The Drop of the Dice

Daughters of England #8

by Philippa Carr

Clarissa is rescued from squalor and brought back to the family home at Enderby. Surrounded by Jacobite intrigues, she is kidnapped as a suspected spy. However, the Jacobite leader allows her to escape and the two fall in love. This is the 8th novel in the family saga "Daughters of England".

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical, Historical Romance, British Literature, Novels

360 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow, Anna Percival and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why I am addicted to this series. I just can't stop reading them. While they are compelling, they tend to have the same protagonist and love interest stereotype in them.

[Piluca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Un tanto decepcionada. Aunque es cierto que la estructura de sus relatos es muy similar (sello de la casa), Victoria Holt tiene la habilidad de tejer historias que te atrapan, que adivinas pero que te entretienen y que están muy bien ambientadas. He de decir con pesar que esta no es, ni de lejos, una de sus mejores novelas.

[Marie Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always enjoy these stories but you have to be prepared for the same plot points representing in each book

[Phil Syphe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I prefer some of the earlier novels in the Daughters of England series, this one features a couple of characters who evoked my sympathy to a greater extent than any of the former heroines.

First off, Clarissa – the leading lady – is very endearing. She first appeared in the previous novel as an infant towards the latter stages and for me she stole the show with her childish charm.

In “The Drop of the Dice”, we meet Clarissa as a child again, watch her grow up, and towards the end the author twice skips along a decade.

I think this sudden fast-forwarding is a shame. This character deserved to narrate another story, and there’s certainly the scope available for another book from Clarissa’s perspective. I guess Ms Carr was adamant that each episode of the Daughters of England should be told by a new heroine.

Clarissa is likeable for several reasons, but it’s what she endures that won my sympathy. This isn’t a depressing tale, but there’s a lot of pathos throughout. And much disappointment for Clarissa, though it’s far from being all doom and gloom.

Another character for whom I also felt much sympathy towards is Clarissa’s cousin, Sabrina, who’s thirteen years her junior. Despite this, their relationship is more like that of a mother and daughter. This relationship becomes central to the story from about halfway through. Virtually every scene with Clarissa and Sabrina together is engaging for one reason or another.

As for the plot, this is quite varied, mainly owing to it changing with Clarissa as she grows up. We have the backdrop of early Georgian England, along with the Jacobites who want to restore the Stuart line to the throne.

Intrigue, deceit, theft, romance, adventure, and murder are all apparent here. Certain outcomes were easy to work out, others were less obvious, and I was surprised by a few twists in the tale.

I won’t spoil the ending, but will say it left me happy and sad at the same time. This is again owing to my sympathy for Clarissa and Sabrina. A good author should be able to affect readers by creating vivid and believable characters, therefore I can only praise Ms Carr for pulling this off so well.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite element of the story was the close relationship between Clarissa and Sabrina. It was romantic and yet true to their natures. Neither was ever to be as close to a man as they were to each other, and in that sense, the ending was suitable for them.

Of the books in the series I have read, I liked Clarissa's personality the least. For a romance novel, I would have liked for Clarissa to be more colorful as a character. There was never anything she really seemed to enjoy doing, except devoting herself to Sabrina. Her character was similar to her grandmother Priscilla's, but I connected with Priscilla more, because her underlying motives were clearer and more relatable to me.

I feel eager to read the next in the series, because I was really intrigued by the glimpse of Zipporah at the end, and her marriage to Jean-Louis.

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I love Victoria Holt I decided to read Philippa Carr since that is another of her psedo-names (and actually, Victoria Holt is also a psedo-name). Also, when I lived in Ireland I saw that Philippa Carr was a very well-known author there (even though she is not alive anymore). I enjoyed reading this book since it is also connected to LOVE CHILD, which I had already read. I wish I had the gotten the whole series and read them in order, but I am finding them here and there at thrift stores and before I start reading it I look at the geneology chart in the front of the book to see where this book is written in the family tree.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely #8 of the Daughters of England series, originally published around 1981, although the title was changed when released as an ebook. The main character, Clarissa, is the daughter of Carlotta, who is one of the two main characters in Daughters of England #7.
The Drop of the Dice, which seems to be the new title for the ebook, which became available in 2013.

I've also noticed that Book #10, whose original title was Knave of Hearts, is titled Zipporah's Daughter in the ebook form.
Thank you Jude for your help in clarifying this.

[Panchitah H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story line I suppose, but there seemed to be something lacking at the conclusion of the story. For one, the main protagonist suddenly lost her ability to understand subtleties that she used to catch so readily early in the story. The narration also initially hinted at some deep revelation in the future that never really materialized. Nonetheless, it was an entertaining read on a lazy Sunday morning.

[Karen Dempsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the fact that Philippa Carr gave a little attention to "Uncle Carl". He was a little boy in "The Love Child" and it was nice to see him mentioned in this book. This is the book where you realize that we are really entering new generations, and wonder what great characters Carr will replace them with. I was slightly disappointed with the introduction of her daughter as I would've liked to have more on Zipporah as a young child and her progression growing up into a woman.

[Bunnys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read.

This woman, Victoria Holt, uses a lot of the same plot devices over and over again.

In this book the bottomless pit and secretive monk both make encore appearances.

It's listed as a historical fiction but mostly it's just an anemic romance. I think it's supposed to be suspense and intrigue, though.

The heroine loses her unremarkable (and mostly absent) hero to a much younger woman.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am rereading all of these books, so the story continues. Philippa Carr wrote so well that it is always fun to read one of her many books, no matter what name she wrote under. Her real name was Victoria Holt and she wrote under Jean Plaidy also, and many more. I liked her best as Philippa Carr, however.

[Celeste Giudice · Rating 5 out of 5]

"La vida del hombre es como el juego de dados: si aquello que uno desea ardientemente no sucede, con habilidad tenemos que utilizar lo que nos depare la suerte. Todo depende de los dados, pero una vez que éstos han caído, no nos podemos echar atrás. Tenemos que conseguir lo mejor con lo que nos haya sido concedido"

En La Suerte De Los Dados vemos la vida pasar a través de los ojos de la niña, adolescente y finalmente adulta Clarissa. A quien le suceden muchas cosas, desde alegrías hasta desdichas, (si de mujeres fuertes hablamos no van a encontrar mujeres más fuertes como las hay en la novela histórica).

Personajes complejos, secretos, complots, misterio, intriga, una novela que narra la cotidianidad y los hechos fortuitos que le ocurren a la protagonista es de esas obras que aprecio entrañablemente y que sufro cuando no puedo estar leyendo debido a mis obligaciones, me tuvo enganchada hasta altas horas de la madrugada.

Los últimos capítulos fueron una escalada de tensión y adrenalina, gran parte del plot twist lo supe todo el tiempo, no me sorprendió, de hecho me hubiera gustado algo más explosivo, la autora tenía potencial para jugarselo todo y no lo hizo decidió solucionar todo rápido, en ese sentido me quedé con sabor a poco. Aún así seguí sospechando hasta el final porque mi mente que (leyó trhillers, vió bastantes películas y series psicópatas) se negaba a aceptar la simplicidad con la que la autora resolvió todo y la pasividad del desenlace, yo estaba preparada para que me volara la cabeza porque tenía todos los elementos al alcance de la mano.

Más allá de todo me pareció un final injusto pero altamente realista acoplado a la vida misma y quedé satisfecha.

[MV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original title: The Drop of the Dice. (It's since been republished under that title, which I like much better than this new one)

It was very good but not one of my favorites in the series. It just felt duller and like a bit of a downer. I still give it four stars because I enjoyed it a good deal nevertheless.

[Papaya Tyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a fascinating story! It follows Clarissa and her love interest(s) and describes their misfortune and everyday life living in upper-class England. It's an amazing period piece and I would definitely recommend it, whether a stand-alone or if you read it in the progression of the series!

[Ann Stoudt]

In early eighteenth-century England, young Clarissa succumbs to the charms of Lance Clavering--who may imperil her fortune and her life--and confronts rebel Dickon Frenshaw--who may be her salvation

[Michelle "Champ" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carlotta's daughter is just as beautiful but she is so good. She is unlucky in love to some extent. She falls for a dashing officer because he was the second choice. The first choice was shipped to Virginia and she assumes she will never see him again so she moves on. Lance is handsome and charismatic. He just likes to gamble and possibly have affairs and plot his wife's death. The future brings Clarissa and her cousin Sabrina living together and taking care of one another, a man will enter their lives and change everything once again.

This book is full of intrigue and almost as good as the last one.

[Tammie Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

book 8

[Renisenb]

Also goes by the title 'Drop of the Dice'.