What do you think?
Rate this book
Gwendolen
Book by Darcy, Clare
216 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
85 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Clare Darcy
28 books56 followersBorn in Ohio.
Widely considered the best of those inspired by Georgette Heyer, Darcy wrote a number of regency romances with intelligent, sparkling heroines.
A pseudonym for Mary Deasy
Information for place of birth from the jacket of one of Ms Darcy's books
Widely considered the best of those inspired by Georgette Heyer, Darcy wrote a number of regency romances with intelligent, sparkling heroines.
A pseudonym for Mary Deasy
Information for place of birth from the jacket of one of Ms Darcy's books
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 6, 2014
The Quarters sisters are as different as can be. There's practical and romantic Gwendolen; beautiful, biddable Jane and headstrong Campaspe. The one thing they have in common is the need for a wealthy husband. With Gwendolen promised to Naval Captain Harry Belville and Campaspe engaged to a young Lieutenant, it's up to Jane to go to London and make a brilliant match. Jane succeeds beyond everyone's expectations when she catches the eye of the Marquess of Lyndale. So what if he's had a checkered past in northern Africa - he's a Marquess! Naturally Mrs. Quarters and her sister are over the moon. Jane is not, however. She's torn between duty and desire. Her heart belongs to a young French emigre who works as a Duke's secretary. When the Marquess arrives in Gloucestershire he shakes everything up. He's kind and considerate to Jane and puts up with Cammie's outrageous behavior but with Gwendolen, he's always at daggers drawn. When her Captain returns, she finds she no longer sees him the dashing hero of her girlhood dreams. What should she do? Then Gwendolen catches the attention of the dandyfied younger son of a Duke. She's certain he is going to make her a proposal but will it be a proper one or an improper? She knows how to answer the latter but what about the former? It's not as if she loves someone else...
This charming story reads like Georgette Heyer light. It has all the elements of a comedy of manners and the romance goes round and round like a cotillion or a carousel. The plot is predictable yet getting there is the fun part. There's hardly any central romance in the story. It quietly plays out in the background and the perceptive reader can pick up on it but the characters are in the dark until the end. At the end there are two kisses and a passionate embrace with almost no feeling. I would have liked a bit more obvious wooing on the hero's behalf. He does something very grand that makes his intentions somewhat obvious but no one seems to understand what's happening and he makes a mull of it. Then he tries something else even more grand and manages to mess that up too. It makes for some funny moments as the characters realize what's happening.
All three sisters are very different but that makes it nice for the reader because each person can relate to a different sister. I identify with Gwen. Practical and romantic at the same time, I really liked her. At first she seemed a little silly and immature but when it really mattered, she showed she was capable of making intelligent decisions and taking care of herself. She's no shrinking violet! Cammie is the most annoying of the three. She's the obnoxious little sister who needs a firm, guiding hand. Unfortunately, Mr. Quarters, like Mr. Bennet, has little interest in his daughters and Mrs. Q is a silly woman. Cammie is like Horatia in Georgette Heyer's The Convenient Marriage. Cammie's behavior would put her beyond the pale in London but fortunately she's in Gloucestershire and she learns her lesson in the end, I hope. Jane is the least developed sister. Like her famous namesake in Pride and Prejudice, she's quiet, beautiful and dutiful. That last makes her either hard to like or sympathetic. I felt bad for the position she was in but more for the fact that her father didn't care about her. If he had, she could have asked for his help instead of trying to be the heroine of a tragic romance.
The gentlemen in the story are also all very different. Lieutenant Fairhall is young and hotheaded. He reacts to Cammie's behavior in an immature way showing his age. Alain is hardly in the story and doesn't have any dialogue but he seems just like Jane and therefore, a perfect match. Lord Wilfred Boulting is a typical rogue/dandy. He's charming when he wants to be and he thinks he's dashing but he's actually quite boring and silly. He doesn't have much edge to him. Lyndale is the most developed of the three but he's really only a hasty sketch. He's charming, gallant and a bit roguish. We know what he's done or rumored to have done in his past but not much else about him besides his fortune. He seems like a care for nobody but he isn't. He's the quiet sort of beta hero similar to the Earl of Rule in The Convenient Marriage. I'd like to know more about him but I liked his interactions with Gwendolyn. The dialogue is witty enough to be interesting though not quite at the level of Georgette Heyer.
I recommend this book to Georgette Heyer fans or anyone from their mid-teens on to adult.
notes on content: There are several references to a harem without really explaining what a harem actually is and one character asks another character to run away without being married.
This charming story reads like Georgette Heyer light. It has all the elements of a comedy of manners and the romance goes round and round like a cotillion or a carousel. The plot is predictable yet getting there is the fun part. There's hardly any central romance in the story. It quietly plays out in the background and the perceptive reader can pick up on it but the characters are in the dark until the end. At the end there are two kisses and a passionate embrace with almost no feeling. I would have liked a bit more obvious wooing on the hero's behalf. He does something very grand that makes his intentions somewhat obvious but no one seems to understand what's happening and he makes a mull of it. Then he tries something else even more grand and manages to mess that up too. It makes for some funny moments as the characters realize what's happening.
All three sisters are very different but that makes it nice for the reader because each person can relate to a different sister. I identify with Gwen. Practical and romantic at the same time, I really liked her. At first she seemed a little silly and immature but when it really mattered, she showed she was capable of making intelligent decisions and taking care of herself. She's no shrinking violet! Cammie is the most annoying of the three. She's the obnoxious little sister who needs a firm, guiding hand. Unfortunately, Mr. Quarters, like Mr. Bennet, has little interest in his daughters and Mrs. Q is a silly woman. Cammie is like Horatia in Georgette Heyer's The Convenient Marriage. Cammie's behavior would put her beyond the pale in London but fortunately she's in Gloucestershire and she learns her lesson in the end, I hope. Jane is the least developed sister. Like her famous namesake in Pride and Prejudice, she's quiet, beautiful and dutiful. That last makes her either hard to like or sympathetic. I felt bad for the position she was in but more for the fact that her father didn't care about her. If he had, she could have asked for his help instead of trying to be the heroine of a tragic romance.
The gentlemen in the story are also all very different. Lieutenant Fairhall is young and hotheaded. He reacts to Cammie's behavior in an immature way showing his age. Alain is hardly in the story and doesn't have any dialogue but he seems just like Jane and therefore, a perfect match. Lord Wilfred Boulting is a typical rogue/dandy. He's charming when he wants to be and he thinks he's dashing but he's actually quite boring and silly. He doesn't have much edge to him. Lyndale is the most developed of the three but he's really only a hasty sketch. He's charming, gallant and a bit roguish. We know what he's done or rumored to have done in his past but not much else about him besides his fortune. He seems like a care for nobody but he isn't. He's the quiet sort of beta hero similar to the Earl of Rule in The Convenient Marriage. I'd like to know more about him but I liked his interactions with Gwendolyn. The dialogue is witty enough to be interesting though not quite at the level of Georgette Heyer.
I recommend this book to Georgette Heyer fans or anyone from their mid-teens on to adult.
notes on content: There are several references to a harem without really explaining what a harem actually is and one character asks another character to run away without being married.
December 23, 2017
A charming Regency romance. I am rating it in the middle of my scale for this genre. At one end are those Regency romances I liked (but they are totally typical, sometimes a bit boring), at the other end are those I adore (they have something original or are simply great). In the middle are those I really like, that have something distinguishing (but for some reason they aren't perfect). Of course I am not talking at all about those that shouldn't even be called Regency romances.
The plot started with three engaged sisters (different from each other). Then came a wealthy, a bit arrogant marquess and we ended up with a quite big tangle.
I don't see the point of writing more. I agree with QNPoohBear's review. And I recommend to read it (the review of QNPoohBear).
The plot started with three engaged sisters (different from each other). Then came a wealthy, a bit arrogant marquess and we ended up with a quite big tangle.
I don't see the point of writing more. I agree with QNPoohBear's review. And I recommend to read it (the review of QNPoohBear).
May 12, 2010
Ahh, braincandy! I really like Clare Darcy's regencies - the style reminds me of Georgette Heyer. Sadly they're not that easy to get hold of, but are worth a bit of searching for.
June 15, 2023
Four stars for length, five stars for plot. I got exactly what I expected, a very typical and predictable regency romance but with its own touch and originality. It’s a quick read, but it felt rushed with a lot happening within so few pages. It could’ve used another hundred or so pages to make it more meaningful, especially when half the problem with the captain is how Gwen hardly knows him.
August 27, 2022
A classic darcy novel with wit and charm.
Four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 29, 2018
The dust jacket blurb on this book quotes a review comparing Mrs. Darcy's romances to cotton candy. Gwendolen certainly fits that description well. This is a very light and fluffy book that may get a bit too silly near the end, but I'll overlook that since I really enjoy the hero and heroine being straightforward and humorous throughout the majority of the book. It also helps that it is a relatively fast read, so the lack of depth remains palatable.
October 2, 2012
Amusing, but the humor of the surprise ending comes at the expense of the heroine--not so funny, alas.
November 13, 2018
3.5 stars.
One of Clare Darcy's best and certainly her wittiest.
Lady Otilia was now sitting very upright upon the sofa, like a plump but determined hen who has made up her mind to look after her chicks properly even if they have all turned out to be ducklings, and ugly ones at that.
The Quarters sisters, Gwendolen, Jane and Campaspe are all endearing and their dealings with each other are some of the most enjoyable parts of the story.
"Oh Jane, don't be such a noddy!" Said her younger sister, not at all impressed at what she considered a piece of London affectation, and occupying herself in chafing Jane's hands and pinching her cheeks so briskly that her sister, in sheer self-defence, was constrained to give over all ideas of fainting and sit up.
Lord Lyndale is one of Darcy's best heroes and is a good match for Gwendolen. He doesn't constantly belittle her or put her down, which is a problem I've had with several of Darcy's other heroes, but he is happy to verbally spar with her and finds her amusing. Their romance makes sense despite the somewhat overly dramatic ending.
"As far as I know, there is no sure way of stopping a woman's tongue, short of strangling her."
Amusing and fun.
One of Clare Darcy's best and certainly her wittiest.
Lady Otilia was now sitting very upright upon the sofa, like a plump but determined hen who has made up her mind to look after her chicks properly even if they have all turned out to be ducklings, and ugly ones at that.
The Quarters sisters, Gwendolen, Jane and Campaspe are all endearing and their dealings with each other are some of the most enjoyable parts of the story.
"Oh Jane, don't be such a noddy!" Said her younger sister, not at all impressed at what she considered a piece of London affectation, and occupying herself in chafing Jane's hands and pinching her cheeks so briskly that her sister, in sheer self-defence, was constrained to give over all ideas of fainting and sit up.
Lord Lyndale is one of Darcy's best heroes and is a good match for Gwendolen. He doesn't constantly belittle her or put her down, which is a problem I've had with several of Darcy's other heroes, but he is happy to verbally spar with her and finds her amusing. Their romance makes sense despite the somewhat overly dramatic ending.
"As far as I know, there is no sure way of stopping a woman's tongue, short of strangling her."
Amusing and fun.
April 29, 2019
Engaging, fun characters—too bad the ending went harebrained scheme + highandedness from the LI. I'm also not super fond of the LI realising the heroine has feelings for him before she does but I realize that it's a Thing.
August 18, 2023
Great until the end
Loved the characters and relationships and the plot all the way until the end. I thought the end was silly. I think she was trying to go for a georgette heyer style meeting but didn't pull it off.
Loved the characters and relationships and the plot all the way until the end. I thought the end was silly. I think she was trying to go for a georgette heyer style meeting but didn't pull it off.
July 16, 2020
Clare Darcy at her best.
Another great book from Clare Darcy. Very witty, a great read for a dreary day. If you enjoy Georgette Heyer you're bound to like this.
Another great book from Clare Darcy. Very witty, a great read for a dreary day. If you enjoy Georgette Heyer you're bound to like this.
August 11, 2020
Not as good as Elyza. Too many plot holes. But still a nice fun read.
September 22, 2022
I found the prose a bit clunky, the plot improbable, the characters cartoonish.
January 17, 2024
Lord Lyndale is the main male character, but he made some boneheaded moves. Very convoluted, but fun.
September 21, 2021
Another light reading Regency romance from Clare Darcy, who is nearly as good as Georgette Heyer. Gwendolen is the eldest sister of three - her next younger and most beautiful sister Jane is going to become engaged to the wealthy Marquis of Lyndale, and her youngest sister Campaspe is in love with a young officer. Gwendolen has become engaged via correspondence to Captain Belville, whom she has elevated to a high romance in her mind, although she hasn't seen him for several years (he's in the Navy.) When she meets him again, she discovers he is a pompous bore, and has second thoughts. Jane is in love with a poor Frenchman, but feels obliged to marry the Marquis out of family duty, since their horse-mad father has spent most of his money on buying race horses. Eventually all three girls are engaged, which thrills their mother; then all three break their engagements for various reasons, throwing mother into the dismals. Since Jane has rejected Lyndale, Campaspe decides it is now her duty to marry him, and begins throwing herself at him, which Gwendolen finds irritating for some reason. When Gwendolen goes off with another would-be suitor, using him as a vehicle to rescue Campaspe, who she thinks has eloped, all goes awry. But Lyndale's plan works out in the end.
September 2021 Rereading
September 2021 Rereading
March 25, 2019
Being impoverished makes it difficult for the three Quarters sisters to find love. Gwendolyn is the oldest and more level-headed of them, and she's not quite sure her engagement to Captain Belville is all it could be. Jane is the beautiful one, and in love with one person but pressured to accept Lord Lyndale. Campaspe is the youngest and the most impetuous, and her flightiness risks her engagement to a young lieutenant. In such a tangle, can love win out?
I would agree with the statement that Clare Darcy's books are a "light" version of Georgette Heyer. The three heroines of this tale are lively, and though we don't get a solid idea of the heroes' personalities, they are lead on a merry dance.
The plot moves at a good pace, with Gwen taking the lead most of the time. Biddable Jane is mostly there, indecisive between love and duty. And Campaspe just made my eyes roll.
A classic tale for readers of Regency romance.
I would agree with the statement that Clare Darcy's books are a "light" version of Georgette Heyer. The three heroines of this tale are lively, and though we don't get a solid idea of the heroes' personalities, they are lead on a merry dance.
The plot moves at a good pace, with Gwen taking the lead most of the time. Biddable Jane is mostly there, indecisive between love and duty. And Campaspe just made my eyes roll.
A classic tale for readers of Regency romance.
September 9, 2024
what fun!
Lost a star as it is riddled with spelling mistakes and errors. It impedes the narrative flow and appears as if a spellchecker was not used properly.
Otherwise a very amusing and delightful tale.
Gwendolen is the best!
Highly recommended.
Lost a star as it is riddled with spelling mistakes and errors. It impedes the narrative flow and appears as if a spellchecker was not used properly.
Otherwise a very amusing and delightful tale.
Gwendolen is the best!
Highly recommended.
March 24, 2008
It's a shame Clare Darcy is out of print, as her books are really enjoyable Regency Romances in the style of Georgette Heyer. I read Gwendolen pretty much in one sitting and with a smile on my face.
April 17, 2012
And old favorite. No literary value...just pure, shallow fun.
Want to read
December 8, 2012Dec 2, 2012 no ebooks by this author available to me.
I know I have read several of her books from the library.
available @ Brighton, Roch Central, Canandaigua
I know I have read several of her books from the library.
available @ Brighton, Roch Central, Canandaigua
September 21, 2015
I thought this one pretty funny.
October 15, 2013
Wanted to like this light regency romance but found it just too predictable to enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews