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304. Broken Barriers
The thunderclouds of World War Two are gathering, sweeping away old notions of class. But still in 1938 there are almost insurmountable barriers to love – and not just those of Social rank.
In the Highlands, the lovely Skye is determined to marry her penniless childhood sweetheart, Hector, but her hidebound grandfather forbids it. Meanwhile in London’s Theatreland, Paris and Cannes, Skye’s stepfather Norman worships the voluptuous and volatile actress Carlotta, who is blinded to her own feelings by an infatuation with money, fame and Hector too!
Will Skye, Hector, Carlotta and Norman ever grasp happiness? It seems only a fatal accident has the power to seal the lovers’ Fate.
In the Highlands, the lovely Skye is determined to marry her penniless childhood sweetheart, Hector, but her hidebound grandfather forbids it. Meanwhile in London’s Theatreland, Paris and Cannes, Skye’s stepfather Norman worships the voluptuous and volatile actress Carlotta, who is blinded to her own feelings by an infatuation with money, fame and Hector too!
Will Skye, Hector, Carlotta and Norman ever grasp happiness? It seems only a fatal accident has the power to seal the lovers’ Fate.
- GenresRomance
233 pages, Paperback
Published October 25, 2022
About the author
Barbara Cartland
1,347 books874 followersBorn in 1901, Barbara Cartland started her writing career in journalism and completed her first book, Jigsaw, when she was just 24. An immediate success, it was the start of her journey to becoming the world’s most famous and most read romantic novelist of all time. Inspiring a whole generation of readers around the globe with her exciting tales of adventure, love and intrigue, she became synonymous with the Romance genre. And she still is to this day, having written over 644 romantic fiction books.
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 18, 2023
This one deserves 4 stars because its just so different from anything of hers that I’ve read so far.
I suggest letting the story unfold, but if not the folowing will contain all the spoilers.
SPOILER SUMMARY
As mentioned, so so different from her usual cookie cutter category romances. For one thing, this is much longer and more complex. It really is a proper novel.
Broken barriers refers to the social divide which is prominent in this book which is set in 1938 and the strict delineations between classes is starting to crumble. I would say there are actually four main characters, and in the start I wasn’t entirely sure who the main Hero and heroine were going to be. The characters are also deeper and more complex than her usual unrealistically perfect Heroes and heroines. The leads here are far from perfect and struggle with less than ideal sentiments.
Norman is around 40+ yrs old a widower and a millionaire, which is equivalent to a billionaire nowadays. Although he was a self made man, because he was so rich, the Earl allowed him to marry his daughter. The marriage was not successful. The daughter was still in love with her first husband who died and resented Norman the whole time, making it a truly miserable marriage.
Norman’s only joy from the marriage is his step-daughter Skye. He is truly fond of her. Skye also loves her step-father and dotes on him. She is now 18 and wants to be independent, to make her own way despite the wealth of her grandfather, the old Earl, and Norman.
Carlotta is an actress, of Russian descent, she was told her mom was a fleeing Romanov. She is young and very beautiful. She meets Hector, a starving medical student from Scotland when she trips and he helps her. They become friends and Hector often comes over for a meal.
Carlotta also meets Norman who is very attracted to her beauty and lively personality. They also start going out together. She knows Norman is falling in love with her so she tries to prevent him from declaring his feelings and proposing to her. Carlotta is conflicted. She likes Norman, and she wants to marry a rich man, but she has realized that she is in love w Hector.
Meanwhile Skye has been visiting her grandfather the Earl in Scotland. She is also quite fond of him. While there she meets up with one of her playmates who is now a man. They continue seeing each other and gradually fall in love, but the young man is poor. His parents are crofters who work for the Earl. Although the young man has done a bit better and is now a medical student in London. Yes, it is Hector.
Skye and Hector fall in love, but the old Earl cannot get over the social barrier of his granddaughter being married to a crofter’s son. So Skye and Hector go to London and threaten to live together in scandal unless they are allowed to marry.
When in London, Skye pours out her pain and heartache to Norman who promises to talk to the old Earl, since he himself came from the same class, although he was already a millionaire when the Earl accepted him as a son in law.
Finally Norman is able to propose to Carlotta, she doesn’t want to accept him but asks him to give her time. Norman agrees, but he also confides in her his problem w Skye. Then he reveals that the intended fiancé of Skye is in fact her friend… yes Hector! 💔
Next we know is that Norman and Carlotta are getting married. Norman is over the moon, Carlotta seems brittle and agitated. I felt so bad for Norman, once again he will be trapped into a miserable marriage. And indeed it is!! 💔
Carlotta gets agitated on their wedding night and confesses that she only married him for his money!!😢 from then on it is a cold polite relationship. Carlotta regrets what she has done, but does not know how to get out of the miserable situation she plunged them in.
Skye and Hector are also not satisfied with their arrangement. Although they live together, Hector refuses to dishonor Skye and will not sleep w her until she is his wife. So both of them are quite frustrated. The old Earl finally visits Skye, and when he sees her misery he finally relents.
Also Hector has been offered a post in New York w better pay, so he is now also more in a position of supporting a wife.
Norman and Carlotta are still living together miserably. On day due to an accident in his factory, one of his workers dies and a child is left orphaned. Norman takes him home and decides to adopt him. Carlotta also starts being sympathetic to the child, however she is still so unhappy so she decides to run away…with the child!! Norman follows them.
It ends abruptly when Norman finds them and tells Carlotta her adoptive mother has had a stroke. Carlotta is desperate in her grief and confesses she no longer wants the money and instead now loves Norman. Even the little boy is crying. Norman comforts them and realizes that everything has now changed and they can be a family.
The end.
I suggest letting the story unfold, but if not the folowing will contain all the spoilers.
SPOILER SUMMARY
As mentioned, so so different from her usual cookie cutter category romances. For one thing, this is much longer and more complex. It really is a proper novel.
Broken barriers refers to the social divide which is prominent in this book which is set in 1938 and the strict delineations between classes is starting to crumble. I would say there are actually four main characters, and in the start I wasn’t entirely sure who the main Hero and heroine were going to be. The characters are also deeper and more complex than her usual unrealistically perfect Heroes and heroines. The leads here are far from perfect and struggle with less than ideal sentiments.
Norman is around 40+ yrs old a widower and a millionaire, which is equivalent to a billionaire nowadays. Although he was a self made man, because he was so rich, the Earl allowed him to marry his daughter. The marriage was not successful. The daughter was still in love with her first husband who died and resented Norman the whole time, making it a truly miserable marriage.
Norman’s only joy from the marriage is his step-daughter Skye. He is truly fond of her. Skye also loves her step-father and dotes on him. She is now 18 and wants to be independent, to make her own way despite the wealth of her grandfather, the old Earl, and Norman.
Carlotta is an actress, of Russian descent, she was told her mom was a fleeing Romanov. She is young and very beautiful. She meets Hector, a starving medical student from Scotland when she trips and he helps her. They become friends and Hector often comes over for a meal.
Carlotta also meets Norman who is very attracted to her beauty and lively personality. They also start going out together. She knows Norman is falling in love with her so she tries to prevent him from declaring his feelings and proposing to her. Carlotta is conflicted. She likes Norman, and she wants to marry a rich man, but she has realized that she is in love w Hector.
Meanwhile Skye has been visiting her grandfather the Earl in Scotland. She is also quite fond of him. While there she meets up with one of her playmates who is now a man. They continue seeing each other and gradually fall in love, but the young man is poor. His parents are crofters who work for the Earl. Although the young man has done a bit better and is now a medical student in London. Yes, it is Hector.
Skye and Hector fall in love, but the old Earl cannot get over the social barrier of his granddaughter being married to a crofter’s son. So Skye and Hector go to London and threaten to live together in scandal unless they are allowed to marry.
When in London, Skye pours out her pain and heartache to Norman who promises to talk to the old Earl, since he himself came from the same class, although he was already a millionaire when the Earl accepted him as a son in law.
Finally Norman is able to propose to Carlotta, she doesn’t want to accept him but asks him to give her time. Norman agrees, but he also confides in her his problem w Skye. Then he reveals that the intended fiancé of Skye is in fact her friend… yes Hector! 💔
Next we know is that Norman and Carlotta are getting married. Norman is over the moon, Carlotta seems brittle and agitated. I felt so bad for Norman, once again he will be trapped into a miserable marriage. And indeed it is!! 💔
Carlotta gets agitated on their wedding night and confesses that she only married him for his money!!😢 from then on it is a cold polite relationship. Carlotta regrets what she has done, but does not know how to get out of the miserable situation she plunged them in.
Skye and Hector are also not satisfied with their arrangement. Although they live together, Hector refuses to dishonor Skye and will not sleep w her until she is his wife. So both of them are quite frustrated. The old Earl finally visits Skye, and when he sees her misery he finally relents.
Also Hector has been offered a post in New York w better pay, so he is now also more in a position of supporting a wife.
Norman and Carlotta are still living together miserably. On day due to an accident in his factory, one of his workers dies and a child is left orphaned. Norman takes him home and decides to adopt him. Carlotta also starts being sympathetic to the child, however she is still so unhappy so she decides to run away…with the child!! Norman follows them.
It ends abruptly when Norman finds them and tells Carlotta her adoptive mother has had a stroke. Carlotta is desperate in her grief and confesses she no longer wants the money and instead now loves Norman. Even the little boy is crying. Norman comforts them and realizes that everything has now changed and they can be a family.
The end.
May 17, 2023
This is a book I remember reading at breakneck speed, hunched over at one end of the long oval tables in our school library. I had to use up every break and lunch hour for three days reading it in the library, because we were only allowed to borrow books on a specific day of the week and I was too impatient to wait for my assigned day. (A ridiculous system, possibly devised to reduce the workload on the librarians!)
Anyway, I remember thoroughly enjoying this book — I was ten or eleven — and for years afterwards, tried to find it among the stacks of musty, yellowing Barbara Cartlands in secondhand bookshops. Alas, the Dame has written far too many books and this is not one of her better-known works.
Every few months, I'd also check to see if a copy could be found online and last week, I finally found it! Is it as good as I remember? It's stuck in its time, full of romantic tropes and cliches, and the hero is uncomfortably older than the heroine — but I enjoyed the read anyway, purely from the satisfaction of having gotten my hand on an old favourite.
Anyway, I remember thoroughly enjoying this book — I was ten or eleven — and for years afterwards, tried to find it among the stacks of musty, yellowing Barbara Cartlands in secondhand bookshops. Alas, the Dame has written far too many books and this is not one of her better-known works.
Every few months, I'd also check to see if a copy could be found online and last week, I finally found it! Is it as good as I remember? It's stuck in its time, full of romantic tropes and cliches, and the hero is uncomfortably older than the heroine — but I enjoyed the read anyway, purely from the satisfaction of having gotten my hand on an old favourite.
June 29, 2011
Another from the "Barbara Cartland romance period."
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews