I wanted so much to like this book and indeed I enjoyed Part 1 very much. The introduction mentions that the two parts of the novel were originally written separately and it really shows. Part 1 has a lovely, fairy-tale like quality in which Emily Fox-Seton, the unfailingly kind and obliging protagonist, reaches her lowest ebb only to be raised up to heights of which she dared not dream. So far so good.

I was unable to read far into Part 2 because aspects of the author's style which had previously irritated became too maddening to overcome. I don't know how many times we were reminded that Emily was not intelligent (but not stupid, mind!), that she was childlike/ish, or that Lady Maria was selfish, or that Walderhurst lacked self-awareness. Perhaps it wasn't actually that many, but I felt bombarded by the authorial voice TELLING me things about the characters which I really would prefer to have been shown. The result was that I found it very difficult to care about the characters at all and thus died my interest in reading further. ( )

2850 The Making of a Marchioness, by Frances Hodgson Burnett (read 10 Mar 1996) This is an excellent and entrancing book. Burnett is a kind of poor man's Henry James. I found it exquisitely written, and the plot is not even predictable, except as to the happy ending--which was the ending devoutly desired by me. This book is described as Burnett's best. It is indeed very good. This is one of a series of 19th century obscure or neglected novels, published as "The Doughty Library." ( )

Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1901 fairy-tale for adults, with a real villain. By the author of 'The Secret Garden' and 'A Little Princess'.