Winds in the Wilderness

by Lilian Warren, Rosalind Brett

When Lou and Nadine and Daphne went to spend six months on Nadine's farm in Mlemba, they intended to be self-sufficient.

But the nearest farm was a bachelor set-up, and when men and women are neighbours, things are bound to start happening. Most of the happenings at Four Winds centred on masterful Damon Thorpe. Nadine liked his conversation and Daphne his looks, but it was Lou, the youngest, who was destined to feel the full impact of his personality.

Genres: Africa, Harlequin Romance

Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Lilian Warren aka Rosalind Brett, Kathryn Blair, Katrina Britt, and Celine Conway.

Lilian Warren was born in London, England, UK. She worked as secretary, when at 19, her first magazine story was accepted. She married and moved to South Africa, where she continued writing. In the 1950s, she started to write to Rich & Cowan, and later to Mills & Boon, under various pseudonyms Rosalind Brett, Celine Conway, and Kathryn Blair. She passed away on 1961 in South Africa. Some of her books were published posthumuously.

Reviews

[Paula Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Be warned: this isn't your typical Mills & Boon romance. Although the publication date in the book I read was 1970, a little Internet research revealed that this was originally published in 1954. So don't expect any of the tropes you would usually associate with Mills & Boon/HP presents. You'll come away sorely disappointed!

It's the story of Louise "Lou" Meredith, who travels with her second cousin Nadine Gardner, and their model friend Daphne Pryce, to Rhodesia (aka Zimbabwe), to do up the land that has been left to Nadine by her uncle. Their property adjoins that of U.N. worker Damon Thorp, a rather forceful man. Through him, they also meet his advisor, George Marston, and George's brother, Val.

Lou is irresistibly drawn to Damon, but finds herself being pushed towards Val by George, who wishes his brother to get married and make a go of his life. Damon warns Lou about Val basically being weak and entitled, but because Damon is so enigmatic and Lou can't get a read on him, she continues to hang out with Val, not having the heart to tell him that she isn't into him.

This is more light soap opera drama than romance. There is a secondary romance that develops between Nadine and George. The proceedings were sometimes a bit dull, and the casual racism (no doubt due to the 1954 publication date) was troubling, but I still managed to get drawn into the story. The descriptions were above average, giving me a good feel for time and place. I enjoyed reading about life in Africa, which I admittedly haven't read much about.

Another thing I liked was the fact that Lou, Daphne and Nadine were all, in their own way, strong, independent women. They didn't need a man to survive. Of course, they all end up with a man, but it was never their overriding ambition in life. They were more feminist and believable than the heroines we get in today's romance books. And as I said, this came out in the 1950s!

There isn't anything here that should make you track this down, but it was nonetheless a diverting read, giving me a glimpse into a time period and location I have little experience with.

[MissKitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually like these older books but this one was just ok. Considering its not a long book, so many things happened. Our young Heroine Lou, her cousin Nadine and a friend Daphne go to Africa because Nadine has just inherited a farm. Lots of descriptions about Africa and on how they fix up the farm house because it's been left in s derelict state. The Hero Damon is their nearest neighbor - obviously very alpha and masterful he sends over a houseboy to help them since he figures they cannot cope. Our Heroine gets into a casual friendship with a younger man who misinterprets it as a deeper relationship. The H had warned her about the instability of this guy but she does not take his advice. She also thinks the Hnis interested in her friend Daphne and it certainly seems that way. An accident happens and our h Lou ha to recuperate in the H house. She is miserable and depressed by what happened and because she realizes she loves Damon but thinks he likes her friend. The friend returns to England and she and her cousin spend time w friends - throughout this time the H is protective and very take charge. But still you don't feel that he has much feelings for the heroine. Then it goes on and on, they take a road trip around Africa but she spends more time with the guy that likes her cousin than the hero. When she is w the H they never really talk and she just seems miserable the whole time. Then he leaves her for a job with like 20 more pages to go. Which she spends in some hotel w her cousin and it's only when she decides to go back to England does the H make an effort to come back, declare his love in the last 2 pages but he is still convinced she is not up to his way of life and the ending sort of still leaves one hanging?

[Fiona Marsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something fascinating in reading a book by a favourite author who died the year you were born. Rosalind Brett, who also published as Celine Conway and Kathryn Blair was just hitting her stride as a writer when she died. A number of her books were published posthumously and were being reprinted still in the 70's when I first started reading M&B romances. One of them, "Love This Stranger" left such an impression that it was one of the first books I sought out when I started to put my collection together again.

Winds in the Wilderness is one I haven't read before but it is reminiscent of Love This Stranger with the element of a powerful male, an innocent heroine and a weak third party love interest who distracts the heroine through her compassion.

It also reminded me a little of Three Women, written under her Celine Conway pseudonym in the story is set around three young women who travel, in this case, to Rhodesia to visit the inheritance of a farm by the older of the three, Nadine. Nadine's cousin Lou (Louise) is the youthful heroine, bewildered by her attraction to the forceful Damon Thorpe, their nearest neighbour. The third woman is the flirtatious model Daphne who intends to marry well and of course is very interested in Damon.

Damon's manager George provides a secondary love story with a reluctant Nadine and it is his unstable brother Val who target's Lou as the post to twine himself around with brother George's connivance.

The story is quite fascinating, even for the old colonial view of Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. The interactions between the characters is absorbing, strangely modern despite so many things that date it. I found it hard to remember that it was probably written in the mid-fifties.

The tragedy of Val, the odd romance between independent, cool Nadine and George, form a backdrop and occasionally deux ex machina for the romance between the classic protective alpha male, Damon and the girl on the cusp of womanhood.

Brett keeps you guessing right to the very last page just how it will play out. I enjoyed it thoroughly with all the angst and emotion.

[Myrna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three girls come to some remote farm. Nadine is a sophisticated artist, Daphne is a beautiful model, Lou is Nadine’s cousin and a maid to two girls. She’s taking care of them and they act as though it is her greatest wish in life to serve them.
Lou and her desire to serve certainly make their neighbor Damon angry. He believes Lou lets them all walk over her. Nadine contradicts that Lou is a too strong character for that, but soon the h finds herself in a tricky position when a young man with mental problems clings to her.

The ending is something. The H proposes and ACCUSES the h of not loving him ENOUGH. He’s ANGRY and DISAPPOINTED she doesn’t love him as much as he does love her.
The ending is uncertain. The H can’t marry because of his work commitments. He can leave in 6 months or he can wait 2 years till his contract ends. Do they marry right away? Do they wait 6 months as is the H’s intention? Do they stay in Africa?
The main couple quarrels about it. That’s a happy-end for you.

[KSHG · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10 This starts off very well. It was humorous and Warren creates three distinct characters in the three women who go to Africa. The setting is excellently portrayed and the drama created by the machinations of the two brothers is clever. Where this story stumbles is the romance between the leads. They never get on although the H is often kind to the h, who barely appreciates his often rough acts of kindness. This doesn't bode well for the relationship. The ending creates more doubts and is unsatisfying. Nevertheless, it is an engaging story with lots of things happening.

[Last Chance Saloon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the depth of this novel. Lilian Warren reused many tropes in her stories, and I wish there were less heroines made practically comatose with shock (shudder), but on the whole it is very enjoyable book.
Lou (or Louise as the hero charmingly calls her) is vivacious to start with and we know when she falls in love with the hero. He, we can tell, is sincerely attracted to her right away but the characters all think he is besotted with Daphne, the model (which I didn't like too much). Lou is patronised a little as she's 20 and the other two are older and she's neither model nor painter/illustrator. She's super nice though and very practical and diligent.
The hero is masculine but less so than some of her others, and he's thoughtful in a domineering way. I liked him.
The setting, however, was fabulous. We travel to Rhodesia, and then later up to Malawi and the writing is informative and captivating.
One to be enjoyed for vintage charm.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read for an 11 year old.