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.
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.
