classic

Book Review: Can You Forgive Her?

Posted by

0

Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope

Can You Forgive Her? (Palliser #1)
by Anthony Trollope

5 out of 5 stars

Alice breaks off her engagement with John Grey and considers the proposal of her cousin George Vavasor instead. She vacillates between these two men as she vacillates with her own character. She considers what her life would be like with each of them, and has to decide what kind of person she wants to be. She worries that she will be stuck in a boring country life with John Grey, and longs for more political excitement as her cousin George is up for election and hopes to gain a seat in Parliament. Alice is confused and can’t sort through her true feelings and she has no one to guide her in making these decisions.

Continue reading →

Classic Book Review: Belinda

Posted by

0

Belinda by Maria Edgeworth

Belinda
by Maria Edgeworth

4.5 out of 5 stars
Belinda’s aunt sends her to stay with Lady Delacour, the most popular lady in all of London, hoping that Belinda will meet lots of wealthy young men and make a brilliant match. Although Lady Delacour spends her nights at various sparkling high society events, her days are full of misery and despair. Belinda discovers that there is a rift between Lord and Lady Delacour, and Lady Delacour is hiding a terrible secret.

Continue reading →

Book Review: The Flirt

Posted by

0

The Flirt (1913)
by Booth Tarkington

3.5 out of 5 stars
Cora flirts with anything in pants and overshadows her older sister Laura at every party. When the handsome Valentine Corliss returns to town, Cora immediately gets to work, flirting with him and ignoring her own fiancée. But the fiancée and the whole string of ex-boyfriends are not content to be ignored. Laura and the rest of the family have to put up with an avalanche of men in and out of the house, and their little brother Hedrick decides to get his revenge on his sisters. He is always getting into mischief, but this time he could really cause serious trouble for Cora and Laura.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Silver Slippers

Posted by

0

Silver Slippers by Temple Bailey

Silver Slippers
by Temple Bailey

5 out of 5 stars

Joan thinks she has found her true love when she meets Drew, and she readily agrees to an engagement. But Drew is selfish and jealous, and he laughs at what he calls her “prudish morality.” Joan is so unhappy that she turns for advice to a new acquaintance, Giles, a young man who owns a bookshop in town. Giles quickly recognizes Joan’s innocence and sweetness, and vows that he will help her get away from greedy high-society people like Drew. But Joan finds herself fascinated with Drew, despite his faults, and she can’t make up her mind to leave him. At the same time, she trusts Giles’ wisdom, and wishes that Drew could be so steady and faithful.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Heart of Midlothian

Posted by

0

The Heart of Midlothian by Walter Scott

The Heart of Midlothian
by Walter Scott

4 out of 5 stars

Jeanie Deans is horrified to learn that her sister, Effie, has been arrested on a charge of child-murder. Effie insists that she is innocent and that her baby was taken from her immediately after his birth. Effie refuses to tell anyone who the father is. The lawyers assure Jeanie that there is a loophole in the law and that if Jeanie will only testify that her sister told her about the pregnancy before the child was born, then Effie cannot be prosecuted under the law. But Jeanie is from a staunchly religious family and she feels that she cannot tell a lie under oath. Effie is condemned to death, and Jeanie undertakes a long and dangerous journey to London to seek a pardon directly from the king.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Wild Wind

Posted by

0

Wild Wind by Temple Bailey

Wild Wind
by Temple Bailey

4 out of 5 stars

Jacqueline is planning her wedding to her darling Christopher, but then the war comes. While he is at war, Jacqueline stays with her sister Mary, helping to care for her nieces and baby nephew. After the war is over, Mary needs Jacqueline more than ever. Christopher wants to be married at once, but Jacqueline feels that she must do her duty to her sister and nieces and nephew, so they agree to lengthen their engagement while Christopher goes to India on business. But can their love remain constant through all this time?

Continue reading →

Book Review: The House of a Thousand Candles

Posted by

0

The House of a Thousand Candles by Meredith Nicholson

The House of a Thousand Candles
by Meredith Nicholson

4 out of 5 stars

If he wants to inherit his grandfather’s estate, John Glenarm must stay at a country house in Indiana for at least a year without leaving. His grandfather did not approve of his grandson’s wandering ways, so he devised this clause in the will to force his grandson to put down some roots. On his first night in the country house, John is shot at through the open window of the dining room. This begins an adventure that includes espionage, fugitives, hidden treasure, and a family secret that will change John’s entire life. In the middle of all the mystery is Marian Devereux, who will inherit the entire estate if John fails to stay in the country for the entire year.

Continue reading →

Book Review: The Hermit of Far End

Posted by

0

The Hermit of Far End by Margaret Pedler

The Hermit of Far End
by Margaret Pedler

5 out of 5 stars

Sara is left alone when her adopted uncle dies, but she befriends his cousin, Elizabeth, and her son, Tim. Tim promptly falls in love with Sara, but she feels only friendship for him. So she goes away to make her own way in life in a small seaside town where she rents rooms in the household of the local doctor. She learns that there is a wealthy man, Garth Trent, living in a big house on the cliffs who lives the life of a hermit, never entering into the social events of the neighborhood.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Blue Anchor Inn

Posted by

0

Blue Anchor Inn by Edwin Bateman Morris

Blue Anchor Inn
by Edwin Bateman Morris

4 out of 5 stars

Roger Brooke is down to his last dollar when he meets a lawyer friend who suggests a way that Roger could make some money – get married to a wealthy heiress that very night! The heiress has to fulfill a legal clause to be married within a few days or she will lose her inheritance. When they meet, the bride wears a heavy veil so that Roger won’t be able to recognize her, and they part ways after the marriage ceremony, planning to get a divorce one year later. One year later, Roger is still married and hasn’t heard anything about the planned divorce. He is vacationing with friends on an island at Blue Anchor Inn, when a lady calling herself Mrs. Brooke arrives on the island, and Roger wonders if it could be his wife!

Continue reading →

Book Review: Strawberry Acres

Posted by

0

Strawberry Acres by Grace S. Richmond

Strawberry Acres
by Grace S. Richmond

4 out of 5 stars

When four siblings inherit a run-down farm, they aren’t sure whether to sell it or try to live there. Max opposes every plan to live in the farmhouse, since it will need extensive repairs, and it’s so large that they could never afford to furnish it. But Sally has her heart set on a peaceful country life, and she tries to persuade her brothers that they could make a living growing strawberries in the fields. Although the guys hate their stuffy city office jobs, they can’t imagine themselves as rugged farmers. They argue back and forth until finally, a disaster in the family compels them to make use of the farm, and they discover that they love living in the country.

Continue reading →