Being an heiress in 1920s Austria with nothing but a broken-down castle to your name and nary a penny in your purse could be frustrating for anyone...
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Oct 12, 2011
Katie
rated it: 
Alright, I really like this author but enough is enough. I think I have read too many of her books in too short of time. Heck, I think I could write one of these books. Hmm, here goes. Impoverished adorable female heroine who, despite very bleak odds, is still the happiest, calmest, sweetest girl on the block. It doesn't matter that her parents hate her of she has no money, her beauty shines through the mess her life is in. Rich, tall, dashingly attractive man comes on the scene. Has all
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Sep 25, 2011
Barbara
rated it: 
Oh no, fooled by the great re-naming bug. I loved this book when I read it years ago under its original title of Magic Flutes. The new packaging is nice. However, all the time I was waiting for this to come out I thought I was waiting for a NEW story.
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Sep 22, 2009
Anne
rated it:
Another joyous romp through Eva Ibbotson's world of love in the face of early 20th century post-war Europe, great art, and truly disarming heroines. Tessa (who just happens to be an Italian princess) has dedicated herself as a maid of all work in the service of opera. Guy (tycoon/former foster child & chaos creater) buys up her old palace in honor of his fiance. Said fiance turns out to be in love with herself. Which is actually a good thing because you know sooner or later Tessa & Guy are going
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17 comments
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(6 people liked it)
Nov 18, 2010
Kristy
rated it:
I feel like I am in a Bad Book Rut, I need a good book asap to restore my faith in writers everywhere!!
Author Eva Ibbostson is 1-1. Her book "A countess below stairs" was wonderful, I thouroughly enjoyed reading it. This book, "The Reluctant Heiress' was a flop.
It took me about 200 pages of reading this one (or scanning it) to become half-way interested. The wording in this one is just too much. I know she was trying to write fitting to the time period, but I jus More...
Author Eva Ibbostson is 1-1. Her book "A countess below stairs" was wonderful, I thouroughly enjoyed reading it. This book, "The Reluctant Heiress' was a flop.
It took me about 200 pages of reading this one (or scanning it) to become half-way interested. The wording in this one is just too much. I know she was trying to write fitting to the time period, but I jus More...
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(2 people liked it)
Oct 12, 2011
Lady
rated it:
While I have to saw that I found this a highly enjoyable book, I really felt that it drug on for way too long. Despite knowing how it would work out before I even opened the book, after finishing the first third, I honestly thought that the book should have ended. It's almost as if Ibbotson ended it and then decided that she wasn't quite finished with the characters and chose to change a couple of lines and then continue on for another couple hundred pages. Thus, while good, I've read better in
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(1 person liked it)
Oct 12, 2011
Josie
rated it:
This was typical Eva Ibbotson fare: a story that's just predictable enough to make it feel cosy and well-loved without feeling boring or clichéd. I like her blend of simple storytelling mixed with delicious description, only in this case I found the description began to detract from the story. I can forgive a little exaggeration, but too much and I start to squirm. Oh, and Guy's eyes changing colour felt just a bit too much for me. And -- as with all Eva Ibbotson's books -- there were refere
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 20, 2012
Rebecca
rated it:
Guy Farne was abandoned as a baby and grew up first in an orphanage, then with a foster mother. When he fell in love with a young woman whose family threw him out for being penniless and nameless, he spent years amassing a vast fortune so he could eventually win her. His coup de grace was purchasing a magnificent, ancient Austrian castle from its bankrupt owners (just one of many Austrian and German castles for sale after WWI) and throwing a house party with the creme de la creme (such as it now
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Oct 18, 2011
Melissa
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Mar 19, 2011
Nan
rated it:
This book was exactly what I wanted at exactly the right time. I was suffering from a migraine yesterday when I started it, and this light and fluffy concoction was enough to distract me from my pain while still being light enough not to add to my strain.
This book is entirely predictable, but that's part of the reason you'll want to turn to it. As much as we readers know how the narrative will end, it's a delight getting there. The characters are lively and often filled with joy. More...
This book is entirely predictable, but that's part of the reason you'll want to turn to it. As much as we readers know how the narrative will end, it's a delight getting there. The characters are lively and often filled with joy. More...
4 comments
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(1 person liked it)
May 03, 2010
Kate
rated it:
Eva Ibbotson's usual lovely effort to raise the bar in the romance category, redeeming a typical fairy-tale plot with real people and real humor. Taking place in Austria just after World War I, we are swiftly introduced to two people obviously intended for each other: Guy, an English foundling turned self-made millionaire, and Tessa, an Austrian princess with a lineage that goes back to Charlemagne. But Guy is smitten with a snobbish fiancee and buys Tessa's castle to impress her, while Tessa
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 15, 2010
Melissa
rated it: 
Update: I finished... actually, I skipped a lot of the book. I just couldn't get into it. And it wasn't even the random big words (see earlier rant below). I just didn't really care about these characters. And there was so much in this book that didn't seem to fit quite right or that just felt like filler. I really doubt I'll ever read anything by Eva Ibbotson again.
Just a quick note... I'm only 40 pages in and I'm a bit annoyed with the author. "Vituperative" and " More...
Just a quick note... I'm only 40 pages in and I'm a bit annoyed with the author. "Vituperative" and " More...
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(7 people liked it)
Nov 24, 2009
Candi
rated it:
If I had read this book before I read A Countess Below Stairs it would have been one of my favorite books. A beautiful story with such a great leading lady, and the opera...Debussy, Mozart, Puccini--love love love. I like the sacrifice of everything toward the greater good of music, and that Beethoven's button business-genius.
However, this is strikingly similar to A Countess Below Stairs and that book has a slightly more appealing hero, bigger climax moment with that great line that goes More...
However, this is strikingly similar to A Countess Below Stairs and that book has a slightly more appealing hero, bigger climax moment with that great line that goes More...
Nov 11, 2009
Nicole Catherine
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Sep 21, 2009
Angie
rated it:
I was so excited to find another Eva Ibbotson book! Awhile back I blew through A Song for Summer, A Countess Below Stairs, A Company of Swans, and The Morning Gift. When I surfaced again, I found myself really hoping the magic spell wouldn't end there. Happily there was one more sweet historical in store for me. THE RELUCTANT HEIRESS is a (retitled) re-issue of Ibbotson's Magic Flutes, which was originally published in 1982. It is set in the 1920s and revolves around the outrageously funny and t
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(5 people liked it)
Jul 27, 2009
Amanda
rated it:
As always, "The Reluctant Heiress" kept my not only my heart, but my emotional well-being on a roller coaster. Though it was not one of my favorite of Eva Ibbotson's works, for I was not groveling in painful tears and heartache as usual, it was none the less an enriching and enchanting piece of literature, starring as usual a humble, most-likable heroin, a man, this time battling with love's folly, and of course - conflict, at which Mrs. Ibbotson is distinguished in my opinion. Again,
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(1 person liked it)
May 24, 2009
Delaina
rated it:
How does one describe the novels of Eva Ibbotson? She has a way of blending outlandishly caricatured, eminently familiar hero and villain types with simple, earnest storytelling. Damning with faint praise, you say? No, no, for she does it so very well that, as a reader, you allow yourself to be swept away into her unabashedly modern fairy tale world. And her YA romance novels are nothing if not that. They don't contain the obvious trappings of fairy tales, for the characters are real people (eve
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(1 person liked it)
May 12, 2009
Courtney
rated it:
A republican princess of the people is charmed by a self-made orphan who buys her castle and shares her love of opera. This is the barest of summaries. A sweet, predictable book. I regret that I did not believe the relationship between Guy and Tessa, neither in its early stages, nor in its progression. Also I dislike that Ibbotson's bad-guy characters are so two-dimensional. Why do they have no redeeming qualities? Their shallow, self-absorption makes them the perfect fairy-tale foils (and
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(1 person liked it)
May 02, 2009
Debbie
rated it:
I know, I KNOW, that any time I pick up one of Eva Ibbotson's romances, I can't put it down. I KNOW THIS. And yet, last night when I got home after midnight, I STILL PICKED IT UP. Fortunately I could sleep in this morning.
The remarkable thing about this unbreakable grip Ibbotson's books have on me is that the main characters are the same from book to book, which you'd think would get boring. All the girls are young and full of loving, giving life, and all the guys are about 10 years ol More...
The remarkable thing about this unbreakable grip Ibbotson's books have on me is that the main characters are the same from book to book, which you'd think would get boring. All the girls are young and full of loving, giving life, and all the guys are about 10 years ol More...
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Apr 14, 2011
Nafiza
rated it:
Eva Ibbotson writes fairytales. Or at least the two books I have read by her seem like fairytales. For reasons that will become clearer as the review progresses, I have decided to review both books together. I have spent almost a year immersed in the academics of fairytales (and yes, it is as fun as it sounds), deconstructing fairytales, finding out what they are saying under the shiny dresses and glass slippers and finding out that they are not as benign as they may be portrayed to be. On the s
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Oct 09, 2011
Destiny
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book. I bought this and four other books by Eva Ibbotson. I decided to pick this one up to read a few days ago because it looked interesting. It didn't fail me. I really liked Tessa and I was rooting for her and Guy to get together. But of course in their way, they had Guy's fiancee, Nerine. I was originally annoyed by the author portraying stereotypical feminine things like wanting to look good and loving to shop as being shallow. But as I read, I found out that Nerine was
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Jan 15, 2011
Breda
rated it:
Eva Ibbotson's middle grade far outclasses her YA: it's more light-hearted in intent, which gives it both more fun and more emotional heft than this heavy-handed attempt at a romance. It's very sweet, but it lacks the impact and the creativity of, say, THE ISLAND OF THE AUNTS, not to mention its polished and easy prose. She has a hard time here with the maxim, "Show, don't tell," and instead prefers that less-beloved but no less common method, the infodump. Her books are very old-fa
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Jun 01, 2009
Hayden
rated it:
I'm sure Eva Ibbotson is too precious by half for a lot of people, but I like her and she is very popular with a certain kind of teen girl. I've read two of her written-for-adults-but-recently-repackaged-for-teens books now, and while I liked A Countess Below Stairs better, this one is good too. To me, the main selling point is the voice of the narrarator, which is arch but kind to her characters.
The basic formula in these books is that a young woman loses her job as a prince More...
The basic formula in these books is that a young woman loses her job as a prince More...
May 11, 2010
Margaret H.
rated it:
If you've read and enjoyed Eva Ibbotsen's other recently republished historical romances, this one is just the same and perfectly charming. The plot is extremely similar to that of The Countess Below Stairs, but the supporting cast is distinct enough that it's still quite enjoyable to read.
All of Ibbotsen's heroines are roughly the same type: whisper-thin urchins with huge eyes and mischevious grins whose pure-hearted joy at life and art makes them glow from within. Her heroes, by a More...
All of Ibbotsen's heroines are roughly the same type: whisper-thin urchins with huge eyes and mischevious grins whose pure-hearted joy at life and art makes them glow from within. Her heroes, by a More...
Mar 05, 2010
Flannery
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 24, 2010
Dawn
rated it:
This is a fun, light romance by Eva Ibbotson. I admire her books for younger kids. Now I've discovered that she has a series of romances in historical settings for teens. The thing that sets this book apart from other "romance books," is the richness of Ibbotson's writing. She has such a gift for storytelling. Set mostly in the author's native Austria in the 1920's, this book is rich in historical and cultural detail so that the reader can imagine it vividly. I loved the setting
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Nov 26, 2011
Kiera
rated it:
Genres: poor nice girl become rich nice girl and gets the guy.
Summary: Guy Farne is an orphan who made his way very successfully in the world. He refuses to give up his roots, but wants to marry a girl who wants nothing to do with his roots. As any three year old could deduce, he doesn't end up with the snob but with the sweet girl who is less interested in titles than he is, even though she is the Princess of Pfafferstein. (I swear, I am not making this up...)
Response: I More...
Summary: Guy Farne is an orphan who made his way very successfully in the world. He refuses to give up his roots, but wants to marry a girl who wants nothing to do with his roots. As any three year old could deduce, he doesn't end up with the snob but with the sweet girl who is less interested in titles than he is, even though she is the Princess of Pfafferstein. (I swear, I am not making this up...)
Response: I More...
Jul 18, 2011
Jodi
rated it:
Hands down my favorite Ibbotson. I'm not big into romance novels. I usually find them dull and insipid, but this is neither. I was actually grumpy when I had to put this book down because I was so caught up in the story. Ibbotson is the queen of characterizations and she has peopled this novel with some particularly divine ones. The opera company characters are hilarious and Guy's first love is delightfully shallow. Tessa, the heroine, is too perfect of course, but it's such a sweet perfecti
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Feb 08, 2012
Therese
rated it:
Though somewhat misled by the summary on the back cover (I was expecting a hilarious double-life scenario), this was an enjoyable read due to its delightful and hilarious characters and the wonderful setting of Vienna. Though there are many references to the classical operas, the reader does not get lost if the operatic references are not understood.
Likes: The little quirky elements such as a tub of yoghurt called, "The Mother"; Guy's foster mother, Martha Hodge who is ver More...
Likes: The little quirky elements such as a tub of yoghurt called, "The Mother"; Guy's foster mother, Martha Hodge who is ver More...
May 01, 2011
Shannon
rated it: 
My friend Cindy recommended Ibbotson to me, but since I don't have a library card where I live right now (I'm a bit transitory at the moment), I hadn't picked any up yet. Another friend had checked this out, and I saw it at her house and borrowed it in great excitement.
I loved Ibbotson's writing style. She had some great phrasing that I had to read aloud to my husband. There were also so many little details that showed Ibbotson's knowledge of Austria, art, and more, and I love reading More...
I loved Ibbotson's writing style. She had some great phrasing that I had to read aloud to my husband. There were also so many little details that showed Ibbotson's knowledge of Austria, art, and more, and I love reading More...
Dec 12, 2009
joy
rated it:
wow! don't be fooled by the stupid title. this was actually a highly enjoyable book. ah, romance! never thought i'd say that...
i particularly enjoyed the setting -- both time (1920) and place (vienna, mostly) were vivid and entrancing. plus, neither of the main characters was annoying. there was a full cast of interesting supporting players, who balanced eccentricity and relatability well. the plot was well-paced, as well, and kept me turning pages. i'll be picking up ibbots More...
i particularly enjoyed the setting -- both time (1920) and place (vienna, mostly) were vivid and entrancing. plus, neither of the main characters was annoying. there was a full cast of interesting supporting players, who balanced eccentricity and relatability well. the plot was well-paced, as well, and kept me turning pages. i'll be picking up ibbots More...
