The Making of a Marchioness & The Methods of Lady The Methods of Lady Walderhurst by Frances Hodgson Burnett

First published in 1901 as The Making of a Marchioness followed by its sequel The Methods of Lady Walderhurst, the two novels were combined into Emily Fox-Seton who is the two works' primary character. The story 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. Her fortune changes, however, and the second half chronicles her adaptation to her new life and the dangers that arise from those who stand to lose most from her new circumstances.

 

Genre: Historical Romance  | Source: Purchased | 

A few years ago, I discovered—and fell in love with —the PBS movie The Making of a Lady. It’s such a lovely gothic movie and I highly recommend it. Having loved the movie, I finally decided to give the books it’s based on a read.

 

These books (also known as Emily Fox-Seton I & II) are about Emily, a poor woman working as a companion, who is aiding her employer with the task of marrying off the woman’s widower nephew and unintentionally becomes his bride. She then finds herself in jeopardy when her husband’s nephew attempts to murder her in hopes of becoming the sole heir to the Walderhurst estate.

 

The first book, The Making of a Marchioness (rating 3.5), really stands out. We get to learn more about Emily, Lord Walderhurst, and the events leading up to their marriage. We get to see more of their personalities, more of the way they think, and how they handle situations. I flew through the first part of this in no time and I really think it outshone the start of the movie.

 

The second book, The Methods of Lady Walderhurst (rating 2), fell a little flat and I had to force myself to finish it. I feel like the book dragged on and on and could have been summed up in a few paragraphs. I don’t know if it’s where the movie was a faster pace and I knew what was coming and the book was a bit repetitive at times. I just didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first book.

 

While I liked the first book better than the second, I wasn’t a fan of the way Emily was portrayed. She is constantly portrayed as stupid and a bit of a doormat and that got old fast. In the movie she’s naïve, which was understandable given she’s entered into a world she knows nothing about, but she wasn’t a stupid person and she wasn’t someone who didn’t attempt to do things her own way.

Overall, I would say read the first book, The Making of a Marchioness then watch the movie. The first book adds to the story, the second is was just too drawn out.