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A review by melindamoor
A Fair Barbarian by Frances Hodgson Burnett
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.