Reviews

A Lady of Quailty Illustrated by Frances Hodgson Burnett

gailbird's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

oanh_1's review against another edition

3.0

This is bad. (NB, read on - I'm *not* saying the book was bad.) I don't remember anything about this except that I enjoyed reading it. Maybe it will come back to me.

mary_juleyre's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

tmickey's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Death

Moderate: Child abuse and Misogyny

Minor: Child death, Racism, and Slavery

missmeddler's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jennybeastie's review against another edition

3.0

Funny how her heroines run to such extremes -- the last one so good as to drive one to wretchedness, this one so bad -- just an interesting thing.

holtfan's review against another edition

4.0

Pause for a moment. Note the author.
Now to think to yourself, the author who wrote that sappy [b:Little Lord Fauntleroy|275247|Little Lord Fauntleroy|Frances Hodgson Burnett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386745618s/275247.jpg|1085162] novel and brought us the darling but perfect Sara Crew in [b:A Little Princess|3008|A Little Princess|Frances Hodgson Burnett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327868556s/3008.jpg|1313599] also wrote this book.
You're shocked, aren't you? I know. Me too. I kept double-checking in case I missed something.
You'd never guess it from her frothy children's novels, but Frances Hodgson Burnett was a badass. (Also, she apparently named some poor son of hers Vivian, but that's something to explore another day.)
Where to start to with A Lady of Quality? It isn't what you expect. Despite the increasingly moralistic tone of the characters as the book progresses, this isn't a moralizing story. People do evil, or at least not-so-nice things, and it kinda gets swept under the rug. Only one truly evil person seems to exist and even he shows as more pathetic than despicable.
Oh, I suppose this story has its share of extreme melodrama and heaving bosoms and and saintly side characters. The important point is that the main character isn't a saint. She's mean and twisted initially. Burnett redeems her, but not by sacrificing her to wasting disease or anything like that, which is what I kept expecting. She gets a romance for the ages.
Though the book builds towards her final, saving romance, it doesn't revolve around it. Different kinds of love push this book along, from a sister's devotion to a Father's self-centeredness. It really is fascinating.
I'm intrigued and will definitely need to find more by Burnett!

wealhtheow's review against another edition

3.0

A melodramatic, wholly unbelievable and highly unrealistic view of a willful, stubborn, and high spirited woman’s rise to power in early eighteenth century England. Raised by a drunken lout of a father, Clorinda rides wild horses and carouses to keep up with even the most degenerate of his fellows. When she comes of age, she decides to become a proper lady. I liked Clorinda, for who could not—I have never read another heroine of so wild of spirit yet such a self-controlled manner. I especially love that she’s far more likely to break into a violent fury than burst into tears.

Content warnings:

soooo much classism, weird sexism, a young Black page who's only in a few pages but is a racist stereotype every time, murder, and Clorinda kills a dog

Can be read online here.

ahatpin's review against another edition

Needed editing

ninotchka's review against another edition

3.0

You may think that Burnett wrote children's books because you've read The Secret Garden but she wrote mostly adult books. This book was written in 1896 but it's set in an older England. It's an odd book for a modern reader. It is a historical romance that is partially critical of religion and faith but ends up deeply steeped in religious language. It features an incredibly strong and strong willed central female character that is unwilling to cower or bow before any man. Nonetheless, once she meets her true love, her equal and her "mate," the language turns to metaphors of submission. If you like historical romances (e.g. Georgette Heyer, Jane Eyre, Jane Austen) you should try this. There is plenty of lavish description of manor houses and clothing. Also it's in the public domain and available as a free e-book. It's a very interesting comparison to Austen because Austen was commenting on the social order and Burnett has a lot to say about what it means to be a woman and how difficult it is to be a smart woman. Bronte's Jane Eyre has something to say about that too. On the other hand, if you can't stomach the genre don't try A Lady of Quality. Burnett is simply not as good a writer as Bronte or Austen.