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Vittoria Cottage (Dering Family #1)

D.E. Stevenson

Start date: August 1, 2020

Finish date: August 31, 2020

Discussion: Group Reads

Discussion leader: Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽

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Aug 03, 2020 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

3.5 stars, more if you're a fan of cozy, old-timey family dramas with a little romance. If you've read any other D.E. Stevensen novels, this is fairly typical of her work: small English town life in the mid-20th century, often with WWII as a backdrop.

Caroline Dering is a charming, rather quiet widow, about 40 years old, who's juggling the lives of her three children, tight finances, and village life in Ashbridge in the post-WWII years, where everyone knows everyone else's business. Her son Jame 3.5 stars, more if you're a fan of cozy, old-timey family dramas with a little romance. If you've read any other D.E. Stevensen novels, this is fairly typical of her work: small English town life in the mid-20th century, often with WWII as a backdrop.

Caroline Dering is a charming, rather quiet widow, about 40 years old, who's juggling the lives of her three children, tight finances, and village life in Ashbridge in the post-WWII years, where everyone knows everyone else's business. Her son James is still far away with the British military; she also has two teenage daughters, one of whom (Leda, age 19) is in love with Derek, the rather aimless son of the local squire. Derek is in law school but isn't doing well and doesn't like it (not that he likes much of anything involving hard work).

Caroline meets a kind, attractive widower, Robert Shepperton, who's moved to the town to recuperate from his war experiences and the loss of his wife in the London bombings. Just when Caroline is starting to get emotionally involved with Robert, her younger sister Harriet, a beautiful and vivacious actress, comes into town and hits it off with Robert as well. Additional drama is supplied by Leda's troubled relationship with Derek.

Stevenson frequently used the "sisters fall in love with the same guy" trope but I appreciated that it played out differently here than in a couple of her other books, where it annoyed me a lot more. Harriet is a goodhearted person, not a wench trying to steal the affections of her sister's guy. The story and plot are very straightforward, but occasionally Stevenson hits you with a bit of humorous writing ("Joss [their dog] was an enigma. This was a breed unknown to the villagers, of course.") or an insight that makes you stop and think.

"Selfish people are nearly always unhappy," explained Harriet, taking a brown silk frock out of the wardrobe and examining it carefully before laying it over a chair. "Sometimes they go on for quite a long time before Nemesis descends upon them and knocks them flat, but Nemesis always gets them in the end. I'm sorry for you, Leda."

The ending was too abrupt - that's another frequent thing with Stevenson - but there's always the sequels to assuage my curiosity, if I decide to pursue this series further. (I'm open to it, but it's not super-high on my priority list.)

Vittoria Cottage isn't one of my favorites of Stevenson's books (that would be Miss Buncle's Book, with honorable mentions to Amberwell and Celia's House) but it was an enjoyable read that kept me engaged and turning the pages quickly to find out what happened.

Group read with the Retro Reads group! ...more

64 likes · Like · see review

Jul 07, 2019 Mela rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-period-1914-1945, historical-fiction, internet-archive, historical-romance, region-british, series

It isn't what happens to you that matters, it's how you take it.

I call it a nice story. I have no complaints. [Perhaps one, Robert's war past was a bit out of the blue to me.]

I liked characters, the setting, but many times I couldn't stop thinking about Angela Thirkell's novels. "Victtoria Cottage" was a younger sister of Thirkell's stories. D.E. Stevenson lacked a bit of Thirkell's fineness, her satirical wit, that perhaps made Thirkell's books less realistic but more enjoyable and wise.

On ...more

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Aug 07, 2020 Elinor rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Such a simple little tale, yet it has so many facets to ponder that I can see this story appealing to book clubs. I would like to sit down and have a good gab with others about the two sisters -- the widowed homemaker Caroline and the glamorous actress Harriet -- and their tangled love lives. And Caroline's spoiled adult daughter, and the romantic hero's mysterious past, and the other quirky characters who live in their village. I'm not surprised that D. E. Stevenson was not admired by the criti ...more

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Aug 07, 2020 Emmy B. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hero-beta, rated-funny, genre-romance, genre-classic, rated-sweet, genre-drama, period-world-war-ii, star-rating-5

I did not love this book at the beginning, its style verging on the over-simple for me, but by the end it had certainly won me over with its message. An enjoyable, gentle read, with a great deal of wisdom. I think I'm beginning to see the great appeal of this author. ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Jan 09, 2019 Amy rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-as-an-audiobook, 2018, brit-trip

Lovely slice of life story set in post-war England.

4 likes · Like · see review

May 05, 2025 John’aLee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2025-goodreads-challenge, books-bought-in-2025

A delightful romp in the English village of Ashbridge, with Caroline, the main character, and her life at Vittoria Cottage. A colorful cast of characters coming and going, and romance brewing around every corner. A simpler and more wholesome time …

3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 09, 2022 Lynnie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2022, post-war, invitation-to-tea, furrowedmiddlebrow

My first D.E. Stevenson. I don't really know what to make of this story! It started off very enjoyable but then it flew off in all sorts of directions - chapter endings were abrupt and it was almost like reading lots of short stories about the villagers - a lot were introduced randomly it seemed - loosely connected. Also I started to feel a bit depressed! A lot of the characters had to keep a stiff upper lip! The ending was abrupt too.
...more

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Jul 03, 2020 Christine PNW rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I loved this one!

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Jan 25, 2019 Tuesdayschild rated it really liked it

Shelves: england, gentle-read, 2019-read, 2019-audio, 2023-audio, 2023-read

2023: 5* for the audiobook. I think I enjoyed this more, this listen through as I was prepared for som of the outcomes. Leda is, still, a spoilt arrogant brat.

2019: 4+ stars.
The way this story finishes definitely makes it the first book in a series; looking forward to starting Bk2 Music in the Hills and hoping the ending in this first book is fleshed out a little more in the second book. Charming, gentle story. I’m reading this series back to back, and am interested to see what Stevenson allow ...more

1 like · Like · see review