Two Molly Clavering Novels

I read my first Clavering novel two years ago and I'm not sure why it took so long to get back to her. Now I’m gulping them down one after the other!

Recently I read was Mrs. Lorimer’s Quiet Summer. It was a pleasant surprise to have the protagonist be married and middle aged (but still very much in her prime). Lucy Lorimer has been mellowed by life, and her gentleness and wisdom attract people to her. She’s not perfect though, which makes her very endearing. Clavering’s books remind me a lot of D.E. Stevenson, but she has her own style, which is lovely. The writing is good and, so far, none of the novels have followed a predictable formula.

The next novel I read was Because of Sam. Millie is a widow in impoverished circumstances, but she has her own home and manages to scrape together a living by running a dog kennel. Her pragmatic adult daughter is sometimes a trial to her, but they bungle along as best they can. There is some romance, but it is not the main reason I keep coming back to Clavering. Her heroines are strong without losing their womanliness. The writing is scrumptious and sprinkled with literary references:

Millie walked easily and lightly in the sparkling clean air, enjoying the sensations of having the whole world to herself and of being ridiculously young. Both were illusions, both were wholly delightful, a part of the fine day and the lonely upland place. Cares and troubles fell away from her like Christian’s burden.

Like D.E. Stevenson’s novels, the houses often have their own personality: The front garden on its steep slope seemed to be tumbling downhill to meet one, and behind it the house looked out with a welcoming twinkle from its windows, rather as if it stood on tiptoe to see over the flowers and shrubs. It was a low house, built before the craze for ornate architecture had set in during the nineteenth century, and its proportions and style owed a great deal to the inspiration of the brothers Adam. The door had a bell-shaped fanlight above it, and a large window on either side, matched by the three windows of the upper story. Tall chimneys rising at each end added to its appearance of eager watchfulness.

I was able to read these through my library (Hoopla), but they are not too expensive for Kindle. A lovely way to spend an afternoon!

Blessings,