I did enjoy the story mostly, it kept my interest to the end, but there are elements that will bother the moder reader. I am not one to be easily offended when I read older literature, because I am aware of the book in its historical context, but sometimes it goes a bit far and it can make the modern reader uncomfortable.

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD

Here, there seems to be a lot of emphasis on the supposed lesser intellectual capacities of the main character. To me she just seems a bit naive perhaps and sheltered, which is difficult to believe as she worked for a personal shopper and assistant all over London for years.
Not only is she repeatedly described as stupid, she's also physically tall and overweight, as I presume a contrast to the dainty young ladies. And at times the focus is also put on her large soft eyes, like an animal... I mean, what is she modelled on, a friendly placid cow? There's no need to pile on every thing like this.

The second obvious element is the racism against Indians. The Indian ayah is akin to an evil witch and of course the only redeemable Indian character is only half-Indian. Brace yourself for the stereotypes and the "half-breed" comments.

I am always impressed by Burnett's ability to write sweet stories without being twee or saccharine. This is what Edith Wharton would write on anti-depressants.

Edited to add on 5/16/19: Goodreads tells me I have read this 11 times. It might very well be even more than that, because I find myself going back to this story again and again, and every time I just intend to reread one of my favorite scenes, and every time I find myself reading the whole thing. I do tend to skip the particularly racist bits in the middle/end that feature Ameerah the deadly native. After many rereads I do find this rather more saccharine than before, but listen, I have a sweet tooth.

Free download available at Project Gutenberg

The three week read and discussion of Emily Fox-Seton by Frances Hodgson Burnett begins Sunday, May 5, at the 19thCenturyLit group. Emily Fox-Seton includes The Making of a Marchioness and The Methods of Lady Walderhurst.

This book discussion can be joined at 19thCenturyLit - Literature of the 19th Century.

Discussion Schedule:
May 5 Part One (Chapters 1 - 6)
May 12 Part Two, Chapters 7 - 15
May 19 Part Two, Chapters 16 - 24


Both books, "The Making of a Marchioness" and "The Methods of Lady Walderhurst" are typical Edwardian's pieces of work where the heroine, a good, honest and hard-working woman, has a fairytale ending which is typical in the Burnett's books.

As very well pointed out by one of the members in the 19th Century Literature Yahoo Group, "the contrast between light and dark, comfort and poverty, was the dominant theme of her books."

I can feel some autobiographical hints during the narrative even if I didn't know so much about her life before reading these couple of books.

At Wikipedia, one can find a good biography of this author, namely Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Unexpected Life of the Author of "The Secret Garden" by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina

Another interesting book about this author which should be mentioned here is Waiting for the Party: The Life of Frances Hodgson Burnett by Ann Thwaite