Lady of Quality

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 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 show more 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. show less

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 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 show more "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. show less

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 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 show more 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), I place “Lady of Quality” as my third favourite Heyer novel. show less

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 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 show more 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! show less

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 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 from her later imitator.

The “lady of quality” of the title is a Miss Annis Wychwood, rich, beautiful, unmarried and, at twenty-nine show more 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 partially 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 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 past 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 story is left 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 me. 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 detail is incredible, and 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. show less

A pretty standard Heyer: nothing too objectionable, though I found the heroine rather lacklustre, and while the hero may have charmed Annis, he certainly didn't have the same effect on me. The various character interactions seem a little more realistic than in some of Heyer's previous work, but there's a definite lack of the humour which made her earlier work sparkle. Diverting, but not memorable.

Whilst the premise, setting and circumstances of this book are very similar to Black Sheep (I'm not sure which was written first), I love the execution and characterisation. The most evil element of this book is an over-garulous spinster, but Heyer's writing style still pulls of a terrific jaunt in Regency England. Great book to relax and while away a rainy day if you appreciate masterful characterisation mixed with a gentle storyline.

Reread: 7 October
This was a favourite book of mine growing up, so not only did I get to enjoy the story again, but it brought back memories of my teen and early adult life as well. Heyer's characterisations of all the characters in her stories are masterful; their actions and dialogue are reinforced at show more every turn. And in this story, we also get an anti-hero in MC Oliver Carleton - a rude and unlikeable person who tells you to your face exactly what he thinks. But for those he regards well, he's at your back :) Which MC Annis Wychwood needs to complement her strong and independent personality. Whilst they clash, they also laugh together. Not perfect, but perfect for them :)

Narrated by Katherine Press. Good but perhaps not quite as Eve Matheson's earlier narration? (But this was many years ago, and I may misremember.) show less