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None to Dispute
Brock House and its owners had been a thorn in Simon Rudge's side for a long time. It encroached on his land; it was neglected and an eyesore, and he had decided that the only solution was to buy it himself. He was more than a little annoyed, therefore, when he discovered that he had been beaten to it by a slip of a girl - and one, moreover, who showed every sign of being able to stick to her rights! And it was adding insult to injury when Simon realised that he had no right to the name of Rudge, and that this interloper, Amanda, had. The scene was set for a tremendous battle of wills - but could there in fact be a winner?
185 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1973
2 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Malcolm
114 books7 followersMargaret Malcolm, née Margaret Lilian Graham was a British writer over 100 romance novels at Mills & Boon from 1940 to 1981.
Not to be confused with Margaret Malcolm (Edith Lyman Kuether), author only of Headless Beings.
Not to be confused with Margaret Malcolm (Edith Lyman Kuether), author only of Headless Beings.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 8, 2019
SYNOPSIS from inside book cover (1973 hardback edition):
'Brock House and its owners had been a thorn in Simon Rudge's side for a long time. It encroached on his land; it was neglected and an eyesore, and he had decided that the only solution to the problem was to buy it himself. He was more than a little annoyed, therefore, when he discovered he had been beaten to it by the slip of a girl- and one, moreover,who showed every sign of being able to stick to her rights! And it was adding insult to injury when Simon realised that he had no right to the name of Rudge, and that this interloper, Amanda, had. The scene was all set for a tremendous battle of wills - but could there in fact be a winner?'
REVIEW
'None to Dispute' reads very much like it was written at least a decade before its publication date- there isn't really a peep of the 'swinging seventies' in its pages (the closest we get is the hero reflecting that 'girls' of today weren't 'finding their supreme happiness in wifehood and motherhood'), instead the book is peppered with whimsical domestic observations that seem more in tune with the 1950s', e.g. "Oh I know you women with home responsibilities! The best patients in the world for making a fight to get better, but quite the worst when it comes to sitting back and letting someone else do the work!"
I'm giving this particular Margaret Malcolm title a three star vintage romance rating; as usual the author writes well, but unlike some of her other novels from the period, such as Sunshine on the Mountains, the protagonists in this story aren't overly appealing - she's too doe eyed and he's too reserved - and the other woman character is pretty two dimensional (if she even qualifies for the role since she seems more focused on kickbacks from property redevelopment schemes than luring the hero away). Also,there are plot weaknesses in the story - notably the sudden capitulation by the hero in selling his beloved farm to the nefarious 'property shark' makes little sense and his jealousy of the not-really-other-man also appears far-fetched.
In summary, the book is an okay way to while away 90mins on a train, but there are far better titles from this author that I'd look to add to any collection.
'Brock House and its owners had been a thorn in Simon Rudge's side for a long time. It encroached on his land; it was neglected and an eyesore, and he had decided that the only solution to the problem was to buy it himself. He was more than a little annoyed, therefore, when he discovered he had been beaten to it by the slip of a girl- and one, moreover,who showed every sign of being able to stick to her rights! And it was adding insult to injury when Simon realised that he had no right to the name of Rudge, and that this interloper, Amanda, had. The scene was all set for a tremendous battle of wills - but could there in fact be a winner?'
REVIEW
'None to Dispute' reads very much like it was written at least a decade before its publication date- there isn't really a peep of the 'swinging seventies' in its pages (the closest we get is the hero reflecting that 'girls' of today weren't 'finding their supreme happiness in wifehood and motherhood'), instead the book is peppered with whimsical domestic observations that seem more in tune with the 1950s', e.g. "Oh I know you women with home responsibilities! The best patients in the world for making a fight to get better, but quite the worst when it comes to sitting back and letting someone else do the work!"
I'm giving this particular Margaret Malcolm title a three star vintage romance rating; as usual the author writes well, but unlike some of her other novels from the period, such as Sunshine on the Mountains, the protagonists in this story aren't overly appealing - she's too doe eyed and he's too reserved - and the other woman character is pretty two dimensional (if she even qualifies for the role since she seems more focused on kickbacks from property redevelopment schemes than luring the hero away). Also,there are plot weaknesses in the story - notably the sudden capitulation by the hero in selling his beloved farm to the nefarious 'property shark' makes little sense and his jealousy of the not-really-other-man also appears far-fetched.
In summary, the book is an okay way to while away 90mins on a train, but there are far better titles from this author that I'd look to add to any collection.
Displaying 1 of 1 review