Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill

Georgian Saga #7

by Jean Plaidy

Although the young widow Maria Fitzherbert is a commoner and a Catholic, her dashing suitor is none other than the Prince of Wales, whose unquestioned royal duty is to marry a Protestant Princess.

In an age well accustomed to royal mistresses, Maria is as virtuous as she is beautiful. Rather than succumb, she flees to France...only to be irresistibly drawn back to England and into the arms of her Prince—and a passionate relationship that may well cost the Prince his throne.

Set against the backgrounds of elegant London and fashionable Brighton, this turbulent, tender story of passion and politics unfolds, with all the great figures of a memorable age playing their appointed roles: The prolifigate playwright Sheridan, the shrewd William Pitt, enchanting Fanny Burney, mad King George III, and frightening Queen Charlotte, who is filled with vindictive hatred toward her rebellious son and his beloved.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, 18th Century, Romance, British Literature

326 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we go - back to the Jean Plaidy books I know and love. This 7th book in the series focuses on primarily the relationship between Maria Fitzherbert who is six years older than her admirer the Prince of Wales. It also deals with the continued madness of poor King George III (who I have such a soft spot for) and the politics of the time. I get so caught up in all of it solely on the way Jean writes. The way she tells a story brings everything to life. There are characters aplenty in her books but trust you will never get confused as to who's who. A wonderful read.

[Sara G · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel a little bad rating this one so poorly, but this book was just dreadfully dull. It's supposedly about the relationship between George, Prince of Wales (later Prince Regent) and Maria Fitzherbert, but I think that couple had such a boring relationship that Plaidy had to make this book about the politics of the time as well. Not even the interesting politics either - it dwells on George III's madness and focuses on the Royal Marriages Act. It's not what I expected at all.

[Patricia Reynolds. candy Buckmaster. Josie Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting better and better

Plaidy is always true to history although she is telling a story. Good Read just about to start the next one!

[Lynn Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Story of commoner and Catholic Maria Fitzherbert and George Prince of Wales future George IV,
whose unquestioned royal duty is to marry a Protestant Princess.

In an age well accustomed to royal mistresses, Maria is as virtuous as she is beautiful. Rather than succumb, she flees to France...only to be irresistibly drawn back to England and into the arms of her Prince—and a passionate relationship that may well cost the Prince his throne. She too though will be abandoned by him after several years together for the more experienced and dashing Lady Jersey.

Set against the backgrounds of elegant London and fashionable Brighton, this turbulent, tender story of passion and politics unfolds, with all the great figures of a memorable age playing their appointed roles: The profligate playwright Sheridan, the shrewd William Pitt, enchanting Fanny Burney, mad King George III, and frightening Queen Charlotte, who is filled with vindictive hatred toward her rebellious son and his beloved(for a time anyway), unlawful wife.

[Cws]

F Hol

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always liked Plaidy for exactly what she is; a color commentator on the sidelines of British history. She brings stories to life more than she recites facts.