Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Bantam Books (1973), Mass Market Paperback
Description
Classic Literature. Fiction. Romance. Historical Fiction. HTML: Georgette Heyer's Regency romance novels have charmed and delighted millions of readers. Her smart, independent heroines and dashing heroes brilliantly illuminate one of the most exciting and fascinating eras of English history, when drawing rooms sparkled with well-dressed nobility, and romantic intrigues ruled the day. The spirited and independent Miss Annis Wychwood is twenty-nine and well past the age for falling in love. But when Annis embroils herself in the affairs of a pretty runaway heiress, Miss Lucilla Carleton, she is destined to see a great deal of her fugitive's uncivil and high-handed guardian, Mr. Oliver Carleton. Befriending the wayward girl brings unexpected consequences, among them the conflicting emotions aroused by her guardian, who is quite the rudest man Annis has ever met... Praise for Georgette Heyer and Lady of Quality: "In this delectable Georgette Heyer novel, the lady of quality and her bit-of-a-rake swain are the ones on whom our eyes are fixed. They don't play us false. Miss Heyer is in top form...romantic, amusing, and full of tart-tongued comment on the mores of the time."�??Publishers Weekly "A writer of great wit and style...I've read her books to ragged shreds."�??Kate Fenton, Daily Telegraph "Set in Bath in the last years of the Regency, it has the authentic Heyer sparkle."�??Woman's Jou… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member ncgraham
When I first discovered Georgette Heyer and her brilliant novel Cotillion, I was absolutely thrilled. I love Jane Austen, but by then I had read all of her six major novels and was looking for something more. While I would never equate the quality of these two authors’ works, at their best they
But this is not Heyer at her best. And as I made my way through the book (rather languidly at places) I couldn’t help but think that perhaps we are lucky to have only six brilliant novels from Austen, rather than the mercurial body of work we get form her later imitator.
The “lady of quality” of the title is a Miss Annis Wychwood, rich, beautiful, unmarried and, at twenty-nine years of age, recently moved to Bath. On her way to her new home, she encounters an overturned carriage, and makes the acquaintance of the young heiress Lucilla Carleton and her childhood friend Ninian Elmore. Lucilla is fleeing from an arranged marriage to Ninian, but the latter does not feel she can go out into the world alone. Annis obligingly offers her a place in her house at Camden Place for the time being. This action brings upon her the censure of most everyone she knows, including her brother Lord Geoffrey Wychwood, her companion Maria Farlow, her suitor Lord Blackenham, and Lucilla’s own uncle, the infamously wicked Oliver Carleton.
Unfortunately very few of these characters reached out and grabbed me in the way that the cast of Cotillion did; even the more important ones strike me as quite unoriginal. Annis is rather like an Emma Woodhouse who has matured and mostly outgrown her meddling ways, and without any Knightley in view it is up to her brother to try to keep her in line, a role he proves inept at fulfilling. At first I termed Mr. Carleton a Stock Regency Hunk, but on further thought I suppose it is abnormal for a Stock Regency Hunk to be rude, ugly, ironic, and sexually vagrant—all qualities, of course, that he shares with Charlotte Brontë’s Mr. Rochester. Unlike Rochester, however, he convinces neither in his shady nor in his repentance. Yet for all their lack of originality, these two are by far the most appealing characters in the piece, and whenever they are not sparring with each other, things become decidedly duller. Ninian and Lucilla, whose stories are left rather open-ended, are rather uninteresting, and none of Annis’ suitors provide credible competition for our leading man. Also, though Miss Farlow’s insipid chattering was doubtlessly supposed to provide some comic relief, she succeeded only in frustrating and boring. There are a few strong women here, including Annis’ abigail and sister-in-law, both of whom prove their worth in the final act … but they belong in a better book.
The plot is thin, containing little more than one very odd courtship; one is left wishing for more. As always, Heyer’s attention to historical details is incredible, her dialogue superb, but there is something so very detached about the way in which the story is told (or maybe it was merely my reading of it that was detached). Even the names, while quite fanciful, seem aloofly formal compared to those in Cotillion.
I do not recommend this book. It is a strictly by-the-numbers Regency romance, which gives one the impression of Heyer going through a list of necessary components and checking them off dispassionately. Then again, she was very old when she wrote this, the last of her novels to be published during her lifetime. Sometimes it’s best to stop when you’re ahead.
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do seem to satisfy the same basic impulses in me as a reader.But this is not Heyer at her best. And as I made my way through the book (rather languidly at places) I couldn’t help but think that perhaps we are lucky to have only six brilliant novels from Austen, rather than the mercurial body of work we get form her later imitator.
The “lady of quality” of the title is a Miss Annis Wychwood, rich, beautiful, unmarried and, at twenty-nine years of age, recently moved to Bath. On her way to her new home, she encounters an overturned carriage, and makes the acquaintance of the young heiress Lucilla Carleton and her childhood friend Ninian Elmore. Lucilla is fleeing from an arranged marriage to Ninian, but the latter does not feel she can go out into the world alone. Annis obligingly offers her a place in her house at Camden Place for the time being. This action brings upon her the censure of most everyone she knows, including her brother Lord Geoffrey Wychwood, her companion Maria Farlow, her suitor Lord Blackenham, and Lucilla’s own uncle, the infamously wicked Oliver Carleton.
Unfortunately very few of these characters reached out and grabbed me in the way that the cast of Cotillion did; even the more important ones strike me as quite unoriginal. Annis is rather like an Emma Woodhouse who has matured and mostly outgrown her meddling ways, and without any Knightley in view it is up to her brother to try to keep her in line, a role he proves inept at fulfilling. At first I termed Mr. Carleton a Stock Regency Hunk, but on further thought I suppose it is abnormal for a Stock Regency Hunk to be rude, ugly, ironic, and sexually vagrant—all qualities, of course, that he shares with Charlotte Brontë’s Mr. Rochester. Unlike Rochester, however, he convinces neither in his shady nor in his repentance. Yet for all their lack of originality, these two are by far the most appealing characters in the piece, and whenever they are not sparring with each other, things become decidedly duller. Ninian and Lucilla, whose stories are left rather open-ended, are rather uninteresting, and none of Annis’ suitors provide credible competition for our leading man. Also, though Miss Farlow’s insipid chattering was doubtlessly supposed to provide some comic relief, she succeeded only in frustrating and boring. There are a few strong women here, including Annis’ abigail and sister-in-law, both of whom prove their worth in the final act … but they belong in a better book.
The plot is thin, containing little more than one very odd courtship; one is left wishing for more. As always, Heyer’s attention to historical details is incredible, her dialogue superb, but there is something so very detached about the way in which the story is told (or maybe it was merely my reading of it that was detached). Even the names, while quite fanciful, seem aloofly formal compared to those in Cotillion.
I do not recommend this book. It is a strictly by-the-numbers Regency romance, which gives one the impression of Heyer going through a list of necessary components and checking them off dispassionately. Then again, she was very old when she wrote this, the last of her novels to be published during her lifetime. Sometimes it’s best to stop when you’re ahead.
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LibraryThing member kaulsu
Annis Wynchwood of Bath falls for the rough Oliver Carleton when she invites his niece to stay with her. A fun romp. Heyer shows her fine touch with the humorous dialog. The denouement at the end is priceless.
LibraryThing member richardderus
Rating: 3.25* of five
Heyer's last book. It was published in 1972, before a series of strokes and a fatal bout with lung cancer (80 cigarettes a day will do that to one) carried her off in 1974. Definitely not the best work she did.
Interestingly, Dame Agatha Christie's last book came out in 1972,
The books were not the finest in the respective authors' ouevres. Heyer's not-best, however, was about as far from her normal output as any other author's not-best; as Christie was suffering from dementia, she headed a great deal farther down from her own peak. In this book, Heyer's accustomed subtlety and witty misdirection are entirely absent. There are pleasant passages of smile-inducing drolerie, but few standout moments and then almost always deeply familiar from past works. Ninian, the very-recent schoolboy whose arc to maturity resembles that of Nicky Carlyon from [The Reluctant Widow], has probably the most memorable humorous lines in the book:
"Well, I don't scruple to say that I never had the least turn for scholarship," Ninian somewhat unnecessarily disclosed. He added a handsome rider to this statement, saying, with a beaming smile: "And I promise you, ma'am, no one would ever suspect you of being bookish!"
Overwhelmed by this tribute, Miss Wychwood uttered in a shaken voice: "How kind of you, Ninian, to say so!"
Nicky's boyish enthusiasm for espionage in that earlier work contrast tellingly with Ninian's fuddled motivations and interest in this story. Ninian, graduated from Oxford as opposed to Nicky's rustication therefrom, is as bumptiously energetic as Nicky though considerably less interesting. He's a Regency dudebro, out with the boys and making light work of his childhood friend Lucilla's Bath coming-out sort of season. He is no patch on the juvenile leads from earlier Heyers, but he is energetically amusing whenever he's in the frame.
Miss Annis Wychwood and Mr Oliver Carleton are peas in a pod; they recognize kindred free spirits in each other from the first. Neither of them was much given to conformity; each has economic independence; both are older and wiser than all of the conventional folk around them, regardless of calendar age. Does this sound familiar, Heyerites? [Black Sheep], anyone? (I should probably review that one one day soon.) They are crashed into each others' spheres of influence and, as a result of their shared indifference to Society (within the bounds of propriety in Annis's case! can't go too far from reality) discover they will do nicely as spouses to each other. (In a tellingly complete rundown of his character flaws at the end of his proposal to Annis, Oliver fails to promise Happily-Ever-After and Annis accepts him with clear eyes and a happy heart. I can but hope that represents Heyer's own marriage to George Rougier.)
Here's the thing: None of this is accomplished with the subtlety and panache of previous iterations. It's just out there from the first, and so there's no tension or conflict to resolve that's worthy of the name. This book is a canter down the bridle path on your oldest horse, a treat for the old creature and for you, a visit to the site of many familiar pleasures.
But how man and beast long for the fences and the hedges of steeplechasing youth.
Heyer's last book. It was published in 1972, before a series of strokes and a fatal bout with lung cancer (80 cigarettes a day will do that to one) carried her off in 1974. Definitely not the best work she did.
Interestingly, Dame Agatha Christie's last book came out in 1972,
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the absolutely execrable [Elephants Can Remember], and Dame Ags died in 1975. These ladies were contemporaries, though I know of no evidence showing that they ever met; I'd've paid top dollar to be present when they did! Your attention please, time-travel agencies, I want a cut of the bucks from that alternate-timeline tour.The books were not the finest in the respective authors' ouevres. Heyer's not-best, however, was about as far from her normal output as any other author's not-best; as Christie was suffering from dementia, she headed a great deal farther down from her own peak. In this book, Heyer's accustomed subtlety and witty misdirection are entirely absent. There are pleasant passages of smile-inducing drolerie, but few standout moments and then almost always deeply familiar from past works. Ninian, the very-recent schoolboy whose arc to maturity resembles that of Nicky Carlyon from [The Reluctant Widow], has probably the most memorable humorous lines in the book:
"Well, I don't scruple to say that I never had the least turn for scholarship," Ninian somewhat unnecessarily disclosed. He added a handsome rider to this statement, saying, with a beaming smile: "And I promise you, ma'am, no one would ever suspect you of being bookish!"
Overwhelmed by this tribute, Miss Wychwood uttered in a shaken voice: "How kind of you, Ninian, to say so!"
Nicky's boyish enthusiasm for espionage in that earlier work contrast tellingly with Ninian's fuddled motivations and interest in this story. Ninian, graduated from Oxford as opposed to Nicky's rustication therefrom, is as bumptiously energetic as Nicky though considerably less interesting. He's a Regency dudebro, out with the boys and making light work of his childhood friend Lucilla's Bath coming-out sort of season. He is no patch on the juvenile leads from earlier Heyers, but he is energetically amusing whenever he's in the frame.
Miss Annis Wychwood and Mr Oliver Carleton are peas in a pod; they recognize kindred free spirits in each other from the first. Neither of them was much given to conformity; each has economic independence; both are older and wiser than all of the conventional folk around them, regardless of calendar age. Does this sound familiar, Heyerites? [Black Sheep], anyone? (I should probably review that one one day soon.) They are crashed into each others' spheres of influence and, as a result of their shared indifference to Society (within the bounds of propriety in Annis's case! can't go too far from reality) discover they will do nicely as spouses to each other. (In a tellingly complete rundown of his character flaws at the end of his proposal to Annis, Oliver fails to promise Happily-Ever-After and Annis accepts him with clear eyes and a happy heart. I can but hope that represents Heyer's own marriage to George Rougier.)
Here's the thing: None of this is accomplished with the subtlety and panache of previous iterations. It's just out there from the first, and so there's no tension or conflict to resolve that's worthy of the name. This book is a canter down the bridle path on your oldest horse, a treat for the old creature and for you, a visit to the site of many familiar pleasures.
But how man and beast long for the fences and the hedges of steeplechasing youth.
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LibraryThing member nmhale
A frothy read by Heyer, a woman who wrote her historical fiction so well that I thought she was writing a hundred years earlier than when she actually lived. Heyer's research and attention to detail is impressive, even if the plots of her stories are one-dimensional. They are about love and
The story here begins with Miss Annis Wynchwood, a single woman in possession of a fortune and independence. She is beautiful and intelligent, and has received several proposals of marriage, all turned down. She has no interest in accepting any man who doesn't inspire love in her, and is equally adverse to living as the spinster aunt in her brother's home. As she travels back to her home in Bath, free from brother and suitors, she stumbles upon a young girl and boy, their carriage wrecked by the side of the road. She offers them a ride into town, is amused by their naivete and bickering, and decides to step in when she hears their story. Miss Lucilla and Mr. Elmore are old friends, raised together, with slightly foolish parents who want them to be wed. Lucilla was feeling intense pressure to accept Elmore's proposal (only given to appease his parents) and decided to run away. Ninian Elmore saw her sneaking out, felt obliged to protect, and so accompanied her on her trip into Bath.
Following a few twists and turns of fate, Miss Annis becomes the unofficial guardian of Miss Lucilla, at least until a suitable substitute can be found. As such, she comes into contact with Mr. Carleton, Lucilla's rude and aloof uncle. Carleton has no interest in being the actual guardian of his niece just out of the school room, but he does seem interested in Miss Annis. Her caustic tongue is quite the match to his, and she knows about his reputation as a rake and a thoroughly uncivil man and is not scared off. They frequently meet, ostensibly to work out the details concerning Lucilla's future, but the flirtation and growing tension is obvious.
I read through this, one of Heyer's smaller novels that I own, in short order. The witty dialogue and various social scenarios allow for a swift reading pace, and the romance always urges me to read faster and see how the two leads finally come together. Miss Wynchwood is a strong woman, independent and outspoken, and I liked her. Mr. Carleton was too harsh for my tastes, although I enjoyed the repartee between him and Annis - he's a character I would not like to meet in reality, but is fun to read about in a book. This novel offers a pleasant past time for whiling away a few afternoons, an activity with which the characters in the book would certainly approve.
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relationships, with a few well-rounded characters and a larger host of undeveloped minor characters, all set in a fully realized Regency England. Dense and crafted literature this is not, but then I read her books for the romance, and I need a light and swift read every now and then (okay, probably a good deal more than that).The story here begins with Miss Annis Wynchwood, a single woman in possession of a fortune and independence. She is beautiful and intelligent, and has received several proposals of marriage, all turned down. She has no interest in accepting any man who doesn't inspire love in her, and is equally adverse to living as the spinster aunt in her brother's home. As she travels back to her home in Bath, free from brother and suitors, she stumbles upon a young girl and boy, their carriage wrecked by the side of the road. She offers them a ride into town, is amused by their naivete and bickering, and decides to step in when she hears their story. Miss Lucilla and Mr. Elmore are old friends, raised together, with slightly foolish parents who want them to be wed. Lucilla was feeling intense pressure to accept Elmore's proposal (only given to appease his parents) and decided to run away. Ninian Elmore saw her sneaking out, felt obliged to protect, and so accompanied her on her trip into Bath.
Following a few twists and turns of fate, Miss Annis becomes the unofficial guardian of Miss Lucilla, at least until a suitable substitute can be found. As such, she comes into contact with Mr. Carleton, Lucilla's rude and aloof uncle. Carleton has no interest in being the actual guardian of his niece just out of the school room, but he does seem interested in Miss Annis. Her caustic tongue is quite the match to his, and she knows about his reputation as a rake and a thoroughly uncivil man and is not scared off. They frequently meet, ostensibly to work out the details concerning Lucilla's future, but the flirtation and growing tension is obvious.
I read through this, one of Heyer's smaller novels that I own, in short order. The witty dialogue and various social scenarios allow for a swift reading pace, and the romance always urges me to read faster and see how the two leads finally come together. Miss Wynchwood is a strong woman, independent and outspoken, and I liked her. Mr. Carleton was too harsh for my tastes, although I enjoyed the repartee between him and Annis - he's a character I would not like to meet in reality, but is fun to read about in a book. This novel offers a pleasant past time for whiling away a few afternoons, an activity with which the characters in the book would certainly approve.
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LibraryThing member MusicMom41
When spirited, independent Miss Annis Wynchwood embroils herself in the affairs of a runaway heiress, she is destined to see a good deal of Lucilla’s uncivil and high-handed guardian Mr Oliver Carleton, a man whose reputation for being a rake and the rudest man in England is notorious. It's a
I read this on the plane ride home from Provence—it made the journey seem short.
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beautifully crafted novel, and boasts all the Heyer earmarks: witty, fast-paced dialogue full of convincing period slang, characters with depth and dimension who you grow to know utterly well within a few pages (even the much-loathed Maria or the pompous Lord Beckham are impossible to hate; a loving author renders them as endearingly flawed, expertly avoiding the stereotypical approach that far too many genre writers fall into), and detail that paints a vivid picture of time and place without bogging down the storyline.I read this on the plane ride home from Provence—it made the journey seem short.
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LibraryThing member bertonek
Heyer's use of "period" language is a little forced and distracting, but can also be entertaining. Austen fans may find this read appealing.
LibraryThing member annmckillop
When I was young I was always disappointed when Heyer's romances involved heroines in their late 20s; I much preferred Devil's Cub and others with more action, youth and romance. Now I look for the witty dialogue and, being older myself , am very tolerant of age in others.
LibraryThing member Talbin
I have't read a Georgette Heyer novel since I was in junior high, but when my mom told me that she had bought a few, I decided to borrow Lady of Quality to see if I enjoyed Heyer's books as much now as I did in my early teens. Lady of Quality begins when Annis Wychwood rescues Lucilla Carleton and
Lady of Quality is very short in plot, but long in witty repartee between the characters. There are many similarities between this book and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, including the discourteous gentleman, a course of sickness to bring everyone together, and a lot of talk that furthers the relationships in the book. Lady of Quality does not reach anywhere near the heights of Austen's masterpiece, but it is much better than I expected. I understand this was the last book Heyer wrote before she died, and was definitely not one of her best. And it is a somewhat thin book. But for me, on a cold Sunday at the end of the holidays, it was a perfect afternoon diversion.
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her long-time childhood (boy) friend Ninian Elmore from the side of the road. Annis soon meets Lucilla's arrogant (and very rich) uncle, Oliver Carleton. What begins as mutual dislike between Annis and Oliver not-so-surprisingly turns to love.Lady of Quality is very short in plot, but long in witty repartee between the characters. There are many similarities between this book and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, including the discourteous gentleman, a course of sickness to bring everyone together, and a lot of talk that furthers the relationships in the book. Lady of Quality does not reach anywhere near the heights of Austen's masterpiece, but it is much better than I expected. I understand this was the last book Heyer wrote before she died, and was definitely not one of her best. And it is a somewhat thin book. But for me, on a cold Sunday at the end of the holidays, it was a perfect afternoon diversion.
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LibraryThing member Black_samvara
Light reading, not as funny as some but enjoyable. Well bred single lady meets inescapably rude man who makes her laugh, Love ensues.
LibraryThing member thatotter
OMG...another awesome Heyer favorite! So exciting. On-the-shelf heroine rake = reliable super win for me.
Annis is an all-around boss lady, tough and awesome. Oliver is...maybe a bit less finely-drawn than some of Heyer's best characters, but what makes him interesting is how he relates to Annis: he
This was Heyer's last regency novel, and it does have a mature feeling about it: there are nuanced relationships between family members who love each other but who can't get along, and there's a franker discussion of sex and fidelity than I've encountered in other Heyer novels.
Bears some similarities to Black Sheep, another favorite of mine.
4.5-ish stars. I can't quite put it up there with the bookish, broody effervescence of Venetia...but I'm telling you, it's close!
Annis is an all-around boss lady, tough and awesome. Oliver is...maybe a bit less finely-drawn than some of Heyer's best characters, but what makes him interesting is how he relates to Annis: he
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really treats her like an adult.This was Heyer's last regency novel, and it does have a mature feeling about it: there are nuanced relationships between family members who love each other but who can't get along, and there's a franker discussion of sex and fidelity than I've encountered in other Heyer novels.
Bears some similarities to Black Sheep, another favorite of mine.
4.5-ish stars. I can't quite put it up there with the bookish, broody effervescence of Venetia...but I'm telling you, it's close!
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LibraryThing member arctangent
This book was written near the end of Ms. Heyer's life, and it would seem, near the end of her imagination, creativity, or perhaps interest. Not one of her longer works, I still found myself longing for it to end. The author had lost none of her powers of writing witty dialog, but in this book it
I could overlook the unimaginative character choices if there had been a more substantive plot connecting them. But all we get is a love/hate kind of courtship between Oliver Carleton and Annis Wychwood, in which the principal attraction seems to be shared intelligence and sense of humor. Immediately upon meeting, sparks fly between this pair and eyes twinkle (as they so often do in Heyer's books). We are asked to believe that merely not being bored by each other is sufficient reason for two people to live happily ever after. Well, maybe... The plot involving the runaway heiress, Lucilla, peters out oddly, with her facing a rather uncertain future under the aegis of yet another distant, unfamiliar relative. There is no real villain to get his comeuppance, only a mildly dangerous fortune hunter who tries to 'attach' Lucilla's interest, to use a Heyeresque expression. Even the adamant opposition of Annis's oh so proper brother to her acquaintance with, much less marriage to Carleton fades away in the end. It's as though Heyer simply got tired of her characters, and couldn't stand writing about them any longer. More precisely, she seemed to be tired of them from the start. The book is filled with descriptions of life among the upper classes in Bath, and social interactions among the characters, with very little real action. If the author didn't care about them, why should we?
I'm in the process of rereading most of Heyer's books, and sadly I found that this one left a much poorer impression on me than it must have the first time I read it. Otherwise, I'd have saved my time, and skipped rereading this one.
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was all in aid of a very thin plot, and one whose meager plot lines weren't even satisfactorily wrapped up in the end, with the exception of the main one. Even what threads of plot can be found lack originality; they can all be found in earlier works by the author. There is, for example, the “older” unmarried, but beautiful, rich, and intelligent heroine, Annis Wychwood, the eponymous 'Lady of Quality'. Following close on her heels is the runaway teenage girl, trying to escape an unpleasant situation, Lucilla Carleton, who in this case is fleeing an uncaring and selfish aunt who is colluding with a selfish neighbor/family friend to force Lucilla into an unwanted marriage to the son, Ninian Elmore, of the family friend. Following an improbable chance meeting between Annis and Lucilla, which ends with Annis inviting Lucilla to stay with her until a suitable resolution to her problem can be found, the third familiar, over-worked character type is introduced in absentia, by rumor, report, and gossip. This is the guardian uncle of Lucilla, Oliver Carleton. He is a man of shocking reputation, but one with a powerful concern for the proprieties where his niece is concerned. Even the minor characters are ones we (all those avid readers of Georgette Heyer's works) have seen before: the worthy, but priggishly boring suitors; the discreet, über-competent servants; the over-bearing relatives who can't stand for single women to be independent; the fortune hunters who prey on susceptible young girls. The one character in the book who blessedly is not found in other guises in other Heyer works, at least not to my recollection, is Maria Farlow, the stupid, jealous, insecure, interfering, and inanely prosy companion of Annis Wychwood, tolerated only as a means of keeping Annis's brother from objecting too much at her establishment of an independent residence. With great skill, in scene after scene, Heyer gives us dialog with Maria that illustrates brilliantly why everyone (almost everyone) who spends any time in her presence wants to choke her, and risks running from the room screaming and tearing at their hair. By the end of the book, not only did I want to strangle the character, I wanted to strangle Georgette Heyer for going over board in describing and explicating that character's foibles.I could overlook the unimaginative character choices if there had been a more substantive plot connecting them. But all we get is a love/hate kind of courtship between Oliver Carleton and Annis Wychwood, in which the principal attraction seems to be shared intelligence and sense of humor. Immediately upon meeting, sparks fly between this pair and eyes twinkle (as they so often do in Heyer's books). We are asked to believe that merely not being bored by each other is sufficient reason for two people to live happily ever after. Well, maybe... The plot involving the runaway heiress, Lucilla, peters out oddly, with her facing a rather uncertain future under the aegis of yet another distant, unfamiliar relative. There is no real villain to get his comeuppance, only a mildly dangerous fortune hunter who tries to 'attach' Lucilla's interest, to use a Heyeresque expression. Even the adamant opposition of Annis's oh so proper brother to her acquaintance with, much less marriage to Carleton fades away in the end. It's as though Heyer simply got tired of her characters, and couldn't stand writing about them any longer. More precisely, she seemed to be tired of them from the start. The book is filled with descriptions of life among the upper classes in Bath, and social interactions among the characters, with very little real action. If the author didn't care about them, why should we?
I'm in the process of rereading most of Heyer's books, and sadly I found that this one left a much poorer impression on me than it must have the first time I read it. Otherwise, I'd have saved my time, and skipped rereading this one.
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LibraryThing member LauraLulu
Eh. Regency romances are just not my cuppa. But I am doing a lifetime of books reading challenge and this sucker was written the year I was born--it's harder for me to find books I like that were written in the olden days.
LibraryThing member bell7
Annis, a confirmed spinster at 29 for all intents and purposes, moves out of her brother's house and into her own place in Bath, along with an older cousin who acts as her chaperone when she isn't boring everyone to tears with her constant and insipid chatter. On the way, she meets up with a girl,
I've discovered in trying to summarize my thoughts about this story that it's much easier to write a review for a book that I loved or hated. It's much harder to explain why I'm lukewarm. I could not get into this story, whether it was because I had just finished a book I loved, I expected a lot based on praise I'd heard for the author, I was in a crabby mood outside of my reading, or because I didn't find the story or the characters all that compelling. I never really bought it that Annis and Oliver (I anticipate I'm giving little away as we know from the beginning that this is a romance) were "meant for each other" and I thought it was rather daft of Annis to like him in the first place, not because he speaks his mind bluntly, but because he basically had been having flings for years, and in my experience a person (male or female) doesn't just change at the drop of the hat because he or she intrigued by a "lady (person) of quality." I was rather distracted by the dialogue as well, which is filled with cant that I'm sure would have annoyed me less had I been enjoying the story more. Overall, I found it disappointing.
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Lucilla, who is running away from home. Taking Lucilla under her wing, Annis is blindsided by the responsibility of watching over a girl not yet "out" but especially by coming into contact with Lucilla's uncle and guardian, Mr. Oliver Carleton, who has quite the reputation for being rude and a ladies' man.I've discovered in trying to summarize my thoughts about this story that it's much easier to write a review for a book that I loved or hated. It's much harder to explain why I'm lukewarm. I could not get into this story, whether it was because I had just finished a book I loved, I expected a lot based on praise I'd heard for the author, I was in a crabby mood outside of my reading, or because I didn't find the story or the characters all that compelling. I never really bought it that Annis and Oliver (I anticipate I'm giving little away as we know from the beginning that this is a romance) were "meant for each other" and I thought it was rather daft of Annis to like him in the first place, not because he speaks his mind bluntly, but because he basically had been having flings for years, and in my experience a person (male or female) doesn't just change at the drop of the hat because he or she intrigued by a "lady (person) of quality." I was rather distracted by the dialogue as well, which is filled with cant that I'm sure would have annoyed me less had I been enjoying the story more. Overall, I found it disappointing.
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LibraryThing member antiquary
I bought this recently basically to complete my set of Heyer Regency novels. So far I have not finished it but I find it less exciting than he best
LibraryThing member beckymmoe
I love Georgette Heyer's books--the characters are quirky and totally unique, her storylines are always fresh, and her use of Regency slang makes me want to toss around terms like "ape-leader", "blue devil", "wet goose", and "cock up one's toes" in my everyday conversation. I don't usually, but I'm
At twenty-nine, Annis Wynchwood is considered firmly on the shelf. Strong-minded and independent, she's set up her own establishment in Bath to avoid being the "maiden aunt" in her brother's home. In Bath she enjoys making her own decisions, running her own household, and deciding how and with whom she will spend her time. Well, there is one exception--her cousin, Maria, who her brother suggested she engage as her companion to lend her respectability, and who also tends to drive Annis (and anyone else who spends five minutes with her) completely crazy. Other than that, though, Annis is fairly content with the life she's made for herself.
At least she thinks she is--until the day she encounters a broken-down carriage on the road. Annis meets Lucilla Carelton, a young girl who has escaped her aunt's house and the pressure to marry her childhood friend Ninian (who, incidentially, doesn't want to marry her either, and is actually helping her to escape). Annis takes the young girl under her wing and manages to become her temporary chaperone, much to the annnoyance of her brother, her companion Maria, and Lucilla's co-guardian, Oliver Carelton, the "rudest man in England." Mr. Carelton is so put out with Annis's presumption that he travels to Bath to determine just what Miss Wychwood's motives could possibly be. He stays in town, much to Annis's annoyance, since the two are constantly at loggerheads. Or are they? Mr. Carelton admits almost at once to Annis that he finds her both beautiful and fascinating. Annis, though exasperated beyond belief every time she encounters Lucilla's ward, can't help being fascinated by him. She is constantly torn--does she want to see him or avoid him? Encourage him or push him away? Does she loathe him, or love him? You can pretty much figure out where the story will end up from these two characters' first scene together, but as always, the journey Heyer takes us on to get them there is a whole lot of fun!
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tempted. Lady of Quality is a prime example of Heyer at her best.At twenty-nine, Annis Wynchwood is considered firmly on the shelf. Strong-minded and independent, she's set up her own establishment in Bath to avoid being the "maiden aunt" in her brother's home. In Bath she enjoys making her own decisions, running her own household, and deciding how and with whom she will spend her time. Well, there is one exception--her cousin, Maria, who her brother suggested she engage as her companion to lend her respectability, and who also tends to drive Annis (and anyone else who spends five minutes with her) completely crazy. Other than that, though, Annis is fairly content with the life she's made for herself.
At least she thinks she is--until the day she encounters a broken-down carriage on the road. Annis meets Lucilla Carelton, a young girl who has escaped her aunt's house and the pressure to marry her childhood friend Ninian (who, incidentially, doesn't want to marry her either, and is actually helping her to escape). Annis takes the young girl under her wing and manages to become her temporary chaperone, much to the annnoyance of her brother, her companion Maria, and Lucilla's co-guardian, Oliver Carelton, the "rudest man in England." Mr. Carelton is so put out with Annis's presumption that he travels to Bath to determine just what Miss Wychwood's motives could possibly be. He stays in town, much to Annis's annoyance, since the two are constantly at loggerheads. Or are they? Mr. Carelton admits almost at once to Annis that he finds her both beautiful and fascinating. Annis, though exasperated beyond belief every time she encounters Lucilla's ward, can't help being fascinated by him. She is constantly torn--does she want to see him or avoid him? Encourage him or push him away? Does she loathe him, or love him? You can pretty much figure out where the story will end up from these two characters' first scene together, but as always, the journey Heyer takes us on to get them there is a whole lot of fun!
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LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
Wealthy, beautiful and unmarried, Miss Annis Wychwood had grown bored with her sedate suitors, her prosy "companion" Miss Farlow, and her boring life in Bath. Considered quite mature at the ripe old age of twenty-nine, Annis had no intention of surrendering her hard-won independence, nor any
While fully aware that A Lady of Quality is not one of Georgette Heyer's most original novels, bearing as it does such a close resemblance to the author's earlier Black Sheep, I was still able to enjoy reading it. The "older" Annis Wychwood may have strongly resembled Black Sheep's Abigail Wendover, just as the rude Oliver Carleton must surely have sprung from the same prototype as the outrageous Miles Calverleigh, but this story of two people who finally find love had a modest charm of its own.
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expectation of falling in love. Until, that is, a chance encounter with runaway heiress Lucilla Carleton forced her into the company of one of England's most notorious bachelors, and she discovered that she was no longer bored...While fully aware that A Lady of Quality is not one of Georgette Heyer's most original novels, bearing as it does such a close resemblance to the author's earlier Black Sheep, I was still able to enjoy reading it. The "older" Annis Wychwood may have strongly resembled Black Sheep's Abigail Wendover, just as the rude Oliver Carleton must surely have sprung from the same prototype as the outrageous Miles Calverleigh, but this story of two people who finally find love had a modest charm of its own.
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LibraryThing member Jillian_Leigh
Not as note-worthy as some of Heyer's other books, but still enjoyable.
LibraryThing member Figgles
A good example of Heyer's more mature style, with the hero and heroine falling in love as they argue, wittily, over the care of the hero's 17 year old ward. Excellent!
LibraryThing member mmyoung
Reread - Again Heyer returns to the rather disturbing 'perfect' relationship of a high spirited woman who discovers love only when she meets a rude, bullying man who sees her real value.
LibraryThing member amf0001
Georgette Heyer rarely disappoints and this is one of her more charming books. Lady Annis Wynchwood, on the way home to Bath, comes across Lucilla and Ninian in an overturned carriage. Lucilla is running away from over protective and suffocating aunt and Annis agrees to champion her cause. Her
Ultimately I liked Oliver's and Annis' love affair, their using name calling as endearments (hornet and odious) and the fact that it is their laughter that brings them together. I think they'll have a very happy future, and I certainly had a happy time watching them meet
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guardian and uncle, Oliver Carleton, comes and sparks fly. Rereading this for the umpteenth time, I was struck this time how quickly Oliver falls in love, they meet barely 4 times before he proposes to Annis. Another quibble - less amusing every time I read it (but I have to say I skim her bits) is the annoying cousin Maria, and the squabbles of Lucilla and Ninian. The theme of manners is treated a bit oddly - Lucilla pleases b/c she is 'pretty mannered' but the reason that all Annis' previous beaus failed is because they were too well mannered. Something about how men can be rough and ready, but women must always be polite. But that is a very 2008 reading of a book written in 1972 and set in the 1860's? (a date is never given, just beyond Bath's heyday) Ultimately I liked Oliver's and Annis' love affair, their using name calling as endearments (hornet and odious) and the fact that it is their laughter that brings them together. I think they'll have a very happy future, and I certainly had a happy time watching them meet
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LibraryThing member jillrhudy
Not up to her usual standard at all. Full of weird lingo not in her other books of the same time period, and the dialogue between the two romantic leads is uncharacteristically clumsy. An instantly forgettable plot--I finished it last week and I've already forgotten it. Good girl redeems bad boy
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with oddball vocabulary, I think. Show Less
LibraryThing member pgchuis
I enjoyed all the relationships and interactions (Annis and her brother, Lucilla and Ninian, Miss Farlow and any one really) more than I enjoyed the central romance. Annis and Oliver just seemed to do noting but bicker (using extraordinary amounts of period slang) in an exhausting way, but if
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that's what they're looking for in a relationship... Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Among the last of her novels, Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer was published in 1972 and is a thinly disguised re-working of her 1966 book, Black Sheep. Both books are Regency romances, both set in Bath and both feature heroines who, being 28 years of age, have a little more independence than her
I have not yet read Black Sheep but fully intend on pulling it off the shelf at some point. I did enjoy Lady of Quality but not as much as many of her other novels. While the characters felt a little flat, and the story line wasn’t the most interesting, Heyer still manages to deliver some of the most amusing and period correct sentences. When spirited Miss Annis Wynchwood gets involved in the affairs of the Carleton family she comes into contact with a man whom she calls odious, ill-mannered and the rudest man she ever met. He in turn calls her “hornet” for the stinging rebukes she delivers him. Of course, they are destined to fall in love.
Even a less than perfect Georgette Heyer makes for a lovely escape read and I breezed through it smiling all the while.
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younger characters.I have not yet read Black Sheep but fully intend on pulling it off the shelf at some point. I did enjoy Lady of Quality but not as much as many of her other novels. While the characters felt a little flat, and the story line wasn’t the most interesting, Heyer still manages to deliver some of the most amusing and period correct sentences. When spirited Miss Annis Wynchwood gets involved in the affairs of the Carleton family she comes into contact with a man whom she calls odious, ill-mannered and the rudest man she ever met. He in turn calls her “hornet” for the stinging rebukes she delivers him. Of course, they are destined to fall in love.
Even a less than perfect Georgette Heyer makes for a lovely escape read and I breezed through it smiling all the while.
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LibraryThing member ladyoflorien
Fun read with great characters. I find the dialog hilarious.
LibraryThing member PhilSyphe
Although Georgette Heyer has used this type of formula several times, meaning I guessed certain outcomes in advance and there were few surprises, I nevertheless loved the story.
The comedy is top notch. The best of the humour comes through dialogue exchanges, which I feel is the author’s greatest
While the plot isn’t very substantial, the characters make this novel great fun. Even the secondary and incidental characters are memorable. Annis and Oliver are both brilliant. Ninian Elmore is a likeable lad and amusing when he gets annoyed.
Maria Farlow sets everyone on edge without her relentless waffle and is the sort of person I avoid in real life, but as a fictitious character she’s great entertainment, making me laugh often.
Lucilla Carleton takes the prize of being my favourite. She’s likeable, naive, and funny. Ms Heyer is at her best with this type of character.
Having read all this author’s historical novels except “The Spanish Bride” (which I gave up on) and “The Great Roxhythe”, I place “Lady of Quality” as my third favourite Heyer novel.
The comedy is top notch. The best of the humour comes through dialogue exchanges, which I feel is the author’s greatest
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strength. I love the arguments, especially between Annis – the heroine of the piece – and the rude-mannered Oliver Carleton.While the plot isn’t very substantial, the characters make this novel great fun. Even the secondary and incidental characters are memorable. Annis and Oliver are both brilliant. Ninian Elmore is a likeable lad and amusing when he gets annoyed.
Maria Farlow sets everyone on edge without her relentless waffle and is the sort of person I avoid in real life, but as a fictitious character she’s great entertainment, making me laugh often.
Lucilla Carleton takes the prize of being my favourite. She’s likeable, naive, and funny. Ms Heyer is at her best with this type of character.
Having read all this author’s historical novels except “The Spanish Bride” (which I gave up on) and “The Great Roxhythe”, I place “Lady of Quality” as my third favourite Heyer novel.
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Language
Original publication date
1972
DDC/MDS
| Fic Romance Heyer |