Georgette Heyer, Lady of Quality (Sourcebooks, 2007) When Lucilla Carleton decides to take the question of her marriage into her own hands, her uncle Oliver knows his job as guardian is to find her. He could not possibly know that the woman audacious enough to shelter Lucilla from her family would prove to be not only a Lady of Quality, but the first proper lady capable of inspiring his fascination. Miss Annis Wynchwood's strong will and intelligence are more than equal to the task of looking after a her willful young acquaintance, but discovering an affinity with Oliver Carleton throws her world for a spin. However, the ensuing romance provides no great advantage to either party, and the obstacles between them require real changes instead of circumstantial luck. To balance this difference from usual literary love affairs, author Georgette Heyer throws in a dash of destiny. The circumstances that bring the leads together requires a fairly large portion of this novel, so this extra element enables Heyer to quicken the pacing and adds to the urgency of resolving this provoking attachment. Unfortunately, this leads to rather rushed developments between Annis and Oliver. Their meetings are few and usually end abruptly, leaving the reader wishing for more reasons why these people are going to end up together. On the other hand, both Annis's and Oliver's reactions to the situation offer realistic and relatable perspectives on the more complicated side of love. [ visit the artist's website ] |
Rambles.NET review by Whitney Mallenby 23 May 2009 Agree? Disagree? Send us your opinions! |