners were carried out in extreme, even in the insults and "put-downs". In this story there was more to situations, actions and reactions than social events, and I think that is what made this such a page-turner.

Of course, since this is a romance, there is the underlying goal of having two people discover that they are in love with each other. You know it will happened eventually, but the two main characters in this book, Sylvester and Phoebe, are so different in their demeanors - Sylvester being painfully polite and Phoebe being bluntly outspoken - and so many misconceptions between them that it is truly a challenge to bring them to an understanding of what they actually like about each other. The other thing that is different from other romances I have read is that neither of the characters behave in totally admirable ways all the time. More usually, there is one character that needs to have an epiphany and change his or her perception of the other, but in this case, both Sylvester and Phoebe need to change. In this way it reminds me of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. Even though I liked this book, I was left with a slight uneasy feeling that Sylvester and Phoebe may not live happily ever after, or at best, they will need to have a strong love to carry them through lots of future verbal exchanges.

Although this book contains no offensive language or situations, I think it would be best enjoyed by one of years mature enough to understand the mental state of romance.(less)

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Dec 01, 2009 Res rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

The one where Sylvester, a duke, comes courting Phoebe, a country girl, with every expectation that all will arrange itself in the manner most pleasing to him, since that's what the world does. But even if Phoebe liked him (which she doesn't), she's secretly published a novel with him as her villain.

I was probably fifty pages into this before I was certain I had read it before. Having said that, it's not a bad book, just not one of the best.

The character of Phoebe doesn't really come together f...more

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Am i the only one who though of Phoebe as stupid? Sylvester was not really arrogant.	8	38	Mar 22, 2013 10:45am

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About Georgette Heyer

Georgette Heyer was an amazingly prolific writer who created the Regency England genre of romance novels.

Georgette Heyer was an intensely private person. A best-seller 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. Heyer wrote very well-researched historical fiction, fu...more

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Quotes from Sylvester

“Oh, yes, she's unusual!' he said bitterly. 'She blurts our whatever may come into her head;she tumbles from one outrageous escapade into another;she's happier gromming horses and hobnobbing with stable-hands than going to parties; she's impertinent; you daren't catch her eye for fear she should start to giggle; she hasn't any accomplishments; I never saw anyone with less diginity; she's abominable, and damnably hot at hand, frank to a fault, and-a darling!” — 28 people liked it

“Eccentricity may be diverting, Mama, but it is out of place in a wife: certainly in my wife!” — 6 people liked it

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