Books #62 & 63: The Reluctant Widow & Rain Reign
I am way, way behind on my book reviews. My apologies for the forthcoming entry onslaught.
The Reluctant Widow is a Georgette Heyer novel. I enjoyed it, but it didn't quite come together as well as it could have. The heroine is Elinor, a young woman from what was once a good family but who is now destitute. On her way to interview for a governess post, she accidentally goes to the wrong house, and finds herself with quite a different offer. Ned Carlyon thinks she is a young woman who responded to his ad for a wife for his degenerate cousin. Elinor is swept up in Carlyon's confidence and is married off to the cousin on his deathbed. She inherits his ramshackle house as, out of spite, he thinks to keep it out of Carlyon's hands. But there is more going on than a spat between relatives. It turns out Elinor's former husband was involved in some way in a spy ring for Napoleon. She must help Carlyon sniff out what is really going on. Carlyon's implacable calm is actually quite appealing. He is a solid, clever man and he carries the plot with aplomb. Elinor is less well sketched, and her inevitable attraction with Carlyon is not believably mutual. But overall, it was fun, and many of the secondary characters are well done and entertaining, as I have come to expect from her. She has, however, written better heroines.
Rain Reign is a children's novel I read for work. It is told from the point of view of a young autistic girl named Rose. Rose is a delightful narrator. It broke my heart to see her struggles, even when she does not see them herself. She lives in rural New York with her father, who clearly is in way over his head with Rose. She also does not understand much about how to handle her behavior at school. We understand why her outbursts happen, but of course her peers don't. Her uncle is kind and patient, but the one who understands and loves Rose best is her dog, Rain. So when a hurricane hits and Rain is lost in the storm thanks to her father's incredibly frustrating carelessness, it's gut wrenching. But there is so much more to the plot than just the lost dog - how it eventually resolves is both beautiful and tugs at the heart strings. I admit it, I teared up. A worthy novel that I recommend wholeheartedly to my older students.
The Reluctant Widow is a Georgette Heyer novel. I enjoyed it, but it didn't quite come together as well as it could have. The heroine is Elinor, a young woman from what was once a good family but who is now destitute. On her way to interview for a governess post, she accidentally goes to the wrong house, and finds herself with quite a different offer. Ned Carlyon thinks she is a young woman who responded to his ad for a wife for his degenerate cousin. Elinor is swept up in Carlyon's confidence and is married off to the cousin on his deathbed. She inherits his ramshackle house as, out of spite, he thinks to keep it out of Carlyon's hands. But there is more going on than a spat between relatives. It turns out Elinor's former husband was involved in some way in a spy ring for Napoleon. She must help Carlyon sniff out what is really going on. Carlyon's implacable calm is actually quite appealing. He is a solid, clever man and he carries the plot with aplomb. Elinor is less well sketched, and her inevitable attraction with Carlyon is not believably mutual. But overall, it was fun, and many of the secondary characters are well done and entertaining, as I have come to expect from her. She has, however, written better heroines.
Rain Reign is a children's novel I read for work. It is told from the point of view of a young autistic girl named Rose. Rose is a delightful narrator. It broke my heart to see her struggles, even when she does not see them herself. She lives in rural New York with her father, who clearly is in way over his head with Rose. She also does not understand much about how to handle her behavior at school. We understand why her outbursts happen, but of course her peers don't. Her uncle is kind and patient, but the one who understands and loves Rose best is her dog, Rain. So when a hurricane hits and Rain is lost in the storm thanks to her father's incredibly frustrating carelessness, it's gut wrenching. But there is so much more to the plot than just the lost dog - how it eventually resolves is both beautiful and tugs at the heart strings. I admit it, I teared up. A worthy novel that I recommend wholeheartedly to my older students.