The Man in the Dark

by Susan Scarlett, Noel Streatfeild

"Yes, and then I'll go over Miss Kay's rooms with either you or the housekeeper." "There is no housekeeper, Miss." From his voice it sounded as if the housekeeper had been strangled and her body put in the cellar; it nearly made Marda giggle. James Longford, a wealthy former racing car driver with vision loss from an accident several years before, hires 26-year-old Marda Mayne as companion to his newly-orphaned 17-year-old American ward Shirley. His main concern is to avoid being troubled so he can continue to live in self-imposed isolation, but as plucky, practical Marda and flirtatious, kind-hearted Shirley take his intimidating household staff in hand (and find an unexpected ally in that surly butler), they also begin to revive James' interest in life. The trio will have to brace themselves, however, when his self-absorbed, manipulative sister Vera-who sees his fortune as practically already hers-announces a visit. The Man in the Dark is the fifth of twelve charming, page-turning romances published under the pseudonym "Susan Scarlett" by none other than beloved children's author and novelist Noel Streatfeild. Out of print for decades, they were rediscovered by Greyladies Books in the early 2010s, and Dean Street Press and Furrowed Middlebrow are delighted now to make all twelve available to a wider audience. "A writer who shows a rich experience in her writing and a charm" Nottingham Journal

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Classics, Chick Lit

210 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

Pseudonym used by the English author Noel Streatfeild for publishing her romance novels.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another Susan Scarlett win for me! I enjoyed the central three characters so much. The novel opens with the Mayne family at home. Alastair Mayne, the father, had a chance to work as a highly-paid doctor at the start of his career, but decided to work as a GP out of personal conviction. This means that the family is always working hard to make ends meet, but they do so cheerfully. The Maynes are a typical Streatfeild happy family with inside jokes and playful, bantering humor.

After the death of one of Alastair's more well-to-do patients, the oldest daughter Marda sets out to look for a job. She is hired by James Longford to be a live-in companion for his soon-to-arrive ward, Shirley Kay. James has been blind for six years after an accident, and he lives in self-imposed isolation in his London house. Marda ends up becoming a companion for him as well (though he doesn't think he wants or needs one).

Shirley soon enters the scene, and she is a worldly, frivolous adult-child with more street smarts than Marda but with less sensitivity and calm fortitude. They make for a fascinating pair. They puzzle and frustrate each other and butt heads, but there is an underlying strong affection that develops between Shirley and Marda that is so sweet to read about. Together they conspire to re-introduce James to life and remind him how valued he is, though he still feels traumatized by his accident and grieved by his blindness.

The drawing-out of James is my favorite part of the book. James is such a sweet character. I love that Shirley and Marda's approaches are different, but both needed. Shirley entices him with a radio and music; Marda reads to him and brings him bowls of fresh flowers. In this process, Shirley finds a way to belong after the dislocation of her father's death and moving back to England from New York. Marda finds purpose outside her family home and is introduced to a wider world.

And into this (mostly) contented pond drops a very large stone: James' selfish and manipulative older sister, Vera. She will stop at nothing to see that James' money stays earmarked for her "sickly" young son, Edward. There was such a funny line about how she wanted Edward to go to "the right prep school and be able to enjoy himself at Oxford". But she hasn't met the mettle of Marda and Shirley! It is so satisfying to see her routed.

I think my biggest downside to the novel is that we don't get more of Marda's delightful family. I would love to see more of James and Shirley getting to know them, too. But we do get enough of the Maynes to imagine just how delightful they are.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story with some echoes of Margaret Widdemer's The Rose-Garden Husband.

Marda is the eldest daughter of a doctor's family struggling to make ends meet. She gets recommended for the job of companion to a 17-year-old girl who is newly orphaned and coming to live with her guardian, a blind recluse named James Longford.
James has enforced seclusion on himself because he can't bear to be a nuisance or object of pity to his former friends. Marda sets about bringing life into the dark house and soon finds herself falling in love with the blind man.
The falling in love happens almost too quickly, but I would say that the real focus of the story is on James' rehabilitation into society, which is put to the test when his passive-aggressive sister shows up, scheming to keep all of his money safe for the inheritance of her son.
There's nothing too deep here but it's pleasant and engaging reading of the sort I've come to expect from Susan Scarlett!

[Suanne Laqueur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been scarfing these Susan Scarlett books like potato chips. I can’t deal with how wonderful they are.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s easy to see that this is a Noel Streatfeild book! Full of sweetness, kind characters, intermingled with some sad or bittersweet moments. I can picture this as perfect escapism for the war that was going on when these Susan Scarlett books were first published. As a child the Shoe Books enchanted me, now as an adult I get to be enchanted by the same author in a completely different way. I look forward to reading all of the Susan Scarlett books, and I’m so thankful that my local library can get them for me and for others to discover.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Cute and fast read.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marda is a sensible young woman of twenty six and perfectly happy working as a dispenser in her father’s surgery. But then Marda gets an unusual job offer. James Longford,a former racing driver, has become a recluse since he was blinded in an accident six years ago. He has recently become guardian to Shirley, his seventeen year old orphaned goddaughter, who has been living in America. Feeling unable to cope with a young female ward, he wants to engage a live in companion for her and is offering very good money. Marda decides to take the job, she hopes to be able to help James to emerge from his self imposed solitary existence. Shirley arrives and turns out to be a lively, confident and charming young girl, she and Marda both do their best to draw James out, and both are strongly attracted to him. But which one of them will win his heart?
This was a fairly entertaining story, but I found both James and Marda rather dull, Shirley was by far the most interesting character.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and interesting, good for a quick read on a rainy day when you need a little something (a la Winnie-the-Pooh)

[Karen (Living Unabridged) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This "plot" is one of those where I think even the Hallmark channel might say, "No, that's cliched and overdone."

Marda (what kind of name is "Marda" anyway?) does not at any time behave like a real young woman. Shirley May is sophisticated and worldly, or anyway, the author wants us to think she is. I;m not aware of any young woman of 17 who was drinking alcohol in the US during this time period to the extent the author describes. My grandmothers and great-grandmothers would have been appalled to think that's what the English thought of young women raised in the USA.

The hero is...there. He doesn't have much personality. But of course, he is blind. ("The man in the dark") That's all there is to him: he has an overbearing sister, a lot of money, and blindness.
The cliches are everywhere but particularly in the resolution of the story. Blindness: healed by stereotype European doctor/expert! Flirtatious, jealous teenager: settled down to marriage with a doctor we only meet in the last chapters. Grasping, meddlesome older sister: sent offstage. Everyone is happy! Babies are christened! Babies are on the way! You get a happy ending, and you get a happy ending, and YOU get a happy ending and at no time was there any actual tension or growth.

This just illustrated for me how difficult it actually was to write a "light" but warm "middlebrow" story. Stevenson and Clavering made it look easy but when even Noel Streatfield is stumbling like this, you know everyone can't pull it off.

[Gina House · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is my new favorite Susan Scarlett book! 😍 Although my top three Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow titles so far have been Under the Rainbow, Sally-Ann and Babbacombe's, this lovely story slightly beats them all 😱

I truly loved the main character, Marda Mayne. She is the type of young lady that would be the perfect best friend...at least to me. She is not only kind, thoughtful and loyal, but also is infused with courage, life, honesty and good sense.

Marda initially takes on the position of companion to Mr. James Longford's orphaned ward, Shirley, in order to help her family earn more money. But, after the just the first day, Marda has the feeling that Mr. Longford (who has been blind for 6 years due to a tragic car accident) needs her assistance and companionship much more than lively and determined American Shirley (who also longs for the attention of any male in the vicinity.)

I was addicted to this novel from the very first page. Everything about it is interesting, domestic and quietly entertaining with the perfect pacing. Susan Scarlett (aka my adored Noel Streatfeild) simply reminded me again how much I adore her writing.

If you love a vintage YA romance with a hint of a Cinderella-esque feel, supportive families, first loves, gossipy servants and an "evil" sister (instead of stepmother), you must read The Man in the Dark. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to my friend Gina (@gina.stanyer.books on Instagram) for agreeing to a buddy read of this book after I told her it was in my top two Susan Scarlett titles to read next!

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once in awhile you open a book and it's just your drop at that moment. This book was that for me. After a month of extreme stress, little sleep and few real meals I opened this book and just fell into it.
A young woman needs a job and is offered one as companion to a blind man's American ward. The American girl surprised me somewhat; her drinking at 17 was not so shocking as her language for the time. At one point she calls her antagonist (not the main character) "a real dumb ass." In 1940, in a light romance novel? My goodness. I'm surprised that one got past the censor.
I really enjoyed the growing friendship between the two girls and the way they double teamed the nasty sister. It would have been nice to have more interaction with the main character's family but I guess you can't have everything; at least the author was kind enough to leave the horrible little nephew as a nebulous concept only spoken of in passing or in letters.
My favourite Scarlett/Streatfield novel.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up from 2.5. I thought this was the weakest of the 5 Susan Scarlett books I’ve read so far. The characters were unbelievable. Marda, the heroine, was more like a saint than an actual person, and I found it absurd that the hero would choose to live in 1 room for 6 years until she and his ward Shirley came along. On the plus side, I appreciated that this one had a proper ending, unlike 1 or 2 of these that just ended abruptly. I also enjoyed (needed!) the escapist, fairy tale nature of this book.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightful romance from Susan Scarlett. I honestly wasn’t sure if I would like this book as it sounded more serious than her other romances. And indeed it was, but it still had so many of the features I have come to expect from Susan Scarlett - great characters, both likeable and not, a supportive family, realism and hope. I have been left with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside and can’t wait to move onto another of her wonderful novels.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, I liked it, but it was predictable. Scarlett tried to distract her reader, even cause them concern. However, she did not succeed! Her introduction of the meddlesome older sister, scary as it seemed, served to move the inevitable outcome to its rightful conclusion. Vera fades away, never to be seen again. Yay!

[Misti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was fine. The thing I like about Susan Scarlett's books and other similar books is that they were written contemporary for that period and it's a glimpse into a time and lifestyle I've never experienced and is very foreign to me in a lot of ways. So it's kind of fun.

[L B]

Reminds me of Mary Burchell

[Leonie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An innocent, kind heroine, a blind grumpy recluse, all set in the 1930s … this was a quick, charming read though the end really didn’t work for me.

[Elsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestly a 3.5 ; it was sweet (maybe a little too sweet)

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Balm to the soul. The only question is exactly how happy is the ending going to be?

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good fluff

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

So charming. I'm excited to read more of these Susan Scarlett (AKA Noel Streatfeild) romances.

[Bookworman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was the best one yet in these re-released books by Noel Streatfeild written under her pseudonym.

Delightful, sweet, and satisfying. AND what a relief to read a book with no profanity!