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The Morning Gift
Twenty-year-old Ruth Berger is desperate. The daughter of a Jewish-Austrian professor, she was supposed to have escaped Vienna before the Nazis marched into the city. Yet the plan went completely wrong, and while her family and fiancé are waiting for her in safety, Ruth is stuck in Vienna with no way to escape. Then she encounters her father’s younger college professor, the dashing British paleontologist Quin Sommerville.
Together, they strike a bargain: a marriage of convenience, to be annulled as soon as they return to safety. But dissolving the marriage proves to be more difficult than either of them thought—not the least because of the undeniable attraction Quin and Ruth share. To make matters worse, Ruth is enrolled in Quin’s university, in his very classes. Can their secret survive, or will circumstances destroy their love?
Together, they strike a bargain: a marriage of convenience, to be annulled as soon as they return to safety. But dissolving the marriage proves to be more difficult than either of them thought—not the least because of the undeniable attraction Quin and Ruth share. To make matters worse, Ruth is enrolled in Quin’s university, in his very classes. Can their secret survive, or will circumstances destroy their love?
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
146 people are currently reading
5810 people want to read
About the author
Eva Ibbotson
79 books2,357 followersEva Ibbotson (Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner) was a novelist specializing in romance and children's fantasy.
She was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1925. When Hitler appeared, her family moved to England. She attended Bedford College, graduating in 1945; Cambridge University from 1946-47; and the University of Durham, graduating with a diploma in education in 1965. Eva had intended to be a physiologist but was put off by animal testing. Instead, she married and raised a family, returning to school to become a teacher in the 1960s. They have three sons and a daughter.
Eva began writing with the television drama “Linda Came Today” in 1965. Ten years later, she published her first novel, “The Great Ghost Rescue”. Eva has written numerous books including “The Secret Of Platform 13”, “Journey To The River Sea”, “Which Witch?”, “Island Of The Aunts”, and “Dial-A-Ghost”. She won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for “Journey To The River Sea” and has been a runner up for many of major awards for British children's literature.
Her books are imaginative and humorous and most of them feature magical creatures and places, despite that she disliked thinking about them. She created the characters because she wanted to decrease her readers' fear of such things.
Some of the books, particularly “Journey To The River Sea”, reflect Eva's love of nature. Eva wrote this book in honour of her husband (who had died before), a naturalist. The book had been in her head for years.
Eva said she dislikes "financial greed and a lust for power" and often creates antagonists in her books who have these characteristics. Some have been struck by the similarity of “Platform 9 3/4” in J.K. Rowling's books to Eva's “The Secret Of Platform 13”, which came out three years before the first Harry Potter book.
Her love of Austria is evident in works such as “The Star Of Kazan” and “A Song For Summer”. These books, set in the Austrian countryside, display the author's love for all things natural.
She was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1925. When Hitler appeared, her family moved to England. She attended Bedford College, graduating in 1945; Cambridge University from 1946-47; and the University of Durham, graduating with a diploma in education in 1965. Eva had intended to be a physiologist but was put off by animal testing. Instead, she married and raised a family, returning to school to become a teacher in the 1960s. They have three sons and a daughter.
Eva began writing with the television drama “Linda Came Today” in 1965. Ten years later, she published her first novel, “The Great Ghost Rescue”. Eva has written numerous books including “The Secret Of Platform 13”, “Journey To The River Sea”, “Which Witch?”, “Island Of The Aunts”, and “Dial-A-Ghost”. She won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for “Journey To The River Sea” and has been a runner up for many of major awards for British children's literature.
Her books are imaginative and humorous and most of them feature magical creatures and places, despite that she disliked thinking about them. She created the characters because she wanted to decrease her readers' fear of such things.
Some of the books, particularly “Journey To The River Sea”, reflect Eva's love of nature. Eva wrote this book in honour of her husband (who had died before), a naturalist. The book had been in her head for years.
Eva said she dislikes "financial greed and a lust for power" and often creates antagonists in her books who have these characteristics. Some have been struck by the similarity of “Platform 9 3/4” in J.K. Rowling's books to Eva's “The Secret Of Platform 13”, which came out three years before the first Harry Potter book.
Her love of Austria is evident in works such as “The Star Of Kazan” and “A Song For Summer”. These books, set in the Austrian countryside, display the author's love for all things natural.
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February 3, 2020
I don't know how I missed this one. Because I have read a lot of Eva Ibbotson. But I missed it and that is lucky for me because I have found it and now I have another book for my keeper shelf and what a book.
This book is hilariously sharp. And while a lot of us read Ibbotson when we were younger because she had just been released as YA and her fairy tales were just the aching sort of thing we would fall into as uber romantic teens who wanted older cultured men and european locales (with the right fringe of war-time danger), adult Rachel is SO happy she read Morning Gift now because double-entendres are my thing and whipsmart innuendo is my thing and this book proves Ibbotson a master at both.
See, Ibbotson never intended for her books to be categorized as YA and I think this is largely in part of YA not existing when she published the way it does now. So, this is very much an adult romance with a charmingly youthful and beguiling heroine.
There is something SO refreshing about Ruth. She is so inquisitive and smart ---but never precocious-- and she sees the world in such a delightful way. She is the perfect counterpart to academic Quin Sommerville who navigates a world of fossil and bone and tries to shrug out of his heritage like a sweater....
....but I get ahead of myself. Because the characters inhabiting this treasure trove of a laugh out loud confectionary are worthy of the brilliant world Ibbotson creates.
First, we sink into the green depths of opulent Vienna at the brink of Hitler. Even the shadows of the Anschluss cannot stop the beaming sun from highlighting Strauss in the Statdpark or the night time world of the Natural History Museum in Maria-Theresien-Platz, where Ruth, whose partly Jewish parents have already escaped and being left hopelessly alone, has taking up residence.
As in every last Ibbotson book, the author knows her fairytales are only perfectly woven if done so with music, myth and magic to mete what she is embroidering. And so, the luscious world she describes is matched with Ibbotson's over-turned passion for art, for music, for Vienna. For Mozart.
Oh yes, the Mozart.
‘It’s Mozart, isn’t it?’ she said, sighing, for she knew already that there was everything in Mozart; that if you stuck to him you couldn't go wrong."
Quin shook his head, but he was amazed, for she had pushed back her hair and smiled at him – and in an instant the beleaguered captive in her tower vanished and it was summertime on an alp with cows.
The humour in this book draws the reader out of the encroaching pathos and even while Ibbotson's personal experience with refugees and exiles due to her family's own evacuation from Austria during the war. And as in all books, the theme of outsider is most expressly viewed in the delicious personality of her winsome, elvish heroines. And Ruth is no exception.
Too late, Ruth realized where she was heading and looked with horror at her empty glass, experiencing the painful moment when it becomes clear that what has been drunk cannot be undrunk. It had been so lovely, the wine, like drinking fermented hope or happiness, and now she was babbling and being indiscreet and would end up in the gutter, a confirmed absinthe drinker destined for a pauper’s grave.
I also love the Ibbotson take on the Chekhov's gun motif: meaning if she mentions a rucksack in chapter two, say, you better bet that it will come full circle in a moment of love hundreds of pages later. If Ruth languidly spending her last hours in Vienna before exile at the Danube, speaks to her uncle's romance borne of a message in a bottle, then the theme of rivers will stream through the slow-moving love story of our heroine
So Quin the academic with a title and a grand estate, late of Britain, rescues his old professor's daughter and marries her in paper only to get her out of the country. He tells her the story of a Morganic marriage: where it is unconsummated and sometimes followed by an act of a gift the morning after the wedding night where the bridegroom gives an expensive gift to his bride, severing the marriage forever. Ruth's imaginative goblet spills over and she is just so in love with the romanticism of this idea and she culls a million momentous references to myths and legends and is so darling about the whole thing.
So Quin and Ruth marry, steal away from Austria to England and her awaiting already- fled family aboard the Orient Express and seem to be rid of each other until their annulment papers can be sent.
Ha!
Turns out Ruth is pursuing a british education and Quin is her professor and it gets even more fun!
There are several Goodreads reviews that cite this as a poor example of "instalove" where the hero and heroine find happiness within the latter third of the book and it is not developed. I DISAGREE!!!!!!!! (a million exclamation marks). The careful reader will see the knowing winks from the author pairing them together. We have figured out their love, they are just catching up and it is slow and agonizing and dotted with misunderstandings and stupidity (as is love in general) and the clumsy waltz they take around each other from the classroom to Quin's family summer home in Bowmont is achingly funny and wonderful and heart-wrenching.
Ruth is so charming. Her worry over not having her post-coital tristesse ( she has read too many dirty french novels), her propensity to talk to sheep.
Quin is so determined not to be in love that its web around him is just the most deliciously wonderful thing. I snorted. I giggled. I chortled.
The more he tries not to actively notice her, the more she becomes a part of him:
Nevertheless, Nature had not shaped Ruth for nonexistence....Ruth leaning over the parapet to feed the ducks was not nonexistent, nor encountered in the library behind a pile of books, a piece of grass between her teeth. She was not nonexistent as she sat under the walnut tree coaching Pilly, nor emerging, drunk with music, from rehearsals of the choir. In general, Quin, without conceit, would have said he was a man with excellent nerves, but a week of Ruth’s anonymity was definitely taking its toll.
In turn, Ruth's tide is pulled in by Quin but she is so engaged in the new experiences around her that she doesn't have the same slow recognition of his effect. She also, because she is young and impressionably romantic, believes she is destined for Heini, her stupid cousin who is an insufferable archetype of every insufferable suffer-for-my-art musician to ever live. And this roundabout dance of two people who thought they would never see each other again always, always within feet of each other as their attraction grows, is just the sweetest thing on the planet. Quin made a sacrifice rescuing her, giving her his name, but we just do not see how tantamount that is until we see a Quin reconciling with the fact that she might not ever truly be his.
And Ruth.... oh darling Ruth! ---is naive enough to think that Quin will reject her. The Morganic marriage motif comes to a shattering conclusion and I cried through Ruth's mistaken heartbreak.
Quin, encountering that rare phenomenon, a person who read footnotes, was ready to be impressed.
Ruth’s eyes glowed with the ardour of those who swear mighty oaths.
Ruth and Quin are two of the most delightfully funny and decadent and unique and esoteric and quirky and challenging characters I have encountered in a book in AGES! I love them! I love their blind love for each other and how they frustrate each other and how they are so passionate about each other even as they mask it by quoting classics at inopportune times. I love that his heart wrenches when she almost drowns rescuing a puppy so he yells at her something fierce and I love that she runs to him after a botched night with Heini so they can finally get around to consummating their own love. I love that while the shadow of Hitler falls in pitch-perfect research it never detracts from the life and passion around! Life! It makes me think of a photography exhibit that my friend and I went to a few years ago. Photographs from the Lodz Ghetto: tragic circumstances but captured humanity: women getting married, children playing. We sometimes have the propensity to see the Second World War through a grainy sepia film of docudrama. We need books that show what thrived even as it crept like its Leviathan and Ibbotson infuses her personal experiences into a book about love.
Love for music, for love itself, for romance and Mozart and Vienna.
When the angels sing for God they sing Bach, but when they sing for pleasure they sing Mozart, and God eavesdrops.
Quin and Ruth are an unlikely pairing in an unlikely magic moment of a book that begs to be read within an inch of its life. The humour is to die for! The love story just the right amount of melodrama to whisk you away and remind you that hot cocoa and blankets pair well with things that are imagined and need not accompany realism.
I friggin LOVE this book. And will read it to infinity ....
This book is hilariously sharp. And while a lot of us read Ibbotson when we were younger because she had just been released as YA and her fairy tales were just the aching sort of thing we would fall into as uber romantic teens who wanted older cultured men and european locales (with the right fringe of war-time danger), adult Rachel is SO happy she read Morning Gift now because double-entendres are my thing and whipsmart innuendo is my thing and this book proves Ibbotson a master at both.
See, Ibbotson never intended for her books to be categorized as YA and I think this is largely in part of YA not existing when she published the way it does now. So, this is very much an adult romance with a charmingly youthful and beguiling heroine.
There is something SO refreshing about Ruth. She is so inquisitive and smart ---but never precocious-- and she sees the world in such a delightful way. She is the perfect counterpart to academic Quin Sommerville who navigates a world of fossil and bone and tries to shrug out of his heritage like a sweater....
....but I get ahead of myself. Because the characters inhabiting this treasure trove of a laugh out loud confectionary are worthy of the brilliant world Ibbotson creates.
First, we sink into the green depths of opulent Vienna at the brink of Hitler. Even the shadows of the Anschluss cannot stop the beaming sun from highlighting Strauss in the Statdpark or the night time world of the Natural History Museum in Maria-Theresien-Platz, where Ruth, whose partly Jewish parents have already escaped and being left hopelessly alone, has taking up residence.
As in every last Ibbotson book, the author knows her fairytales are only perfectly woven if done so with music, myth and magic to mete what she is embroidering. And so, the luscious world she describes is matched with Ibbotson's over-turned passion for art, for music, for Vienna. For Mozart.
Oh yes, the Mozart.
‘It’s Mozart, isn’t it?’ she said, sighing, for she knew already that there was everything in Mozart; that if you stuck to him you couldn't go wrong."
Quin shook his head, but he was amazed, for she had pushed back her hair and smiled at him – and in an instant the beleaguered captive in her tower vanished and it was summertime on an alp with cows.
The humour in this book draws the reader out of the encroaching pathos and even while Ibbotson's personal experience with refugees and exiles due to her family's own evacuation from Austria during the war. And as in all books, the theme of outsider is most expressly viewed in the delicious personality of her winsome, elvish heroines. And Ruth is no exception.
Too late, Ruth realized where she was heading and looked with horror at her empty glass, experiencing the painful moment when it becomes clear that what has been drunk cannot be undrunk. It had been so lovely, the wine, like drinking fermented hope or happiness, and now she was babbling and being indiscreet and would end up in the gutter, a confirmed absinthe drinker destined for a pauper’s grave.
I also love the Ibbotson take on the Chekhov's gun motif: meaning if she mentions a rucksack in chapter two, say, you better bet that it will come full circle in a moment of love hundreds of pages later. If Ruth languidly spending her last hours in Vienna before exile at the Danube, speaks to her uncle's romance borne of a message in a bottle, then the theme of rivers will stream through the slow-moving love story of our heroine
So Quin the academic with a title and a grand estate, late of Britain, rescues his old professor's daughter and marries her in paper only to get her out of the country. He tells her the story of a Morganic marriage: where it is unconsummated and sometimes followed by an act of a gift the morning after the wedding night where the bridegroom gives an expensive gift to his bride, severing the marriage forever. Ruth's imaginative goblet spills over and she is just so in love with the romanticism of this idea and she culls a million momentous references to myths and legends and is so darling about the whole thing.
So Quin and Ruth marry, steal away from Austria to England and her awaiting already- fled family aboard the Orient Express and seem to be rid of each other until their annulment papers can be sent.
Ha!
Turns out Ruth is pursuing a british education and Quin is her professor and it gets even more fun!
There are several Goodreads reviews that cite this as a poor example of "instalove" where the hero and heroine find happiness within the latter third of the book and it is not developed. I DISAGREE!!!!!!!! (a million exclamation marks). The careful reader will see the knowing winks from the author pairing them together. We have figured out their love, they are just catching up and it is slow and agonizing and dotted with misunderstandings and stupidity (as is love in general) and the clumsy waltz they take around each other from the classroom to Quin's family summer home in Bowmont is achingly funny and wonderful and heart-wrenching.
Ruth is so charming. Her worry over not having her post-coital tristesse ( she has read too many dirty french novels), her propensity to talk to sheep.
Quin is so determined not to be in love that its web around him is just the most deliciously wonderful thing. I snorted. I giggled. I chortled.
The more he tries not to actively notice her, the more she becomes a part of him:
Nevertheless, Nature had not shaped Ruth for nonexistence....Ruth leaning over the parapet to feed the ducks was not nonexistent, nor encountered in the library behind a pile of books, a piece of grass between her teeth. She was not nonexistent as she sat under the walnut tree coaching Pilly, nor emerging, drunk with music, from rehearsals of the choir. In general, Quin, without conceit, would have said he was a man with excellent nerves, but a week of Ruth’s anonymity was definitely taking its toll.
In turn, Ruth's tide is pulled in by Quin but she is so engaged in the new experiences around her that she doesn't have the same slow recognition of his effect. She also, because she is young and impressionably romantic, believes she is destined for Heini, her stupid cousin who is an insufferable archetype of every insufferable suffer-for-my-art musician to ever live. And this roundabout dance of two people who thought they would never see each other again always, always within feet of each other as their attraction grows, is just the sweetest thing on the planet. Quin made a sacrifice rescuing her, giving her his name, but we just do not see how tantamount that is until we see a Quin reconciling with the fact that she might not ever truly be his.
And Ruth.... oh darling Ruth! ---is naive enough to think that Quin will reject her. The Morganic marriage motif comes to a shattering conclusion and I cried through Ruth's mistaken heartbreak.
Quin, encountering that rare phenomenon, a person who read footnotes, was ready to be impressed.
Ruth’s eyes glowed with the ardour of those who swear mighty oaths.
Ruth and Quin are two of the most delightfully funny and decadent and unique and esoteric and quirky and challenging characters I have encountered in a book in AGES! I love them! I love their blind love for each other and how they frustrate each other and how they are so passionate about each other even as they mask it by quoting classics at inopportune times. I love that his heart wrenches when she almost drowns rescuing a puppy so he yells at her something fierce and I love that she runs to him after a botched night with Heini so they can finally get around to consummating their own love. I love that while the shadow of Hitler falls in pitch-perfect research it never detracts from the life and passion around! Life! It makes me think of a photography exhibit that my friend and I went to a few years ago. Photographs from the Lodz Ghetto: tragic circumstances but captured humanity: women getting married, children playing. We sometimes have the propensity to see the Second World War through a grainy sepia film of docudrama. We need books that show what thrived even as it crept like its Leviathan and Ibbotson infuses her personal experiences into a book about love.
Love for music, for love itself, for romance and Mozart and Vienna.
When the angels sing for God they sing Bach, but when they sing for pleasure they sing Mozart, and God eavesdrops.
Quin and Ruth are an unlikely pairing in an unlikely magic moment of a book that begs to be read within an inch of its life. The humour is to die for! The love story just the right amount of melodrama to whisk you away and remind you that hot cocoa and blankets pair well with things that are imagined and need not accompany realism.
I friggin LOVE this book. And will read it to infinity ....
December 20, 2008
The first Eva Ibbotson book I ever read was A Countess Below Stairs and I was reluctant to buy any of the other books because I really did not see how she could top it. Regardless I have faith in authors with their craft so I took the plunge with The Morning Gift (I’m a sucker for pretty covers really).
And then I hit my head on the diving board.
I usually read books within a few hours to a day depending on how focused I am and how much I love the book. Reading the first half of the book took me literally days. Books are the reason why I procrastinate. Homework became the reason why I procrastinated on reading The Morning Gift. Terrible? Yes.
The book starts off incredibly slow and it’s like reading one of those boring history books that have a ton information so you skim and glean, but never really retaining anything, just trying to get through it to get to the good stuff. The gore. The battles. The love. The romance. Then you realize “Oh shit, I just skipped something important” later on in the book and have to turn back and go “WTF?”
I mean, I understand that this is in WWII. You have to set the setting. Ibbotson did the same thing with Countess but she did it in a swift manner that allowed the reader to get through and then focus on the characters but seriously what happened in Morning Gift? We know the history, but now let’s learn the character’s history and story. MOVE. ON.
After half the book has bored you, you get a great jolt of excitement and joy that the book is finally coming together in true Eva Ibbotson form and you start to think “YES YES YES! FINALLY!” and you start loving it…. And then you start to drown.
The Morning Gift revolves around Ruth Berger, the only daughter of a Jewish-Austrian professor and is part of an eclectic family. Most of the family members have a cute love story. Even Ruth has a cute love story: Heini, a gifted prodigy of a pianist, started tomooch live with the Bergers and they have a cute Mozart and his starling story. Cute cute cute. Ruth also happens to be somewhat of a child genius herself with school. Awww adorable.
Quin Somerville, ANOTHER child genius of a sort in zoology, is thrown in somewhat in “stash and run” manner where he appears in their lives as a young teenager and the he’s out. Peace son. See you in ten years when all hell breaks loose and you re-meet the little girl whose family took you in for a while and it basically becomes one of the more awkward things about the book. Ever.
War is starting to break out. Ooohh crap, did I mention that Ruth is the only one in her family who doesn’t look Jewish or anything like the rest of her family? Nope. She’s blonde, pale, and various other non-stereotypical Jewish characteristics inserted here. Her family sent her ahead to England as a student, but something sucks and then oh looky, Quin’s back and is getting an award. He’s peeved that Professor Berger isn’t there giving the award to him so he goes to the Berger house and finds Ruth, a whole bunch of stuff happens la-dee-dah (wouldn’t want to spoil the WHOLE book for you, but then after this review do you think you’ll read it?)
The only way to get her out of England is to get married. So they do. See the awkardness? On the train he tells her this morning gift story where a guy can marry a girl and then have the marriage annulled by giving her a morning gift. Basically it’s a way to get laid. Clever…. I wonder if it’s still used. Anyways, then they decide to keep a secret, her family has been worried sick so joy rings when she returns. Yay family reunion. Then she hides the marriage papers in the floorboards of her family’s now shitty apartment.
Quin’s apparently loaded with cash. Too bad Ruth’s all “HEINI HEINI HEINI HEINI” (if you didn’t giggle at his name before when I mentioned it, giggle now). He’s apparently going to give away his house though. That blows. But he’s a professor at some college and he’s all about helping the refugees and gets his college and rich friends to take them in. Which is nice. Never said he wasn’t nice. Coincidentally Ruth is enrolled, not only in his college, but his CLASS. Oohhh crap another twist.
They’re both completely obsessed with avoiding each other, which as everyone knows is an action that is more obvious to people that there’s something going on. Anyways, Heini’s been in Thailand or something and he basically tells Ruth that he expects a piano (he’s INCREDIBLY selfish and self-centered in case you haven’t noticed) in their shitty, basically, 10x10 apartment. So she’s saving every penny from her waitressing job for that. Nothing says love like a piano.
And then… ANOTHER genius of some sorts name Verena Plackett whose dad runs the college and the mom is some kind of moral Nazi (hah more Nazis). I love how there's so many genius-ish people who showed their intelligence at really young ages so conviently together. The women in this family are basically gold digging title loving…. somethings. There’s an obvious competition to be first in the class between Verena and Ruth. Of course. And Verena is fighting to get into Quin’s pants. Silly girl. Can’t you see that Ruth is the one who fits in his pants? They have a field trip of some sort at Quin’s mansion and it’s basically my favorite part because it’s where everything really develops: the attractiveness of Ruth’s personality (similar to Countess), the growing sexual tension between Quin and Ruth, the little things that make you really want to keep reading and know what will happen. And then it goes downhill.
Heini’s finally there and he’s kind of bitter about the piano that Ruth bought him cause it’s like low quality. He’s only getting free room, food, etc from the Berger’s. He won’t even get a job because he has to be careful of his hands and those things are “demeaning.” UGH. Don’t even want to talk about him.
No wait. I do. He wants to have sex. Not because he loves her. No no. That would be you know… considerate of him. That would be… loving of him. Non-self-centered. He wants to have sex because ALL GREAT MUSICIANS HAVE SEX IN ORDER TO PLAY AWESOME. And since he has this great opportunity to be a pianist in America and has to win a competition to do so. Ruth being the stupid devoted girl that she is down for it, but then chickens out.
This is where the spoilers really begin. Actually it’s where my anger at the book truly begins. It’s where it goes downhill from here. Let’s plunge and hope we don’t drown.
Quin has always been treating Ruth like he doesn’t like her and there’s that slight sexual tension between the two, but definitely in a more fatherly figure more than anything. And then one night she runs to his apartment and blurts out the entire thing about not being able to have sex with Heini and he’s all peeved about it blah blah blah and her grades are suffering because of it. He listens. Then they have sex. That’s right. Sex. What. The. Fuck. It comes out of nowhere. I know that sex sometimes does, but really? After hearing about how she couldn’t have sex with the guy she’s engaged to, crying, and rambling about how she hates life etc etc, he’s like “Wow. The fact that you couldn’t have sex turns me on. The fact that your grades suck and you feel terrible turns me on. Sex solves all. Let’s do it.” After sex, they’re suddenly in love and all lovey dovey.
Stupidly Quin then sends her a morning gift of emeralds, totally forgetting the story that he had told her. So she totally thinks that’s all it was to him, a one night stand and of course is depressed. Quin had been preparing an African expedition and apparently Verena thought he was going to take her, but when she confronts him, he’s like “You thought I was going to take YOU?!?” So this leads to during finals, Ruth gets up to go to the bathroom and Verena follows and for some unknown reason (as we later find out) she threatens her in the closet and is all “if you don’t leave I’ll tell everyone your relationship with Quin and that you had sex with him!” How the fuck would she know??? All he said was “I wasn’t going to take YOU.” Maybe along with being smart, she’s a psychic??
Ruth bails on her final exams and basically fails. Heini becomes some famous musician in America and she tells him the day of the voyage when they were going to leave together that she doesn't love him. Then she writes this letter to her parents that she's going to take time off for herself working as a nanny. And she's PREGNANT. But she never tells anyone! No, she just writes this letter with no return address to family and friends, but every freaking person somehow knows that she's PREGNANT how can they know if they haven't seen her or if she hasn't told them. Plus her new job is in the middle of nowhere. It ends with a happy reunion of Quin, her parents, and the newborn baby. Great.
It’s as though towards the end of the book she realizes “SHIT I want all this stuff to happen but it's like... at almost 350 pages and it's a 400 page book, better just cram all of it in no matter if it makes sense WHY.” If she had simply edited a lot of the beginning half of the book and then played out what would have developed in a better way, this book would have been great. It would have been sensational. It would not have been Countess, but it would have been a great follow up. I have a lot of anger (as you may have read in this review) because I had such high hopes for this book and it was a great plot, interesting characters, and a nice writing style, but really... no.
And then I hit my head on the diving board.
I usually read books within a few hours to a day depending on how focused I am and how much I love the book. Reading the first half of the book took me literally days. Books are the reason why I procrastinate. Homework became the reason why I procrastinated on reading The Morning Gift. Terrible? Yes.
The book starts off incredibly slow and it’s like reading one of those boring history books that have a ton information so you skim and glean, but never really retaining anything, just trying to get through it to get to the good stuff. The gore. The battles. The love. The romance. Then you realize “Oh shit, I just skipped something important” later on in the book and have to turn back and go “WTF?”
I mean, I understand that this is in WWII. You have to set the setting. Ibbotson did the same thing with Countess but she did it in a swift manner that allowed the reader to get through and then focus on the characters but seriously what happened in Morning Gift? We know the history, but now let’s learn the character’s history and story. MOVE. ON.
After half the book has bored you, you get a great jolt of excitement and joy that the book is finally coming together in true Eva Ibbotson form and you start to think “YES YES YES! FINALLY!” and you start loving it…. And then you start to drown.
The Morning Gift revolves around Ruth Berger, the only daughter of a Jewish-Austrian professor and is part of an eclectic family. Most of the family members have a cute love story. Even Ruth has a cute love story: Heini, a gifted prodigy of a pianist, started to
Quin Somerville, ANOTHER child genius of a sort in zoology, is thrown in somewhat in “stash and run” manner where he appears in their lives as a young teenager and the he’s out. Peace son. See you in ten years when all hell breaks loose and you re-meet the little girl whose family took you in for a while and it basically becomes one of the more awkward things about the book. Ever.
War is starting to break out. Ooohh crap, did I mention that Ruth is the only one in her family who doesn’t look Jewish or anything like the rest of her family? Nope. She’s blonde, pale, and various other non-stereotypical Jewish characteristics inserted here. Her family sent her ahead to England as a student, but something sucks and then oh looky, Quin’s back and is getting an award. He’s peeved that Professor Berger isn’t there giving the award to him so he goes to the Berger house and finds Ruth, a whole bunch of stuff happens la-dee-dah (wouldn’t want to spoil the WHOLE book for you, but then after this review do you think you’ll read it?)
The only way to get her out of England is to get married. So they do. See the awkardness? On the train he tells her this morning gift story where a guy can marry a girl and then have the marriage annulled by giving her a morning gift. Basically it’s a way to get laid. Clever…. I wonder if it’s still used. Anyways, then they decide to keep a secret, her family has been worried sick so joy rings when she returns. Yay family reunion. Then she hides the marriage papers in the floorboards of her family’s now shitty apartment.
Quin’s apparently loaded with cash. Too bad Ruth’s all “HEINI HEINI HEINI HEINI” (if you didn’t giggle at his name before when I mentioned it, giggle now). He’s apparently going to give away his house though. That blows. But he’s a professor at some college and he’s all about helping the refugees and gets his college and rich friends to take them in. Which is nice. Never said he wasn’t nice. Coincidentally Ruth is enrolled, not only in his college, but his CLASS. Oohhh crap another twist.
They’re both completely obsessed with avoiding each other, which as everyone knows is an action that is more obvious to people that there’s something going on. Anyways, Heini’s been in Thailand or something and he basically tells Ruth that he expects a piano (he’s INCREDIBLY selfish and self-centered in case you haven’t noticed) in their shitty, basically, 10x10 apartment. So she’s saving every penny from her waitressing job for that. Nothing says love like a piano.
And then… ANOTHER genius of some sorts name Verena Plackett whose dad runs the college and the mom is some kind of moral Nazi (hah more Nazis). I love how there's so many genius-ish people who showed their intelligence at really young ages so conviently together. The women in this family are basically gold digging title loving…. somethings. There’s an obvious competition to be first in the class between Verena and Ruth. Of course. And Verena is fighting to get into Quin’s pants. Silly girl. Can’t you see that Ruth is the one who fits in his pants? They have a field trip of some sort at Quin’s mansion and it’s basically my favorite part because it’s where everything really develops: the attractiveness of Ruth’s personality (similar to Countess), the growing sexual tension between Quin and Ruth, the little things that make you really want to keep reading and know what will happen. And then it goes downhill.
Heini’s finally there and he’s kind of bitter about the piano that Ruth bought him cause it’s like low quality. He’s only getting free room, food, etc from the Berger’s. He won’t even get a job because he has to be careful of his hands and those things are “demeaning.” UGH. Don’t even want to talk about him.
No wait. I do. He wants to have sex. Not because he loves her. No no. That would be you know… considerate of him. That would be… loving of him. Non-self-centered. He wants to have sex because ALL GREAT MUSICIANS HAVE SEX IN ORDER TO PLAY AWESOME. And since he has this great opportunity to be a pianist in America and has to win a competition to do so. Ruth being the stupid devoted girl that she is down for it, but then chickens out.
This is where the spoilers really begin. Actually it’s where my anger at the book truly begins. It’s where it goes downhill from here. Let’s plunge and hope we don’t drown.
Quin has always been treating Ruth like he doesn’t like her and there’s that slight sexual tension between the two, but definitely in a more fatherly figure more than anything. And then one night she runs to his apartment and blurts out the entire thing about not being able to have sex with Heini and he’s all peeved about it blah blah blah and her grades are suffering because of it. He listens. Then they have sex. That’s right. Sex. What. The. Fuck. It comes out of nowhere. I know that sex sometimes does, but really? After hearing about how she couldn’t have sex with the guy she’s engaged to, crying, and rambling about how she hates life etc etc, he’s like “Wow. The fact that you couldn’t have sex turns me on. The fact that your grades suck and you feel terrible turns me on. Sex solves all. Let’s do it.” After sex, they’re suddenly in love and all lovey dovey.
Stupidly Quin then sends her a morning gift of emeralds, totally forgetting the story that he had told her. So she totally thinks that’s all it was to him, a one night stand and of course is depressed. Quin had been preparing an African expedition and apparently Verena thought he was going to take her, but when she confronts him, he’s like “You thought I was going to take YOU?!?” So this leads to during finals, Ruth gets up to go to the bathroom and Verena follows and for some unknown reason (as we later find out) she threatens her in the closet and is all “if you don’t leave I’ll tell everyone your relationship with Quin and that you had sex with him!” How the fuck would she know??? All he said was “I wasn’t going to take YOU.” Maybe along with being smart, she’s a psychic??
Ruth bails on her final exams and basically fails. Heini becomes some famous musician in America and she tells him the day of the voyage when they were going to leave together that she doesn't love him. Then she writes this letter to her parents that she's going to take time off for herself working as a nanny. And she's PREGNANT. But she never tells anyone! No, she just writes this letter with no return address to family and friends, but every freaking person somehow knows that she's PREGNANT how can they know if they haven't seen her or if she hasn't told them. Plus her new job is in the middle of nowhere. It ends with a happy reunion of Quin, her parents, and the newborn baby. Great.
It’s as though towards the end of the book she realizes “SHIT I want all this stuff to happen but it's like... at almost 350 pages and it's a 400 page book, better just cram all of it in no matter if it makes sense WHY.” If she had simply edited a lot of the beginning half of the book and then played out what would have developed in a better way, this book would have been great. It would have been sensational. It would not have been Countess, but it would have been a great follow up. I have a lot of anger (as you may have read in this review) because I had such high hopes for this book and it was a great plot, interesting characters, and a nice writing style, but really... no.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2009
After reading the above blurb about the book, I was excited to dive in. Oh yes, this seemed to fit neatly into my preferred genre! I couldn’t tell if it was going to be more romance-ish or historical-fiction-y, but I figured either way I was set.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I really found myself struggling to get into this book. Eva Ibbotson’s writing style is flowy — I picked out one sentence that were so long, being packed with five or six wordy dependent clauses, that it literally was its own paragraph. The characters were well-educated and the author must be, too, alluding to all kinds of musical composers and pieces of art and obscure species of marine life and archeological finds of the early twentieth century — I was drowning in the sea of academia, especially in the beginning as I tried to sort out fictional characters from real persons who I’d never heard of.
And the fictional characters — my, there were a lot of ‘em! There’s Ruth and Quin, obviously: the main characters. Then there’s Ruth’s parents. There’s Ruth’s fiance, Heini (his name proves to be pretty accurate, as he really can be a you-know-what). There’s Hilda, and a guy names Ziller, and a girl named Fraulein Something-or-Other, and a Miss Maud, and Miss Somebody Else, and Mrs. Weiss, and a guy named Levy, and Ruth’s uncle Mishak (and his dead wife Marianne). There’s Ruth’s friends she meets at school: Sam (who has a crush on Ruth), Huw (the Welshman), Pilly (who Ruth tutors), Janet (who’s seen the backseat of a motorcar a time or two); and Kurt (or was it Kent?) the grocer’s son; and Ruth’s arch-nemesis Verena (oh, and Verena’s mom). There’s Quin’s great aunt Frances and the maid Elsie who is a hundred years old and the Basher, Quin’s grandfather (great-grandfather?). There’s a couple of other professors: Roger Something? And a female professor? And a bunch of others mentioned only a few times in the story.
And each character really is a fleshed-out character. The prologue is filled with Ruth’s family history, the how-we-met story of her parents. The book shifts points-of-view from Ruth to Quin to any one of these secondary characters.
No wonder I felt like I was drowning until, like, page eighty. (Never mind that it’s shelved as “Young Adult.” I guess it’s only shelved as such because there’s not any steamy, R-rated detail; not because the average teenager will actually catch all this stuff.)
It took awhile, but then, finally, I started warming up to Ibbotson’s writing style. In fact, by about page 200, I realized something unexpected: I loved her writing. Somehow she had a way of conveying feeling in her sentence structure, and not the words themselves. Her detail painted beautiful, intricate scenes. Simply amazing.
And those secondary characters that were so cumbersome at the beginning — I actually enjoyed them, too. I loved the story about Mishak and Marianne, loved Great-Aunt Frances (and her reaction to Mishak’s story), loved Pilly (a true and loyal friend). Loved Verena in a love-to-hate-her sort of way; loved-to-hate Heini even more.
The storyline itself was a little too predictable, I thought (at least, I was a step ahead of the characters for the most part) and a little too cheesy at the end (these silly romance novel characters never bother to actually *talk* to each other for fifty-some pages, creating all kinds of “drama,” and then they talk to each other and they *love* each other again). But since the silliness of the story was cloaked in such fabulous writing and charming secondary characters I can’t say I minded too much.
I’d probably benefit from a re-read of this book — there’s so much detail I would actually understand the second time around. However, I think I’d rather just read something else by the same author — now that I have a better idea of what to expect.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I really found myself struggling to get into this book. Eva Ibbotson’s writing style is flowy — I picked out one sentence that were so long, being packed with five or six wordy dependent clauses, that it literally was its own paragraph. The characters were well-educated and the author must be, too, alluding to all kinds of musical composers and pieces of art and obscure species of marine life and archeological finds of the early twentieth century — I was drowning in the sea of academia, especially in the beginning as I tried to sort out fictional characters from real persons who I’d never heard of.
And the fictional characters — my, there were a lot of ‘em! There’s Ruth and Quin, obviously: the main characters. Then there’s Ruth’s parents. There’s Ruth’s fiance, Heini (his name proves to be pretty accurate, as he really can be a you-know-what). There’s Hilda, and a guy names Ziller, and a girl named Fraulein Something-or-Other, and a Miss Maud, and Miss Somebody Else, and Mrs. Weiss, and a guy named Levy, and Ruth’s uncle Mishak (and his dead wife Marianne). There’s Ruth’s friends she meets at school: Sam (who has a crush on Ruth), Huw (the Welshman), Pilly (who Ruth tutors), Janet (who’s seen the backseat of a motorcar a time or two); and Kurt (or was it Kent?) the grocer’s son; and Ruth’s arch-nemesis Verena (oh, and Verena’s mom). There’s Quin’s great aunt Frances and the maid Elsie who is a hundred years old and the Basher, Quin’s grandfather (great-grandfather?). There’s a couple of other professors: Roger Something? And a female professor? And a bunch of others mentioned only a few times in the story.
And each character really is a fleshed-out character. The prologue is filled with Ruth’s family history, the how-we-met story of her parents. The book shifts points-of-view from Ruth to Quin to any one of these secondary characters.
No wonder I felt like I was drowning until, like, page eighty. (Never mind that it’s shelved as “Young Adult.” I guess it’s only shelved as such because there’s not any steamy, R-rated detail; not because the average teenager will actually catch all this stuff.)
It took awhile, but then, finally, I started warming up to Ibbotson’s writing style. In fact, by about page 200, I realized something unexpected: I loved her writing. Somehow she had a way of conveying feeling in her sentence structure, and not the words themselves. Her detail painted beautiful, intricate scenes. Simply amazing.
And those secondary characters that were so cumbersome at the beginning — I actually enjoyed them, too. I loved the story about Mishak and Marianne, loved Great-Aunt Frances (and her reaction to Mishak’s story), loved Pilly (a true and loyal friend). Loved Verena in a love-to-hate-her sort of way; loved-to-hate Heini even more.
The storyline itself was a little too predictable, I thought (at least, I was a step ahead of the characters for the most part) and a little too cheesy at the end (these silly romance novel characters never bother to actually *talk* to each other for fifty-some pages, creating all kinds of “drama,” and then they talk to each other and they *love* each other again). But since the silliness of the story was cloaked in such fabulous writing and charming secondary characters I can’t say I minded too much.
I’d probably benefit from a re-read of this book — there’s so much detail I would actually understand the second time around. However, I think I’d rather just read something else by the same author — now that I have a better idea of what to expect.
February 2, 2021
This is my first Eva Ibbotson book but definitely not my last. It's been on my radar awhile, thanks to the recommendation of author Rachel McMillan, and I've been waiting for a free day to read it straight through. That day finally came yesterday. I started the book mid-morning and finished it in the evening, finding it very hard to put down.
I won't summarize. I'm a terrible summarizer. I'll just say that this story deeply moved me, and several times brought me to tears. Themes of family, sacrifice, resilience, nature, and community. And romance. A wonderful romance that resonates as much for what is unsaid between Ruth and Quin as for what the author puts on the page. Ibbotson has a brilliant way of making emotion shimmer between the lines. It rises up and grabs you by the heart.
If I had any criticism, it would be that there were some scenes where I wanted more--more of Ruth and Quin together, more conversation, more time being "in" the action of the story. But this is just another example of the draw of Ibboton's writing.
The other thing I'll say is that some of the references to the onset of World War II sound eerily familiar and left me unsettled and sad, wondering if humans ever really do learn from history. For those of you concerned about graphic depictions, this story is fairly safe from those, but the trauma of loss and displacement is there in full force, both in the written story and in what's left unsaid.
Highly, highly recommended.
I won't summarize. I'm a terrible summarizer. I'll just say that this story deeply moved me, and several times brought me to tears. Themes of family, sacrifice, resilience, nature, and community. And romance. A wonderful romance that resonates as much for what is unsaid between Ruth and Quin as for what the author puts on the page. Ibbotson has a brilliant way of making emotion shimmer between the lines. It rises up and grabs you by the heart.
If I had any criticism, it would be that there were some scenes where I wanted more--more of Ruth and Quin together, more conversation, more time being "in" the action of the story. But this is just another example of the draw of Ibboton's writing.
The other thing I'll say is that some of the references to the onset of World War II sound eerily familiar and left me unsettled and sad, wondering if humans ever really do learn from history. For those of you concerned about graphic depictions, this story is fairly safe from those, but the trauma of loss and displacement is there in full force, both in the written story and in what's left unsaid.
Highly, highly recommended.
November 13, 2022
I remember now why I decided (after A Song for Summer) why I should give some time before I take next book of Eva Ibbotson. Again, on the one hand I am enchanted and I want to read more of her stories, on the other hand I feel that I must recover after this one.
Here we have a vanishing world of Austrian culture which for long time (until world wars) was one of the highest in the world. Who from West Europe or USA remembers / knows today how important Vienna was? If you don't know you can start to learn with this novel.
Eva Ibbotson was born in Vienna in 1925. When Hitler came into power, Ibbotson's family moved to England. She knew what she was writing about. Furthermore, you feel it that it was her world once and that she long for it. I love her Vienna and all her characters. I would want to now them in the real life. (I should probably add that most of the book took place in England, but Vienna is always in the air and in hearts)
Ibbotson had intended to be a physiologist, but was put off by the amount of animal testing that she would have to do. She loved nature. It isn't some cliche. She really did. You can see it clearly in this novel and more deeply in A Song for Summer. The nature, its beauty and eternity flowed through the pages.
Likewise the music. It also flowed through the book. Nature and music were a great love of Ibbotson.
I can't stop thinking about all these people who had to leave their homes, their lives and move to the foreign country. I know, in comparison to others who were less fortunate, they at least lived. Still... But we know what war does to people who doesn't start it and doesn't want it at all.
Although the historical background and some personal tragedies in the book are sad it isn't a sad book. There is a happy ending, all main characters survived the war. There is humor, you will smile some times and you will feel many times a warm touch in your heart.
I think, no, I am sure that Eve Ibbotson was a very wise woman with a good heart and a deep understanding of human nature. Her books (those classified as for young-adult) have something from fairy tales. Her storytelling is original, beautiful, enchanting. It would grip your heart and to the end would not let go. I think that one must read her book to understand it. I can't compare Ibbotson to someone else.
And as I said, she had very important things to tell us. For example:
Pilly said about Ruth:
PS If you love a sweet, true love story you will like it. If you love nature you will like it. If you love music (classic music) you will like it. If you love stories about families, relationships which are so strong that would endure everything you will like it. If you believe in the good in people you will like it. If you love science, especially paleontology you will like it. There are many, many more reasons why you will like this book.
And when you read it and fall in love you can pick A Song for Summer.
Here we have a vanishing world of Austrian culture which for long time (until world wars) was one of the highest in the world. Who from West Europe or USA remembers / knows today how important Vienna was? If you don't know you can start to learn with this novel.
Eva Ibbotson was born in Vienna in 1925. When Hitler came into power, Ibbotson's family moved to England. She knew what she was writing about. Furthermore, you feel it that it was her world once and that she long for it. I love her Vienna and all her characters. I would want to now them in the real life. (I should probably add that most of the book took place in England, but Vienna is always in the air and in hearts)
Ibbotson had intended to be a physiologist, but was put off by the amount of animal testing that she would have to do. She loved nature. It isn't some cliche. She really did. You can see it clearly in this novel and more deeply in A Song for Summer. The nature, its beauty and eternity flowed through the pages.
"How could there be so much light, so much movement; how could everything be so terribly there (...) And the air moved too - how it moved! You didn't need to breathe, it breathed itself" (...) I didn't know, she thought. I didn't imagine that anything could be like this, could make one feel so… purged… so clean… so alone and unimportant and yet so totally oneself
Likewise the music. It also flowed through the book. Nature and music were a great love of Ibbotson.
I can't stop thinking about all these people who had to leave their homes, their lives and move to the foreign country. I know, in comparison to others who were less fortunate, they at least lived. Still... But we know what war does to people who doesn't start it and doesn't want it at all.
Although the historical background and some personal tragedies in the book are sad it isn't a sad book. There is a happy ending, all main characters survived the war. There is humor, you will smile some times and you will feel many times a warm touch in your heart.
"Would you like me to stop talking? Because I can. I have to concentrate, but it's possible";-)
I think, no, I am sure that Eve Ibbotson was a very wise woman with a good heart and a deep understanding of human nature. Her books (those classified as for young-adult) have something from fairy tales. Her storytelling is original, beautiful, enchanting. It would grip your heart and to the end would not let go. I think that one must read her book to understand it. I can't compare Ibbotson to someone else.
And as I said, she had very important things to tell us. For example:
One must not judge other cultures by the standards of one's own
He meant that the dead must be allowed to move about freely inside us, they musn't be encapsulated, made finite by their prejudices
Pilly said about Ruth:
"She made life… big for me"I can tell the same about this book and their characters. And perhaps each of one will find some day his own Willow Tea Rooms. I would like it very, very much.
PS If you love a sweet, true love story you will like it. If you love nature you will like it. If you love music (classic music) you will like it. If you love stories about families, relationships which are so strong that would endure everything you will like it. If you believe in the good in people you will like it. If you love science, especially paleontology you will like it. There are many, many more reasons why you will like this book.
And when you read it and fall in love you can pick A Song for Summer.
June 17, 2024
"Was der Morgen bringt" von Eva Ibbotson ist das erste Mal 1994 unter dem Titel "Die Morgengabe" erschienen. Ich bin durch eine Besprechung im eat.READ.sleep.-Podcast von NDR Kultur auf die Neuausgabe aufmerksam geworden. Ohne diese Besprechung hätte ich den Roman vermutlich als Trivialliteratur eingestuft und nicht gelesen. Gut, dass es anders gekommen ist.
Im Zentrum der Geschichte steht die wohlhabende Wiener Großfamilie Berger, vor allem Tochter Ruth. 1938 fliehen die jüdischen Bergers vor den Nazis. Ruth wurde mit einem Studentenvisum vorausgeschickt, jedoch an der Grenze nach England abgewiesen, somit bleibt sie zunächst zurück in Wien. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt ist Ruth zwanzig Jahre alt. Der befreundete Professor Quinton Somerville heiratet sie, um die Flucht zu ermöglichen. Außer den beiden weiß niemand von der Hochzeit. Ruth liebt die Musik und ihren Cousin Heini, einen begabten Pianisten. Er ist derzeit in Budapest, plant aber auch nach England zu reisen. Ruth kommt als Studentin an die Universität Thameside, an der Somerville unterrichtet, wenn er nicht gerade auf Forschungsreise ist.
Die gesellschaftliche Entwicklung, die in dem Roman geschildert wird, bewegt sich zwischen Weltpolitik (Flucht vor den Nazis) und Boulevard (heimlich mit ihrem Professor verheiratete Studentin). Trotz einiger Schilderungen, die sich nahe am Kitsch bewegen, ist der Roman aufgrund seiner Sprache, die sich durch die Formulierungen, die Themen und den Wortschatz deutlich von anderen, leichteren Unterhaltungsromanen abhebt, überaus lesenswert. Gut hat mir auch der britische Humor gefallen, der immer wieder zur Brechung klischeebehafteter Szenen führt. Besonders interessant für heutige Leser ist der Aspekt der Flucht und das Leben als Flüchtling. Hier merkt man die persönlichen Erfahrungen der Autorin. Für Freunde gehobener Unterhaltungsliteratur ist "Was der Morgen bringt" von Eva Ibbotson eine uneingeschränkte Leseempfehlung.
Im Zentrum der Geschichte steht die wohlhabende Wiener Großfamilie Berger, vor allem Tochter Ruth. 1938 fliehen die jüdischen Bergers vor den Nazis. Ruth wurde mit einem Studentenvisum vorausgeschickt, jedoch an der Grenze nach England abgewiesen, somit bleibt sie zunächst zurück in Wien. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt ist Ruth zwanzig Jahre alt. Der befreundete Professor Quinton Somerville heiratet sie, um die Flucht zu ermöglichen. Außer den beiden weiß niemand von der Hochzeit. Ruth liebt die Musik und ihren Cousin Heini, einen begabten Pianisten. Er ist derzeit in Budapest, plant aber auch nach England zu reisen. Ruth kommt als Studentin an die Universität Thameside, an der Somerville unterrichtet, wenn er nicht gerade auf Forschungsreise ist.
Die gesellschaftliche Entwicklung, die in dem Roman geschildert wird, bewegt sich zwischen Weltpolitik (Flucht vor den Nazis) und Boulevard (heimlich mit ihrem Professor verheiratete Studentin). Trotz einiger Schilderungen, die sich nahe am Kitsch bewegen, ist der Roman aufgrund seiner Sprache, die sich durch die Formulierungen, die Themen und den Wortschatz deutlich von anderen, leichteren Unterhaltungsromanen abhebt, überaus lesenswert. Gut hat mir auch der britische Humor gefallen, der immer wieder zur Brechung klischeebehafteter Szenen führt. Besonders interessant für heutige Leser ist der Aspekt der Flucht und das Leben als Flüchtling. Hier merkt man die persönlichen Erfahrungen der Autorin. Für Freunde gehobener Unterhaltungsliteratur ist "Was der Morgen bringt" von Eva Ibbotson eine uneingeschränkte Leseempfehlung.
November 18, 2011
*sob* this is the last Eva Ibbotson that I had on my shelf! I left it until last as it was the longest... oh dear, I've forgotten the name of the psychoanalyst now, but she would believe that my leaving this until last was intuitive, as I knew that it would be the best of the lot.
Well, perhaps second-best, after The Secret Countess, but that I read back in Melbourne. Of the lot I have here, counting only these prettily packaged older-YA-Picadors, it just edges out A Company of Swans to be my favourite. (All up, I give first place to Journey to the River Sea - but that's of the younger set than these lovely, frothy romances.)
After reading a lot of Eva Ibbotson, one does begin to notice that her books are very similar... one might even say formulaic. Her heroines are all quite similar to one another - but this is not a bad thing. Her formula is a tried and true one, each story as delightful as the last! It doesn't matter that one girl is reminiscent of another. In fact, it adds to the joy a little. Or at least I find that to be so.
Ruth is beautiful, independent, intelligent, talented, and talks a lot. Talking a lot seems to be a thing with a lot of Eva Ibbotson's girls. They will ramble off in the most delightful of tangents when telling a story, and always come up with the most random thoughts, analogies and examples that the person to whom they are talking knows absolutely NOTHING of. Her girls seem to always forget that not everyone else is in their head, following their thought pattern, remembering their memories.
One of the most delightful quotes from all her books has to be this one, from Ruth to Frances: "Would you like me to stop talking? Because I can. I have to concentrate, but it's possible."
I also particularly enjoyed "...a large, midnight-blue Crossley tourer with brass lamps and a deep horn which recalled, faintly, the motoring activities of the redoubtable Mr. Toad" - having recently read The Wind in the Willows myself that was a fun gem! And having seen the film The King's Speech, I was also able to fully appreciate "the shy king and his stammer".
And "She wants to be alone." "Like Greta Garbo?" really made me giggle!
I loved the setting, the time and place - how modern it suddenly felt compared to the last couple I've read. What was also amazing to me was how real I *knew* it was... the area that the Bergers et al moved to in London is only one stop down the tube from where two friends of mine live: which is a very Jewish area. That really was where a lot of refugees ended up. (Incidentally, I left the book with that friend - I finished it while at her place and while I adored it, it was too heavy for me to want to cart around all day and then bring back to Swansea again. I hope she likes it, and I do have the option of telling her I'll pick it up next time I'm in London anyway, if I decide I need to keep it and take it back home with me.)
I love how I didn't have to worry about the puppy which was almost lost at sea - just as you know that Quin and Ruth are going to fall in love and thwart their carefully made plans, you also KNOW that Eva Ibbotson would never dare to kill a puppy!
You also KNOW that when he buys the emeralds (and you know they will be emeralds before he does, because of the glass on the beach) that she is going to assume it's her Morgengabe and thus the major Conflict of the novel will be stirred into motion. But this happens with about 70 pages to go - in a 500+ page book. That's another thing that is very reliable about Eva Ibbotson. She is consistent with miscommunications between her characters, but she is also consistent with these never lasting for too long. She doesn't make them drag on for half the book, making the reader frustrated at how they don't just stop being silly and TALK IT OVER. This one in fact went on for perhaps the longest, yet it was still short compared to some other books!
By the way, I love the sound of the word Schmarrn. Also, I wonder how much of this book was autobiographical - perhaps a fictionalised account of part of Eva Ibbotson's own life? After all, her family also fled Vienna for London when the Nazis came to power. And she studied animal physiology at university, so I daresay a lot of the science mentioned in this book was from her own, actual field of interest.
It was amazing how the examination experience described was exactly like our uni exams, 60 years on. The invigilators, the being escorted to the bathroom...
There were SO many characters in this book, and they were all so vividly described. I loved Mrs. Weiss and her dangerous hook, "I buy you a cake?" and was gleeful when von Hofmann finally was able to say Schweinehund in an anti-Nazi film.
This was also the second book to mention mangelwurzels. I feel I must google them now.
I really loved how Eva Ibbotson tricked me as well... it was so obvious that Ruth was not going to sail with Heini - but then we fade to black with her on the boat, and when war breaks out you hear she has been five weeks in America. So you assume that you were wrong, that she DID sail and now she has to somehow be fetched home, or found by Quin while abroad. And then it turns out she didn't sail, but no one knows (except for Heini, obviously)! I loved that little twist, I fell for it so smoothly.
I love how she and Frances connected so nicely as well. And Uncle Mishak. The story is just so well-rounded for all, so beautifully done. The ending, with Paul Ziller and his new quartet, and the ghost of Biberstein playing along... that actually made me tear up a little.
The only slight complaint I might have is that the dreadful Verena is not mentioned in the epilogue. We are told before that she is to marry poor Kenneth, but I would have liked a bit of a follow-up. I was sad that Huw died, but it was a realistic addition to the round-up. This book was not only froth and romance and mistakes in communication. There was Hitler, there was Biberstein's death, there was having to flee the Nazis, Berger losing his position, the house being vandalised, being poor refugees in London, Heini being in a camp (though at least not one like Oranienburg or Dachau, as Ruth had imagined!), Pilly's poor chap being lost as well.
Writing this has made me want to read the book again now! I think I'll have to fetch it back from Manu one day, after all... it also really makes me want to visit Vienna, even more than I already did!
Lastly, this is lovely:
When angels sing for God they sing Bach, but when they sing for pleasure they sing Mozart, and God eavesdrops.
Well, perhaps second-best, after The Secret Countess, but that I read back in Melbourne. Of the lot I have here, counting only these prettily packaged older-YA-Picadors, it just edges out A Company of Swans to be my favourite. (All up, I give first place to Journey to the River Sea - but that's of the younger set than these lovely, frothy romances.)
After reading a lot of Eva Ibbotson, one does begin to notice that her books are very similar... one might even say formulaic. Her heroines are all quite similar to one another - but this is not a bad thing. Her formula is a tried and true one, each story as delightful as the last! It doesn't matter that one girl is reminiscent of another. In fact, it adds to the joy a little. Or at least I find that to be so.
Ruth is beautiful, independent, intelligent, talented, and talks a lot. Talking a lot seems to be a thing with a lot of Eva Ibbotson's girls. They will ramble off in the most delightful of tangents when telling a story, and always come up with the most random thoughts, analogies and examples that the person to whom they are talking knows absolutely NOTHING of. Her girls seem to always forget that not everyone else is in their head, following their thought pattern, remembering their memories.
One of the most delightful quotes from all her books has to be this one, from Ruth to Frances: "Would you like me to stop talking? Because I can. I have to concentrate, but it's possible."
I also particularly enjoyed "...a large, midnight-blue Crossley tourer with brass lamps and a deep horn which recalled, faintly, the motoring activities of the redoubtable Mr. Toad" - having recently read The Wind in the Willows myself that was a fun gem! And having seen the film The King's Speech, I was also able to fully appreciate "the shy king and his stammer".
And "She wants to be alone." "Like Greta Garbo?" really made me giggle!
I loved the setting, the time and place - how modern it suddenly felt compared to the last couple I've read. What was also amazing to me was how real I *knew* it was... the area that the Bergers et al moved to in London is only one stop down the tube from where two friends of mine live: which is a very Jewish area. That really was where a lot of refugees ended up. (Incidentally, I left the book with that friend - I finished it while at her place and while I adored it, it was too heavy for me to want to cart around all day and then bring back to Swansea again. I hope she likes it, and I do have the option of telling her I'll pick it up next time I'm in London anyway, if I decide I need to keep it and take it back home with me.)
I love how I didn't have to worry about the puppy which was almost lost at sea - just as you know that Quin and Ruth are going to fall in love and thwart their carefully made plans, you also KNOW that Eva Ibbotson would never dare to kill a puppy!
You also KNOW that when he buys the emeralds (and you know they will be emeralds before he does, because of the glass on the beach) that she is going to assume it's her Morgengabe and thus the major Conflict of the novel will be stirred into motion. But this happens with about 70 pages to go - in a 500+ page book. That's another thing that is very reliable about Eva Ibbotson. She is consistent with miscommunications between her characters, but she is also consistent with these never lasting for too long. She doesn't make them drag on for half the book, making the reader frustrated at how they don't just stop being silly and TALK IT OVER. This one in fact went on for perhaps the longest, yet it was still short compared to some other books!
By the way, I love the sound of the word Schmarrn. Also, I wonder how much of this book was autobiographical - perhaps a fictionalised account of part of Eva Ibbotson's own life? After all, her family also fled Vienna for London when the Nazis came to power. And she studied animal physiology at university, so I daresay a lot of the science mentioned in this book was from her own, actual field of interest.
It was amazing how the examination experience described was exactly like our uni exams, 60 years on. The invigilators, the being escorted to the bathroom...
There were SO many characters in this book, and they were all so vividly described. I loved Mrs. Weiss and her dangerous hook, "I buy you a cake?" and was gleeful when von Hofmann finally was able to say Schweinehund in an anti-Nazi film.
This was also the second book to mention mangelwurzels. I feel I must google them now.
I really loved how Eva Ibbotson tricked me as well... it was so obvious that Ruth was not going to sail with Heini - but then we fade to black with her on the boat, and when war breaks out you hear she has been five weeks in America. So you assume that you were wrong, that she DID sail and now she has to somehow be fetched home, or found by Quin while abroad. And then it turns out she didn't sail, but no one knows (except for Heini, obviously)! I loved that little twist, I fell for it so smoothly.
I love how she and Frances connected so nicely as well. And Uncle Mishak. The story is just so well-rounded for all, so beautifully done. The ending, with Paul Ziller and his new quartet, and the ghost of Biberstein playing along... that actually made me tear up a little.
The only slight complaint I might have is that the dreadful Verena is not mentioned in the epilogue. We are told before that she is to marry poor Kenneth, but I would have liked a bit of a follow-up. I was sad that Huw died, but it was a realistic addition to the round-up. This book was not only froth and romance and mistakes in communication. There was Hitler, there was Biberstein's death, there was having to flee the Nazis, Berger losing his position, the house being vandalised, being poor refugees in London, Heini being in a camp (though at least not one like Oranienburg or Dachau, as Ruth had imagined!), Pilly's poor chap being lost as well.
Writing this has made me want to read the book again now! I think I'll have to fetch it back from Manu one day, after all... it also really makes me want to visit Vienna, even more than I already did!
Lastly, this is lovely:
When angels sing for God they sing Bach, but when they sing for pleasure they sing Mozart, and God eavesdrops.
February 11, 2018
How am I just now reading Ibbotson? Her writing sparkles with humor and romance and generous dash of fairytale dust that makes it impossible not to believe in true love and happy endings. And all of this despite setting The Morning Gift against the bleak backdrop of Hitler's Anschluss of Austria and the coming of World War II. For although her characters may be bruised by the horror of the Nazi menace, they remain unbroken, their spirit indomitable. For within Ibbotson's world (colored by her own experiences fleeing Hitler and growing up displaced), love -- both familial and romantic -- triumphs.
Ibbotson has a wildly intelligent voice and a sly sense of humor that finds no subject relative to the heart and its passions off-limits. This is an unabashedly feeling book, with moments of laugh-out-loud humor liberally sprinkled throughout, relieving the moments of heartbreaking pathos. Reading this book was the literary equivalent of watching the film Cluny Brown. Ruth (good name, no?) is a delightful, passionate eccentric, though for a woman determined to live life writ large, she is stubbornly blind to the manner in which life post-Vienna is determined to rewrite her childhood fairytale dream of love with one far more passionate, with a man far more her equal, than her girlish imagination could fathom. And herein Ibbotson works her magic, for this is the rare tale that reclaims the marriage of convenience trope for me and makes it feel fresh and new (and funny).
While this is Ruth and Quin's tale (and Quin is the dishiest of heroes, an academic with an Indiana Jones-like flair!), Ibbotson positions their relationship as a symbol of the larger struggle faced by society as a whole at this time, Hitler's atrocities forced the world to confront long-held prejudices of class, religion, and ethnicity. I adore Ruth and Quin, but more than that I love that Ibbotson never loses sight of her quirky, colorful supporting players -- and in that sense, this novel is a snapshot of a bygone era on the cusp of change, a reminder that each generation's hope of leaving the world better than they found it is as timeless as the love of a parent for a child, or the unexpected joy of romance between a man and woman, discovered when they least expect it.
This is one of the smartest, most engaging -- and hopeful -- romances that I've read in ages. While I cannot believe this is my first Ibbotson novel, it certainly shall not be my last, and I am quite grateful this book came to me when it did.
Ibbotson has a wildly intelligent voice and a sly sense of humor that finds no subject relative to the heart and its passions off-limits. This is an unabashedly feeling book, with moments of laugh-out-loud humor liberally sprinkled throughout, relieving the moments of heartbreaking pathos. Reading this book was the literary equivalent of watching the film Cluny Brown. Ruth (good name, no?) is a delightful, passionate eccentric, though for a woman determined to live life writ large, she is stubbornly blind to the manner in which life post-Vienna is determined to rewrite her childhood fairytale dream of love with one far more passionate, with a man far more her equal, than her girlish imagination could fathom. And herein Ibbotson works her magic, for this is the rare tale that reclaims the marriage of convenience trope for me and makes it feel fresh and new (and funny).
While this is Ruth and Quin's tale (and Quin is the dishiest of heroes, an academic with an Indiana Jones-like flair!), Ibbotson positions their relationship as a symbol of the larger struggle faced by society as a whole at this time, Hitler's atrocities forced the world to confront long-held prejudices of class, religion, and ethnicity. I adore Ruth and Quin, but more than that I love that Ibbotson never loses sight of her quirky, colorful supporting players -- and in that sense, this novel is a snapshot of a bygone era on the cusp of change, a reminder that each generation's hope of leaving the world better than they found it is as timeless as the love of a parent for a child, or the unexpected joy of romance between a man and woman, discovered when they least expect it.
This is one of the smartest, most engaging -- and hopeful -- romances that I've read in ages. While I cannot believe this is my first Ibbotson novel, it certainly shall not be my last, and I am quite grateful this book came to me when it did.
December 20, 2023
I’ve never been much of a fan of the whole ‘bang the professor’ thing. That this really is the essence of The Morning Gift, however, isn’t necessarily an issue. It’s the fact that crippling layers of power dynamics defines the relationship.
I read and loved A Song for Summer. Populated with wholesome characters, it’s a moving and atmospheric romance between two decent people. The historical detail is sparse but intelligent and the writing is warm and witty. It was a mistake to assume that the next Ibbotson I reached for would be of the same calibre.
I’m not prejudiced when it comes to age gap romances. Look, Jane and Rochester are one of my OTPs. As long as the relationship is between two adults, two people who are at the same point in life mentally (not equating to life experience or intelligence, but maturity) then I can root for it. From the get-go, Ruth is indebted to Quin who arranges a marriage of convenience so that she can escape Austria as a British citizen. Again, not necessarily an issue – it’s crucial to the plot, of course. But Ruth is twenty going on twelve – she has the emotional maturity of a preteen. There are moments where she gains a twitch of perspective, but on the whole, she is a fanciful and naïve (although not on the facts of life, we learn) Mary Sue. Quin is an older, brooding, emotionally tortured academic with plenty of life experience and notches on the bedpost. They are not equals in the way that would constitute a healthy relationship.
The relationship is paternal for a good portion of the book and unambiguously lacks sexual tension. It’s a shock to the system when the two characters declare unconditional love, and the catalyst is dubious to say the least. Quin actively avoids Ruth, treating her like an inconvenience until… .
Many of the attitudes are patriarchal and dated which made for an uncomfortable read. More crucially, they made much of the story counterintuitive to me. Ibbotson’s heroines are characterized as plucky, clever, hardworking and nurture their passion for the arts. They know their own minds and they speak openly. Ruth for example is determined to make the most of the opportunities afforded to her in Britain, working hard to attain a degree. But… . Even though her heart is in the right place, her emotional immaturity, and the fact that everyone worships her for no apparent reason did not exactly commend her to me. Quite frankly, Quin exploited her vulnerability. The ending just made me gag.
Maybe I could have managed the relationship if the other facets had compensated, but the language lacks an economy that might have made this less of an unrewarding slog. Redeeming features? Ibbotson recognizes the beauty of the natural world in several evocative passages and the anecdotes that pepper the narrative are charming. That’s about it.
Nuh-uh. The relationship made my toes curl beyond belief.
I read and loved A Song for Summer. Populated with wholesome characters, it’s a moving and atmospheric romance between two decent people. The historical detail is sparse but intelligent and the writing is warm and witty. It was a mistake to assume that the next Ibbotson I reached for would be of the same calibre.
I’m not prejudiced when it comes to age gap romances. Look, Jane and Rochester are one of my OTPs. As long as the relationship is between two adults, two people who are at the same point in life mentally (not equating to life experience or intelligence, but maturity) then I can root for it. From the get-go, Ruth is indebted to Quin who arranges a marriage of convenience so that she can escape Austria as a British citizen. Again, not necessarily an issue – it’s crucial to the plot, of course. But Ruth is twenty going on twelve – she has the emotional maturity of a preteen. There are moments where she gains a twitch of perspective, but on the whole, she is a fanciful and naïve (although not on the facts of life, we learn) Mary Sue. Quin is an older, brooding, emotionally tortured academic with plenty of life experience and notches on the bedpost. They are not equals in the way that would constitute a healthy relationship.
The relationship is paternal for a good portion of the book and unambiguously lacks sexual tension. It’s a shock to the system when the two characters declare unconditional love, and the catalyst is dubious to say the least. Quin actively avoids Ruth, treating her like an inconvenience until… .
Many of the attitudes are patriarchal and dated which made for an uncomfortable read. More crucially, they made much of the story counterintuitive to me. Ibbotson’s heroines are characterized as plucky, clever, hardworking and nurture their passion for the arts. They know their own minds and they speak openly. Ruth for example is determined to make the most of the opportunities afforded to her in Britain, working hard to attain a degree. But… . Even though her heart is in the right place, her emotional immaturity, and the fact that everyone worships her for no apparent reason did not exactly commend her to me. Quite frankly, Quin exploited her vulnerability. The ending just made me gag.
Maybe I could have managed the relationship if the other facets had compensated, but the language lacks an economy that might have made this less of an unrewarding slog. Redeeming features? Ibbotson recognizes the beauty of the natural world in several evocative passages and the anecdotes that pepper the narrative are charming. That’s about it.
Nuh-uh. The relationship made my toes curl beyond belief.
May 28, 2017
So when I read this for the first time as a young teen I gave it 3 stars. Having now returned to it in my twenties I've lowered it to 2 - because I just didn't like a single character!
I didn't think it was possible to have no feeling for any character in a book, particularly one based during the war but I just couldn't stand them! You have the main character Ruth who just seems naive, over the top, and despite being described as odd she has men falling all over her!
Then there's her fiancé who is the most self centred, egotistical and demanding man I've ever come across. Having a talent in playing the piano doesn't give you the right to walk over everyone as if you are above them!
I guess the Professor - Quin Somerville was ok, but as a man of 35 you'd think he'd have more of a brain to deal with the issues that arise between him and Ruth.
Overall I gave zero fucks about the characters and their issues which is quite sad.
I didn't think it was possible to have no feeling for any character in a book, particularly one based during the war but I just couldn't stand them! You have the main character Ruth who just seems naive, over the top, and despite being described as odd she has men falling all over her!
Then there's her fiancé who is the most self centred, egotistical and demanding man I've ever come across. Having a talent in playing the piano doesn't give you the right to walk over everyone as if you are above them!
I guess the Professor - Quin Somerville was ok, but as a man of 35 you'd think he'd have more of a brain to deal with the issues that arise between him and Ruth.
Overall I gave zero fucks about the characters and their issues which is quite sad.
November 15, 2008
Having now waded through the bulk of this author's novels, I have detected a worrying trend. All of Ibbotson's heroines have maintained a virtuous purity that stays with them until the relationship they inevitably pursue with the hero. On the other hand, her heroes, whether it is directly stated or subtly implied, have more than a few notches on the bedpost if you catch my drift. Now, I by no means want to suggest I feel the answer to the neverending question of gender inequality is for women to adopt similar attitudes to sexual relationships. But I detest double standards. I absolutely loathe them, particularly when the men in these novels demand (and I do not choose that word lightly) something from women they have no intention of returning. To quote a well beloved 80s movie, it really frosts my cookies.
Apart from that, I feel this author provides the sort of cheesy escapism I so often pursue to provide my brain with a breather between classics. I liked the plot of this book and felt the main relationship was better developed than in the previous Ibbotson novel I read.
Apart from that, I feel this author provides the sort of cheesy escapism I so often pursue to provide my brain with a breather between classics. I liked the plot of this book and felt the main relationship was better developed than in the previous Ibbotson novel I read.
December 12, 2025
Aunque en esta novela hay a veces pasan cosas malas (al fin y al cabo, la protagonista y su familia son refugiados en el Londres de los años treinta), mantiene un cierto encanto muy vienés, que hace que parezca todo más ligero, más llevadero, con cierto optimismo.
La historia de amor que acaba bien la protagonizan Ruth Berger (20) y Quinton Alexander St. John Sommerville (31) (« Quin» para los amigos), en un matrimonio de conveniencia. La cosa arranca con el Anchsluss y termina en mayo de 1945.
Me ha encantado, quizá porque trata temas históricos que me interesan. O por esa forma tan amable de hablar de cosas que en el fondo eran terribles (desgarros y ausencias, el exilio con su desarraigo, el antisemitismo, la xenofobia, el clasismo británico). También, porque recrea toda una época con alusiones al arte (literatura y música, principalmente), la historia, la ciencia (en este caso, la Paleontología) que deja caer con naturalidad, sin infodump. Seguiré leyendo a Ibbotson, me gusta muchísimo.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.
La historia de amor que acaba bien la protagonizan Ruth Berger (20) y Quinton Alexander St. John Sommerville (31) (« Quin» para los amigos), en un matrimonio de conveniencia. La cosa arranca con el Anchsluss y termina en mayo de 1945.
Me ha encantado, quizá porque trata temas históricos que me interesan. O por esa forma tan amable de hablar de cosas que en el fondo eran terribles (desgarros y ausencias, el exilio con su desarraigo, el antisemitismo, la xenofobia, el clasismo británico). También, porque recrea toda una época con alusiones al arte (literatura y música, principalmente), la historia, la ciencia (en este caso, la Paleontología) que deja caer con naturalidad, sin infodump. Seguiré leyendo a Ibbotson, me gusta muchísimo.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.
May 11, 2015
I had to read this book - even if just for the sole reason that the main character shares my first name! On a more serious note, this book really was a fantastic read.
This was a wonderful story about a young girl called Ruth (great name btw!) who flees occupied Germany when her Jewish heritage puts her in danger.
Her family have already traveled to London but Ruth comes across various obstacles when trying to leave and family friend Quin has to step in to help her. A visiting professor, Quin is acquainted with Ruth's scholarly father and when he sees Ruth in danger, Quin does everything he can to help her leave safely. Which incidentally includes marrying her to obtain a valid passport.
When she is reunited with her family, Ruth is determined to put the whole marriage behind her but as her and Quin's lives continue to intertwine, genuine feelings begin to grow between the two of them, which is further complicated when her longtime love re-enters the picture...
I love a good historical novel and this book just ticks all the right boxes for me. It has a star-crossed love story that is just simply magical to see unfold and it is set in such a momentous time in history. I felt the real sense of danger that was building in the early chapters and it was quite the relief when the characters finally made it to London. Yet the drama didn't stop there for them.
I really enjoyed the romance in this book. It was both sweet and angsty but I never felt it tipped too far in one direction or another. There was a nice balance to it all. The characters were pretty memorable and the story was well-executed. It is definitely one I can see myself reading every couple of years.
This was a wonderful story about a young girl called Ruth (great name btw!) who flees occupied Germany when her Jewish heritage puts her in danger.
Her family have already traveled to London but Ruth comes across various obstacles when trying to leave and family friend Quin has to step in to help her. A visiting professor, Quin is acquainted with Ruth's scholarly father and when he sees Ruth in danger, Quin does everything he can to help her leave safely. Which incidentally includes marrying her to obtain a valid passport.
When she is reunited with her family, Ruth is determined to put the whole marriage behind her but as her and Quin's lives continue to intertwine, genuine feelings begin to grow between the two of them, which is further complicated when her longtime love re-enters the picture...
I love a good historical novel and this book just ticks all the right boxes for me. It has a star-crossed love story that is just simply magical to see unfold and it is set in such a momentous time in history. I felt the real sense of danger that was building in the early chapters and it was quite the relief when the characters finally made it to London. Yet the drama didn't stop there for them.
I really enjoyed the romance in this book. It was both sweet and angsty but I never felt it tipped too far in one direction or another. There was a nice balance to it all. The characters were pretty memorable and the story was well-executed. It is definitely one I can see myself reading every couple of years.
November 2, 2018
This is such a wonderfully indulgent, comforting read. This is what a romance novel should feel like. Plus - female scientists! Hurrah!
May 31, 2014
In Vienna, Austria in the 1920s, Karl Berger, professor and Zoology, and his wife Leonie are raising their daughter Ruthie to be intelligent and curious about everything. When Leonie's step-sister's son Heine, the piano virtuoso comes to live with them, young Ruth falls madly in love and Heine decides that Ruth is his starling, like the starling Mozart kept in a cage to sing for him. Quinton Sommerville, a young paleontology/zoology student comes to visit and is captivated by Ruth's recitation of an English poem. After Quin leaves, however, he returns to his work and forgets about the little girl but not about his kind host. Years later, when Quin is offered an honorary degree back in Vienna, he accepts because of the kindness of Professor Berger. However, the Nazis have taken over peaceful Vienna and the Bergers have been forced to leave Austria. Ruth was supposed to join her family in England, but was left behind. Wanting to help, Quin offers Ruth his protection. He finds it more difficult to get Ruth out of Austria than he realized and decides to offer Ruth a morgantic marriage based on the concept of the morning gift. After the wedding night, the husband absolves the bride of all marriage rights and her children will not inherit. Ruth reluctantly agrees, knowing it is the only way to get out of Austria. She believes they will be able to get an annulment or divorce easily, Heine will join the family in England, become a celebrity and she will marry him and live happily ever after. However, things don't go as smoothly as hoped and circumstances bring Ruth and Quin back together, this time, as student and teacher at Thameside University. Ruth quickly becomes a top pupil and a favorite with the other students and professors, all except the daughter of the Vice Chancellor whose goals include being the top student and marrying the wealthy Quin. Quin has no intentions of marrying anyone or producing an heir for his ancestral home. He's happy with his work and his experienced lovers, or so he thinks. The ending is a little surprising but not all together unpredictable. World events take a backseat to the romance in this novel, unlike some of her others, which is nice. I really liked the romance until 3/4 of the way through when the story gets rather melodramatic. I also didn't like the ending very much and would have done it differently. This is basically an update of the Regency novels I usually read. At first I was bothered by the double standards but soon ignored them as I got caught up in the romance. In order to love this novel, you have to overlook some really stupid behavior on the part of the characters and the beautiful, good, doe-eyed heroines Ibbotson likes to write about. I was able to do that and was so absorbed in the story I couldn't put the book down. This is a good read for adults and older teens who like sweet romances.
November 14, 2015
I had given up on Eva Ibbotson – but I'm glad to say that I was mistaken. I utterly adored this book – and laughed out loud more than once! I cannot put into words how much I liked this book but I'll try anyway.
Ruth is a sweet, charming and very charismatic heroine who attracts everyone who meets her. She’s the daughter of Professor Berger and grows up in Vienna. When the Nazis take over she’s leaving ahead of her family on a student visa, but she's sent back and the rest of the family is gone. Luckily she meets Quin, her father's protégé who just got an honorary doctorate in Vienna. He cannot leave her in Vienna and the only escape is through a marriage of convenience, to be dissolved as soon as they reach London. Only it turns out that it wasn't that easy to dissolve a marriage – and somehow Ruth ends up in his class at the university. But Ruth was supposed to get engage to Heini, a concert pianist trying to escape from Budapest, and Verena Plackett who's also in the class, the Vice Chancellor's daughter, plans on marrying Quin herself.
The story is set during the beginning of the Second World War, and it's in the background throughout the book. Eva Ibbotson was a refugee from Vienna in London and you can tell she’s in her element. The book takes place at the university and personally I really liked all the science references. It also provides some deeper insights into the culture and life during this time, and also into the life of refugees coming to a new country having left all behind.
Previously I have had trouble with Eva Ibbotson in A Countess Below Stairs and A Company of Swans in which she wrote out the romance instead of letting the characters act it out but this story was completely different! Ruth and Quin have plenty of interactions and it's through these we start suspect that there might be something between them even though they haven't caught up.
I loved almost everything about this book. I loved the lead couple – their interactions, bantering and slow realization that they might love each other after all. The plot was exciting, the setting exquisite and an immense story structure. I read an older version which I borrowed from the library and I think this might be better than the new one (the previous book I read was full of typos and strange translations – here there was nothing of this sort). There were great twists and turns and I was super excited to find out how (or if) they were going to end up in their happily ever after. I would recommend this to everyone!
Ruth is a sweet, charming and very charismatic heroine who attracts everyone who meets her. She’s the daughter of Professor Berger and grows up in Vienna. When the Nazis take over she’s leaving ahead of her family on a student visa, but she's sent back and the rest of the family is gone. Luckily she meets Quin, her father's protégé who just got an honorary doctorate in Vienna. He cannot leave her in Vienna and the only escape is through a marriage of convenience, to be dissolved as soon as they reach London. Only it turns out that it wasn't that easy to dissolve a marriage – and somehow Ruth ends up in his class at the university. But Ruth was supposed to get engage to Heini, a concert pianist trying to escape from Budapest, and Verena Plackett who's also in the class, the Vice Chancellor's daughter, plans on marrying Quin herself.
The story is set during the beginning of the Second World War, and it's in the background throughout the book. Eva Ibbotson was a refugee from Vienna in London and you can tell she’s in her element. The book takes place at the university and personally I really liked all the science references. It also provides some deeper insights into the culture and life during this time, and also into the life of refugees coming to a new country having left all behind.
Previously I have had trouble with Eva Ibbotson in A Countess Below Stairs and A Company of Swans in which she wrote out the romance instead of letting the characters act it out but this story was completely different! Ruth and Quin have plenty of interactions and it's through these we start suspect that there might be something between them even though they haven't caught up.
I loved almost everything about this book. I loved the lead couple – their interactions, bantering and slow realization that they might love each other after all. The plot was exciting, the setting exquisite and an immense story structure. I read an older version which I borrowed from the library and I think this might be better than the new one (the previous book I read was full of typos and strange translations – here there was nothing of this sort). There were great twists and turns and I was super excited to find out how (or if) they were going to end up in their happily ever after. I would recommend this to everyone!
March 10, 2019
Read this entire review here: THE MORNING GIFT BOOK REVIEW: LOVE, SCIENCE, AND MUSIC
Review by Bailey Cavender
Overall Rating = 5; Romance Rating = 5
I think that the way Ibbotson writes the romance is masterful, mostly because the reader can tell that Ruth and Quin are falling for each other, but we can also tell that they’re not aware of the fact yet. To me, this makes the story more compelling. As they find themselves happy or annoyed, without knowing why the reader waits to see how long it takes these two intelligent people to figure out their feelings. When the misunderstanding occurs, we as readers know the whole story, while Quin and Ruth each only know half of it. Ibbotson ties it all together in a way that I think is still suspenseful and satisfying.
The Morning Gift also fits into one of my personal favorite tropes, a marriage of convenience that ends in love but is plagued by misunderstanding, and sets it in England before World War II, a time period that is wonderful for historical fiction; so much is happening! Quin and Ruth are a wonderful couple, mostly because they seem to be so different and yet so similar.
The Morning Gift is one of my favorite books ever written. It’s about 400 pages, but it doesn’t feel like it. Eva Ibbotson knows how to paint a scene; you feel like you’re there, learning about science and music and love, and the story seems to just wash over you like a piece of music composed by Mozart.
Read this entire review and others (especially if you love old-fashioned chivalrous romance) at: THE SILVER PETTICOAT REVIEW
Review by Bailey Cavender
Overall Rating = 5; Romance Rating = 5
I think that the way Ibbotson writes the romance is masterful, mostly because the reader can tell that Ruth and Quin are falling for each other, but we can also tell that they’re not aware of the fact yet. To me, this makes the story more compelling. As they find themselves happy or annoyed, without knowing why the reader waits to see how long it takes these two intelligent people to figure out their feelings. When the misunderstanding occurs, we as readers know the whole story, while Quin and Ruth each only know half of it. Ibbotson ties it all together in a way that I think is still suspenseful and satisfying.
The Morning Gift also fits into one of my personal favorite tropes, a marriage of convenience that ends in love but is plagued by misunderstanding, and sets it in England before World War II, a time period that is wonderful for historical fiction; so much is happening! Quin and Ruth are a wonderful couple, mostly because they seem to be so different and yet so similar.
The Morning Gift is one of my favorite books ever written. It’s about 400 pages, but it doesn’t feel like it. Eva Ibbotson knows how to paint a scene; you feel like you’re there, learning about science and music and love, and the story seems to just wash over you like a piece of music composed by Mozart.
Read this entire review and others (especially if you love old-fashioned chivalrous romance) at: THE SILVER PETTICOAT REVIEW
December 25, 2023
A proper love story. Beautifully wriiten.
August 15, 2024
I feel like it's a sacrilege to give an Eva Ibbotson book just three stars, but there you go.
Sweet and somewhat discombobulated romance set before WWII. As usual quirky characters without being too twee, but the H and h just did not connect enough for me, literally and emotionally. I enjoyed the characterization of Heini, the spoiled and talented pianist, that Ruth serves as his devoted acolyte. And the tragedy of even part Jews being rejected by their country and sometimes even families is touched on in the most gentle way possible, but poignant all the same.
If you are going to start with one of Ibbotson's romances, I suggest A Countess Below Stairs aka The Secret Countess, A Company of Swans, or Madensky Square. Her stories are chock full of interesting characters, her heroines and even heroes are usually intelligent, and lots of smart humor.
Whatever you do, DON'T listen to the audio. I think the producer/director must hate her or her readers as once again, I could only understand about half of what the Austrian characters said.
Sweet and somewhat discombobulated romance set before WWII. As usual quirky characters without being too twee, but the H and h just did not connect enough for me, literally and emotionally. I enjoyed the characterization of Heini, the spoiled and talented pianist, that Ruth serves as his devoted acolyte. And the tragedy of even part Jews being rejected by their country and sometimes even families is touched on in the most gentle way possible, but poignant all the same.
If you are going to start with one of Ibbotson's romances, I suggest A Countess Below Stairs aka The Secret Countess, A Company of Swans, or Madensky Square. Her stories are chock full of interesting characters, her heroines and even heroes are usually intelligent, and lots of smart humor.
Whatever you do, DON'T listen to the audio. I think the producer/director must hate her or her readers as once again, I could only understand about half of what the Austrian characters said.
July 28, 2023
"I’ll have a starling shall be taught to speak ..."
-- Shakespeare Henry IV Part 1
Here is a publishing curiosity. The Morning Gift was originally written in the 1990s for an adult readership but then, to the author's surprise, reissued as a teen read in 2007 (presumably slightly revised then by the author, as a copyright notice suggests). I can see how the temptation to repackage may have arisen: it's a sort of Rags-to-Riches story, with the young heroine (she's around twenty, I should add) playing a Cinderella role until she and her Prince Charming finally get together. But within the Boy Meets Girl trope, where the course of true love rarely runs smooth, there is so much more to enjoy. For a start, there's a generous dose of autobiographical detail that lends both honesty and authenticity to the narrative.
The Morning Gift opens with a paean to Vienna, "a city of myths" from which "thirteen nationalities were governed" and where music and psychology and artists and philosophers reigned supreme. Until the coming of the Nazis. Ruth Berger (like the real-life Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner, as Eva Ibbotson was then) came from academic non-practising Jewish stock, and had fallen in love with promising young Hungarian pianist Heini Radek. All is proceeding well until March 12th 1938, when Hitler's Nazi Germany annexes Austria. Ruth returns to the family apartment to find it abandoned, soon to be trashed; her extended family has fled to England, her boyfriend to Hungary, but she has been kicked off a train as she is unable to prove she hasn't been politically active.
At this point Professor Quinton Somerville, an old friend of the family from England, arrives at the apartment to hear a bird-like tune sadly played over and over again on a piano. This is the Rondo theme from Mozart's G major Piano Concerto K453, the 'Starling', which Mozart had taught a caged starling (though the bird always added the pause and the G sharp) and which Ruth is despondently picking out on the piano keys.
To get Ruth safely abroad to England he proposes a solution, that they partake in a so-called morganatic marriage. Quin explains it thus: "The word morganatic comes from the Latin matrimonium ad morganaticum -- a marriage based on the morning gift. It's a gift given the morning after the bridal night with which the husband, by bestowing it, frees himself from any liability to the wife ..." It'll be a marriage of convenience from which they will extricate themselves in England, leaving Ruth free to marry her pianist. Or so runs the theory.
I can't tell you how delighted and moved I was by this novel. Not only Ruth, a starling who has her own voice, but a range of believable characters, some flawed but all human; a timescale that, beginning before and ending after the war, captures societies in transition; a treatment that doesn't neglect to address the inevitable prejudices that rear up when refugees and migrants appear in communities; an examination of tensions and class divisions between not just the haves and have-nots but also the intelligentsia, landed gentry and the upwardly-thrusting nouveau riche. The burgeoning teacher-pupil relationship is also sensitively handled, not the abusive Svengali type but rather that in, say, Charlotte Brontë's The Professor .
Above all, Ibbotson has melded it all together with a sure touch that expertly paces the ups and downs of relationships and charts the misunderstandings, all against a background of distinctive settings and landscapes -- Vienna before and during the Anschluss, Belsize Park and the fictional Thameside University in London, and the equally fictional ancestral pile of Bowmont on the Northumbrian coast.
Weaving through all like themes in a composition are Ibbotson's own loves: classical music and natural science. And this brings us back to the iridescent starling, for the European bird which gave its name to one of Mozart's concertos is of course, where Britain is concerned, usually a migrant that spends the winters in the UK in large gregarious flocks. Some may cavil at the noise they produce and regard them as pests; others instead marvel at their spectacular murmurations which can so uplift the heart and enrich our experience. I know which group I belong to.
http://wp.me/s2oNj1-morning
August 20, 2015
A marriage of convenience? Characters in academia? World War 2? Vienna? The Morning Gift had so much to offer and though I did not expect much, I hoped for an enjoyable, light read.
Done right, it could have been.
Done right, it might have been a beautiful romantic story that intertwines music and paleontology and Vienna.
While several factors played into the one star rating, the biggest thing for me was how big of a theme sex plays throughout. I've come to expect something...more from Ibbotson. But whether it is the main character being pressured into it from her boyfriend, her misunderstandings about a one night stand, or even the general inundation of it throughout the pages (everything from bugs not mating to older women shuddering over the memory of their wedding night to the heroine's almost obsessive commentary on Freud) the book is just full of the act and thought of sex. It isn't romantic. It is more of 'Oh, you'll know who you love based on who you can sleep with.'
Not my cup of tea.
Ruth Berger, the heroine, is a Mary Sue who I at least appreciated until the end. Then I simply gave up on her.
Quin had potential but he has to many Mommy/Daddy/Grandpa issues. Also, I got irritated with all the references (even after he was married to Ruth!) of his behavior with other women.
I hated Heini. I hated him from the start. Their relationship kind of reminded me of Skip Beat!, Vol. 01...
Anyway, while the writing was charming as usual, I hated the last quarter of the book.
Done right, it could have been.
Done right, it might have been a beautiful romantic story that intertwines music and paleontology and Vienna.
While several factors played into the one star rating, the biggest thing for me was how big of a theme sex plays throughout. I've come to expect something...more from Ibbotson. But whether it is the main character being pressured into it from her boyfriend, her misunderstandings about a one night stand, or even the general inundation of it throughout the pages (everything from bugs not mating to older women shuddering over the memory of their wedding night to the heroine's almost obsessive commentary on Freud) the book is just full of the act and thought of sex. It isn't romantic. It is more of 'Oh, you'll know who you love based on who you can sleep with.'
Not my cup of tea.
Ruth Berger, the heroine, is a Mary Sue who I at least appreciated until the end. Then I simply gave up on her.
Quin had potential but he has to many Mommy/Daddy/Grandpa issues. Also, I got irritated with all the references (even after he was married to Ruth!) of his behavior with other women.
I hated Heini. I hated him from the start. Their relationship kind of reminded me of Skip Beat!, Vol. 01...
Anyway, while the writing was charming as usual, I hated the last quarter of the book.
February 25, 2020
A beautiful romance full of love and family.
While Ruth felt a little young to me, I had to remind myself that this was the 1930's and young ladies didn't grow up as fast as they do today. Society was different. And the ten year age gap between her and Quin, while not a problem, I did find myself ageing him down a little. But it was obvious from the start these two were soulmates, which makes some of the things they do very frustrating, particularly in the last act. Grrr, just talk to him.
Heini was horrible, so self absorbed and ugh.
But the starling metaphor in here was very clever and subtle; you'll see what I mean.
The plight of refugees and outcasts is once again a subject very close to hearts, and it's interesting seeing different view points and methods of helping. How would Ruth have managed if she had not had help and support doesn't care thinking about. And I certainly learnt a few things that my history has never taught me. A bit of an eye opener to be honest.
This is a romance novel in every sense of the word, with some social commentary, but that's not the focus. Hold those you love close and tell them you love them. Don't waste precious moments.
While Ruth felt a little young to me, I had to remind myself that this was the 1930's and young ladies didn't grow up as fast as they do today. Society was different. And the ten year age gap between her and Quin, while not a problem, I did find myself ageing him down a little. But it was obvious from the start these two were soulmates, which makes some of the things they do very frustrating, particularly in the last act. Grrr, just talk to him.
Heini was horrible, so self absorbed and ugh.
But the starling metaphor in here was very clever and subtle; you'll see what I mean.
The plight of refugees and outcasts is once again a subject very close to hearts, and it's interesting seeing different view points and methods of helping. How would Ruth have managed if she had not had help and support doesn't care thinking about. And I certainly learnt a few things that my history has never taught me. A bit of an eye opener to be honest.
This is a romance novel in every sense of the word, with some social commentary, but that's not the focus. Hold those you love close and tell them you love them. Don't waste precious moments.
November 21, 2009
A delightful romantic comedy of a book, and unlike most romantic comedies, it does not lose the comedy halfway through. Ruth is a Jewish girl in pre-WWII Vienna, engaged to a budding concert pianist, an enthusiastic headlong girl in love with science, music, and life. Quin is an Indiana Jones-type professor, a dry English daredevil with a scientific bent. When Ruth's family has to flee Vienna ahead of the Nazis and she is stranded behind, Quin comes to her rescue the only way he can: he marries her to get her to England on his passport. They do their best to annul the marriage, but attraction inevitably buds. A conventional enough plot, but Eva Ibbotson's sparkling wit and hilarious minor characters steal the show: Ruth's bountiful mother, her self-absorbed fiance, Quin's acerbic aunt, and a vicious bore of a villainess. A charmer, top to toe.
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December 1, 2020Reread Nov 20
January 10, 2021
Un libro amable, sin grandes dramas. Se agradece a veces.
June 8, 2024
I expected something very different from this book. That's not necessarily a bad thing: As someone who usually isn't a huge fan of love stories, I should have been thrilled that this wasn't as romance heavy as I imagined. Sure, Ruth's relationship to her love interests is technically the plot, it's not what most scenes focus on. We mostly follow her being a college student and other aspects of her every day life. That was kinda nice, though not very deep, but I needed way more scenes of her and Quin talking and actually falling in love and the premise this novel was pitched to me as was rushed into the final few pages. There would have still been enough to like in this for me to rate this 3 stars - e.g. I liked the historical aspects and how the settings were utilized -but damn, the final few plot points were just frustrating and I totally disgree with their message. I wasn't the target audience to begin with, though.
February 20, 2020
I am in love.
I loved all the characters. I loved Ibboston’s style of writing. I loved the story (though highly predictable I did not even care as all I wanted to happen finally happened).
Reading The Morning Gift was similar to drinking a delicious and indulgent hot chocolate. As you slurp it down in one sitting it warms you from the inside and leaves you feeling satisfied (if not a little tiny bit sick - as I don’t usually read romances and happy endings almost seem mythological).
Ruth was my favourite character, she is intelligent, though occasionally lacking in common sense. The description of her beauty increases throughout the novel... I felt this was in parallel with how Somerville was seeing her? From a young girl in need of rescuing to a bright, strong and passionate individual.
I loved it. I was totally absorbed. Ibboston has a way of breathing life into characters you do not see often.
Even Heini and Verena, I could not bring myself to hate (as irritating as they were). I understood their views on the world because of “who they are”, they’re entitled and pompous, but they believed they were owed something.
I will definitely reread and recommend to anyone wanting a delightful romance featuring many endearing and fully-fleshed out characters.
I loved all the characters. I loved Ibboston’s style of writing. I loved the story (though highly predictable I did not even care as all I wanted to happen finally happened).
Reading The Morning Gift was similar to drinking a delicious and indulgent hot chocolate. As you slurp it down in one sitting it warms you from the inside and leaves you feeling satisfied (if not a little tiny bit sick - as I don’t usually read romances and happy endings almost seem mythological).
Ruth was my favourite character, she is intelligent, though occasionally lacking in common sense. The description of her beauty increases throughout the novel... I felt this was in parallel with how Somerville was seeing her? From a young girl in need of rescuing to a bright, strong and passionate individual.
I loved it. I was totally absorbed. Ibboston has a way of breathing life into characters you do not see often.
Even Heini and Verena, I could not bring myself to hate (as irritating as they were). I understood their views on the world because of “who they are”, they’re entitled and pompous, but they believed they were owed something.
I will definitely reread and recommend to anyone wanting a delightful romance featuring many endearing and fully-fleshed out characters.
September 1, 2024
Ich hatte das Buch bei der Onleihe vorgemerkt und EIGENTLICH gar nicht so recht Lust darauf, als es verfügbar war. Ich habs trotzdem ausgeliehen und im Urlaub gelesen - Gott sei Dank! So ein schönes Buch! Spielt Anfangs im Wien der 1930ger, dann in England zur Zeit um den 2. Weltkrieg und es gibt sooooo viele tolle Figuren! Natürlich die Hauptfiguren, aber auch die Mutter, die verschrobene Tante, die Freunde, die andere verschrobene Tante, die anderen Österreicher in London - hach! Ich hab's sooooo gerne gelesen und es war so schade, als es herum war. Ich muss direkt mal gucken, was es noch von Frau Ibbotson gibt. Es ist eine "Fake Dating" Geschichte, ja, aber auch die "found family" in London ist mir soooo ans Herz gewachsen. Absolutes (Überraschungs-)Highlight, bekommt 5 Sterne ohne Abzug.
March 8, 2024
Hach das war schön. Definitiv ein Lesehighlight.
Eva Ibbotston konnte mich wieder mal begeistern. Die Geschichte wird langsam aufgebaut, aber am Ende konnte ich es nicht mehr aus der Hand legen. Ich mag diese zarten Liebesgeschichten und das alles vor realem Hintergrund, der auch in der heutigen Zeit wieder so wichtig wird. Ein klein wenig kitschig am Ende, aber auch sehr intelligent geschrieben.
Nur ein bisschen mehr Ruth und Quin zusammen hätte ich mir dann gewünscht.
Eva Ibbotston konnte mich wieder mal begeistern. Die Geschichte wird langsam aufgebaut, aber am Ende konnte ich es nicht mehr aus der Hand legen. Ich mag diese zarten Liebesgeschichten und das alles vor realem Hintergrund, der auch in der heutigen Zeit wieder so wichtig wird. Ein klein wenig kitschig am Ende, aber auch sehr intelligent geschrieben.
Nur ein bisschen mehr Ruth und Quin zusammen hätte ich mir dann gewünscht.
December 10, 2020
Basically the perfect romance novel. I can imagine nothing better. Even after ten years and about ten re-reads I still have utter adoration for everything about this charming, funny, gorgeous book.
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
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