What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fair Miss Fortune
"There's something . . . I mean we simply must see Miss Fortune now. She isn't in bed, is she?"
"No, she ain't," said Nannie grimly. "She ought to be, but she ain't, an' you shall see 'er. Ho, yes you shall! Both of you shall see 'er before you're any older."
The village of Dingleford is all aquiver with the arrival of lovely young Miss Fortune with plans to open a tea house. Captain Charles Weatherby, just back from India, has "no use for bright little creatures no matter how long their eyelashes might be," but his perspective shifts when they actually meet (much to his mother's secret delight). The interest of Harold Prestcott, perpetual doormat to a smothering mother, is also piqued, much to her bitter chagrin. And when Miss Fortune's sister arrives in the village, soon pursued by an irate Frenchman, confusions bloom, passions flare, and hilarity reigns, all in classic D.E. Stevenson style.
The Fair Miss Fortune, written in 1938, was originally (rather bafflingly) rejected by D.E. Stevenson's publisher. It only finally appeared in print in a limited edition from Greyladies in 2011, and Furrowed Middlebrow and Dean Street Press are delighted to make it more widely available with this new edition. It also includes archival letters between the author and her agent, and an autobiographical sketch by D.E. Stevenson.
"Miss Stevenson has her own individual and charming way of seeing things." Western Mail
"No, she ain't," said Nannie grimly. "She ought to be, but she ain't, an' you shall see 'er. Ho, yes you shall! Both of you shall see 'er before you're any older."
The village of Dingleford is all aquiver with the arrival of lovely young Miss Fortune with plans to open a tea house. Captain Charles Weatherby, just back from India, has "no use for bright little creatures no matter how long their eyelashes might be," but his perspective shifts when they actually meet (much to his mother's secret delight). The interest of Harold Prestcott, perpetual doormat to a smothering mother, is also piqued, much to her bitter chagrin. And when Miss Fortune's sister arrives in the village, soon pursued by an irate Frenchman, confusions bloom, passions flare, and hilarity reigns, all in classic D.E. Stevenson style.
The Fair Miss Fortune, written in 1938, was originally (rather bafflingly) rejected by D.E. Stevenson's publisher. It only finally appeared in print in a limited edition from Greyladies in 2011, and Furrowed Middlebrow and Dean Street Press are delighted to make it more widely available with this new edition. It also includes archival letters between the author and her agent, and an autobiographical sketch by D.E. Stevenson.
"Miss Stevenson has her own individual and charming way of seeing things." Western Mail
221 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2011
81 people are currently reading
317 people want to read
About the author
D.E. Stevenson
67 books631 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Dorothy Emily Stevenson was a best-selling Scottish author. She published more than 40 romantic novels over a period of more than 40 years. Her father was a cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson.
D.E. Stevenson had an enormously successful writing career: between 1923 and 1970, four million copies of her books were sold in Britain and three million in the States. Like E.F. Benson, Ann Bridge, O. Douglas or Dorothy L. Sayers (to name but a few) her books are funny, intensely readable, engaging and dependable.
Dorothy Emily Stevenson was a best-selling Scottish author. She published more than 40 romantic novels over a period of more than 40 years. Her father was a cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson.
D.E. Stevenson had an enormously successful writing career: between 1923 and 1970, four million copies of her books were sold in Britain and three million in the States. Like E.F. Benson, Ann Bridge, O. Douglas or Dorothy L. Sayers (to name but a few) her books are funny, intensely readable, engaging and dependable.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
April 27, 2022
Although D.E. Stevenson novels are generally light, this is even fluffier than usual. I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and its delightful resolution. The literary references from the Bible, Alice in Wonderland, Kipling, Shakespeare and Jane Austen were icing on the cake.
December 5, 2021
What a sweet funny and charming book! That is if you like old-fashioned chaste romances set in the English countryside. And who doesn’t? Well lots of people, I guess. But I like them. Not as a steady diet, but if they are as well written, and as beautifully narrated as this one, I could get used to it.
Miss Jane Fortune causes quite a stir when she comes to the insular village of Dingleford with her old nanny to open a tea shop. She charms everyone in sight with her beauty and sweetness. Especially the eligible bachelors. Everyone except Mrs. Prescott who sold her her cottage/future tea shop. She is an overbearing entitled old battle-ax who mercilessly bullies and dominates her son Harold. You know the type. Miss Fortune and the most eligible bachelor in the village, Charles Weatherford, soon become quite close. One day, Jane’s twin sister, Joan, a slightly more impulsive and unconventional version of Jane, comes to stay. She is escaping from an amorous Frenchman who has vowed to chase her to the ends of the earth. Jane agrees to keep Joan’s existence a secret, to protect her. Thus begins, at times, an hilarious comedy of errors, wonderfully narrated by Patience Tomlinson. I listened to this on Audible. Charles, meeting Joan, thinking she’s Jane, is very confused by her behavior and falls out of love with her. Joan unaccountably falls in love with the browbeaten mama’s boy, Harold Prescott, who is amazed at her sincere interest (as is the reader). The scene where Mrs. Prescott visits Jane, thinking she is the shameless hussy who is attempting to ensnare her beloved son is priceless. Jane may be sweet, but she has enough spirit and poise to spare and thoroughly routs the harridan's offensive against her beloved sister.
The book is peopled with some very well-drawn characters: Jane and Joan’s nanny, Charles’ Mother, the shopkeeper who sells Harold some exercise books, the middle-aged colonel, horrid Mrs. Prescott, and especially Harold, who knows he is “a worm” but vows to make himself worthy of the Fair Miss Fortune.
The only criticism I have is the book ends too abruptly and leaves some loose ends regarding the endearing Harold and his mother.
Probably if I had read it it would have been 3 stars, the narration made it 4. so **3 1/2 stars**
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
Miss Jane Fortune causes quite a stir when she comes to the insular village of Dingleford with her old nanny to open a tea shop. She charms everyone in sight with her beauty and sweetness. Especially the eligible bachelors. Everyone except Mrs. Prescott who sold her her cottage/future tea shop. She is an overbearing entitled old battle-ax who mercilessly bullies and dominates her son Harold. You know the type. Miss Fortune and the most eligible bachelor in the village, Charles Weatherford, soon become quite close. One day, Jane’s twin sister, Joan, a slightly more impulsive and unconventional version of Jane, comes to stay. She is escaping from an amorous Frenchman who has vowed to chase her to the ends of the earth. Jane agrees to keep Joan’s existence a secret, to protect her. Thus begins, at times, an hilarious comedy of errors, wonderfully narrated by Patience Tomlinson. I listened to this on Audible. Charles, meeting Joan, thinking she’s Jane, is very confused by her behavior and falls out of love with her. Joan unaccountably falls in love with the browbeaten mama’s boy, Harold Prescott, who is amazed at her sincere interest (as is the reader). The scene where Mrs. Prescott visits Jane, thinking she is the shameless hussy who is attempting to ensnare her beloved son is priceless. Jane may be sweet, but she has enough spirit and poise to spare and thoroughly routs the harridan's offensive against her beloved sister.
The book is peopled with some very well-drawn characters: Jane and Joan’s nanny, Charles’ Mother, the shopkeeper who sells Harold some exercise books, the middle-aged colonel, horrid Mrs. Prescott, and especially Harold, who knows he is “a worm” but vows to make himself worthy of the Fair Miss Fortune.
The only criticism I have is the book ends too abruptly and leaves some loose ends regarding the endearing Harold and his mother.
Probably if I had read it it would have been 3 stars, the narration made it 4. so **3 1/2 stars**
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
June 27, 2022
3.5 stars This was a fun read and had a great ending! It didn’t have as many likable characters or as much of a village feel as my favorite DE Stevenson novels. But it’s still a DES and had lots of funny moments throughout. I like Charles, his mother, and Jane especially.
March 7, 2022
I love DES, yet it’s not hard to see why a potential publisher asked her to abandon the main contrivance here. The gimmick, as it were, might have been amusing for a few pages, but it was tedious to hang the bulk of the book on it.
The Fair Miss Fortune has glimmers of the DES we know and love, but overall it didn’t work for me. Before I was even halfway through, I skipped ahead to read the final two chapters and call it a day. Unless you’re looking for a very silly rom-com, there are many much better choices by this wonderful author.
The Fair Miss Fortune has glimmers of the DES we know and love, but overall it didn’t work for me. Before I was even halfway through, I skipped ahead to read the final two chapters and call it a day. Unless you’re looking for a very silly rom-com, there are many much better choices by this wonderful author.
April 10, 2022
This was the literary equivalent of a Hallmark movie. I'm bouncing between two and three stars. I think the Scottish atmosphere and idioms cover a multitude of lapses.
I won't give away spoilers, but this was fun, predictable, pleasant, and tepid.
I won't give away spoilers, but this was fun, predictable, pleasant, and tepid.
August 7, 2021
Delightful and such a fun ending!! I now have a book hangover. It’s the sweet and gentle stories that bring me so much peace and comfort.
November 25, 2022
Young and lovely Miss Jane Fortune buys a house in a picturesque English village with the intention of opening a tea shop,meets a man she is attracted to,who is attracted to her, but finds her life unexpectedly complicated due to unforeseen circumstances. A light amusing romantic comedy with a highly absurd but entertaining plot. This book was apparently considered too improbable for publication in 1937, but I don’t know why as many equally fanciful books appeared in the 30s.
May 10, 2022
Silly and annoying.
June 9, 2022
If I could give this book 500🌟, I would! I think it was a combination of reading this particular book at this particularly stressful and sad time in my life that made such a strong and positive impact on me. It could also be that D.E. Stevenson was the most wonderful writer (no question!) and could spin up such a lovely and uplifting tale with (seemingly) little effort.
Not only is the cover adorable, sweet, and incredibly appealing (if only I could wear a dress like that!), but the characters inside of the novel are just as lovable. D.E. Stevenson even made the grouchy and selfish characters seem likeable in some way.
From the very first page, the reader is sucked into this little village of Dingleford with its quaint beauty and simple living. I fell in love with Jane, Charles, Charles' mother Emma, and Nanny. I wish, like the Miss Buncle books, that this story was just the first in a series. I already miss reading about these characters and I want to know more.
My one piece of advice: DO NOT read the letters at the beginning of the book! You might be tempted to, but there is a small spoiler in one of the letters that I wish I hadn't known going into the book. It didn't affect how much I loved it, but read these at the end instead of at the beginning.
Highly recommended, a definite re-read and the extra mini D.E. Stevenson autobiography at the end was such a fantastic surprise!
Not only is the cover adorable, sweet, and incredibly appealing (if only I could wear a dress like that!), but the characters inside of the novel are just as lovable. D.E. Stevenson even made the grouchy and selfish characters seem likeable in some way.
From the very first page, the reader is sucked into this little village of Dingleford with its quaint beauty and simple living. I fell in love with Jane, Charles, Charles' mother Emma, and Nanny. I wish, like the Miss Buncle books, that this story was just the first in a series. I already miss reading about these characters and I want to know more.
My one piece of advice: DO NOT read the letters at the beginning of the book! You might be tempted to, but there is a small spoiler in one of the letters that I wish I hadn't known going into the book. It didn't affect how much I loved it, but read these at the end instead of at the beginning.
Highly recommended, a definite re-read and the extra mini D.E. Stevenson autobiography at the end was such a fantastic surprise!
August 15, 2022
Delightful. One of her best.
Reader was good except for her Charles voice.
Reader was good except for her Charles voice.
March 8, 2023
I thought that this book was a good read. It was light, fluffy, and a good palate cleanser between denser books.
June 13, 2017
This was so much fun. Having read D. E. Stevenson books for years and years and reading all of them multiple times - what a joy for there to be a new one to read. It was found in an attic. A publisher had looked at it but it had never come to print. It has the feel of an early book but I am so glad I kept reading. Just a bit of the way into the book, the dry, tongue-in-cheek humor that DES accomplished so well in 'Miss Buncle's Book' becomes evident. I had always wished she had written more with this particular style - and all the time it was sitting in a family member's attic!
October 26, 2017
Re-read as audiobook.
April 24, 2023
2.75 stars
I enjoyed this book mostly because a very kind friend (Gina!) gave it to me. I have read many Stevenson books and she is a writer of great warmth and charm. She understands human nature very well and her English (or Scottish) settings are always a strong point. (This one is set in the English village of Dingleford.) I would definitely recommend her books to anyone who wants a “cosy” read that will end happily. She’s the antidote to modern neurosis and anxiety. However, if you are new to Stevenson, I would not recommend that you start with this one. I think that I would chiefly recommend it to young teens (12 or 13 years old perhaps) who like old-fashioned books.
The publisher makes a big deal out of the fact that this book was rejected by Stevenson’s publishers at the time, but I think they had a case. The plot hinges on a twin misunderstanding and if that was considered “old-fashioned” in the 1930s, it just feels gimmicky and sophomoric today. Am I belabouring my point already to say that there’s just not a lot of depth to it? For the Stevenson super-fans only.
I enjoyed this book mostly because a very kind friend (Gina!) gave it to me. I have read many Stevenson books and she is a writer of great warmth and charm. She understands human nature very well and her English (or Scottish) settings are always a strong point. (This one is set in the English village of Dingleford.) I would definitely recommend her books to anyone who wants a “cosy” read that will end happily. She’s the antidote to modern neurosis and anxiety. However, if you are new to Stevenson, I would not recommend that you start with this one. I think that I would chiefly recommend it to young teens (12 or 13 years old perhaps) who like old-fashioned books.
The publisher makes a big deal out of the fact that this book was rejected by Stevenson’s publishers at the time, but I think they had a case. The plot hinges on a twin misunderstanding and if that was considered “old-fashioned” in the 1930s, it just feels gimmicky and sophomoric today. Am I belabouring my point already to say that there’s just not a lot of depth to it? For the Stevenson super-fans only.
June 26, 2024
This author is great for a comfort read. This one is a bit sillier and fluffier than most.
November 21, 2025
This was the book I needed right now. My father passed away the end of April and I, an avid reader who very rarely isn't reading something, have been unable to pick anything up. I decided upon a gentle read from one of my favorite authors. While things are still extremely difficult, the story of Miss Fortune provided a much needed respite from real life. I have a feeling I'll be continuing with comfort reads for a while now as I grieve.
January 3, 2022
My first review of 2022 and look at that - 5/5 stars! That's a way to start off the new year! Here's my review https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2022/01/0...
November 6, 2025
Since much of the plot felt overly contrived, I can see why D. E. Stevenson’s publishers declined this book. However, it is a quick read that gives glimpses of the author’s keen insight into human character, along with her ability to paint a scene. Would recommend to a DES completist, but please don’t use this as your starting point for her bibliography.
March 18, 2024
Froth. Effervescent, fun, and more light-weight than some of Stevenson's other stories (which, lets be honest, are never heavy or particularly deep). Suspend your disbelief that such a "plot" (such as it is) could ever occur and just enjoy the bubbles.
May 12, 2018
Horrible narrator. This is probably the worst of DE Stevenson's books.
January 17, 2023
D. E. Stevenson's "The Fair Miss Fortune" was originally rejected by her publisher and it was interesting to read the letters between both the publisher and author. I am baffled too with regards to calling this story old fashioned especially since it was published in 1938. There is actually some risque situations, the Manley family dysfunction and questionable house fire. If this story is "old fashioned" I love it in 2023 not far from 85 years ago. I found it a delightful light read that was romantic and quite funny at times. I absolutely love her stories and I am never disappointed.
Story in short - Miss Jane Fortune comes to live in Dingleford and she seems to have two different personalities.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 5
The village of Dingleford is all aquiver with the arrival of lovely young Miss Fortune with plans to open a tea house. Captain Charles Weatherby, just back from India, has “no use for bright little creatures no matter how long their eyelashes might be,” but his perspective shifts when they actually meet (much to his mother’s secret delight). The interest of Harold Prestcott, perpetual doormat to a smothering mother, is also piqued, much to her bitter chagrin. And when
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 8
Miss Fortune’s sister arrives in the village, soon pursued by an irate Frenchman, confusions bloom, passions flare, and hilarity reigns, all in classic D.E. Stevenson style.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 10
The Fair Miss Fortune, written in 1938, was originally (rather bafflingly) rejected by D.E. Stevenson’s publisher. It only finally appeared in print in a limited edition from Greyladies in 2011, and Furrowed Middlebrow and Dean Street Press are delighted to make it more widely available
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 12
with this new edition. It also includes archival letters between the author and her agent, and an autobiographical sketch by D.E. Stevenson.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 57
Dear Mr. Curtis Brown, I was so sorry to hear that Hodder’s readers do not like The Fair Miss Fortune. I would be quite willing to alter it if I could see how to do so, but I do not understand what they mean by “old- fashioned.” It would be difficult to alter the identical twins as that is the whole plot, and I cannot see why identical twins should be “old-fashioned” as they are quite common nowadays. I am afraid the
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 60
whole explanation is that I am “old-fashioned” myself (whatever it may mean) so my books are bound to be old- fashioned too. Jonathan Cape made almost exactly the same criticism when he refused Miss Buncle’s Book. He said it was “too simple and sentimental and quite out of date, and the characters not real.” (or words to that effect. I am in bed with a bad cold at the moment or I could look up and see the exact words).
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
I was wondering if one of the twins was a bad apple and looking to cause trouble to her sister by stealing her lover. I enjoyed the ending but would have liked to see Harold's mother's response to him getting married. I would think that the sisters would want a double wedding. I loved Harold and his mother's interactions especially after Harold started to break free. I bet Erica might have been careless causing the fire.
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 2
Prestcotts’ house-warming sherry-party in full swing. Charles frowned. He had not wanted to come to this party, and, now that he was almost there, he wanted to even less, but his mother had made him accept the invitation, saying that it would be “so nice” for him “to meet all his old friends after being away in India all these years.” Charles was quite sure that it would not be nice,
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 2
for he was shy with the shyness which besets the exile when he returns to his native place. He had been abroad for three years—no more—but he was convinced that these people would not want him; that they would have forgotten him; that they would find him awkward and gauche, his clothes old-fashioned and shabby, his manners strange.
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 5
It did seem ages. They shook hands in the slightly embarrassed manner of two young Britishers who like each other but have not met for years. Life had torn them apart, and dealt with them so differently that they were strangers to each other’s thoughts, and it was doubtful whether they would be
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 6
able to find any mutual interests to bring them together again. In appearance they were entirely different. Charles Weatherby was tall and lean and bronzed, with fair straight hair brushed backwards from his broad brow. His expression was somewhat stern as befitted a man who was used to command and who carried the responsibilities of his calling, but when he smiled the sternness vanished, the bright blue eyes twinkled pleasantly and the white teeth flashed. Harold Prestcott was shorter than Charles by several inches. He looked much younger than his age, for his face was round and smooth, and his brown eyes were soft and appealing. His dark brown hair was slightly wavy and he wore it parted at the side.
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 8
“I think so—yes, I believe I am right. One should not look backwards, nor rebel against the inevitable. Harold and I were very happy together in our dear little cottage, buried from the world, but there is no reason why we should not be happy here. I had no choice but to move when The Road started.” “The Road”—Charles heard it mentioned on all sides as he squeezed his way to a side table and procured some refreshments. He knew all about this
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 12
“I suppose you didn’t think I liked Ma Prestcott enough to be free of her house,” declared Erica maliciously. It was exactly what he had thought, but it sounded unpleasant put like this—unnecessarily unpleasant. “I don’t like Ma Prestcott,” she continued. “Who could? But Harold is rather sweet, really, with his doggy eyes—poor, poor Harold! No, Charles, I’ve got no
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 12
designs upon Harold—definitely not—I’m just frightening Ma Prestcott a little, for her own good . . . and Harold’s good . . . and because I haven’t got anything better to do. Ma Prestcott is so worried, the poor thing doesn’t know what she wants. On the one hand I’m a good match, you see—lots of money and all that—but on the other hand she wants to keep dear little Harold tied to her apron strings.”
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 12
“Why on earth are you telling me all this?” asked Charles uncomfortably. “Why not?” enquired Erica, stretching her arms and yawning. “I must talk to somebody, mustn’t I?” Charles did not know what to say, and there was silence for a moment or two. He had been more than a little in love with Erica the last time he was home on leave, but he had stifled his feelings and departed without a word. As a subaltern in the Indian Army with nothing beyond his pay he believed that he had no right to speak of love to Erica Manley. He would not have hesitated to ask a poor woman to share his comparative poverty, but he was too independent to want a rich wife. Erica was young and pretty, and she had several other young men dancing attendance upon her, so Charles withdrew as gracefully as he could. He was certainly more than a little in love, for he had cut her picture out of the Tatler
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 13
and framed it—smiling to himself somewhat wryly at his foolishness. The picture had stood on his dressing- table for months, had stood there, in fact, until it had got lost when the Battalion had moved to Summer Camp. Now here was Erica again, and here was he, but the thrill and the glamour of her presence was gone. That seemed very odd to Charles.
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 13
“The Road!” she cried, “I’m sick of the Road! I wish it was going straight through this beastly village! That would make them sit up! I wish thousands of trippers would come and camp on the green—how I should laugh! It would be something to see, at least. There would be some life about the place. Why do they want to keep Dingleford like this—dull—deadly—quiet? Because they’re all half-dead themselves, that’s why.” “Couldn’t you get away for a bit, if you feel like this?” “That’s what I want—to get away—anywhere. But Father won’t let me go, won’t let me have a penny. Oh it’s so unfair, so
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 14
absolutely Victorian. Sometimes I feel I can’t bear it a moment longer.”
Story in short - Miss Jane Fortune comes to live in Dingleford and she seems to have two different personalities.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 5
The village of Dingleford is all aquiver with the arrival of lovely young Miss Fortune with plans to open a tea house. Captain Charles Weatherby, just back from India, has “no use for bright little creatures no matter how long their eyelashes might be,” but his perspective shifts when they actually meet (much to his mother’s secret delight). The interest of Harold Prestcott, perpetual doormat to a smothering mother, is also piqued, much to her bitter chagrin. And when
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 8
Miss Fortune’s sister arrives in the village, soon pursued by an irate Frenchman, confusions bloom, passions flare, and hilarity reigns, all in classic D.E. Stevenson style.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 10
The Fair Miss Fortune, written in 1938, was originally (rather bafflingly) rejected by D.E. Stevenson’s publisher. It only finally appeared in print in a limited edition from Greyladies in 2011, and Furrowed Middlebrow and Dean Street Press are delighted to make it more widely available
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 12
with this new edition. It also includes archival letters between the author and her agent, and an autobiographical sketch by D.E. Stevenson.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 57
Dear Mr. Curtis Brown, I was so sorry to hear that Hodder’s readers do not like The Fair Miss Fortune. I would be quite willing to alter it if I could see how to do so, but I do not understand what they mean by “old- fashioned.” It would be difficult to alter the identical twins as that is the whole plot, and I cannot see why identical twins should be “old-fashioned” as they are quite common nowadays. I am afraid the
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 60
whole explanation is that I am “old-fashioned” myself (whatever it may mean) so my books are bound to be old- fashioned too. Jonathan Cape made almost exactly the same criticism when he refused Miss Buncle’s Book. He said it was “too simple and sentimental and quite out of date, and the characters not real.” (or words to that effect. I am in bed with a bad cold at the moment or I could look up and see the exact words).
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
I was wondering if one of the twins was a bad apple and looking to cause trouble to her sister by stealing her lover. I enjoyed the ending but would have liked to see Harold's mother's response to him getting married. I would think that the sisters would want a double wedding. I loved Harold and his mother's interactions especially after Harold started to break free. I bet Erica might have been careless causing the fire.
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 2
Prestcotts’ house-warming sherry-party in full swing. Charles frowned. He had not wanted to come to this party, and, now that he was almost there, he wanted to even less, but his mother had made him accept the invitation, saying that it would be “so nice” for him “to meet all his old friends after being away in India all these years.” Charles was quite sure that it would not be nice,
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 2
for he was shy with the shyness which besets the exile when he returns to his native place. He had been abroad for three years—no more—but he was convinced that these people would not want him; that they would have forgotten him; that they would find him awkward and gauche, his clothes old-fashioned and shabby, his manners strange.
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 5
It did seem ages. They shook hands in the slightly embarrassed manner of two young Britishers who like each other but have not met for years. Life had torn them apart, and dealt with them so differently that they were strangers to each other’s thoughts, and it was doubtful whether they would be
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 6
able to find any mutual interests to bring them together again. In appearance they were entirely different. Charles Weatherby was tall and lean and bronzed, with fair straight hair brushed backwards from his broad brow. His expression was somewhat stern as befitted a man who was used to command and who carried the responsibilities of his calling, but when he smiled the sternness vanished, the bright blue eyes twinkled pleasantly and the white teeth flashed. Harold Prestcott was shorter than Charles by several inches. He looked much younger than his age, for his face was round and smooth, and his brown eyes were soft and appealing. His dark brown hair was slightly wavy and he wore it parted at the side.
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 8
“I think so—yes, I believe I am right. One should not look backwards, nor rebel against the inevitable. Harold and I were very happy together in our dear little cottage, buried from the world, but there is no reason why we should not be happy here. I had no choice but to move when The Road started.” “The Road”—Charles heard it mentioned on all sides as he squeezed his way to a side table and procured some refreshments. He knew all about this
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 12
“I suppose you didn’t think I liked Ma Prestcott enough to be free of her house,” declared Erica maliciously. It was exactly what he had thought, but it sounded unpleasant put like this—unnecessarily unpleasant. “I don’t like Ma Prestcott,” she continued. “Who could? But Harold is rather sweet, really, with his doggy eyes—poor, poor Harold! No, Charles, I’ve got no
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 12
designs upon Harold—definitely not—I’m just frightening Ma Prestcott a little, for her own good . . . and Harold’s good . . . and because I haven’t got anything better to do. Ma Prestcott is so worried, the poor thing doesn’t know what she wants. On the one hand I’m a good match, you see—lots of money and all that—but on the other hand she wants to keep dear little Harold tied to her apron strings.”
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 12
“Why on earth are you telling me all this?” asked Charles uncomfortably. “Why not?” enquired Erica, stretching her arms and yawning. “I must talk to somebody, mustn’t I?” Charles did not know what to say, and there was silence for a moment or two. He had been more than a little in love with Erica the last time he was home on leave, but he had stifled his feelings and departed without a word. As a subaltern in the Indian Army with nothing beyond his pay he believed that he had no right to speak of love to Erica Manley. He would not have hesitated to ask a poor woman to share his comparative poverty, but he was too independent to want a rich wife. Erica was young and pretty, and she had several other young men dancing attendance upon her, so Charles withdrew as gracefully as he could. He was certainly more than a little in love, for he had cut her picture out of the Tatler
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 13
and framed it—smiling to himself somewhat wryly at his foolishness. The picture had stood on his dressing- table for months, had stood there, in fact, until it had got lost when the Battalion had moved to Summer Camp. Now here was Erica again, and here was he, but the thrill and the glamour of her presence was gone. That seemed very odd to Charles.
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 13
“The Road!” she cried, “I’m sick of the Road! I wish it was going straight through this beastly village! That would make them sit up! I wish thousands of trippers would come and camp on the green—how I should laugh! It would be something to see, at least. There would be some life about the place. Why do they want to keep Dingleford like this—dull—deadly—quiet? Because they’re all half-dead themselves, that’s why.” “Couldn’t you get away for a bit, if you feel like this?” “That’s what I want—to get away—anywhere. But Father won’t let me go, won’t let me have a penny. Oh it’s so unfair, so
Highlight (Yellow) | Page 14
absolutely Victorian. Sometimes I feel I can’t bear it a moment longer.”
March 28, 2022
This story was too farcical; it reminded me a bit of a P.G. Wodehouse novel, but without his light touch. In addition, the Stevenson's tendency to tie body size to the general virtue of a character is in full force here, perhaps more than in any other book of hers. So, 2 stars for the story, but plus 1 star for the section that had the letters between Stevenson and her agent when she was trying to get the book published; the insight into her writing process was very interesting.
November 1, 2013
I love D.E. Stevenson, who's written so many charming comfort reads, but it's easy to see why this very early novel was not embraced by publishers. It's a little flat and predictable, and I think it's the only book of hers that I resorted to skimming just to get to the end. It's not terrible, but she hadn't hit her stride with this one, and unlike her other books, these characters are pretty forgettable.
Worth reading if you're a completist (I am).
Worth reading if you're a completist (I am).
June 24, 2022
This is one of Stevenson's less enjoyable plots. It's meant to be humorous but it's kind of ridiculous. Reminded me of the tone of Green Money.
Book - 3 stars
Narration by Patience Tomlinson - 3 stars
Book - 3 stars
Narration by Patience Tomlinson - 3 stars
December 11, 2014
Cozy, old-fashioned, charming story of life and love in an English village in the 1930s. There's humor too--especially because Miss Fortune has a twin sister, and each first confuses and then enchants the man for her. Heartwarming and playful character-centered tale.
December 31, 2022
2 - 3 stars
This was a little bit too twee, and predictable, for me.
This was a little bit too twee, and predictable, for me.
February 22, 2023
A sweet little story. Mistaken identiy is not my favorite but it was nice to read something from Stevenson that I hadn't read before.
June 11, 2023
A pure delight to read! Yes, it was light and fluffy, and yes, the ending was never really in doubt, but when the story is such fun from beginning to end who really cares??
February 1, 2025
Sample downloaded from Amazon.
We spend an entire chapter with what I presume is (one of?) the main character(s?), being told in tedious detail about what he's seeing around him while he worries on a friend's doorstep before going into a party he was specifically invited to "what if they don't like me?"
Chapter 2 begins with the same character talking about how ugly and unlikable everybody at the party is:
"
all at once he realised the odd fact that he liked these people individually—it was only en masse that he detested them. When people got together like this, thought Charles, they suddenly became like caricatures—for instance Miss Ames’ long nose grew an eighth of an inch longer as she jabbered so earnestly to Mr. Manley; her hair receded more than ever from her high bumpy forehead, and her halo hat slid slightly to one side. If Miss Ames had walked onto the stage at a music hall she would have brought down the house. Mr. Manley, desiccated already, took on the appearance of a prune, so small and wizened and dry was he that one could scarcely believe that he harboured any liquid in his veins. It was the same with everybody here; they lost their humanity, grew gargoylish, or assumed the likeness of animals. Colonel Staunton was exactly like a pig—it was something about the way his chin and nose poked forward from his thick neck, and the way his forehead receded; something about his little twinkling eyes, knowing, lewd, and a trifle greedy; something about the smooth tight pinkness of his skin and the sparseness of his tufty white hair. He was a nice pig, of course—and exceedingly clean—Charles had always liked Colonel Staunton."
I don't much enjoy feeling my eyes glaze over in 2 chapters out of 2.
DNF.
We spend an entire chapter with what I presume is (one of?) the main character(s?), being told in tedious detail about what he's seeing around him while he worries on a friend's doorstep before going into a party he was specifically invited to "what if they don't like me?"
Chapter 2 begins with the same character talking about how ugly and unlikable everybody at the party is:
"
all at once he realised the odd fact that he liked these people individually—it was only en masse that he detested them. When people got together like this, thought Charles, they suddenly became like caricatures—for instance Miss Ames’ long nose grew an eighth of an inch longer as she jabbered so earnestly to Mr. Manley; her hair receded more than ever from her high bumpy forehead, and her halo hat slid slightly to one side. If Miss Ames had walked onto the stage at a music hall she would have brought down the house. Mr. Manley, desiccated already, took on the appearance of a prune, so small and wizened and dry was he that one could scarcely believe that he harboured any liquid in his veins. It was the same with everybody here; they lost their humanity, grew gargoylish, or assumed the likeness of animals. Colonel Staunton was exactly like a pig—it was something about the way his chin and nose poked forward from his thick neck, and the way his forehead receded; something about his little twinkling eyes, knowing, lewd, and a trifle greedy; something about the smooth tight pinkness of his skin and the sparseness of his tufty white hair. He was a nice pig, of course—and exceedingly clean—Charles had always liked Colonel Staunton."
I don't much enjoy feeling my eyes glaze over in 2 chapters out of 2.
DNF.
March 14, 2023
3.5*
Young and attractive, Captain Charles Weatherby has returned from India to visit his mother in his home village of Dingleford. He has travelled and done things with his life and he has an awkward time renewing a friendship with his old friend Harold Prescott, who is overweight, directionless and still living with his mother. When the attractive Miss Jane Fortune arrives to live in Harold’s mother’s old house, she ruffles more than a few feathers among various residents as they come to terms both with Miss Fortune’s plans to set up a teashop in Mrs Prescott's old house and with the building of a new road through the village. Things are further complicated when Joan Fortune, Jane’s identical twin sister arrives from London to stay. Joan is fleeing a mad French man who she is anxious to shake off and so the twins agree to keep Joan’s arrival a secret. Havoc inevitably follows with more than a few cases of mistaken identity and various love interests all needing to be worked out.
This book was originally rejected as old fashioned by D E Stevenson's publisher and was only published posthumously in 2011. I thought that the twins Nannie does date it, with her hot milk and biscuits at bedtime for women old enough to buy a house and set up a business, but clearly not to be trusted to get to bed on time. But I found it charming as well, fun and the story is engaging. These types of books definitely have a place in my heart.
Young and attractive, Captain Charles Weatherby has returned from India to visit his mother in his home village of Dingleford. He has travelled and done things with his life and he has an awkward time renewing a friendship with his old friend Harold Prescott, who is overweight, directionless and still living with his mother. When the attractive Miss Jane Fortune arrives to live in Harold’s mother’s old house, she ruffles more than a few feathers among various residents as they come to terms both with Miss Fortune’s plans to set up a teashop in Mrs Prescott's old house and with the building of a new road through the village. Things are further complicated when Joan Fortune, Jane’s identical twin sister arrives from London to stay. Joan is fleeing a mad French man who she is anxious to shake off and so the twins agree to keep Joan’s arrival a secret. Havoc inevitably follows with more than a few cases of mistaken identity and various love interests all needing to be worked out.
This book was originally rejected as old fashioned by D E Stevenson's publisher and was only published posthumously in 2011. I thought that the twins Nannie does date it, with her hot milk and biscuits at bedtime for women old enough to buy a house and set up a business, but clearly not to be trusted to get to bed on time. But I found it charming as well, fun and the story is engaging. These types of books definitely have a place in my heart.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews