Sir Francis Grant, Portrait of a Lady
A rich Englishwoman, bored with offers of marriage, takes a job as a governess in Germany.
Mrs. Alfred Sidgwick (née Cecily Ullman) (1852-1934), born into a German-Jewish family, married an English philosophy professor and wrote some 46 novels beginning in 1889. This one finds humor in the cultural differences between the English protagonist and the German family for which she works.
“A pleasant story of modern life—a welcome story, for youth and happiness sparkle through its pages.” Academy, November 9, 1901
“Mrs. Sidgwick, with rare keenness of vision, has seen below the surface ugliness of German existence, and has understood many things which the prejudiced refuse to acknowledge.” Bookman, December, 1901
“The charm of the book is to be found in the descriptions of German home life, and particularly in the doings and sayings of the children, who are real living youngsters. This makes it wholesome, charming, and entertaining.” San Francisco Chronicle, February 15, 1902
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