A Fair Barbarian

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Miss Belinda Bassett's niece arrives in a small England town. Octavia Bassett arrives from Nevada with her trunks of fancy clothes, diamond jewelry, and gold coins for the poor. She soon becomes friends with Lucia Gaston, the repressed granddaughter of the village matriarch, Lady Theobald.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Romance, Ebooks, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Victorian

148 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1880

About the author

Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911).
Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1853, when Frances was 4 years old, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in New Market, Tennessee. Frances began her writing career there at age 19 to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines. In 1870, her mother died. In Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1873 she married Swan M. Burnett, who became a medical doctor. Their first son Lionel was born a year later. The Burnetts lived for two years in Paris, where their second son Vivian was born, before returning to the United States to live in Washington, D.C. Burnett then began to write novels, the first of which (That Lass o' Lowrie's), was published to good reviews. Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886 and made her a popular writer of children's fiction, although her romantic adult novels written in the 1890s were also popular. She wrote and helped to produce stage versions of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.
Beginning in the 1880s, Burnett began to travel to England frequently and in the 1890s bought a home there, where she wrote The Secret Garden. Her elder son, Lionel, died of tuberculosis in 1890, which caused a relapse of the depression she had struggled with for much of her life. She divorced Swan Burnett in 1898, married Stephen Townesend in 1900, and divorced him in 1902. A few years later she settled in Nassau County, New York, where she died in 1924 and is buried in Roslyn Cemetery.
In 1936, a memorial sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh was erected in her honor in Central Park's Conservatory Garden. The statue depicts her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon.

Reviews

[Melindam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an obscure classic and undeservedly so, for it is humorous, entertaining and contains some keen observations of character and society, which Frances Hodgson Burnett is so good at.

There is the very genteel, small, rather isolated and utterly English country town of Slowbridge where everything is done "just so" under the iron rule of Lady Theobald (if you think Lady Catherine de Bourgh from P&P, you are not far off).

The height of socialising are tea parties and frivolous London fashion is not allowed in.



Gentlemen are scarce and Lady Theobald has not got over the fact that a prosperous mill was established in the vicinity (with a Southern John Thornton, called John Burmistone, at the helm).

Into this small, self-contained and self-satisfied pond a stone is thrown with a big splash: an American heiress, Octavia Basset, niece to the gentle Miss Belinda, suddenly arrives from the wilds of Nevada to stay with her bewildered relative. And not only does she do everything wildly differently from the "just-so" rules of Lady Theobald and Society, she doesn't seem to care in the least about their opinion.

Some matrons fear for the innocence of their daughters: how are they to be preserved from such bad influence? Tis as bad as the French Revolution! This Barbarian may turn their cultivated parties from this



into THIS:




Lady Theobald is not happy as that splash is causing some waves.



Her own gentle, shy granddaughter, Lucia, is showing alarming signs of a silent revolution: changing her hairstyle and clothes and also finding her courage and true love in the process, which, BTW is the loveliest part of the book.

I was in two minds about Octavia. FHB, while constantly describing her looks and actions and the influence she exercises, never lets us in on her thoughts and feelings, so I felt a bit alienated from her. Also I found her actions in the final chapters -while I felt that something like this was coming- off-putting as they were rather in contrast to her supposed openness and directness. No matter how "American" she may have been, her behaviour towards Francis Barold (even though he was not a likeable character at all) was questionable to say the least and underhanded. To me all her actions seemed encouraging, so to suddenly throw in his face that she's already engaged was rather nasty.

This is a novella, not a full-blown novel, like "The Shuttle", but very enjoyable.

Recommended.

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this author! The Barbarian of the title is Octavia, a wealthy, fashionable, self-confident American girl. She arrives unexpectedly for a stay at the home of her Aunt Belinda in the aptly-named British town of Slowbridge, where nothing much happens or changes. That is, until Octavia shows them all that a little change can be a good thing. This was a quick, funny, delightful read.

Random thoughts and spoilers:

(I assume most of the same people who would like this are also Jane Austen fans, so forgive the Austen references.)

- I really liked Octavia for the most part, she was a great character. But I did think her treatment of Mr. Francis Barold was shabby.

Barold was somewhat of a jackass, but he can't be faulted for thinking Octavia was into him. She paid him a lot of attention and sought out his company. I actually felt sorry for him after his Mr. Darcy-like proposal to her, when she mentions - for the first time! - a fiance she's had lurking in the background the whole time. I'm sorry, but she powerfully reminded me of another jackass, Frank Churchill. To paraphrase Mr. Knightly in Emma, "Badly done, Octavia."

- I enjoyed the emancipation of Lucia and her sweetly evolving romance with Mr. Burmistone. Especially the coup de grace where all of her grandmother's scheming to hook her up with Mr. Barold would have backfired in the end, as her guardian, Mr. Binnie, disliked Barold intensely and would have left her nothing if she married him!

[Wealhtheow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young, beautiful American heiress descends upon a tiny sleepy English town. Burnett loves gender and class stereotypes; there is nothing she likes more than to write about a lady's delicate features or a man's strong arms, and certainly every member of the lower classes is flatteringly awed by their betters. Nevertheless, the American Octavia Bassett manages to upset the usual mode just a little--when she is asked to marry a handsome, well-bred and rich Englishman, she refuses with composure. I love the scene:

'"You don't want _me_," she said. "You want somebody meeker,--somebody who would respect you very much, and obey you. I'm not used to obeying people."
"Do you mean also that you would not respect me?" he inquired bitterly.
"Oh," she replied, "you haven't respected me much!"
"Excuse me"--he began, in his loftiest manner.
"You didn't respect me enough to think me worth marrying," she said. "I was not the kind of girl you would have chosen of your own will."
"You are treating me unfairly!" he cried.
"You were going to give me a great deal, I suppose--looking at it in your way," she went on; "but, if I _wasn't_ exactly what you wanted, I had something to give too. I'm young enough to have a good many years to live; and I should have to live them with you, if I married you. That's something, you know."
He rose from his seat pale with wrath and wounded feeling.
"Does this mean that you refuse me?" he demanded, "that your answer is'no'?"
She rose, too--not exultant, not confused, neither pale nor flushed. He had never seen her prettier, more charming, or more natural.
"It would have been 'no,' even if there hadn't been any obstacle," she answered.
"Then," he said, "I need say no more. I see that I have--humiliated myself in vain; and it is rather bitter, I must confess."
"It wasn't my fault," she remarked.'

I love her! There's nothing more refreshing than someone who is aware of the values of her peers, but recognizes their limitations and that they are important only in relative terms. The plot of My Fair Barbarian is not complex or surprising, but it is short and sweet. It is also a good showcase for Burnett's ability at writing Victorian literature that lacks a surprising number of the usual pitfalls of that era--the sentences contain only a few clauses each, the dialog is impressively natural, and the characters are personalities of their own, rather than archetypes acting out a morality pagant.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but not too memorable for me. The Shuttle is my preferred Frances Hodgson Burnett novel. (I LOVE The Shuttle!) This was short, and the stakes weren't quite as high as in The Shuttle, but the theme of American vs. British manners was there, and some nice enough characters.

[Mela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read it not so long ago. I am surprised that I haven't reviewed it then.

Now, I am after reading The Shuttle and I can tell that I like more the subtlety of this novella than educational The Shuttle (my review). Both books are about what happened when American spirit met British conventions.

This novella is funny and witty and the end is so surprising.

You haven't here a full story but it is this kind of a short stories which gives you more than you would think according to numbers of pages.

[Gemma Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone with the patience for Burnett's Victorian language, A Fair Barbarian is a charming read. Hidden under the layers of wardrobe lies a biting social commentary. More than a comedy of manners, Burnett wrote a scathing mockery of conformity and social control. It draws a bit from Jane Austen and foreshadows Cold Comfort Farm. One online reviewer called it a simplified retelling of Henry James' "Daisy Miller," but I can't speak to that because I haven't read it. Burnett's fair barbarian is an American girl of nineteen who arrives in a parochial English village and shakes things up a bit. She does this entirely by accident, simply by virtue of not being afraid of what other people think.

For all its attention to century-old fashions and tea party invitation etiquette, the book is surprisingly relevant today. The details of conformity may have changed, but people still make decisions based on appearances and what other people do. It still requires courage and/or cluelessness to present yourself as you really are rather than mold yourself to others' expectations. And it's still worthwhile to do so.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This early novella by Frances Hodgson Burnett of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess fame, was very much in the tradition of those stories that feature a visitor from afar whose different outlook on life transforms a person, a family, or even a whole town for the better. In the stories (or films) I am talking about, the transformation is not mutual. The visitor remains steadfast, it is the people around her that change. Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter, Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. It’s been compared to Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, but I haven’t read that one. And Maybe Silas Marner by George Eliot. Heck, what about Footloose or Sister Act?

I love the title of this book. Octavia Bassett is anything but a “barbarian.” If a little dashing and open-mannered, she is also well-behaved, kind, beautiful and classy. But she is from America, and in Slowbridge, “It was not considered in good taste to know Americans.” For sure not ones from “Bloody Gulch,” a small mining town in Nevada, where Octavia’s father made his fortune. She is a bit different from the young ladies in the small parochial English enclave of the Victorian era little village: she is self confident and unintimidated by the disapproval she encounters, particularly in the person of Lady Theobald, who rules insular Slowbridge with an iron hand. All of society must bend their behavior to her idea of what is gentile, proper, and correct. Particularly her sweet granddaughter Lucia. When Octavia arrives to stay with her meek and mild Aunt Belinda her effect on the town is much like a “tremor in the force.” Not that she does anything so shocking even by the standards of most of Victorian England, but it is how this town reacts to her. She wears beautiful gowns and jewelry, her hair is worn stylishly (curls on her forehead!), and she doesn’t just speak when she is spoken to but actually tries to have two-way conversations. She is not only seen but heard.

There is not a lot of action. The big climax occurs when a garden party is arranged without Lady Theobald’s blessing. Meanwhile Lucia has found some backbone thanks to Octavia’s example and influence. She has fallen in love with an unsuitable suitor while Lady Theobald is arranging a more conventional marriage for her. Unfortunately her first choice seems to have fallen under Octavia’s inevitable spell. The writing, descriptions, and the Austen-like satiric and humorous tone are the attraction here. I was also reminded of The Miss Buncle Books by D.E. Stevenson.

Satisfactory outcomes were had by all including an unhappy one for Lady Theobald. There was a slightly unexpected twist in the quickly wrapped up end. Or maybe it just seemed too quickly wrapped up because I just wanted more of Octavia Bassett. The narrator, Anne Hancock, of this Audible book perfectly voiced our main character. It reminded me of the raspy distinctive tones an old movie star, Jean Arthur, whose voice, as described by Edward G. Robinson, “grated like fresh peppermint.”
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....

[Metaphorosis · Rating 3 out of 5]

As, I suspect, with most, my previous exposure to Frances Hodgson Burnett was through The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, and The Lost Prince. Those books are better.
A Fair Barbarian is a harmless and mildly entertaining shift from those child-oriented books to more a young adult's realm. It's pleasantly reminiscent of Jane Austen, though less complex.

The book's strength is the characters, who are interesting and moderately likeable. However, despite a fair-size crew of young men and women looking to fall in love with each other, there's no strong resolution; the ending comes disappointingly ex machina, and the story simply stops.

Recommended for Burnett fans, and pleasant but not compelling for others.

[Sariqd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea that she wrote "adult" (and not naughty adult, mind you) books. I loved her children's books like "A Little Princess" and "A Secret Garden" to name a few. Anyway, I liked it because it was quite comical to me how she played up the strict ways of the English folks as compared to the Americans being all wild. A bunch of hooligans, are we? Anyway - the book. I really enjoyed how the American newcomer was mostly oblivious to how her mannerisms were shocking to her fellow English neighbors. How the young ladies were secretly envious of her almost cavalier attitudes in society. It's a quick read with rather an abrupt ending but enjoyable nevertheless.

[Adele Lostinaclassicworld · Rating 4 out of 5]

La storia si svolge a Slowbridge, un piccolo paesino inglese. Qui la vita procede tranquillamente fino all'arrivo di Octavia, la nipote di Miss Belinda.
Octavia ha sempre vissuto in America con il padre che, originario dell'Inghilterra, ha lasciato il suo paese in cerca di fortuna.
In America è riuscito a diventare ricco e ha cresciuto Octavia, orfana di madre, in tutti gli agi e i vizi possibili.
La giovane donna, proprio per il suo vissuto e il luogo in cui è cresciuta, ha una mentalità più aperta rispetto agli abitanti di Slowbridge, e ciò fa sì che nascano subito dei contrasti perchè secondo la gente veste in modo troppo sfarzoso e si comporta in modo civettuolo, anche se Octavia non ha mai fatto nulla di compromettente.
A Slowbridge vive anche Lucia, nipote di Lady Theobald, una delle donne più importanti della cittadina. Lucia, a differenza di Octavia, ha ricevuto dalla nonna un'educazione molto severa e le ha lasciato ben poche libertà.

Anche se molto diverse mi sono piaciute entrambe le protagoniste. Octavia ha un carattere forte, non le importa delle cattiverie che vengono dette alle sue spalle, mentre Lucia ha paura di parlare apertamente con sua nonna, anche se piano piano diventa più determinata e inizia a far valere i suoi desideri.
La loro amicizia porta entrambe a rivedere e conoscere meglio qualcosa del proprio carattere e del modo di porsi con gli altri.

Ovviamente a Slowbridge ci sono anche degli uomini che hanno a che fare con le due giovani donne e con le mire più o meno velate delle signore che vorrebbero vedere sposate le loro care figlie o nipoti. E questi scenari mi hanno divertita molto!

Questa storia è ancora molto attuale, la nostra società è sempre pronta a dare giudizi ed etichette a persone che non conosce, che considera diverse solo perchè non si comportano secondo il loro metro di giudizio. Ma chi stabilisce cosa è corretto o no? Perchè le persone non possono comportarsi come meglio credono senza essere sempre analizzate dagli altri?

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick, easy, light, and funny romance / comedy of manners from Frances Hodgson Burnett, the famed author of A Little Princess and The Secret Garden. She also wrote a lot more books including novels for adults, of which this is a superior example. When Octavia shows up unexpectedly on her aunt's doorstep in a staid, stodgy little English town, her very "American-ness" sets town society atwitter. The fun is in the contrast between Octavia's standards and the townsfolk, however, my favorite part is how she and new friend Lucia influence each other — both for the better. I'll be reading this one again.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is basically Cranford with a sarcastic edge. The sudden advent of an unexpected American throws a small British village, beholden to the "proper" notions of one elderly tyrant, into total disarray, which is very good for the village's young ladies and a bit heartbreaking for the young men. It's a delightful clash of old and new worlds and well worth reading.

[Bree (AnotherLookBook) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel about a young American woman who comes to visit her aunt in England, and the effect her unrefined candor has on the conservative inhabitants of the town. 1880.

Frances Hodgson Burnett's books seem to have a way of drawing me in very quickly, before I can even give a thought to what the book might be about. It was that way with A Lady of Quality (known under several different titles) and The Shuttle, although I have yet to finish reading the latter. A Fair Barbarian gets the action of the story going quickly, and keeps it moving along at a satisfying, engaging pace. For those looking for a light read full of authentic old world charm (and some funny scenes featuring the differences between Americans and the English), I would recommend it.

Full review (and artwork!) at Another look book

[Cera · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming novel about an American girl who grew up in western mining towns coming to visit her aunt in provincial England. Many contemporary reviewers saw this as an answer to Henry James' "Daisy Miller," which seems rather high praise given Burnett's lack of psychological realism, but it's a very fun, quick novel, and the characters are charming.

[cloudyskye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminded me a little of The Blue Castle, but not quite as riveting. Still a rather enjoyable and fast read. Needed this after weeks of Gone With the Wind. ;)

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4

This is a cute, funny, enjoyable little tale, with a bit of a twist ending. I really like Burnett's cheerfully independent heroine. While she does have to learn to give in to social mores once and a while, she makes the big decisions on her own, and has a very definite sense of her own worth. The ending, where the supposed love interest is deservedly sent packing, made me want to say, "Hellz yeah!!" out loud.

[Vera Viselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐

La storia è piuttosto semplice - e piena di pizzi e vestiti, che immagino siano serviti a Burnett come pretesto per mostrare al meglio la diversità e la differenza della società e delle persone, del loro modo di vedere-, ma il personaggio di Octavia è davvero splendido. Una ragazza libera, indipendente, che non si cura degli aspetti sociali e delle aspettative delle persone, come dovrebbero fare tutte le donne, sempre.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The independent, outspoken American millionaire miner's daughter Octavia Basset causes a sensation in the sleepy, Cranford-like town of Slowbridge, England. Frances Hodgson Burnett seems to have had a special interest in American–English relations, having lived in both places.

An fairly quick and moderately entertaining read. The ending felt a bit rushed.

[Jeannie Pederson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read about a quiet little English village and a young American girl. Slowbridge gets quite the shock when Miss Octavia Bassett arrives on the scene, and the ensuing story is enjoyable and heartwarming. The characters are very believable, and I was intrigued at how well-developed they were for such a short book.

A plus for me was reading this one for free at Project Gutenburg!

[Nagisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love its theme; an American girl Octavia brings freshness to a dull, conservative English town and challenges its hierarchy. Gradually, the American and the British begin to accept the cultural differences and work toward mutual understanding.

[Sharone Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our "Barbarian" is a young American who visits an English village and shakes everybody up with her looks, manners, habits, and ideas. The best part is that the meek and proper members of the Victorian society begin to change thanks to Octavia's influence, to shed the fear they live in and gain some self-respect (as Lady Theobald's granddaughter puts it).

There's definitely some similarities between this shorter story to Burnett's The Shuttle. I liked them both.

[Merri Barnousky · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when you throw a cowgirl debutante (from Bloody Gulch, no less) into an exaggeratedly sleepy and stuffy English village? Well, to start with, everyone's offended by the name of her hometown. And also, all the men think she's hitting on them because she isn't a shrinking violet. The old ladies also get this impression, and are again offended. Meanwhile, she makes friends with a trembling, terrified girl who's been gaslighted all her life...

This was a really good book, although I would have liked to see the villain embarrassed more. It also actually came in handy as reference for some of my own writing, because the clash of cultures illuminated some etiquette rules that I wasn't sure about.

[Sanya Weathers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Little Princess, Secret Garden - classics.

Unlike Louisa May Alcott, whose stuff you've never heard of is still largely pretty great, everything else by Ms. Burnett is dated, slapdash, or desperately in need of an editor to cut down the rambling repetitive garbage. (I'm looking at you, Emily Fox-Seton, with hundreds of descriptions of the heroine being humble, but without sufficient verbiage to actually end the damned book.)

However, if you were thinking, "gosh darn it, I've read and reread and reread my late Victorian/Edwardian YA lit, and I just want something new to read," you could do worse than this one. It certainly wins the "best of the rest" prize, with likable characters, a serviceable if undemanding plot, and a twist at the end to give it a brief shot of originality.

[Tara Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

While my usual experience with Burnett has been throug her more popular Secret Garden and a Little Princess, I was very happy to read this book for the first time on gutenberg.org. It has the same sweet characteristics that are Burnett's trademark, and give me a resolve to finish more of her work.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This early novel of Burnett's is short and sweet. I liked it more than I thought I would.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a deep read but a good 19C tale of love somewhat like Thakery but not so cutting

[Sarah]

Borrow through ILL

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little gem. Nicely written.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read, December 2016.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is clever and funny, even as it takes a very critical look at Victorian womanhood. It's perhaps a bit campy, but otherwise it's a quick and delightful read.