Sprig Muslin (Regency Romances)

*Sprig Muslin* draws on a lot of familiar Georgette Heyer character types, but arranges them in a story structure that is elegantly conceived and executed. It is not one of my favorite Heyer novels, but it is a very enjoyable book to read.

Sir Gareth Ludlow suffered a tragic loss in his youth, when his fiancée borrowed his carriage and crashed it. Since then he has shown no interest in romance or marriage. He is charming, gentlemanly, but elusive. The story opens with him declaring to his sister his intention of marrying a longtime acquaintance or friend, Lady Hester Theale, a woman essentially on the shelf, the unappreciated daughter of an impoverished peer.

Sir Gareth travels into Cambridgeshire to make his proposals, but gets sidetracked along the way. He meets a very young and very beautiful girl, Amanda, who has run away from home. He wants to restore her to her family, but she refuses and will not give her name or direction. She wants to marry a young military man and is trying to scare her grandfather into agreeing to the match. Unable to work out how to dispose of her appropriately, Sir Gareth takes her along to his intended’s home. Awkward!

Lady Hester doesn’t know what to make of Amanda. She believes her to be an innocent (though her family doesn’t share her view) but also fears that she is sufficiently reminiscent of Sir Gareth’s lost love that he may be on the way to falling in love with her. Therefore, Lady Hester rejects his suit. Meanwhile, Lady Hester’s ne’er-do-well uncle makes off with Amanda, with all the evil intentions you might imagine, and Sir Gareth goes off in pursuit. Amanda leads Sir Gareth a merry dance, which ends up in some serious trouble. There are some callow boys who complicate the story, along with a number of comically obtuse relatives and interested parties.

The twists and turns of Amanda’s adventures lend the story suspense, as do the symmetries between her character and that of Sir Gareth’s lost love. Will he be drawn back into an old form of attraction or look for a new kind of love as a mature man? Will Amanda find her way safely to her military love or take a permanent detour? Will Lady Hester succeed in escaping her life of family drudgery and neglect? A few coincidences that feel a bit of a stretch come to the rescue to sort everything out appropriately in the end.

The final scene is one of those comic delights when Heyer brings together a large number of the characters to act, well, characteristically. It’s not as funny as some of her climaxes (I love the one in *Devil’s Cub* and the one in *Sylvester* more), but it makes a nice, tidy bow to tie the story up in.

Sir Gareth himself is an interesting hybrid character. He has all the grace and charm of one of Heyer’s “beta” heroes, while physically he fits more into the “alpha” mold. I like his kindness and patience with others and hoped he would get his happy ending. I tend to like the Heyer novels that are told more from the hero’s perspective than the heroine’s, but it’s important in those situations to make sure that the heroine is someone the reader can root for as well. This is true in *Sprig Muslin,* and it makes for a well-balanced story.

First I will admit, I laughed a lot reading this. But it wasn't a romance, more a madcap romp. A secondary character, Amanda, an enterprising, shameless prevaricator creates confusion, difficulty and danger as she executes her 'plan of campaign' to run away from her strict general grandfather and marry her military man. She also steals the spotlight from the lovers to be.

Amanda's collateral damage includes ruining a) the Corinthian hero's proposal to the shy, whimsical spinster heroine (Hester refuses him thinking he's bound to fall in love with the impetuous beauty, Amanda), b) nearly everyone's reputation as she fabricates impossible, scandalous relationships to explain the presence of inappropriate people and knotty situations she creates. The Corinthian tries to return her to her family and c) ends up injured for his troubles. She tells all and sundry she is being abducted. Soon, everyone in her sphere ends up fabricating whatever story is needed. It's a funny comedy of errors, certainly.

However, the romance merely bookends fiendish Amanda's shenanigans. Sir Gerard is gentlemanly and avuncular toward Amanda but spends most of the book with the hellion not Hester. Lady Hester, a spinster who has long had unrequited feelings for Gerard, refuses him out of hand and remains aloof from the situation until after complicated machinations, he runs afoul of yet another young man duped by Amanda into thinking Gerard is her abductor rather than savior. Amanda sends for Hester to nurse Sir Gerard and finally, and I mean FINALLY, the two lovers share time in the same room (the last 20-25 pages) though he is unconscious for a good deal of that. What we do see of the two together is tantalizing. I wish I could've gotten more of them. They seemed delightful.

85% of the story is about Amanda's spoilt behavior and inappropriate improvisations, 15% or less deals with the romance between hero and heroine. As entertainment, it was very. As a Regency romance, not so much. I love Georgette Heyer's Regency romances. Favorites are Frederica, Grand Sophy, Venetia, Regency Buck, Devil's Cub, Black Sheep, Unknown Ajax. You catch my drift, right. It pains me this wasn't so much a romance as something else.

Sprig Muslin is one of my favorite Heyer novels, and I think I've read all of her regency romances. Hester is somewhat older and plainer than typical regency heroines, but this is the kind of character that Heyer writes well (such as Fredericka the book of the same name.) A young headstrong girl, a weary man-about-town, a schoolboy trying to grow up, and Hester - a spinster resigned to being a nobody in her own family - find themselves at a country inn, where they create a sort of 'blended family' to avoid scandal. Lots of humor and a bit of suspense (our hero is gravely wounded.) If you don't laugh at how Heyer writes the scene when Hester hides behind a curtain and learns that she is a 'natural' daughter (i.e., illegitimate) according to one of Amanda's fantastic tales, you don't have a funny bone.

Heyer is, as always, a superb writer. Sprig Muslin is delightful, but like another one of her novels (the title escapes me), the male and female protagonist spend much of the book away from one another. And indeed the romance feels contrived by the end. Hester is a very simple woman, who enjoys a good joke, but she lacks much of the personality that Heyer's heroines are known for. Amanda is much more vivacious and lively. The subplot is nice, the secondary characters are fabulous - again, just like Heyer. There are scenes that make you laugh out loud. But this particular romance lacks a bit of the passion and livelihood in the female protagonist that I prefer.

Sir Gareth, however, is awesome. He's such a nice, well-written, moral-but-not-annoying character.

"Sprig Muslin" is a Regency romance, but the first half is more an adventure filled with funny mishaps which is followed by the romance coming into bloom. The book starts out like a few other Heyer stories with the older hero running into a young lady who has run away while he is on his way to propose to a woman he doesn't love. I was glad that this was a new variation, not new names on an old storyline.

The characters were all likable and the situations were very funny. Heyer even managed to make me wonder for a while which characters would end up together. I really enjoyed the novel even if it didn't rate as one of my favorites.

There were no sex scenes. There was some bad language (mostly swearing using "God"). Overall, I'd recommend this hilarious romp.

The second Georgette Heyer romance novel I read when I first started devouring her novels a few decades ago, (the first was "Black Sheep"), "Sprig Muslin" is, to this day, my favourite Regency-era romance novel of all time. It's novel that can proudly boast of possessing everything from a nice gently paced romance subplot, to an adventure (of a small sort), with some hysterically funny scenes, and written with just the right touch of gentle humour, so that you're left with a satisfied smile (and feeling) on your face long after you've finished the book.
Sir Gareth Ludlow has decided to do his duty and marry. And because he's a much sought after bachelor, and a good-looking and amiable man to boot, finding a wife shouldn't be too difficult a task. But because he is still very much affected by the death, seven years ago, of his true love (the beautiful but headstrong Clarissa) Gareth has decided to marry for suitability and convenience. Not for him some young debutante who would, no doubt, expect him to shower her with affection and dance to her tune; and Gareth has decided to ask his good friend, Lady Hester Theale, to marry him. Labeled an old maid, quiet, self effacing and practical Lady Hester surely would not look to make a love matchat this stage in her life, and would, naturally, see all the advantages of making a marriage based on mutual respect and admiration. Except that along the way to propose to Hester, Gareth meets a very young lady, all alone (no chaperone or servants) who calls herself "Amanda Smith." Beautiful, willful and with a highly imaginative mind, Amanda has runaway from home because she has a PLAN (you'll have to read the book to discover what this PLAN entails). Naturally Gareth cannot leave such a young girl by herself, and he decides to rescue Amanda for her own good. But little did Gareth imagine that when he set out to rescue Amanda that she would embroil him in an adventure of a lifetime, and that it would make him look at a certain lady with new eyes and with hope in his heart...
I had exactly the same reaction to "Sprig Muslin" that I had with Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" -- an overwhelming sense of relief and satisfaction that it had ended in exactly the way I had wanted it to. The basic plot-line is very spare, but where Heyer's genius lies is in the manner in which she quickly engages the reader's interest in the characters portrayed, making you care for them and devoutly hoping that each and every one of them gets the resolution they deserve. For myself, I've always had a soft spot for quiet, overlooked heroines, especially when most of my friends preferred heroines with more hair than wit and who exhibited a lot of resolution but practically no common sense. So that reading "Sprig Muslin" was like a tonic for me -- "watching" the gentle romance between the hero and heroine unfold quietly, esp as this contrasted superbly with each outrageous new story that Amanda would concoct and unleash -- it was just so excellently done and such fun! To this day, I've yet to come across another novel that satisfies and entertains me as much as "Sprig Muslin," and I'm beginning to doubt that I ever will. If you haven't read it yet, don't hesitate: PICK THIS BOOK UP TODAY, you won't regret it.

Sprig Muslin has to be one of my favourite books, it is the hilarious road trip by the irrepressible Amanda. Amanda is 'rescued' from the roadside by the hero of the story (Gareth), who takes her to visit the family of the woman he intends to offer for. He is still recovering from the death of his great love and has decided to offer for a friend instead. Amanda however, casts a spanner in the works, simply by being young and beautiful - and then escaping.

He sets off in pursuit however Amanda, an ingenious liar, manages to escape at least once more, and then manages to convince another youth, Hildegarde, to pretend to be a highwayman to rescue her. Unfortunately injuring Gareth.

The wonderful story has many loops, tie-ins, unfortunate ramifications and otherwise strange and hilarious upshots as Amanda tries to avoid being found by her family, and Gareth recovers. Almost indescribably funny in parts. A really successful road-trip book.

Four and a Half Stars

The main romantic hero, in an excess of principle, rescues a
strong-willed wildly-imaginative runaway innocent with no idea of the
danger she's in. The rest of the book unravels from there, with many
witty lines and poignant scenes. Even at 408 pages it goes much too
fast, with a brilliant final scene that brings all the major
characters together. The plot could easily have been too complicated
and confusing, but in Heyer's experienced hands it rolls smoothly
along.

While it's perhaps not quite as funny as "The Grand Sophy", this book
is well worth reading by everyone who enjoys classic regency romances
or a good read.

I have loved Georgette Heyer's romantic novels for years, but this is among the handful of my very favorites. Is it because of the unlikely heroine? Lady Hester Theale is shy, retiring, not particularly fashionable, quite myopic...and has loved Sir Gareth Ludlow (very quietly) for years. Oh, yes, and she is a very good listener.

The very popular, handsome, fashionable, congenial, and wealthy Sir Gareth fell head over ears in love with a headstrong beauty in his youth, and never got over her death which occurred during their betrothal. It seems Sir Gareth refused her nothing, except a team of very high-spirited horses that even he could barely manage. He turned his back, his betrothed took out the forbidden team and died in the resulting accident.

Now Sir Gareth has reached that time in life when he can no longer avoid the need to marry. He is a kind-hearted man, and does not wish to marry a young woman who might reasonably hope for a husband who would love her. He decides that Lady Hester would make him an admirable wife. On the one hand, he has always liked and respected her, and she was the one person who would listen to him while his grief over the death of his betrothed was fresh. As to what she has to gain, well, she has no money, or prospects, and her relatives use her as though she is a very poor relation. He has no heart to offer her, but he feels that the material advantages he can provide her and the quiet amiability she has to offer him would make an admirable match. ...Except, to the bafflement of Sir Gareth and her family, she refuses him.

Of course the fact that when he went to the home of Lady Hester to propose to her, Sir Gareth brought along Amanda, a headstrong young beauty he had picked up along the way and whom he had under his protection, could have had something to do with this. It was all innocent and above-board--but it certainly didn't look good, and Lady Hester couldn't help wondering if Amanda might not be just the girl who could mend Sir Gareth's broken heart.

This witty tale unfolds among many light-hearted twists and turns until true, faithful, mature love wins out over the odds. I love it when the underdog wins!

I have enjoyed all of the Georgette Heyer novels I've read thus far. She wrote several of the best Regency novels out there and her sense humor is only second to Jane Austen. I have always compared Heyer to Austen because there are some similarities in the writing, for it is obvious that Jane Austen was a major influence on this author. And it especially shows in this wonderful offering. Sprig Muslin is the best Heyer novel I've read thus far. The wit and comic timing are pure genius and the storyline is very unique and keeps you wondering how it would end all the way till the final pages. Sir Gareth Ludlow is ready to get married years after his beloved Clarissa's death. He has finally agreed with his sister that he should take a wife and produce an heir. However, the handsome and sought-after bachelor is more inclined to choose duty over love and would rather pick a plain wife. So he chooses Lady Hester Theale as his future wife. Lady Hester is unremarkable in every sense -- plain, safe and an old maid at twenty-nine. They both agree on a marriage of convenience and not love... until the wild, spirited and creative runaway who goes by the name of Amanda Smith comes along. He finds the lively seventeen-year-old on his way to see Lady Hester in Brancaster (her estate). This strange woman would have him embark upon a unique adventure that he'd never envisaged, and in the process makes him rethink his previous thoughts on marriage. There are many twists throughout the novel.

I love, love, LOVE this novel! I was riveted and enthralled from beginning to end and I turned the pages until the wee hours of the night wondering how the story would end. I loved the ending. It left me all warm and fuzzy inside. The Regency setting, like in the other three Heyer novels I'd read (The Grand Sophy, The Convenient Marriage and Lady of Quality), comes alive here with all of the beautiful and precise descriptions that make historical novels all the more vivid. And the author's sense of humor makes everything all the better. You feel as though you're reading something similar to Pride and Prejudice or Emma. The characters are wonderful. Hester is portrayed as quite a bland woman, but I liked her and she deserved a happy ending all her own. Gareth is a wonderful hero, not overly rakish or smug like most Regency heroes. His decision to marry out of duty and not love is due to his undying love for Clarissa and that endeared him to me. Amanda is hard to take at times. She is so over the top in some scenes that I wish I could somehow strangle her. The stories she made up annoyed me in some occasions. Sometimes she reminded me of Sophy Stanton-Lacy from The Grand Sophy. Despite the fact that I thought the ending was somewhat rushed and abrupt, I thought it was wonderful and I loved how everything was resolved. My one disappointment here are the spoilers from the author intros. Skip the intros if you don't want them to ruin the story for you. They almost ruined it for me. Other than that, Sprig Muslin is the epitome of excellent romance writing. I cannot recommend this gem enough.

Funny and replete with Georgette Heyer's signature wit but not one of her best. Reading this reminds me of many other Heyer books-- she does have her own stock characters that you will likely see sprinkled about her books. My complaint isn't about the formula (which works extremely well) but about the focus of this novel being on the secondary character, Amanda, and not the main love interest, Lady Hester. Sure, the foil is funny, but I would rather focus on the main plot and main characters to be thoroughly sold on the conclusion.

STORY BRIEF:
17 year old Amanda runs away from home because her grandfather won't let her marry Neil. Gary (who is 35) happens to see her at an inn and fears bad things may happen to her traveling alone like that. He is a good Samaritan who wants to keep her safe and return her to her home. She won't tell him her name, but Gary thinks he could locate Neil if they go to London. Amanda then sneaks away from Gary. Gary goes to great lengths, searching for Amanda, again to help her.

Amanda is fearless when she shouldn't be. She has good survival instincts. She is great at making up lies on the spot. Gary is the only one who doesn't believe her lies. Throughout the story Amanda's lies create predicaments for everyone she interacts with.

Gary's fiancé died seven years earlier, and he believes he will never love again. He offered to marry Hester a friend of his who is shy, quiet, and sensible. She rejected his offer. We don't know why.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
For more than half the book I immensely disliked Amanda. I knew the feeling when I read two other reviewers who said they wanted "to smack Amanda right in the mouth." I did not enjoy her lies. The minute Gary gets her to safety she will just run away again. I had no sympathy for her, and I couldn't believe Gary would spend so much time and money trying to help her. She didn't want his help, and she caused problems for him. Throughout the book Gary's reaction to her was of amusement. I did not feel amusement, but maybe that's my own jadedness problem. So I didn't like the first half (or more). But the last part was very enjoyable, and I didn't want to stop reading/listening. Because of Amanda's lies and other situations, Gary and others went along with her lies and pretended to be something they weren't. Seeing Gary and others act out these parts was entertaining. And the ending was lovely.

I wish that more conversation happened with a particular couple toward the end. They had a friendly and caring relationship, and then all of a sudden he says I love you will you marry me. She says yes. But I didn't get any explanation. It was too sudden. I wanted to see their feelings develop for each other. That was missing.

Because I was doing the audiobook, I found it helpful to print the list of characters from the website heyerlist org under Who's Who. Although, there is a minor spoiler in the Hildebrand Ross description, so don't read that paragraph in advance of the book.

DATA:
Unabridged audiobook length: 10 hours. Narrator: Sian Phillips. Swearing language: none. Sexual content: none. Setting: 1813 England. Book Published: 1956. Genre: regency romance.

Sprig Muslin was so far outside of my comfort zone I continually postponed reading it. Out of library renewals, I finally sat down and read the book and I am so glad I did. While I did have to spend some time looking up words and phrases like "box her ears", abigail and dropsy, I found myself swept away in a world very much like those created by Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, but with a touch more adventure. Sir Gareth was very entertaining, but I spent most of the book wanting to smack Amanda right in the mouth. She was one of those characters that you hate, but know how necessary they are to the story. And what a good story it was, with an ending that could only be described as completely heartwarming.

I still love to read Georgette Heyers books in between other,more meaty books.I own every one written by her and have had this collection for many years. This story is a particularly light weight but still engaging story about a "spinster" of 29 years,thought to be well on the shelf and destined to be just an unpaid servant to her family. She befriend a beautiful,17 year old,just out of the schoolroom.The characters are beautifully drawn and a delicious love story evolves between the older woman and the handsome Sir Gareth Ludlow.Georgette Heyer conveys wonderful love stories without naked bedroom scenes and tasteless lust.

I loved every moment of reading this book.....and the details as well as the well drawn characters make this an excellent read....I think that there is a bit of Amanda in some of us....chafing at convention. But it is Hester and Gareth that make the book.....don't miss it. I could only wish that Georgette Heyer had written 500 Regency novels instead of the dozen or so she did write.....if you have not read her, start with this one and go on.

This is the fourth Georgette Heyer novel I've read. She seems to rely on characters who spin wild tales or otherwise contrive to manipulate the people and circumstances around them to achieve their desired ends. Often this is to the benefit of others as much as for themselves.
In Sprig Muslin, the tall tales of Amanda are hilarious, and lead to all sorts of misunderstandings as well as the laying on of additional outrageous stories by most of the other characters to justify their actions, save reputations, and protect one another. It's a zany delightful read.
If Heyer had only been more thoughtful about developing Lady Heart's character....so critical to the enjoyment and resolution of the novel, I'd give it 5 stars.

I still love to read Georgette Heyers books in between other,more meaty books.I own every one written by her and have had this collection for many years. This story is a particularly light weight but still engaging story about a "spinster" of 29 years,thought to be well on the shelf and destined to be just an unpaid servant to her family. She befriend a beautiful,17 year old,just out of the schoolroom.The characters are beautifully drawn and a delicious love story evolves between the older woman and the handsome Sir Gareth Ludlow.Georgette Heyer conveys wonderful love stories without naked bedroom scenes and tasteless lust.

I loved every moment of reading this book.....and the details as well as the well drawn characters make this an excellent read....I think that there is a bit of Amanda in some of us....chafing at convention. But it is Hester and Gareth that make the book.....don't miss it. I could only wish that Georgette Heyer had written 500 Regency novels instead of the dozen or so she did write.....if you have not read her, start with this one and go on.

This is the fourth Georgette Heyer novel I've read. She seems to rely on characters who spin wild tales or otherwise contrive to manipulate the people and circumstances around them to achieve their desired ends. Often this is to the benefit of others as much as for themselves.
In Sprig Muslin, the tall tales of Amanda are hilarious, and lead to all sorts of misunderstandings as well as the laying on of additional outrageous stories by most of the other characters to justify their actions, save reputations, and protect one another. It's a zany delightful read.
If Heyer had only been more thoughtful about developing Lady Heart's character....so critical to the enjoyment and resolution of the novel, I'd give it 5 stars.

This book was well written enough to make me want to buy another of Heyer's books, but I had a couple of issues with it regardless.
SPOILER ALERT
1. Sir Gareth was a very likable character. However, the character of Amanda I found to be so annoying that by the end of the novel I was seriously wishing it had been Amanda that got accidentally shot in the faux highway hold-up. Too many chapters were wasted on her selfish exploits and not enough paper devoted to Hester's character.

2. Because of so much focus on annoying Amanda, and almost no text devoted to any romance between Sir Gareth and Hester, it made it very unbelievable that they had fallen in love at the end of the novel. I wish Heyer had spent at least a chapter or two developing the romance between these two characters so that the ending could have been more believable instead of feeling like she was just tying up loose ends.

My title would fit pretty much any Heyer novel. This however was my very first Heyer novel and I checked it out from the library since I wasn't sure I would like it. It triggered in me the need to read as many of her novels as possible and I've accomplished about 26 from each of her 3 main genre - mystery, romance, historical fiction. This is a light funny read and you'll enjoy every minute of it.

Wonderfully rollicking fun filled read. Makes me laugh every time I read it, and this is a favorite in my bookshelf. The main characters are are interesting, but what makes this book stand out is the wonderful detailed portraits of the minor characters. Each of the characters fit so well in the narrative and I appreciate all the nuances they bring to the story_ the absurdity, humor and warmth. Highly recommend this book, especially if this is your first Georgette Heyer. You will be hooked for life.

One of the nicest things about Georgette Heyer's Regency and Historical Romances is that they are not in a rut. With some other writers, one story is much like the other. Sprig Muslin has the usual Heyer cast of entertaining characters, but the leads don't fit the usual romantc roles. Perhaps I can relate to Hester Theale, a rather shy female with unexpected depths. Usually, her type is a secondary character to the beautiful, lively heroine, and most of the adventure involves the hero and heroine. Sir Gareth is a handsome, strong, gallant gentleman, so it is not surprising that he becomes entangled with spirited Amanda. But you also come to understand why the thought of dealing daily with such liveliness in marriage is very tiresome and that maybe one's true love shouldn't need constant rescuing. Although, Lady Hester does allow herself to reveal some of her own spirit. Even though I really like this story, I give it four stars because I feel like a little something was left unsaid between the main characters and the ending was a little rushed. But it is certainly another enjoyable, well-written, entertaining work from the author I consider to be best in the genre.

All Geoergette Heyer books are fun. This one just isn't a favorite because it focuses so heavily upon a secondary character, Amanda, who is profoundly annoying!!!!

Sir Gareth is a lovely hero, and Hester is interesting, too. Unfortunately only very few pages develop their romance. What a wasted opportunity! It's really too bad the development of their relationship is so thin and brief.

If you love Heyer you'll enjoy this book, it just isn't one of her best. If you are looking for the very best Heyer, I'd recommend Friday's Child.

Warning: Slight Spoiler at the End....

This story was awesome! It was laugh out loud funny, and it has you wondering how it will turn out, but rooting for it to turn out a different way, and then, It does!

Everyone gets who they should; and you are so very happy for everyone involved.

**spoiler alert**

It did leave me wanting more history between Lady Hester and Gareth. How had she come to have such a regard for him? Had she felt this way since his first marriage? How much had she really known him? Her story should be told! I would have loved to have read THAT story. I felt like I had missed something...

It deserves a 4.5 stars!

This is one of my favourite Heyer books. I loved that I didn't have to sit through boring accounts of balls or assemblies etc etc. It was a good story line, always on the move. Not only that but it was funny and entertaining. I would have loved to see a bit more of the romance between the main characters. However, with Heyer I've come to see that she's very subtle where romance is concerned.
Definitely if you're trying to decide which Heyer novel to read first, try this one.

While I understand the reservations some reviewers had, this remains one of my very favorite Georgette Heyer novels. I might have liked a little more time spent on Lady Hester, but I'd forgive a great deal for the climactic scene when our hero is laid up and everyone that's been chasing after him and Amanda finally catches up with them. Hilarious, as is much else in the book.