Refining Felicity (The School For Manners, Book 1) (G K Hall Nightingale Series Edition) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Marion Chesney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1989

The Misses Tribble, Amy and Effie, spinsters of a certain age, have lived for years on expectations of a great inheritance. When this fails to materialize, they are truly destitute. Desperate, they advertise that they will refine wild and unruly daughters, present them, and see them safely wed. This first volume concerns Lady Felicity Vane and the Marquess of Ravenswood in a love-hate courtship. The Tribbles are charmers and much more fun than their charges.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Chesney, author of the series "The Six Sisters" and "A House for the Season" has created a terrific idea for her latest Regency series, "The School for Manners." The Misses Tribble, Amy and Effie, spinsters of a certain age, have lived for years on expectations of a great inheritance. When this fails to materialize, they are truly destitute. Desperate, they advertise that they will refine wild and unruly daughters, present them, and see them safely wed. This first volume concerns Lady Felicity Vane and the Marquess of Ravenswood in a love-hate courtship. The Tribbles are charmers and much more fun than their charges. Very highly recommended. Paula M. Zieselman, Debevoise & Plimpton, New York
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: G K Hall & Co; Lrg edition (December 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816147973
• ISBN-13: 978-0816147977
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,046,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read, May 20, 2005

By 

kmesh "kmesh" (MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Refining Felicity (The School For Manners, Book 1) (G K Hall Nightingale Series Edition) (Paperback)

This book starts out w/ twin sisters, that are complete opposites, in need of money. They have great connections and are considered good 'ton', but have found that the fortune they had hoped to inherit from a relative, is not existant, therefore they come upon the idea to introduce impossible females to society. Their first paige is, Felicity, she has rank, she has money, but she also has a tom-boyish streak. One that seems to irk her neighbor, who is a Lord. You will find yourself laughing out loud at some of Felicity's stunts and in awe of the outcome.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An odd romance, February 8, 2007

By 

Alex Frantz (San Leandro, ca USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Refining Felicity (The School for Manners, Book 1) (Hardcover)

This is the first in a series of regency romances built around a pair of distinctly ineligible heroines: two spinster sisters who are thrown into desperate poverty by the depletion of their inheritance and the loss of an anticipated windfall from an aged and wealthy relative. The sisters, Amy and Effie Tribble, are unlikely heroines for any tale, and not just a romance. They are kind, but also vain, silly, eccentric, and not especially clever. In their genteel poverty, they decide to open a sort of specialized finishing school, dedicated to making troublesome young ladies into more suitable matrimonial prospects.

In this book, their task is to make a marriage for Lady Felicity Vane, a tomboy who has grown into an attractive young woman, but distinctly unladylike - at her debutant ball, she makes an entrance by sliding down the banister. Her wealthy neighbor the Marquess of Ravenswood is the desired target, but shows no interest in Felicity. He does, however, take a liking to the Tribbles, leaving him with various opportunities to encounter Lady Felicity, with the inevitable results. (OK, that's pretty much a spoiler - but if you're looking for surprise endings, you probably shouldn't be reading romances in the first place.)

This is a pleasant story, although some scenes, particularly the crucial scene where Ravenswood first realizes he is falling in love with Felicity, struck me as forced and implausible. I probably won't be reading the sequels, but if you're a real fan of Anglophile aristocratic romance, a genre I dip into quite rarely, you'd likely enjoy this one more than I did. The focus on the Tribble sisters gives a distinct perspective from your ordinary romance, so if you're a romance reader who's looking for something a bit different - but not too different - this could be a terrific choice.