The Grand Sophy has always been one of Heyer's most popular books, and for good reasons. The main character, Sophy, is so confident, fun and extremely likeable - she is almost irresistable. It is also one of Heyer's more complex plots with a number of problems, mostly romantic to be resolved - and it is only in the last few pages that all is made clear.

Sophy, the 'little' neice of Lady Ombersley is sent to London to stay with her aunt. However, somewhere in the decade or so since her aunt last saw her, Sophy has grown into a rather tall, imposing woman, with a personality to match. She is good-natured, sociable, and utterly independent. She soon has the Ombersley household in the palm of her hand - well all except Charles, the eldest son who takes a rather dim view of her. Charles's pious fiancee, Eugenia Wraxton, is also not impressed but Sophy, with unimpaired good-manners and immense charm usually manages to get her own way.

Having established herself in the Ombersley Household Sophy soon sees how much they need her. Charles is clearly about marry the wrong woman (Eugenia), his sister, Cecilia is caught up with a clearly unsuitbale poet, and younger brother has Hubert trapped in some clearly dark sort of activity which he cannot escape from. At the same time Sophy's soon to be mother-in-law, Sancia looks to be straying herself.

Sophy's ability to orchestrate this huge cast of characters all to fitting ends is truly marvellous - and highly enjoyable.

This book was voted one of the 400 best novels ever to come out of the 20th century; chosen out of Heyer's entire oeuvre to represent the best of her work. They made the best choice. Heyer invented a genre, that of the Regency Romance, which became cheapened rated place. The Grand Sophy shows Heyer at her very best - it is a outrageously funny book that still has me laughing out loud (I had to stop reading it on the train because other passengers began to complain), it presents a cast of strongly drawn and complex characters, premier among whom is the titular Sophy - Sophia Stanton-Lacy, the irrepressible, indefagitable young woman with a personality the size of all England. From her extravagant arrival at her aunt and uncle's house accompanied to say nothing of her strong managing nature and charisma, she takes her rather hare-brained cousins in hand, sorting out their entanglements, scandals and romantic peccadilloes in a helter-skelter way. A book for those who always know the best for everyone else, unless you don't want to encourage them. It is a fast-moving, extravagantly amusing, richly detailed and satisfyingly convoluted novel in which Heyer skilfully draws myriad loose ends together with an incredible lightness and sureness of hand - her great talent. Many imitators tend to do so with too heavy and ponderous a style. Buy, borrow or beg this novel - but don't read it in public unless you're good at suppressing laughter. And even better - unlike several of Heyer's best novels, where the language can be somewhat offputting, this book is among one of the most immediately accessible for the novice to Heyer.

read this paperback, which I still own, so many times that it is held together with a rubber band. I don't read any other romance novels - I am a sci fi/history buff - and the few other "regency" novels I've read Lacy!