Fairest of Them All

At the onset of this novel, Victorian wunderkind 30-year old Dr. Daniel Cantry, Esq. has forced upon him a girl raised by wild dogs in Africa. The lawyer for the family of this beast-like girl is a kindly gentleman, who sets a wager before Daniel. If he can transform the girl, Talitha, into a "normal" Victorian miss ready for her debut within 3 years, he will win 20,000 pounds from her "distant' relative, the earl of Hawkenge. Daniel accepts the wager and begins the nearly impossible task. Known for his brilliance both as a doctor and a lawyer, Daniel becomes convinced that there is more to the tale of Talitha's supposed loss in the wilds of Africa. Without giving away too much of the plot, which has tremendous suspense and twists and turns which keep you glued to your chair, Daniel quickly realizes that Talitha is older than she appears, that the "distant" relative is much closer than he appears, and that her refusal to speak is not a sign of her lack of intelligence. Once provided with proper nutrition, Talitha grows nearly 18 inches and reaches a late puberty, but still does not speak until she is goaded to do so after many months. Once she speaks, Daniel is still confronted with the difficulty of transforming her into a proper miss and later protecting her life from those with designs against her. Once her true character and intelligence is revealed, Daniel falls in love. But he refuses to acknowledge it and even after acknowledging it, refuses to marry her even though she repeatedly states her love for him, due to their class differences. As always, as an American reader, the class difference issue can be somewhat hard to believe, but the author does a clever job of displaying the differences between the working rural class from which Daniel came, the middle class of which Daniel is now a member, and the upper aristocracy into which Talitha was born. This novel is one of the more original historical romances I have read in a long time, which considering that is clearly a cross between the Jungle Book and My Fair Lady, is quite an accomplishment. The plot is complex and the character development has tremendous depth. As you read, you can "see" the people and action in your mind's eye, because the author is so talented at description and evoking a scene and emotions. The ending felt a little rushed, but that is a minor flaw in an other wise masterful work of complicated plotting and character development.

I really love the book and the characters in it. I love the way the author made the hero not seem interested with our heroin at the first half of the novel. If you are interested in books with a love-hate relationship then this is the book to buy! Daniel Canty can't stand Talitha at the beginning and Talitha was madly in love with him promising to be a lady so Daniel would be attracted to her and not to the ladies he was involverd with. This book will make you laugh, cry and heat up with passion!

This concicely written story tells of a child found in the wilds of Africa, and handed over to (of course) a dashing, wealthy, young bachelor, who is given the assignment to make her a lady. Romance takes a backseat to storyline most of the time, (which is a plus for that rare male reader like myself!) Browning wisely chooses to write in modern English, so there is none of that insipid "tis" and "wherefore" talk here, though it is set in the 19th century. This book deserved a hardcover edition.