Helpful Score: 1
Lady Sarah Stanton had all too good reason to despair of her future--and to fear for her virtue. Prudence and proprpiety were forcing the beautfiul but impverished young widow into wedlock with the repulsive Sir Edward Grimes. But the alternantive was even worse. The dazzlingly handsome, totlly hearless Lord Gresham offered everything except marriage if she would satisfy his hunger for her. (From the back cover)
Lord Gresham is one of the Seven Corinthians. He is a notorious rake, who finds himself in the country on familial visit with his fellow corinthian, Hon. Willy Hampton. He sees Willy's cousin Lady Sarah and is instantly smitten, but he is not the marrying kind. He offers her carte blanche, which is what she doesn't want. But she is constantly finding herself taking generosities from Lord Gresham. She finally sees that she must pay back her debt to the Marquess by giving him what he wants. After the deed is done however, she realizes she can't live like that and breaks it off from the Marquess. I found this book interesting for two reasons: the first was that it demonstrated that during that time period, if a Lady was poor she could be forced to do things against what she wanted, manipulated if you will, and second, Ms Oliver touched on an unusual subject, and that was an early sexual experience that the Marquess suffered from an older lady at the age of 16, and how that had contributed to his becoming a Rake, and his distrust of women, and unwillingness to committ. A good Read!
Lord Gresham is one of the Seven Corinthians. He is a notorious rake, who finds himself in the country on familial visit with his fellow corinthian, Hon. Willy Hampton. He sees Willy's cousin Lady Sarah and is instantly smitten, but he is not the marrying kind. He offers her carte blanche, which is what she doesn't want. But she is constantly finding herself taking generosities from Lord Gresham. She finally sees that she must pay back her debt to the Marquess by giving him what he wants. After the deed is done however, she realizes she can't live like that and breaks it off from the Marquess. I found this book interesting for two reasons: the first was that it demonstrated that during that time period, if a Lady was poor she could be forced to do things against what she wanted, manipulated if you will, and second, Ms Oliver touched on an unusual subject, and that was an early sexual experience that the Marquess suffered from an older lady at the age of 16, and how that had contributed to his becoming a Rake, and his distrust of women, and unwillingness to committ. A good Read!
