The Young Clementina in Fans of D. E. Stevenson

Mar 04, 2013 Theresa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

I admit, I've been on a D.E. Stevenson track lately! Once I pick one up, I enjoy it so much (and they are, by and large, light and easy reads... perfect for the ending to a busy day), that I start another one.

"The Young Clementina" is another re-read for me. This used to be my favorite D.E. S. novel of all. For some reason though, it didn't quite hit me the same this time (one good reason to re-read our old favorites!)

Charlotte is a librarian in London. She doesn't earn a lot, and has to scrape ...more

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Sep 08, 2018 Katherine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, collectible-read, 2018, own, own-audible, own-kindle, pastoral-gentle-reads, literature-british

This was one of those wonderful, serendipitous perfect-book-at-just-the-right-time kind of books for me. When I'd finished I could only clasp the book to my heart and marvel that this story found me at this particular time in my life.

The story's main character is Charlotte Dean, whose disappointments in love and life pile up until she finds herself in a sort of self-imposed exile. Having a deep love of her country home and its surrounding beauty, she finds living in a shabby flat in London not ...more

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Jan 22, 2014 Alisha rated it it was ok

Had its good points but also had its low points. D.E Stevenson can do lovely, straightforward romances sometimes, but she can also get all modern and divorce-y, and in this story there was a fair amount of stupidity going around. Will probably vet my future Stevenson choices a little more carefully, have run into a couple of duds lately.

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May 22, 2013 Sara rated it it was amazing

May not be the most "amazing" read, but I do love these early-/mid-twentieth century adventure romances, especially with the reliable quality of D.E. Stevenson's writing. Light and easy to digest, and still the focus is on plot and character development. Her books so often feel like time spent with a solid and trustworthy friend, with a few surprises along the way.

The Young Clementina practically screams romance, old-fashioned romance. All wrapped up in a story of infidelity, divorce, lonelines ...more

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Aug 22, 2021 Jennifer rated it liked it · review of another edition

The Young Clementina is very different from DES’s sweet, comforting village tales. While her books often contain some sadness, this one is bleak and heart-rending almost throughout. It also deals with some un-wholesome themes more candidly than her other books. (No violence, but some sordid life choices.)

When the book gets to more familiar Stevenson territory, it’s nearly at the end. Personally, I was exhausted (and sad) by that point.

If you read DES for the warm hug feeling or for cozy cottagec ...more

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May 22, 2023 Megan rated it liked it · review of another edition

DES is one of the few authors I can enjoy even when the plot choices are not my favorite. She is just so easy to read. I found myself needing to know how the story would end. I really wish this story had been given a sequel, or at least a decent epilogue!

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Apr 24, 2017 Hope rated it liked it · review of another edition

I picked up The Young Clementina because I was in need of a light-hearted diversion. The cover led me to believe it was written in the same vein as the Miss Buncle books, but I was quite mistaken.

The book is not light-hearted since most of the characters have been broken by war, sin or loneliness. Spinster Charlotte Dean works in a stuffy London library. She is on the verge of making a huge life decision. Should she give up her quiet, orderly life and raise her motherless god child, Clementina? ...more

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Apr 16, 2014 Mary Durrant rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved it!
This is the story of love, loss and love again.

D E Stevenson captures post WW1 with a light comic touch.
From a grandfather clock called Jeremiah.
To shopping for a dog's water bowl.
When the assistant asks if they would like one with dog written on it she says my dog can't read and my Husband never drinks water.
It made me laugh out loud.
I'm so glad that these books are being re-printed being written in 1938.
I'll be looking out for more of her wonderful books.
...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Julie rated it really liked it

Shelves: british-fiction, rereads, audio-books

This is another D. E. Stevenson that I reread much less often than others. But I enjoyed it more this time. It doesn't have the sprinkling of humor throughout, which I most enjoy in her books. But I still found it to be better than I had remembered. It kept me reading and even though I know full well everything that is going to happen, I kept wanting to get back to it and keep reading, and, really, what more can you ask of a book? ...more

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