The Tall Pines

by Lilian Warren, Celine Conway (Pseudonym)

Bret Winthrop, working on chemical research into forestry in Western Canada, was too absorbed in the ramifications of his work to give much thought to anything else. Marriage was stultifying; he had to have freedom to experiment, no ties that would draw him back to the house at stated times, and certainly no 'little woman' fretting herself silly on the edge of his existence. Life was extraordinarily simple and uncluttered if one excluded women. So he had little use for Loraine Farnle, a pale, slender English girl on a foolishly quixotic mission -- to find her brother's widow and small son. Yet somehow Bret was impelled to help her -- and to go on helping her.

189 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1956

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

[Margo · Rating 2 out of 5]

One and a half stars. You'd have to be a big fan of Celine Conway to appreciate this particular book, I think. First of all, the h is positively miserable for the entire book, with good reason, but still. Second, the H is really resentful of the h and his feelings for her, and he's never truly loving with her. Finally, and this is a huge one, the OW, the h's former sister-in-law (the h's brother is dead) refuses to let the h see her nephew, was completely cruel to the h's late brother*, and, maintains custody of the nephew, who, when the h meets him briefly, is fast on his way to becoming a little sociopath. She retains custody at the end of the book, with the h having little-to-no recourse. *She didn't even find out that her brother was dead for months, BTW, and only because she was trying to see what was going on in his life.

[Sonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. The heroine was strong and very loyal. Shes trying to find her dead brothers wife and son whom shes never met. The OW in this story is the most evil witch i have ever read (who just happens to be the sister in law).
The hero - like many of this author's- is downright bullying but still redeemable. The chemistry between them was very well done- subtle and antagonistic.
I always enjoy this author's characters and plot.....her method is not merely telling the story...she leaves the reader a little room to interpret and read between the lines.

[MissKitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The heroine Loraine goes to Canada to look for her brother's widow and small son whom she has never met. When she arrives she is helped by the hero, Brett although against his will. He thinks she should leave it Be since the widow never made any effort to contact her husband's family. Lorraine is adamant so Brett helps her. The widow shows up and she is far from the poor helpless soul Lorraine had imagined her to be. Instead she is a nasty man-eater bent on mischief and maliciously keeps Lorraine from seeing her nephew. Furthermore she has her sights set on Brett and does everything in her power to enthrall him and convince him that it is Lorraine who is being difficult. Much misunderstanding and heart wrenching moments until it all sorts itself out in the end. I really enjoy this author's portrayal of the evil OW she does do them well, although many times they do seem to get away with their evilness. Much more satisfying if she lets them get their just desserts.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

My mum had the original copy from 1963 not this 1971 book cover. Nice art work though. This story was not a favourite of mine just ok.

[Last Chance Saloon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The heroine (22) had been emotionally constrained to look after her mother in England and had forsaken a job/boyfriend and is rather restrained by having lived a restricted existence. Her mother dies and left her money for her daughter to go to Canada to find out what happened to the heroine's brother who died 3 years before, and the whereabouts of his widow and son. In this quest, the heroine shows backbone and fortitude, and when confronted by the widow, holds her own despite being the vilest sister in law I have ever read about. The story takes place over the space of a month or so.
At the beginning, the heroine arrives in pine country in Canada, makes a really lovely friend who she moves in with temporarily, and then seeks the assistance of the manager of the local scientific research station - the hero (early 30s). He is initially dismissive of her, because she is pale, small and insignificant, yet feels the chemistry between them and continues to help/see her. The encounters between them are fascinating - he antagonises her to try to spark reaction as he thinks she is too reserved - and she hits back with dignity and it bates him. The Sister In Law is (as they always are) is beautiful and sophisticated, and has decided to marry the hero and is upfront to the heroine, but lies behind her back to the hero. The heroine does not counter the lies, but is not a doormat - she just has a wonderful moral code, and anyway, the hero is smitten - completely against his will, so never really sees the OW as a woman. He's horribly jealous of the OM (brother of her friend) and it makes him behave even worse.
The ending is a true testament to the magnitude of his love.
There is some upsetting paragraphs about animals in this one :-( Also, the situation with the OW does not have a 'happy ending', but the heroine is able to draw a line after it because she's courageous and has done what she set out to do.
It really is fascinating, 5 stars.