Cupid En Route

by Ralph Henry Barbour

Wade, a successful miner, is back in New York on Christmas vacation when he spots the woman of his dreams at the opera.

Genres: Christmas

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1912

About the author

Ralph Henry Barbour (1870 - 1944) was an American novelist who wrote popular works of sports fiction for boys, creating highly readable and idealistic stories that taught about the importance of sports, teamwork, and school spirit. Over his career, Barbour produced more than 100 novels as well as a number of short stories.

He was the winner, along with George Randolph Osborne, of Life Magazine’s Shortest Story Contest, which culminated with a publication of these works in 1916.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wade Forbes, a former New York state man who went west and made his fortune in mining in Colorado, returns to New York City for the Christmas holidays with his business partner in this charming romance from 1912. While the two are attending an opera, Wade sees THE GIRL - a beautiful young women with whom he falls instantly in love. Having no idea of her name or the location of her home, Wade immediately sets out to track her down, an adventure that no only takes him around Manhattan, but involves a frantic train journey from New York to Boston, and from there on to Quebec. Prue Herrick Burnett - for that is THE GIRL'S name - turns out to have been very aware of his pursuit, and after a tense meeting at a lonely train station, the two come to an understanding...

I picked up Cupid en Route the other day because it is on my 'Christmas' shelf, but although there are a few Christmasy bits in it - especially the Christmas shopping in New York City in 1912! - I don't really think of it as a Christmas romance, so much as a romance that happens to be set at Christmas. The events chronicled are highly unlikely - the love at first sight theme is always a little questionable - but the story is still enjoyable, in a light, cream-puff confection kind of way. Apparently Ralph Henry Barbour, who was a prolific author of boys' sports stories, set in high schools and colleges, also produced a great many lighthearted romances. I found this one interesting, and suspect I would find other Barbour romances interesting as well, because it is written by a man, and is from the man's perspective - something I don't often see in the romance genre. Perhaps it was not so uncommon, a century ago, as it is today? Whatever the case may be, I found this one enjoyable, and will certainly track down more from the author.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, sweet, and fun. It took me about an hour to read, and it's pretty far-fetched, but it's also a truly enjoyable, lightly humorous Christmas romance story from 1912. Wade and Prue's romance is highly unlikely but fun.

[Brendon Fehre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this - a terrific story with great characters. You knew what was going to happen and it was a real pleasure to see it unfold - cant wait to read another romance by this author.