With All My Worldy Goods

by Mary Burchell

With All My Worldly by Mary Burchell released on Nov 23, 1979 is available now for purchase.

Genres: Romance, Harlequin Romance

192 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

Ida Cook was born on 1904 at 37 Croft Avenue, Sunderland, England. With her eldest sister Mary Louise Cook (1901), she attending the Duchess' School in Alnwick. Later the sisters took civil service jobs in London, and developed a passionate interest in opera. The sisters helped 29 jews to escape from the Nazis, funded mainly by Ida's writing. In 1965, the Cook sisters were honored as Righteous Gentiles by the Yad Vashem Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority in Israel.

As Mary Burchell, she published more than 125 romance novels by Mills & Boon since 1936. She also wrote some western novels as James Keene in collaboration with the author Will Cook (aka Frank Peace). In 1950, Ida Cook wrote her autobiography: "We followed our stars". She helped to found the Romantic Novelists' Association, and was its president from 1966 to her death on December 22, 1986.

Reviews

[Leona · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of Mary Burchell's first efforts that she wrote in 1938. Her work certainly improved over the years as she progressed with her writing. I recognize things have changed since 1938, but I just could not relate to the hero or heroine and I found the story to be so far fetched that I lost interest. The only positive, was it was very well written.

√ Heroine was a complete ninny, who would do anything for "lurve" even allow herself to be poisoned by her husband and marry a man she knew was only after her money.

√ Hero was an unlikable fortune hunter that only ever considered himself and refused to go to the police when he found out his ex-mistress was poisoning his wife. Instead he helps her to leave the country.

√ OW was a boring, deadly mouse

√ Boring, ridiculous story

I'm a fan of Burchell's work, but had I started with this story, I wouldn't be. I want my three hours back. Avoid at all costs.

[Margo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This apparently was an earlier work of Mary Burchell, and that explains a lot of of why I didn't like it. The h's love for the H had no real roots -- she trusted him above everything, but they didn't sell why she had fallen for him with so little knowledge or connection. As a result, she came across as a doormat rather than a woman whose transformational love eventually brought her happiness with the H.

[Nenya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was Millicent, for sure, but that so obvious that I thought maybe it was Martin who was poisoning her. And I saw in a spoiler that there's an ex-mistress involved and I read the end because I couldn't bear to read it through just to be disappointed at the end... She's not... ex-anything. Ex-stalker is more like it. Millicent threw herself at the H, and the H wouldn't have anything to do with her :|. And he gets a whole "reputation" from interacting with that one person (sheesh!)

The insta-love was too insta. I think I liked Martin (the OM)... wouldn't have been too upset if she ended up with the drama-free Martin. oh well... can't have everything!

It's obvious the poisoner couldn't be the H... since this is a romance. But...

"You thought it was an even chance that I might kill you while we were alone down here together?"...
“You mean you found the courage to walk right up to Death alone, because you had some idea you might save my miserable soul?”...
“Oh God, darling! What have I ever done in all my life to deserve you?”
I'm pretty sure any reasonable person would be mad at their significant-other for thinking SO might be poisoning them. I don't quite think any reasonable person would go, oh-but-you-were-willing-to-be-killed-by-me-awww.

4 stars. +1 for the last chapter.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

With All My Worldly Goods is one of Mary Buchell's best stories, I think. I recommend it for any fan of genre romance (especially the kind that is so vintage at this point it reads like historical fiction).

As I've said in a number of reviews, I admire author Mary Burchell because she and her sister helped rescue Jews from the Nazis in the 1930s. She was my favorite romance author when I was a teen and I still have a box of her books. I've been rereading and reviewing them.

With All My Worldly Good was written in 1938 and does not read like a genre romance. It has an unusual plot involving an heiress who thinks her husband is trying to poison her and she resolves to redeem him. She is a bit of a ninny but she, her guardian/husband, and her good friend Martin are all interesting characters, and the guardian's reasons for marrying her in the first place are complicated.

[KSHG · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.5/10 Only Mary Burchell could write such a story and keep me reading. The way she writes is just so compelling but I did almost give up when Lora and Bruce abruptly get together. One minute she's in love with Martin (a very nice OM) and disliking Bruce, the next she's accepted Bruce's sudden proposal on the basis of a shattering kiss. Thereafter Lora makes some crazy decisions. She proceeds with the marriage DESPITE overhearing Bruce telling his sister that he's marrying Lora for her $$$. She makes several more similar decisions. Her behaviour is unbelievable but she is a likeable ninny. The hero is meh. I can't get past that he married her for her $$$ even though he repents of that when he falls in love. As with other flawed heros by Burchell, he doesn't do enough to redeem himself.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leonora's father is returning to her after a seven year absence, but he takes ill before he is to sail to England. Bruce is his friend, and agrees to be guardian of Leonora until she turns 21. She begins to have mysterious symptoms and sees a doctor, whose diagnosis is shocking.

Now to figure out why.

This is my 67th Mary Burchell book.

Grey-eyed character: Martin (Leonora's friend)