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19th out of 61 books
—
60 voters
The Making of a Marchioness (Emily Fox-Seton #1)
First published in 1901, The Making of a Marchioness follows thirty-something Emily who lives alone, humbly and happily, in a tiny apartment and on a meager income. She is the one that everyone counts on but no one goes out of their way to accommodate. This Cinderella-like story remains a much-loved favorite among many.
This book is followed by a sequel, The Methods of Lad...more
This book is followed by a sequel, The Methods of Lad...more
Paperback, 198 pages
Published
June 5th 2005
by Adamant Media Corporation
(first published 1901)
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Part one: sweet love story, the commoner gets the prince sort of thing, Kate and William.
Part two: embarrassingly bad Gothic horror rubbish.
Subtotal, a book that deteriorates considerably until it finally ended and I could breathe a sigh of relief from such a dreadful potboiler.
Bonus one: It is short.
Bonus two: It was made into a tv movie, "The Making of a lady" which also starts off good then ditto.
Total: Save your money and buy a box of Milk Tray, eat all the chocolates you like the best and t...more
Part two: embarrassingly bad Gothic horror rubbish.
Subtotal, a book that deteriorates considerably until it finally ended and I could breathe a sigh of relief from such a dreadful potboiler.
Bonus one: It is short.
Bonus two: It was made into a tv movie, "The Making of a lady" which also starts off good then ditto.
Total: Save your money and buy a box of Milk Tray, eat all the chocolates you like the best and t...more
A very Victorian/Edwardian style of fiction. Professionally speaking, I can spot the passive heroine, the contrived plot (everybody conveniently falling ill and then recovering at the right moment!), and the clumsy murder attempts, doomed to failure. Surely the heroine cannot be as dumb as she is depicted as being; it is significant that all the characters and the narrator assure the reader at least once every chapter that Emily is not stupid, because she sure acts that way. And is it deliberate...more
6 likes · like · see review
The author of famous stories for children also wrote some books for adults, but the style is much the same, somewhat sentimental, very straight-forward and easy to read. Despite the almost unbelievable good nature of the 34-year-old heroine Emily, one admires her, and cheers for her, and laughs as, without trying, she "lands" the "catch" of the day, a titled lord, a childless widower, who, in his early 50's, wants a wife but doesn't want to have to cater to her. The ever-obliging and cheerful Em...more
I loved this book (I actually read "Emily Fox-Seton," which is the two parts of the story in one--the second part was originally published separately as "The Methods of Lady Walderhurst."
The first part is a Cinderella-like story in which well-born but poor Emily is struggling to keep to a certain respectable standard of living in late-19th-century London. In addition to being a rather unconventional love story, we get some insight into the state of marriage at this time and the British class sys...more
The first part is a Cinderella-like story in which well-born but poor Emily is struggling to keep to a certain respectable standard of living in late-19th-century London. In addition to being a rather unconventional love story, we get some insight into the state of marriage at this time and the British class sys...more
2 likes · like · see review
Although not her most remembered work The Making of A Marchioness is perhaps Frances Hodgson Burnett's best work. Witty, stark, romantic and as one reviewer cited a galloping read. Emily Fox-Seton is a gentile spinster trying to make a living. She is both naive and smart. Recognizing that she could provide a service to her wealthy friends she becomes indispensable and in the process becomes a Marchioness.
If you are a Nancy Mitford fan you will remember the scene when Alfred proposes to Fanny and...more
If you are a Nancy Mitford fan you will remember the scene when Alfred proposes to Fanny and...more
Another adult Burnett. I like the first part better, Emily looks such a nice, capable woman that could take care her own life, thank you very much. The romance (or the inexistence of it) was touching but not puke inducing. In the second part she seemed to be abandoning her self-reliance and became this adoring sugar sweet wife. I suppose this is real and valid thing to happen even now. It's so easy and comfortable to slip into it. I know I would gladly do it. It sounds as if I don't approve of s...more
I had no idea that the Author of "The Little Princess" and "Secret Garden" actually wrote more than this (well, correction. I knew about "Little Lord Fauntleroy" but never read it but saw some TV movie of it.) This book is WONDERFUL!! It has shades (maybe more than shades) of "Little Princess" but is for adults. The main character is one of those you know is too good to be real but makes you want to strive to be like her. I cried several times and was satisfied at that end. I will probably read...more
I haven't read this since I was a teenager and while the idea of a perfectly open and naturally aristocratic nature raising a woman from genteel poverty to titled riches makes the first half fairly readable, the harping on Emily's perfect normality and confiding childlike nature really cloys. The thing one likes about Mary Lennox and Sara Crewe, in her childre's books, is that they are NOT perfect paragons. I would much rather have read a book about the semi-evil Anglo-Indian wife of the heir.
P...more
P...more
Like most people, I knew Frances Hodgson Burnett as the author of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess, two of my childhood favorites. Burnett was actually a prolific, popular, and crititcally well-received author for adults as well. I bought my copy of The Making of a Marchioness from Persephone Press, which has a wonderful shop in Bloomsbury. They publish neglected and out-of-print works of literature, primarily by women. This novel was well-worth the read and will please lovers of 19th cen...more
This was a strange read to me. I enjoyed the first part, with Emily Fox-Seton being almost unnaturally kind, happy and thankful for everything while at the same time the author keeps telling us how she's rather naive and a little stupid etc. Combined with the many female characters, all of different background, each with their own personality that shows us the constricted role of women in the 19th century. Add the delightful deliberate sentimentality and you have a really pleasant read. However,...more
I am shocked that I had never heard of this book until just a few weeks ago. (Thank you Aunt Gayle!) What a delightful read! Previously I had only read the author's books for children, and, like many people, I didn't even know about her novels for adults until now.
The book was originally published in two parts: the first is a "Cinderella Story" of sorts, and the second is a drama/suspense/romance. It's filled with interesting characters, and moments that will make you smile and/or sigh, bite yo...more
The book was originally published in two parts: the first is a "Cinderella Story" of sorts, and the second is a drama/suspense/romance. It's filled with interesting characters, and moments that will make you smile and/or sigh, bite yo...more
Nunca antes había leído a esta autora. No voy a entrar en las comparaciones que hay haciendo marketing, creo en una lectura sin prejuicios para valorar consecuentemente. Es una gran crítica a la época y su literatura, a las clases sociales tan bien dibujadas y sus estereotipos tan marcados. Con una fantástica sátira a la candidez para poder ver las oscuridades en una sociedad llena de ellas. Leeré su segunda parte con la esperanza de disfrutarla de igual manera.
I enjoyed The Making of a Marchioness more than I feel I should have. The innocent and hardworking Elizabeth Fox-Seton ends up marrying the Marquis and then must survive interactions with his current heir while said Marquis is in India. The story is sentimental, tells us what to think of the characters, makes us love Elizabeth for her simple goodness and faith in human nature, and I had a good time reading.
I was inspired to read this after watching a surprisingly good ITV adaptation of the book and its sequel over Christmas. I adore ''The Secret Garden', and was sure that I'd really enjoy Hodgson Burnett's other books too. Unfortunately, this wasn't even in the same league, as far as I'm concerned. The writing was lovely, but the plot - what little there was of it - seemed fluffy and underdeveloped.
In The Making of a Marchioness, Frances Hodgson Burnett combines two short novels, one a Cinderella story, and the other a family tale the edges over into the crime/thriller genre. The heroine, in both cases, Emily Fox-Seaton is a woman from a good family who was orphaned at an early age and faces life with little or no prospects. She is however, very sweet, grateful for any kindness and easily taken advantage of. Both plots revolve around these elements of her personality.
I enjoyed the book, bu...more
I enjoyed the book, bu...more
This is an awfully cute period romance, with some dramatic undertones. Emily is a well-bred woman whose family died when she was a child, and who understood at an early age that she would have to work for her living. She hired herself out to upper-crust ladies to run errands, plan parties, and basically act as a genteel gopher while she just barely ekes by. With a permanently sunny disposition, paired with a practical nature and a pretty face, she catches the eye of her employer's cousin. After...more
Unbeknownst to me, Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of The Secret Garden, and Little Lord Fauntleroy (sp?), also wrote popular fiction for adults. She writes here about British social classes, a popular topic of the era (this was published in 1901). The story is about a down-on-her luck woman of great moral character and naive friendliness who makes her living as an assistant of various kinds to the nobility: finding servants, taking in sewing jobs, running errands, etc. She is invited to one of...more
I didn't think I'd read this before, but as I read I realised that the story was familiar although it must be years and years since I read it and I probably enjoyed it more as a teenager. It's being adapted for television by ITV, although I suspect they may need to pad it out considerably. The book is short, sweet (perhaps too sweet?) but very readable.
Wow... was expecting an Austenesque story about a woman's adjustment to changing circumstances, but wound up with Willkie Collins instead. Emily is the picture of Victorian virtue (referred to as both "pre-Victorian" and "mid-Victorian" by other characters in the book.) Bit of a doormat, "but hey! if she's happy..." Read it until 2 am to ensure that evil fails and right prevails.
I've read the first half of this twice but could not seem to get through the second part until now. While the story appears to be about a rather bland young woman whose life suddenly turns into a fairy tale, it's what FHB is saying in the background that is the real story. A lot of the commentary is about the limited possibilities for unmarried women and the likely destitution that is their lot in old age contrasted with the unhappiness of marriage to the wrong man. She doesn't mean a loveless m...more
Loved this. From the author of The Secret Garden. About a woman who is not a go-getter, but who has to, and does, think about every move as she has no resources. Sounds dumb, but it's lovely! She's a wonderful character and the story is truly moving. Unusual.
I'm inclined to say this book was pleasant, though nothing fabulous, except that the Victorian racism towards non-Europeans (in this case Indians) pervades the last third of the book and is troubling. Even without that, this is really just a very marginal book.
I really loved this book. It had a great mixture of humor and suspense. The characters were so real and well developed even though I didn't necessarily like all of them they seemed genuine and stayed true to their character through out the book.
The two-dimensional characters made this a hard book to love when first reading it as an adult, though I might have liked it a great deal if I'd read it when I was much younger. Still, it was mostly enjoyable, except for the "romantic" section and the ending.
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What a surprise to find a new novel by the author of The Secret Garden and The Little Princess (two of my childhood favorites). This read very much like a mixture between Jane Austen and Henry James.
Enchanting read of a lady of meager means who rather magically captures the heart of a marquis. Although she is rather simple in mind and intellect, Emily is so very good at heart, that it made me feel happy to see her life change.
I loved this book not because it is great literature, but because it made me love it’s heroine. Yes, it’s sentimental and romantic, but it’s lovely and sweet. It’s a wonder merengue of a book.
My copy has a different cover-- published by Persephone Books. I loved this book-- taking me to a different time and place, the same way Pride and Prejudice does. I could read this again and again.
This book feels dated in ways that the two other books I have read by her do not. I enjoyed the first part of the story but I kept waiting for character development that never happened.
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Frances Eliza Hodgson was the daughter of ironmonger Edwin Hodgson, who died three years after her birth, and his wife Eliza Boond. She was educated at The Select Seminary for Young Ladies and Gentleman until the age of fifteen, at which point the family ironmongery, then being run by her mother, failed, and the family emigrated to Knoxville, Tennessee. Here Hodgson began to write, in order to sup...more
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Dec 27, 2012 10:14pm
Dec 28, 2012 04:46am