Book Summary: Harriet Delvaney has always been fascinated with Menfreya, an old mansion with a mysterious history. When she marries into the family and becomes heiress of the Menfreya estate, she finds out just how dark and dangerous that history is, and how her own life might be in danger.
Indulgent Book Talk: One of my good friends has always been a fan of Victoria Holt novels, which is just one of the many pen-names of a single author, and she recommended and lent them to me. This book is marketed as a romance, but I think it follows more of a Gothic novel line, like Jane Eyre. It was an easy, suspenseful, quick read.
Glorifying Elements: Harriet's character is a strong one, and she is good at rising above some of the hard situations in her life. On the other hand, she is also quick in the first person narrative to admit her faults, especially her emotions that she knows are selfish. She also cares for people, like her best friend, when the rest of the world would ordinarily reject that person.
Worldly Elements: Harriet does not always act perfectly, and can often be quite rebellious against her family. She is also has a tendency to be suspicious of others and assume the worst in them, especially in her own husband, which bothers me personally. This book also deals with murder and death quite a bit, has an instance of a child being born out of wedlock, and a few mild sexual references.
General Recommendation: For a quick, entertaining read, this is a good pick.
I used to read her all the time in high school - all the books are pretty much the same and therefore don't remember any of them. :) Like you said, a quick, distracting read.
ReplyDelete