The Pretty Lady is regarded as one of Arnold Bennett's most perceptive novel during the World War I. Set largely in wartime London, the novel centres on Christine, a pragmatic and self-sufficient French prostitute who had fled wartime Ostend and rebuilt her life in London, and her relationship with a wealthy bachelor, G.J. Hoape. Far from being stereotypical predatory woman exploiting innocent soldiers: Christine is portrayed as a shrewd businesswoman, who adapts intelligently to the opportunities and constraints of wartime society.

The novel explores the wartime 'frenzy' of patriotism and exposes its moral ambiguities. It also examines the profound social changes brought about by the war, highlighting class divisions, industrial unrest and social inequities, while questioning conventional ideas about respectability, morality and national duty in a society under extreme pressure.