Old-Fashioned

The Keeper’s House

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By Jane Fraser

I went ahead and purchased this hard-to-find early Rosamunde Pilcher title when it came my way at a good price. It was part of Harlequin’s Golden Library collection. It was her second to the last book she wrote under “Jane Fraser”, the name she used to publish her Mills and Boon romances. It would be 4 years before she published The Sleeping Tiger, the first book I read by one of my favorite authors and still a favorite of her “little” books. When I first started reading, I had high hopes that this would turn out to be one of the best of the Jane Frasers I have read. I liked our “not pretty” heroine pretty well, and I liked the hero too, thanks to his being introduced with a good bit of his backstory, before the heart of the novel started. The book turned out to be a pretty good one, but a bit below my favorites. I did feel that it was very close in quality to many of her Pilcher titles. In a few cases, better, as far as the character of the heroine. Some of her young ladies can be very weak, lazy, and not too bright.

The book opens with 20-year-old Amabel on the last day of a ski vacation in Europe. She meets Jeremy, a Major, and a former underling of her retired military father there by chance, whom we know from his description is not destined to be her love interest though he is a perfectly nice guy. He has a bristly blonde mustache and a receding chin. As usual, Pilcher’s leisurely pace is full of background and detail which established an atmosphere that drew me right in. As with her more acclaimed novels, the smallest detail conveys atmosphere, nuance of character and paints a whole picture. She makes everything interesting no matter how seemingly inconsequential.

Unfortunately, upon Amabel’s return home to England she is met with the devastating news of her 49 year-old single father’s death. She, her two young siblings, Emma and Adrian, and their Nanny are forced to move from their large farm to a much smaller cottage on the property, the Keeper’s House. Their former estate has been rented for two years to Bill Hopper, a very rich Canadian rancher. We met 26-year-old Bill in New York City in the process of his being dumped by his beautiful model fiance. Because of this abrupt change in his plans he has decided to turn a quick purchase of a prize bull into an extended stay in Scotland. He hears about Kilgenny being available and rents it for two years, planning to spend his time raising cattle for his father’s huge cattle concern.

Although Amabel takes a dislike to Bill thanks to her resentment of his occupation of her beloved home and his amusement of catching her in an embarrassing situation (under the piano with flour on her face) at their first meeting, she pretty much behaves herself. She is not rude or petulant, and though they have a few unpleasant run-ins after their initial meeting, she even apologizes for her fractious behavior. Bill is a very likable guy, making friends with whomever he meets, besides being very large, tall, and very good looking. He takes fatherless young Emma and Adrian under his wing and they make themselves right at home at Kilgenny, spending most of their time there “helping” him with the farm. It isn’t long before Bill and Amabel also make friends and are well on their way to falling in love with each other. Things eventually come to a head when Jeremy makes a re-appearance and Bill goes rushing off to London after an unexpected phone call from his ex-fiancé.

I liked this one quite well. The plot did kind of flag in the middle once Bill and Amabel became friends and started to fall for each other. Everything was proceeding a little too predictably with seemingly no trouble on the horizon to shake things up a bit. When things did start to perk up, Amabel behaved like a really stupid idiot, actually putting her and her family’s whole future happiness on the line by a knee jerk reaction. Luckily she ran into a brick wall (rather amusingly). Also, a highly anticipated confrontation on another front happened off stage which is one of my pet peeves. One aspect which was distracting and bothersome was Bill’s constant smoking. It seemed like he was buying a carton of “Players” at every opportunity. I know, it was usual for the times, but I don’t have to like it. It’s one of those old-fashioned aspects of vintage novels that is not a bit charming. As far as the happy ending, thank goodness for Nanny, who pokes her nose in and saves the day. Those crazy kids.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Love Across the Aisle

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By Todd McGee

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I make a point of not reading books that are not from “real publishers”. With all of the choices out there, I have to have a few filters. But I was asked to read this one by a friend and review it if I felt like it, so I shrugged and said “OK”. After the first couple of chapters Todd McGee’s good writing, intriguing premise and amusing dialogue soon made me forget my prejudices and I started to get involved in the story and care about the characters.

Romances between odd couples have always attracted me. Opposite stations in life, physical attractiveness or personalities all make for reliable sources of comedy or drama. This one features a take I have not personally ever run across in a book: a romance between a conservative republican and a liberal democrat set on the political stage. Milly is a very attractive and charismatic former athlete running for the Pennsylvania state senate as a Republican. Mark is a political operative working for the incumbent, a liberal but stodgy democrat with a comb over, “who talked— mumbled, really— like he had a mouthful of loose teeth and was afraid one might fall out.” Newcomer Millie Blair is very much the underdog who shocked the good ole boy network by winning their party’s primary. Her small team is on a shoe string budget as they run a grass roots campaign going to any venue they can get. But from one church basement and school auditorium to the next their campaign is slowly and surely building momentum on the strength of Millie’s eloquent and rousing speeches, charisma, and photogenic appeal. Mark is covering her semi-covertly to uncover missteps and weaknesses his side can exploit. As Millie starts whittling down what started as a huge gap in the polling numbers, Mark’s candidate, Senator Phil Cooper is getting antsy. Mark has yet to expose Milly doing “anything stupid.”


She’s a saint… Highschool valedictorian, Tennis scholarship to Penn State. Academic all-american…The closest thing I’ve found is a speeding ticket. The judge ordered her to perform twenty hours of community service for a local non- profit. She worked more than one hundred, wrote a business plan and held the organization’s most successful fundraiser ever. After she finished her service, they elected her to the Board of Directors and named an award after her.” “Geez, this woman is like a nun.” “With the body of a swimsuit model. You stare at her and think all these impure thoughts and then feel guilty about it and ask for absolution.”

But one day, during a campaign stop Mark inadvertently films a wardrobe malfunction that might possibly provide that one loose thread that could unravel her campaign. But instead of sharing it with his bosses who would probably use it to their advantage, he stops filming and warns her in time to prevent her from embarrassing herself. Mark is a good guy, and he has sisters. He deletes it in front of her (at the police station-because in the confusion her security guys call the cops) and Millie is grateful and impressed. Mutual crushes and growing feelings are not far behind.

The growth of the romance is well done and, well, romantic. It is a slow burn because they both struggle with their personal admiration and feelings for each other in the face of their adversarial professional relationship and political differences. Their attraction is of the heart and head rather than involuntary physical chemistry. That is there too, but unlike so many romances these days, it is not boringly dwelt on ad nauseum. It is complicated by Milly’s relationship with her campaign manager which had been getting romantic, and the recent death of Mark’s fiancée in a car accident. He was deeply in love with her and she was wonderful. Usually a past relationship that the main character is recovering from has some flaw or other to make the romance at hand shine all the brighter. This is one of the many cliches that the author avoids falling into and boy did it make for a refreshing read.

In addition to the romance there was plenty more in the story to keep my interest. Will Milly’s inexperience trip her up eventually? Will Mark play a part in it? A debate between the two candidates is agreed to. How will that go? Milly finally has the attention of the national Republican power brokers. Can she stay true to herself? Will Milly and Mark’s developing feelings for each other be exposed? That would not end well. Finally, we are introduced to Mark’s sister Carolyn who turned out to be the strongest character in the book and very funny. I loved her. The main crisis occurs when the video that Mark deleted somehow makes an appearance online and goes viral. How did that happen and who is responsible? Mark is innocent, but of course he is blamed. How will the fallout affect Milly’s growing momentum? Or will it backfire and derail her opponent’s campaign? Will his good name be cleared? Whoo. That’s a lot of questions. But I was there for it and it really kept me turning the pages.

Amazingly, despite the political backdrop, the author managed to avoid revealing a personal political agenda. Both sides were gently skewered. Liberal Democrat or conservative Republican readers alike should find nothing here to offend them unless you are one of those who think all Democrats or all Republicans are inherently either evil or saintly. It reminded me of some of the best of the old category romances back in the day, but I certainly see why the political dynamic is rarely tackled in light rom-coms. Especially these days. If you’re looking for a light old fashioned romance that does not follow the usual tired beats, you couldn’t do better than this one. There is no spice, just two people falling in love. After reading it I turned to a best selling chick-lit romance by a top author in the genre. After 17%, I put it aside. I wonder if I would have had more patience with it if I hadn’t picked it up so soon after enjoying this one.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Emerald

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by Elizabeth Luard

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I don’t think I’ve ever tried harder to like a book more than this one. But at the 72% mark when the long anticipated meeting of the sibling/lovers finally happened, I just gave up. Oh it is quite the yarn, I’ll give it that. I finished it, so that says something. Published in 1995, It is very reminiscent of the old jet-setting Judith Krantz/Jackie Collins/Jilly Cooper potboilers of 1980s and 90s. Except the sex is sweet and idealized and mostly closed door. I heard about it from a glowing review on YouTube. The concept intrigued me to no end. The possibilities! I went to extraordinary lengths to get this book, finally getting a trade paperback from an inter-library loan. Prior to this, I actually emailed the author to alert her to a prominent reviewer’s praise for the book and my displeasure that the book was not readily available in the U.S. It was a major wrench for me to have to forgo my Kindle and read an unwieldy paperback. I really missed the search and highlighting function. There were a lot of minor characters in this book to keep straight and I love the Kindle for the ability to quickly get me back up to speed after a short break in reading. Not to mention the ability to read in the dark without a lamp. Poor me. But I digress.

**spoilers**

Here is the plot. Hang on tight. Born in secret and out of wedlock to Wallis Simpson and HRH the Duke of Windsor, Emerald is farmed out to one of his loyal former lovers, now happily married with a young son, to be temporarily taken care of. After the now married Duke and Duchess are banished to the Bahamas and after the heroic war time deaths of her foster parents, the powers that be, a.k.a. Anthony Anstruther, a main character and royal fixer extraordinaire, decides it is time for them to take responsibility for their daughter, whom they want nothing to do with. Luckily, the ship she and her adoring foster brother Callum are on wrecks off the coast of Callum’s grandfather, The Laird’s, remote Scottish island so 3-year-old Emerald doesn’t have to deal with the hateful couple. They are raised together (sort of) until they are wrenched apart 5 years later by Emerald being bundled off to Mexico to live with Anstruther’s mother to be raised like a lady and keep her under the radar. Meanwhile, her letters to her 12-year-old foster brother, whose heart has been “broken clean in two” by their parting, are intercepted for her own good. She grows up prowling the jungles of Mexico with her bosom buddy “Nacho”, who, like all males of all ages, are smitten with her. At 15-years-old, Emerald’s beauty, despite being so thin and gangly, promises success in the marriage arena, despite her predilection for cock fights and knifing alligators to death. It turns out that her figure is perfect for runway modeling which is discovered by her next door neighbor who happens to be a former toast of the Paris fashion scene. She has the connections necessary to pave Emerald’s way in New York and Paris and save her from a marriage of convenience while still a teenager. Emerald runs away from Lady Molly’s benign but stiflingly conventional care. Good thing she kept that alligator hide which she uses to bribe her way out of Mexico. At 16 years old, Emerald soon becomes the toast of the New York, London, and Paris fashion scene and even runs in the same New York and Paris circles as the Windsors. Uh Oh. The resemblance is soon noticed and Wallis and David, uncomfortable with that, try to get Anthony Anstruther to get rid of her but Anthony finally puts his foot down. Anthony is an interesting character. He is written as a good guy, but really does some terrible things to protect the Royal House of Windsor.

Callum, now around 23 (?) and an aspiring photographer, finally tracks now 19-year-old Emerald down and the transition from protective adoring foster brother to besotted lover is head-swiveling if inevitable. Especially since the same night they meet Emerald is raped by another childhood admirer from the remote Scottish Island. Jack is now an aspiring gossip columnist and her nemesis going forward. So when she falls pregnant there is a brief doubt as to whom the father is. (It’s Callum, of course.) She is forced to find a husband since an abortion is out of the question. Callum has disappeared to be a war photojournalist because he thinks Emerald is dead due to his house exploding. Through some behind the scenes manipulations from our friend Anthony, she meets charming, handsome, noble, and impoverished Tom Sherwood. Luckily he is gay and the marriage is never consummated. Unluckily, he is an inveterate gambler and only married her for her dowry, wrested from the wealthy Duke and Duchess. Emerald’s letters to Callum about their son are intercepted by guess who. You’d think she would have learned the first time. The world just continues to conspire against the star-crossed lovers. So far. 

My disaffection for this book was not caused by the writing or the plot, but the characters. We follow the heroine’s life from toddlerhood to young womanhood. I have never before accused a female character of being a “Mary Sue” because before this book, this kind of character never bothered me. But OMG. This girl. This Emerald. She was so over the top, it was grating and laughable. Every male in the book is absolutely captivated by her practically at first sight. Callum the love interest, from when she was 6 weeks old. A villainous character when he was 10 and she was 5. Nacho, her Mexican “best friend” and protector to whom she gifts her virginity, the same. Equally at home with both the peasants in Mexico and the glitterati of Europe, she leads a charmed life. She wears haute couture on the runway but prefers bulky sweaters and jeans in private. She saves her profligate husband’s estate from ruin on the strength of her homemade soap, candles and potpourri from her old Scottish Nan’s recipes. Before she is 26 she has turned her little business into a flourishing boutique cosmetic and gardening enterprise and building success upon success. Which she sacrifices to save her irresponsible and mostly absent husband from his criminal gambling creditors. But don’t worry, she builds it up from from scratch again after finally re-uniting with strong, handsome and devoted Callum. Those are the broad brush strokes, but we are met with something meant to be appealing, admirable, or sympathetic about Emerald on virtually every page. It was exhausting. I can’t really call it a love story at all, because Emerald and Callum spend very little time together on the page. He really only serves to give our heroine a happy ending. We spend only enough time with him to show how worthy he is. Poor Nacho is left in Mexico never to be heard of again. I really thought he would show up again in Europe, somehow coming in handy for Emerald, possibly as a powerful international drug dealer. Some things came full circle, but there were also quite a few loose ends. The main thing was that although the book was very readable and kept my interest for the most part, I just could not empathize or become invested in the main characters. Except Bertha, Tom’s mother. She was great. I hate to give such a monumental effort less than 3 stars, but there you go. 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

The Convenient Marriage

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By Georgette Heyer

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When I started my reread on Audible of this old favorite, (one of the few Georgette Heyers I have an actual visual memory of myself opening it for the first time) I was reminded that it is not a favorite of many Heyer devotees whose opinions I not only respect, but usually agree with. With this in mind, I decided I would try to understand that opinion, which seems to mostly stem from a dislike and disapproval of Horatia (Horry) Winwood, our heroine. Besides that, many object to the age gap between Horry and Lord Rule (17 v. 35), her husband, and the fact that he has a few assignations with his mistress, after they are married, before he cuts ties with her.

The story opens with the happy news that the impoverished Winwood family is about to be rescued from, if not ruin, then very much financial discomfort. The very very wealthy Marcus Drelincourt, the Earl of Rule, has offered for the beauty of the family, Elizabeth. Unfortunately, “Lizzy” is in love with Edward, a lowly-by-comparison lieutenant in the Army and younger son she has known all her life. Its in the late 1770s and he is just back from fighting the war in America. Horatia, the youngest of the three Winwood girls, is not about to see her beloved sister marry against her wishes even to save the family. But saved the family must be. In a classic and favorite Heyer scene, She goes to Rule and offers herself up as a substitute. Rule was about to offer for Elizabeth due to her beauty, docility, and suitability. He is 35, his sister has been on his case, and she’s right, it’s time for an heir. That’s all. But when he is ambushed by the unconventional Horry, he sees something special in her. She certainly does not act like a typical demure schoolroom miss. She is straightforward, audacious, and obviously good-hearted. He is amused and rather captivated, especially when in the interest of fair play, she starts to point out her own flaws compared with the divine “Lizzie.” Maybe it would be good not to be bored all of the time. Yes, she is very young and society will be, if not scandalized, at least taken aback. But Rule goes his own way, and he accepts her proposal. His sister is frustrated by his whim, but when she meets Horry, she approves. She loves her brother and realizes that this girl has the potential to touch his formerly untouchable heart.

Miss Horatia, the youngest of the three, had nothing to declare her lineage except her nose. Her hair was dark, her eyes a profound grey, and her brows, nearly black and rather thick were quite straight, and gave her a serious, almost frowning expression. No amount of careful training would induce an arch in them.

After the newlyweds return to London, Horry unexpectedly becomes the rage. She goes about thoroughly enjoying her new found status as a darling of The Ton, rather than the underappreciated and troublesome “other” Winwood. She is no longer the outsider in unfashionable clothes, not very promising looks, and an unconventional manner. She revels in the freedom afforded by not having to worry about money and spends accordingly. And she unfortunately appears to have inherited the Winwood “Fatal Tendency” for a predilection for gambling like her brother Pelham. I think part of this behavior, that many readers don’t like, including me TBH, is a desire to just fit in. And she is carried away by her own unlikely success. Not surprisingly, Rule knows how to handle Horry, and Horry likes and respects Rule. If fact, she is well on her way to falling in love with him, and he with her. But danger looms. There are three people, including Lord Rule’s ex-mistress, who do not have the best interests of him or his young wife at heart. There are plots.

I understand those who prefer Georgette Heyer’s more mature and levelheaded heroines. But after listening to the book with an open mind, I confess I’m still at a loss as to why some feel so much hostility towards our stuttering heroine. Some found reading her stuttering annoying. I just didn’t. It was an interesting quirk to add to the characterization of a girl who is spirited and forthright, albeit with rebellious tendencies. I also did not mind the age-gap, and not only because it was common for the times in which they lived. This time around I was reminded of the very successful marriage of Phoebe Cates and Kevin Kline which makes me vicariously happy. Also the age difference is not treated lightly or brushed aside, but is fully acknowledged as a concern from the beginning and throughout the novel. Rule’s own self-doubts over the difference and Horry’s and his sister’s reassurances somehow put aside any concerns I might have had. But it is a reason for their rocky progression towards mutual understanding. AKA, the plot. That said, Horry needs a strong, wise, and mature hand. Someone she can respect and admire. I can’t imagine such a girl marrying a callow 22 year old. Most would be under her thumb from the jump. As for the mistress situation, the two went into the marriage thinking in terms of non-interference and going their own way. A marriage of convenience only. Even though they obviously started falling in love on their honeymoon (which occurs “off stage”), they either didn’t realize it or were afraid to acknowledge it. Rule would have gone back to his normal life out of habit and, reading between the lines, perhaps in denial (or alarm?) over his emerging feelings for Horry. It starts the progression of their relationship from the beginning. Whatever the reason, he cut ties with his mistress very soon. As completely opposite as the two women were, I suspect that once he had one or two encounters with “The Massey” he saw her in a new light and it only cemented his commitment to and feelings for Horry. As far as Horry herself, her detractors call her immature, too frivolous, silly, and even imbecilic. To that, to quote Horry, I say “Stuff!”. Yes, she is immature and frivolous at the beginning. But she does learn and grow. She is genuinely shocked when Rule kindly and calmly confronts her with her bills. When she is manipulated into a compromising position that might cause a scandal, she comes to Rule (sensibly and maturely) with the truth. She cuts ties with Lord Lethbridge (one of the villains) very effectively, despite his cleverness, with subtlety and no attention-getting dramatics. She is so effective that he is forced into desperation. Which she also deals with handily with a poker across the back of the head. Keep in mind she is 17 years old and he is a cunning and ruthless manipulator. Yes, she has a tendency to jump from the frying pan into the fire, but it’s out of fear that she will lose Rule’s trust and good opinion along with the mistaken idea that he still might prefer his mistress. She is unsure of herself and kind of desperate. Of course she is. And from her perspective, she wasn’t wrong to be. And really there are very few heroines (including in Heyer) who never put a foot wrong and always take the wise and sensible path. The defense rests. Ha Ha.

And I loved Rule. Behind his languor and insouciance he was a man of action who was always on top of the situation. He was very acute. Very Scarlett Pimpernel. He never doubts Horry for an instant. I loved his loyalty, the slow build of their romance, and the very sweet and satisfying final scene. I loved the descriptions of the rich Georgian lifestyle for all of its sins. Add in 2 duels, a missing jewel, a highwayman, and the funny antics of Pelham and his cohorts in their mission to rescue Horry, and, for me, this Heyer had it all.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

My Dear Aunt Flora

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By Elizabeth Cadell

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I hope I have this right, but I listened to this on Audible so there is no way I can realistically check my facts. Our narrator, Jonquil, “Jonny” and Phyl grew up together in the same home headed by Aunt Flora along with Phyl’s brothers, George and Hugh. Flora was Jonny’s mother’s best friend and was taken in by her when her parents died. Jonny ended up marrying Hugh, and Phyl married Hugh’s best friend, Tom. Phyl and Jonny both were widowed at the same time due to an automobile wreck, and Jonny was left with two young children. Phyl and Jonny live together and the book begins when they decide to escape their dreary cramped apartment and move to “Rushing” a large but old and dilapidated cottage (it doesn’t even have an indoor toilet!) in the middle of nowhere.

This is what is known as a “slice-of-life” novel, which is a type of novel I read a lot of. It focuses on the largely unremarkable happenings and relationships of everyday life. Gentle humor, unusual characters, and the joy of living are key. At least in the novels of this type that I read. Needless to say, there is usually a satisfactory if understated romance which provides closure and a happy prospect for the characters we have come to feel invested in. Atmosphere and ambiance are key. The ones I read are usually set in the English or Scottish countryside and set at least 50 years ago. True to form, nothing much happens in this one until the previously mentioned George comes to stay at Rushing Farm. It’s not specifically stated what’s wrong with him, but he has been ordered by his doctor to “rest.” So I’m guessing nervous breakdown. George is a famous actor and something of a babe magnet. He is also spoiled, entitled, and a prima donna. The family loves George, but they don’t like him very much. They are confident that as soon as he gets a load of Rushing’s primitive conditions, he will quickly leave for less spartan accommodations far far away.

At first I was somewhat entertained by George and his angry incredulity over what he was asked to put up with at Rushing Farm. The women pretty much just take him in stride. They don’t know how to “just say no” but they are not complete doormats either. They know that George will not be able to stand being in the middle of nowhere for long and are not majorly inconvenienced by George’s whims and megrims. The stage is set on the first day when George confiscates Jonny’s son Paul’s bedroom for his own. To meet his standards, he then hijacks various pieces of furniture and decor from Phyl, Jonny, and Flora’s rooms. When they object, he bosses them and manipulates them into agreeing. But the more George complains, the happier the family is because the sooner he will leave. That is, until Angela ,the aunt of a summer guest of Jonnie’s daughter, comes to visit. She is gorgeous, sweet, down-to-earth and couldn’t be less interested in George, despite his glamor and fame. George, on the other hand, falls head over heels for the first time in his life.

All of the main characters were likable but boring. There are two romances involved, one was a foregone conclusion with no “will they or won’t they” tension to be had. George and Angela’s story had a little more suspense, but Angela deserved better even if the reader comes to understand and be reconciled to George a little more by the end. Jonnie, who I guess is our main character because everything is seen through her eyes, is the most boring of all. Her primary personality traits are competence, quietude, and inarticulateness. Phyl is charmingly lazy and Aunt Flora is wise, no-nonsense, and caring. A romance for Jonnie is threatened but is nipped in the bud by her disinterest. The book just kind of ends with the wedding of one of the characters which is a hair’s breath from ending in disaster. Or what would pass for disaster in this gentle world. There were some unanswered questions which are not my favorite. Why was Flora’s cousin so anxious to talk to her, what secret will he impart that threatens the family’s equanimity? We never know. If there ever was one. There were some amusing bits where I kind of chuckled. The most exciting and funniest part was near the end where Jonnie finally loses her temper. It was all very low-stakes. The quirky characters were not quirky enough. After I read this, I found out this was Cadell’s first book and I readily believed it. It explained a lot. Still it was lovely and charming enough to earn 3 stars from me.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The Shuttle

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By Frances Hodgson Burnett

This was just a terrific book with an indomitable heroine who should be as famous and celebrated as…well, I can’t think of a universally famous one who is comparable to Bettina Vanderpoel. Not that there aren’t plenty of brave, cool-headed, perspicacious, kind-hearted, and public spirited heroines in literature, you understand. But I just can’t think of one that embodies all of those qualities at once. I reckon Hermione Granger comes closest. Except Bettina (Betty) is also beautiful, charming, charismatic and a gabillionaire. I could compare her with Philippa Somerville of the Lymond Chronicles but Philippa is as unfamous as Betty. Neither would make an official top 10 list of most admirable fictional female characters how ever much they deserve to. If Betty sounds like a heroine who is flawless and therefore not your cup of tea, I wouldn’t blame you. But let me assure you that she is up against a villain so repulsive and dastardly and is fighting for causes so righteous, that you will root for her every step of the way. Not to mention she has to live in a world (late Victorian England) in which the deck was stacked against women who dared to not suffer in silence. I did not begrudge her one ounce of her power whether it came from her beauty, character, or wealth. Because she needed it all. And even then all of her gifts may not have been enough to save a woman of substance’s most precious commodity of that or almost any era: her reputation.

It’s been 12 years since Bettina had seen her older sister, Rosalie, after her marriage to an English Lord, Nigel Anstruthers. Bettina was 9 years old when Rosalie left New York City and went to live in England on his estate and virtually vanished from her and her loving parents’ lives. The first 4 chapters of the book are Rosalie’s. Thank God it wasn’t more, because reading of her life with Nigel was painful indeed. Debt-ridden Lord Anstruthers of course married naive and sweet Rosalie not for love, but for her considerable fortune. He starts to manipulate and gaslight the poor girl on the ship over as soon as she leaves her family’s protection. By the time we mercifully leave her and start to focus on Bettina, Rosalie, systematically crushed and isolated for years, is lying on the floor, a victim of a violent attack, fearing for her unborn baby, and about to lose control of her money to her scheming and merciless husband and his malignant mother.

Bettina never liked or trusted Nigel and had long planned, when she was old enough, to find Rosalie and make sure she was OK. Unlike her parents, Betty never believed that Rosalie had turned her back on her family after she became a grand titled English lady. We get a recounting of Betty’s maturation from a formidable child to a beautiful young woman and her formal and informal education. In addition to being educated at elite academies all over Europe, her father, seeing her intelligence and good sense, had her accompany him all over the United States while looking over his business concerns. She gained an invaluable education from him and he in turn came to trust her judgement and even seek out her advice. So when Betty finally feels she is in a position to rescue Rosy (if she even needs rescuing) she not only has her own gifts at her command but the respect and trust of her father, one of the most powerful and wealthiest men in America.

When Bettina gets to Stornham Court, Nigel’s estate, things are even worse for Rosalie and her disabled son than she imagined. Nigel has taken over control of Rosalie’s money and is living it up in the fleshpots of Europe. Both Rosalie and his estate are in shambles. During Nigel’s lengthy absence, Bettina sets about putting things in order on the estate and in the community at large. Under Bettina’s tender care Rosalie starts to recover her former bloom and what little spirit she had before her marriage. Her sister makes friends with both the high born and low born in the county, and prepares for Nigel’s inevitable return, which I began every chapter dreading. It happens in Chapter 33 (of 50). Now one would assume that Nigel would slither away without a peep in the face of Bettina’s powers. But he is clever, arrogant, entitled and kind of insane. Also he holds some powerful cards in his hands. Not the least of which is his position as a man and a titled one. And Bettina is secretly in love with the poor but proud owner of the neighboring estate, which makes her vulnerable. To extricate Rosie and her son Ughtred (why, Frances, why???) while preserving their reputations and futures as well as those of various innocent bystanders, the battle between Bettina and Nigel must be conducted with subtlety and finesse. A war of attrition rather than a no holds barred onslaught.

In its unabridged form this book is over 500 pages. In addition to the chess game between Nigel and Betty, we go into the background and character of Lord Mount Dunstan, the love interest, their beautiful romance, various country people on the estate or in the village, an American typewriter salesman, society balls and parties, and an outbreak of typhoid fever. Everything ties together and ends in a rousing climax, resolution, and fates well earned. I’ve focused on the plot in this review, but we also are treated to FHB’s descriptive passages and reflections, insights into the Gilded age and dollar princesses, and the qualities of America v. England. America wins. Great movies have been made of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved children’s books A Little Princess and The Secret Garden. I even enjoyed the film based on one of her other adult novels, The Making of a Marchioness. Why not this one? This book has everything. Is it the title? I listened to this book on Audible read by Katherine Brooks who was very good.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Beloved Rake

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By  Anne Hampson

 Every so often I have a hankering to read an old Harlequin Romance. I read a review of this one from 1980 and this was described as the “funniest ever” and many other reviewers concurred. For its time, it probably was. It wasn’t until the 90s that really funny authors like Jennifer Crusie and Jayne Ann Krentz became part of the usual lineup in category romances and Harlequin and other lines started to lean into the comedy part of romantic comedy. When this was written, Harlequin (or Mills and Boon) was the only game in town and they hadn’t branched out from straight romance yet. Not to say humor never made an appearance ever.

Serra, our heroine, is a young Greek woman who is about to have her marriage arranged to someone who turns her off. She runs away and sure enough soon meets attractive Englishman Dirk and his nice friend. He needs to marry to get ahold of his inheritance and Serra likes the idea of marrying a Brit (she is half British herself). She has always wanted to go to England where she can “be free” and out from under the strict confines of Greek society and the control of her father and grandmother. I will interject here that Hampson’s portrayal of Greek society is spurious at best even considering the time this one was written. I took it all with a grain of salt. There are a lot of sweeping statements like, “In Greece we trust everybody…people are honest”, “In Greece, a girl must never be seen with a man before her marriage…” or they will be ruined irreparably. Apparently Greek wives back in the late 1970s  never left the house and embroidered all day, and all marriages were arranged. Could be true-ish. I don’t know.

Serra is very sweet, unworldly and naive. Most of the humor stems from Dirk assuming she knows the basics of living in the modern world and has a grain of sense. Well, she doesn’t and Dirk has to come to her rescue whenever she gets into a pickle. And not with any good grace either. In some ways the whole scenario reminded me a bit of Friday’s Child by Georgia Heyer. His friend is much nicer and more understanding. She has no problem with him behaving as if he is still a bachelor as she intends to have a few boyfriends herself. The book has a slow start. The author apparently did a lot of research into the sights and other attractions in Greece and Lebanon and she was determined to make use of her knowledge. If you know what I mean. Things pick up considerably when they get to England and Serra has to deal with Dirk’s mother,  sister, and butler as well as English customs and ways of doing things. Things come to a head when she starts to look for some of her relatives on her mother’s side and goes about it in the most dunderheaded way possible. Unexpected (by Serra only) consequences occur. Aaaaaand it’s Dirk to the rescue again. By the end, Serra wins over Dirk’s family and Dirk, who decides a real marriage, love included, will be best for all concerned. The Butler remains not a fan.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
 

A Fair Barbarian

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By Frances Hodgson Burnett

This early novella by Frances Hodgson Burnett of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess fame, was very much in the tradition of those stories that feature a visitor from afar whose different outlook on life transforms a person, a family, or even a whole town for the better. In the stories (or films) I am talking about, the transformation is not mutual. The visitor remains steadfast, it is the people around her that change. Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter, Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. It’s been compared to Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, but I haven’t read that one. And Maybe Silas Marner by George Eliot. Heck, what about Footloose or Sister Act?

I love the title of this book. Octavia Bassett is anything but a “barbarian.” If a little dashing and open-mannered, she is also well-behaved, kind, beautiful and classy. But she is from America, and in Slowbridge, “It was not considered in good taste to know Americans.” For sure not ones from “Bloody Gulch,” a small mining town in Nevada, where Octavia’s father made his fortune. She is a bit different from the young ladies in the small English enclave: she is self confident and unintimidated by the disapproval she encounters, particularly in the person of Lady Theobald, who rules insular Slowbridge with an iron hand. All of society must bend their behavior to her idea of what is gentile, proper, and correct. Particularly her sweet granddaughter Lucia. When Octavia arrives to stay with her meek and mild Aunt Belinda her effect on the town is much like a “tremor in the force.” Not that she does anything so shocking even by the standards of most of Victorian England, but it is how this town reacts to her. She wears beautiful gowns and jewelry, her hair is worn stylishly (curls on her forehead!), and she doesn’t just speak when she is spoken to but actually tries to have two-way conversations. She is not only seen but heard.

There is not a lot of action. The big climax occurs when a garden party is arranged without Lady Theobald’s blessing. Meanwhile Lucia has found some backbone thanks to Octavia’s example and influence. She has fallen in love with an unsuitable suitor while Lady Theobald is arranging a more conventional marriage for her. Unfortunately her first choice seems to have fallen under Octavia’s inevitable spell. The writing, descriptions, and the Austen-like satiric and humorous tone are the attraction here. I was also reminded of The Miss Buncle Books by D.E. Stevenson.

Satisfactory outcomes were had by all including an unhappy one for Lady Theobald. There was a slightly unexpected twist in the quickly wrapped up end. Or maybe it just seemed too quickly wrapped up because I just wanted more of Octavia Bassett. The narrator, Anne Hancock, of this Audible book perfectly voiced our main character. It reminded me of the raspy distinctive tones an old movie star, Jean Arthur, whose voice, as described by Edward G. Robinson, “grated like fresh peppermint.”

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sarah’s Cottage

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By D. E. Stevenson

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This was a perfectly enjoyable DES which pretty much picks up where Sarah Morris Remembers leaves off. Sarah and Charles are married and have built a cottage near Sarah’s grandparents on some land that they gifted to them.  I listened to this on Audible and the new narrator made the choice of losing Charles’ Austrian accent which was so much a part of his personality in “Remembers.” Sarah’s father who was so important in the preceding book stays in London and is very much on the back burner which was A-OK with me. At the end of Sarah Morris Remembers, the good vicar made me very angry by discounting Sarah’s frantic and confused insistence that she had seen her beloved Charles whom she feared dead. No matter how passionately she tried to convince him, he refused to believe her, which added to her pain and confusion. After Charles and Sarah are reunited at her grandparents house in Scotland (where she was sent to basically recover her sanity), I thought it was pretty significant that her father was not included in the joy of their reunion, nor even told, at least on the page, of Charles’ miraculous return.

A lot happens in this book, which spans, as near as I can make out, around 13 years. But there are two main plot threads. Sarah and Charles take Lottie and Clive’s neglected child, Freddy, under their wing. Lottie never wanted her (in SMR she wanted an abortion!) and treats her accordingly–only concerned with her own pleasure-seeking. Her father is not a bad man but  a non-entity in his daughters’ life whose only concern is running his business. Sarah and Charles only see Freddy  on some holiday breaks from her boarding school (Saint Elizabeth’s of Charlotte Fairlie!), but it is enough to guide her, give her safety, security, and what she most needs, love. A lot happens with Freddy, including her transformation from an ugly duckling to a swan and her almost falling victim to a cad and a fortune hunter.

The second is Charles becoming obsessed with writing a fictionalized account of his life. It totally takes over his life for about 6 months  and frankly he behaves like an asshole, neglecting and ignoring Sarah. To my relief, although she is vexed and frustrated, Sarah makes the best of it by developing friendships and having an adventure or two on her own. One of the friendships that she develops is with Deb and Mark of Celia’s House. And Celia herself to a lesser extent. Their children becomes Freddy’s playmates when she can come to them at Craignethan. (Although the title of this book is Sarah’s Cottage, The final almost half of the book is set at her grandparents’ large home, the cottage largely forgotten). Once his manuscript is finished, Charles gets back to normal (the book was basically therapy for his difficult life in Austria). But once he got everything out on the page, he refuses to have anything to do with it, giving it to Sarah. “ Do what you like with the wretched thing—burn it if you like!” What she does with it forms another satisfying story line.

Sarah didn’t always do or act the way I wanted her to. At times she came across as a little, as the British say, “wet.” She often excuses Lottie’s destructive and manipulative behavior and the harm she is doing to Freddy. There was a lack of insight and urgency to act. After 18 year old Freddy finally lays all of Lottie’s cruelties over the years on the line, and explains to Sarah why she wants nothing more to do with her mother, it’s “Oh Freddie, she does love you! I know she seems neglectful but that’s just her way. She cares for you, darling.” Uh No, Sarah, she does not. Honestly, I wanted to throttle her.  Freddy recounts even more horror stories, and finally Sarah gets it. I wanted a more dramatic and cathartic resolution, but in the end Sarah and Charles acted with wisdom and restraint in regards to Freddy. 

All in all this was almost equal to Sarah Morris Remembers. Sarah and Charles rarely disappointed me. I often feared how they would react to certain challenges, but if they let me down, it was only briefly and they always did the right thing in the end. It was quite episodic and I was often confused as far as the timeline. Sarah’s never having any dearly wanted children was never addressed sufficiently.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sarah Morris Remembers

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By D. E. Stevenson

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Although I did anticipate enjoying this very much, the real reason why I chose this one, in the still many Stevenson titles I have left to read, is that it leads up to Sarah’s Cottage, one I have reason to believe might be a favorite. Fingers crossed.

Sarah Morris Remembers traces our heroine’s life as a child growing up with her loving parents, her two brothers, and a younger sister in their country vicarage home. It starts some years prior to WWII and takes us through the end of the war and Sarah’s reunion, after their separation, with the love of her life. We see her family and the world through her eyes as she is writing down her memories with help from her diaries.

When I started this story of my life I unpacked the diaries which I had kept in a large tin box and, as I turned over the pages, all sorts of things came back to me – things I had forgotten – and I realised I had plenty of material for a family chronicle. I had intended to write the story to amuse the family but I hadn’t got very far before I saw that I was faced with a difficult choice: either I could write a story about the family, suitable for the family to read, or else I could write a true story about everything that had happened to us all.…I saw quite clearly that the story would be no good unless it was true in every detail. I would write it for myself, for my own satisfaction; no eye but mine should ever see it and perhaps when I had finished it I should be able to see some sort of pattern in my life.

Although not a beauty like her kind and gentle mother and her little sister, Sarah is smart and spirited. And, nurtured by her parents, she has a very highly developed sense of morality. She is a very good girl. Sometimes a little too good to my liking, to be honest. But that is true of all DES heroes and heroines. It’s part of their charm and the comfort and joy of the books. Sarah, at least, is spunky and sensible to the last page. She and her siblings have an idyllic childhood: Lewis, the oldest, is handsome, smart, and their parents’ fair haired boy. Willie, like Sarah, is a bit of a rebel, and her little sister Lottie is pretty like a little doll and cossetted as the baby of the family. As the children grow up, Lottie becomes friends with a wealthy schoolmate whose family has her for weekends and vacations and she ends up more influenced by them than her own family. Although Lewis has a hankering to choose a military career, he complies with his mother and father’s wishes (especially his mother) and goes to Oxford. Willie and Sarah stand up against their well-meaning parents and fight for and follow their own dreams. One day, when Sarah is a young teen, Lewis brings home a good friend, Charles, who is Austrian. Although nothing untoward happens or is even hinted at, Sarah is drawn to him and, though he is 5 years older (possibly more), it is mutual. WWII is still a few years away, but Hitler is on the rise. We follow Sarah as she makes her way through her teens, while keeping tabs on the rest of her family and their highs and lows.

Sarah and Charles’ connection eventually leads to an engagement, but before they can be married Charles must come to the rescue of his noble and wealthy Austrian family who are threatened by the Nazis. He mysteriously and alarmingly disappears. Sarah bravely carries on with her father in war torn London, doing their bit, while waiting for her beloved Charles to return to her (hopefully).

This Stevenson is very romance-forward even though Charles and Sarah are separated throughout much of the book. Their love and passion (yes, passion in a D.E Stevenson!) are consummated before Charles leaves for Austria albeit with the belief he will return in a few weeks in time for their wedding. That has got to be a first for DES, and I thought it was worth mentioning. True to her original intent, Sarah tells the truth regardless of the foibles and weaknesses of herself, her parents, her brothers, and especially Lottie (Hoo Boy!). Even Charles comes across as a bit of an ass in one part, even though Sarah worships the ground he walks on. And Sarah rarely let me down.

Of course, because this is D.E.S., we spend some time in Scotland where her grandparents live near good ol’ Ryddelton. And yes, a certain ghostly carriage can sometimes be heard by certain people on certain nights. I’m hovering between 4 and 5 stars, so I’ll go with 4 1/2, leaving some room in case I like Sarah’s Cottage even more.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.