The Girl in the Blue Dress

by Mary Burchell

Can a man fall in love with a painting? The girl in the blue dress was in a portrait that Franklin Lowell had owned and admired for years.

And when, at last, he met the original model for the picture, it seemed to be too late. Not only was she in love with the artist who had painted her, but Franklin himself was engaged to another woman.

Genres: Romance, Harlequin Romance, Harlequin

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

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

[Naksed · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who did I despise more? The slimy OM and OW who had not an ounce of regret at cheating on their respective fiances (the zero and zeroine of the story) with each other? Or the spineless, dumb protagonists who didn't confront the cheaters and actually gave them their blessings after the cheaters dumped them both when a miraculous turn of events gave them the financial means to marry each other rather than a meal ticket?

Barfbarfbarfbarfbarfbarfbarfbarf!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jojo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know this was on old book (from the seventies) but all I wanted to do was scream at the book "Get some self respect woman!".

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 Stars! ~ I've heard such lovely things about Mary Burchell's love stories and when I found this one in my TBR I thought this was a perfect time to enjoy a vintage Harlequin. This is a charming lovestory. Beverley is a young woman with a promising career as a dress designer and seamstress. When her father dies and her mother becomes ill, she moves back to the country. In taking on private work as a designer and seamstress she comes to work for a family in need of dresses for the eldest girl's wedding. Coincidence has it that the fiance is a man who purchased a painting that Beverley had once sat for as a teen. The story has many twists and turns that keep you reading on without stop. In vintage Harlequin style, the HEA brings a smile and a sigh

[Aarathi Burki · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bizzare story.Heroine Beverley is a dressmaker and gets a job in a country house to design dresses for a girl called Sara who is engaged to local rich guy the hero Franklin.
Beverly is in love with her childhood friend Geoffrey who is a painter. Geoffrey had painted Beverley when she was a teenager and that picture is now with Franklin who likes her. Sara loves Geoffrey who painted her also but can't marry him as he is poor and Sara's family wants her to marry rich Franklin who can solve their financial problems.
Geoffrey proposes to Beverley who accepts it happily but always in doubt as she suspects sara and Geoffrey.
Finally when Geoffrey reconciles with his ailing father who is rich she suggests Geoffrey to unite with Sara who readily agreed as she has come out of her engagement.
Beverley suddenly realises she likes Franklin but is hesitant but Franklin says he always loved the girl in the picture and he loves Beverley and they unite.

I couldn't like this story at all.Only Beverley was good rest all the characters were selfish.

[Roub · Rating 1 out of 5]

awfully boring. not enough interactions bet franklin n beverley. add 2 dat, no chemistry n they spent all of the book thinking they were in love wid another

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm rereading and reviewing the romance novels I first read many years ago. Mary Burchell was my favorite author. This book was written in 1958 and is not one of her best. It's got an interesting plot idea but is a bit dull.

[Lori Nemitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read between January & June 1985.

Original notes on book from 1985: Good Harlequin.

[Ellyn (Mrs. Darcy in my Dreams) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ wish I had read the reviews and not wasted my time. This was the worst Burchell book I've ever read! The h needed a spine!! I wanted someone to get angry!! Because I was!!!

[Paschalis]

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[Reading with Cats · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Poor OW…she really got the short end of the stick in this scenario.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can a man fall in love with a painting? The girl in the blue dress was in a portrait that Franklin Lowell has owned and admired for years. And when, at last, he met the original model for the picture it seemed to be too late. Not only was she in love with the artist who had painted her, but Franklin himself was engaged to another woman.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book except that the ending, though satisfying from romance point of view, left out things I wanted resolved, I wanted the results of the exposition of paintings, I wanted the final painting of Beverley shown to and purchased by Franklin.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beverley became engaged to Geoffrey, who is an artist she has known for years. He painted a portrait of her when she was a young teen. As an adult, Beverley became a seamstress. She was sewing dresses for the Wayne family because their oldest daughter, Sara, was engaged to Franklin.
The portrait of Beverley is important to the story, as it is referred to in the title.
I think this is such a sweet story. I especially like the vulnerability at the end.
This is the second time I've read this book in the past few months.
As always, I enjoy the depth of her characters and the intertwining plot.

No grey-eyed characters.

[Melinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Re-reading this and finding that I like it less this time than I did before. Beverley is just too too good to be true. She answers even the most painful inquiries "quite calmly". She is portrayed as being such a martyr and a good person when in fact she lies and lies and lies all for a good purpose you know. She is so self-sacrificing that she is sickening.