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estelessa's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
janie_books's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thenovelbook's review against another edition
3.0
Cute, but not too memorable for me. The Shuttle is my preferred Frances Hodgson Burnett novel. (I LOVE The Shuttle!) This was short, and the stakes weren't quite as high as in The Shuttle, but the theme of American vs. British manners was there, and some nice enough characters.
melindamoor's review against another edition
4.0
This book is an obscure classic and undeservedly so, for it is humorous, entertaining and contains some keen observations of character and society, which Frances Hodgson Burnett is so good at.
There is the very genteel, rather small and utterly English country town of Slowbridge where everything is done "just so" under the iron rule of Lady Theobald (if you think Lady Catherine de Burgh from P&P, you are not far off). Into this small, self-contained and self-satisfied pond a stone is thrown with a big splash: an American heiress, niece to the gentle Miss Belinda, suddenly arrives from the wilds of Nevada to stay with her bewildered relative. And not only does she do everything wildly differently from the "just-so" rules of Lady Theobald and Society, she doesn't seem to care in the least about their opinion.
Some matrons fear for the innocence of their daughters: how are they to be preserved from such bad influence? Tis as bad as the French Revolution!
This is a novella, not a full-blown novel, like "The Shuttle", but very enjoyable.
Recommended.
There is the very genteel, rather small and utterly English country town of Slowbridge where everything is done "just so" under the iron rule of Lady Theobald (if you think Lady Catherine de Burgh from P&P, you are not far off). Into this small, self-contained and self-satisfied pond a stone is thrown with a big splash: an American heiress, niece to the gentle Miss Belinda, suddenly arrives from the wilds of Nevada to stay with her bewildered relative. And not only does she do everything wildly differently from the "just-so" rules of Lady Theobald and Society, she doesn't seem to care in the least about their opinion.
Some matrons fear for the innocence of their daughters: how are they to be preserved from such bad influence? Tis as bad as the French Revolution!
This is a novella, not a full-blown novel, like "The Shuttle", but very enjoyable.
Recommended.
metaphorosis's review against another edition
3.0
As, I suspect, with most, my previous exposure to Frances Hodgson Burnett was through [b:The Secret Garden|2998|The Secret Garden|Frances Hodgson Burnett|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327873635s/2998.jpg|3186437], [b:A Little Princess|3008|A Little Princess|Frances Hodgson Burnett|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327868556s/3008.jpg|1313599], and [b:The Lost Prince|646351|The Lost Prince|Frances Hodgson Burnett|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1176700431s/646351.jpg|1718667]. Those books are better.
A Fair Barbarian is a harmless and mildly entertaining shift from those child-oriented books to more a young adult's realm. It's pleasantly reminiscent of Jane Austen, though less complex.
The book's strength is the characters, who are interesting and moderately likeable. However, despite a fair-size crew of young men and women looking to fall in love with each other, there's no strong resolution; the ending comes disappointingly ex machina, and the story simply stops.
Recommended for Burnett fans, and pleasant but not compelling for others.
A Fair Barbarian is a harmless and mildly entertaining shift from those child-oriented books to more a young adult's realm. It's pleasantly reminiscent of Jane Austen, though less complex.
The book's strength is the characters, who are interesting and moderately likeable. However, despite a fair-size crew of young men and women looking to fall in love with each other, there's no strong resolution; the ending comes disappointingly ex machina, and the story simply stops.
Recommended for Burnett fans, and pleasant but not compelling for others.
hipstamom's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
gemmadee's review against another edition
4.0
For anyone with the patience for Burnett's Victorian language, A Fair Barbarian is a charming read. Hidden under the layers of wardrobe lies a biting social commentary. More than a comedy of manners, Burnett wrote a scathing mockery of conformity and social control. It draws a bit from Jane Austen and foreshadows Cold Comfort Farm. One online reviewer called it a simplified retelling of Henry James' "Daisy Miller," but I can't speak to that because I haven't read it. Burnett's fair barbarian is an American girl of nineteen who arrives in a parochial English village and shakes things up a bit. She does this entirely by accident, simply by virtue of not being afraid of what other people think.
For all its attention to century-old fashions and tea party invitation etiquette, the book is surprisingly relevant today. The details of conformity may have changed, but people still make decisions based on appearances and what other people do. It still requires courage and/or cluelessness to present yourself as you really are rather than mold yourself to others' expectations. And it's still worthwhile to do so.
For all its attention to century-old fashions and tea party invitation etiquette, the book is surprisingly relevant today. The details of conformity may have changed, but people still make decisions based on appearances and what other people do. It still requires courage and/or cluelessness to present yourself as you really are rather than mold yourself to others' expectations. And it's still worthwhile to do so.
ora_fern's review against another edition
4.0
:) So much fun! It reminded me of L.M. Montgomery's writing in some ways.
wealhtheow's review against another edition
3.0
A young, beautiful American heiress descends upon a tiny sleepy English town. Burnett loves gender and class stereotypes; there is nothing she likes more than to write about a lady's delicate features or a man's strong arms, and certainly every member of the lower classes is flatteringly awed by their betters. Nevertheless, the American Octavia Bassett manages to upset the usual mode just a little--when she is asked to marry a handsome, well-bred and rich Englishman, she refuses with composure. I love the scene:
'"You don't want _me_," she said. "You want somebody meeker,--somebody who would respect you very much, and obey you. I'm not used to obeying people."
"Do you mean also that you would not respect me?" he inquired bitterly.
"Oh," she replied, "you haven't respected me much!"
"Excuse me"--he began, in his loftiest manner.
"You didn't respect me enough to think me worth marrying," she said. "I was not the kind of girl you would have chosen of your own will."
"You are treating me unfairly!" he cried.
"You were going to give me a great deal, I suppose--looking at it in your way," she went on; "but, if I _wasn't_ exactly what you wanted, I had something to give too. I'm young enough to have a good many years to live; and I should have to live them with you, if I married you. That's something, you know."
He rose from his seat pale with wrath and wounded feeling.
"Does this mean that you refuse me?" he demanded, "that your answer is'no'?"
She rose, too--not exultant, not confused, neither pale nor flushed. He had never seen her prettier, more charming, or more natural.
"It would have been 'no,' even if there hadn't been any obstacle," she answered.
"Then," he said, "I need say no more. I see that I have--humiliated myself in vain; and it is rather bitter, I must confess."
"It wasn't my fault," she remarked.'
I love her! There's nothing more refreshing than someone who is aware of the values of her peers, but recognizes their limitations and that they are important only in relative terms. The plot of My Fair Barbarian is not complex or surprising, but it is short and sweet. It is also a good showcase for Burnett's ability at writing Victorian literature that lacks a surprising number of the usual pitfalls of that era--the sentences contain only a few clauses each, the dialog is impressively natural, and the characters are personalities of their own, rather than archetypes acting out a morality pagant.
'"You don't want _me_," she said. "You want somebody meeker,--somebody who would respect you very much, and obey you. I'm not used to obeying people."
"Do you mean also that you would not respect me?" he inquired bitterly.
"Oh," she replied, "you haven't respected me much!"
"Excuse me"--he began, in his loftiest manner.
"You didn't respect me enough to think me worth marrying," she said. "I was not the kind of girl you would have chosen of your own will."
"You are treating me unfairly!" he cried.
"You were going to give me a great deal, I suppose--looking at it in your way," she went on; "but, if I _wasn't_ exactly what you wanted, I had something to give too. I'm young enough to have a good many years to live; and I should have to live them with you, if I married you. That's something, you know."
He rose from his seat pale with wrath and wounded feeling.
"Does this mean that you refuse me?" he demanded, "that your answer is'no'?"
She rose, too--not exultant, not confused, neither pale nor flushed. He had never seen her prettier, more charming, or more natural.
"It would have been 'no,' even if there hadn't been any obstacle," she answered.
"Then," he said, "I need say no more. I see that I have--humiliated myself in vain; and it is rather bitter, I must confess."
"It wasn't my fault," she remarked.'
I love her! There's nothing more refreshing than someone who is aware of the values of her peers, but recognizes their limitations and that they are important only in relative terms. The plot of My Fair Barbarian is not complex or surprising, but it is short and sweet. It is also a good showcase for Burnett's ability at writing Victorian literature that lacks a surprising number of the usual pitfalls of that era--the sentences contain only a few clauses each, the dialog is impressively natural, and the characters are personalities of their own, rather than archetypes acting out a morality pagant.
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