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43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lively 'spinster' meets the rudest man in England!, June 25, 2001
This review is from: Lady of Quality (Signet) (Mass Market Paperback)
What is a lively, intelligent woman in her twenties to do, if she is bored by the various suitors who have shown an interest in her and she doesn't want to dwindle into a spinster aunt living with her brother and his family? Well, she sets up her own establishment, in Bath, much to the dismay of her family - her prosy brother immediately procures a distant cousin to act as companion and chaperone - or, more accurately, to bore Annis to tears! So when, one day, our heroine, Annis Wychwood, encounters a young couple who have suffered a carriage accident, she is only too delighted to help. The young woman involved, Lucilla Carleton, is running away from the threat of an enforced marriage; her accomplice in this endeavour is none other than the young man her guardian wishes her to marry! Having got to the bottom of this story, Annis invites Lucilla to stay with her, and writes to Lucilla's aunt and guardian to obtain permission. And these events result in Lucilla's *other* guardian, Oliver Carleton, commonly known as the rudest man in England and who, apparently, cares nothing for other people, descending on Annis to check her out and ascertain just what is happening. And at their first meeting sparks fly. Though Annis knows she should be appalled by Oliver Carleton, she can't help but find him amusing. After all, he's the first man who seems capable of rousing her to temper, but then teasing her out of her annoyance; he makes her laugh, and she can talk to him for more than ten minutes at a time without being bored rigid. His disregard for convention - as it concerns everyone else but Lucilla, of course! - should shock her, but Annis finds that she's continually biting back laughter. The appalled reaction of her ever-tedious companion, and of her brother, only serve as even more of a contrast to the enjoyment she finds in Oliver's company. As ever, Heyer has an array of entertaining secondary characters. You will roll your eyes at Maria, the companion; you'll smile at the earnest Ninian, Lucilla's childhood friend - and perhaps even agree with Annis's sister-in-law's prediction for their future; and you'll enjoy the Bath setting of this charming, amusing book. Definitely a Heyer classic!
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A novel of quality..., March 12, 2006
I have read two Georgette Heyer novels -- The Convenient Marriage and The Grand Sophy. I found the aforementioned novels to be wonderful with quite an accurate look into Regency England and with a quality of humor that is similar to that of Jane Austen. In short, I see that all of the hype surrounding Georgette Heyer has been accurate thus far. Lady of Quality is another wonderful novel that entertained me and left me in stitches throughout the novel. Annis Wychwood is bored with the attention of her rather dull suitors and of her relatives. So she leaves for Bath, where she sets about her own independence. If she's going to be a spinster, she will be one away from her pestering brother and his wife and children. There she meets a woman who is running away from an arranged marriage. And through this woman she meets the dashing Oliver Carleton, a man whose reputation for being a rake and the rudest man in England is notorious. Annis and Oliver strike an interesting friendship of sorts. She finds that despite the fact that he can infuriate her like no other man is able, he also makes her laugh. Mr. Carleton, on the other hand, finds her transparency endearing, and her beauty is far from the only thing that captivates him. There are various twists throughout the novel.
Lady of Quality is such a great novel. At times, it reminded me of Pride and Prejudice, but Heyer has her very own unique voice as well. The characters are amazing, especially the protagonists, Lucilla, and Ninian. Maria the chaperone is by far the most annoying character in this book and I just loved the part in which Oliver... well, you'll have to read the book to find out. The Regency period is so well written here. Heyer captures this time period like few authors have been able to do. There are authors whose language in their books sounds too modern, or there are historical inaccuracies that vary from insignificant to glaringly obvious, but Heyer had a great attention to detail when it came time to write these period pieces. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was an early to mid twentieth century author and therefore had that "age of innocence" feel of writing. Whatever it was, she had a knack for writing wonderful Regency novels. The one thing I don't like about this novel is the fact that Oliver is a rake. There are so many Regency novels about reformed rakes now that I wish Heyer hadn't incorporated that. But perhaps today's historical romance authors took this storyline from Heyer, since it is obvious to me that Heyer has influenced most of said authors. Anyway, I loved Lady of Quality. If you're new to Georgette Heyer, then this is a good place to start. I have several of her books on my TBR pile and I can't wait to give them a whirl. In the meantime, I cannot recommend this gem enough.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Her last book and one of her best, January 9, 2006
Lady of Quality is a brilliant book, one of Heyer's best and the last she wrote before her death. It is the story of the relationship between Annis Wychwood, a mature lady who hasn't ever married as she hasn't found the right man, despite being offered marriage on numerous occasions, and Mr Oliver Carleton, a brash and forthright man who isn't particularly attractive and has a reputation as a rake.
The book is utterly convincing in showing how these two widely different people come to care for each other. Although Mr Carleton acknowledges that Miss Wychwood is beautiful, it is not that about her that attracts him; she certainly doesn't fall for him because of his looks or manners but something about the way that he speaks to her honestly and that they have a meeting of minds. It is interesting to watch them sparring with each other over his Ward Lucilla's care and how to help her keep out of trouble.
What I really enjoyed about this book was its honest portrayal of the faults of people - particularly Mr Carleton's - but the acknowledgement that people can and will change if the right circumstances arrive. The humorous interaction between Annis and her family members, particularly her garrulous chaperone, are very amusing. The final scene where Mr Carleton storms into Annis's bedroom and throws out Maria the chaperone is everything that women who like masterful men could wish for!
As all Heyer books, this one is chock-ful of fascinating period detail, the language that they use is accurate, and the description of life in Bath in the early 1800s is fascinating.
If you liked "Black Sheep" you will certainly like this book. They are very similar in a lot of ways (heroine's initials are A W in both books, and the hero is Mr C!) but both equally enjoyable.
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