Book Review: Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer

Title: Lady of Quality
Author: Georgette Heyer
Publisher: Bodley Head
Publication Date: 1972
Pages: 254
Format: Hardback
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: Bought Copy (Secondhand)



Miss Annis Wychwood, at twenty-nine, has long been on the shelf, but this bothers her not at all. She is rich and still beautiful and she enjoys living independently in Bath, except for the tiresome female cousin, who her very proper brother insists must live with her. When Annis offers sanctuary to the very young runaway heiress Miss Lucilla Carleton, no one at all thinks this is a good idea. With the exception of Miss Carleton's overbearing guardian, Mr. Oliver Carleton, whose reputation as the rudest man in London precedes him. Outrageous as he is, the charming Annis ends up finding him absolutely irresistible. (Goodreads Synopsis)


Although I have long known of Georgette Heyer, Lady of Quality is the first of hers works that I have actually read. I was worried that it would be a letdown, after so much hype about her stories, but thankfully that wasn't the case. I loved every minute of this tale. The world building and historical detail are excellent. Meanwhile the characters are all larger than life and perfectly portrayed. None of the characters are faultless, and that made me love them all the more. The plot is fairly predictable, of course, but it was still a joy seeing the characters make their way from start to finish. I have two more of Heyer's books here waiting, and I look forward to reading them soon. If Lady of Quality is anything by which to judge, they should be highly entertaining. A solid 4.5 stars from me.