Catherine

by Audrey Blanshard

Catherine by Audrey Blanshard -- A Regency Love Story - "CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND? I AM BEING SOLD TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER!"...

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 12, 1981

Reviews

[Cyndy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly good plot but the characters needed to be brought out more. I liked reading the book, it kept I me entertained but it could have done with some more pages added if it meant explaining some of their characters better.

[Claire S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audrey Blanchard writes unique plots, but her books always seem to lack romance, and it's the same in this case. Catherine, who was adopted by Ebford along with her brother, is told that she's to marry Colonel Barrington. She remembers him as an older and humorless gentleman and has no desire to marry him. Her guardian is determined she does so since it will benefit his bank. An invitation to visit Barrington's estate sets in motion a series of events as Catherine tries to find a way to escape her fate. However, she soon starts seeing a different side to Barrington.

The main problem with this story is the heroine. She's 18, naive, and a bit stupid although it all seems to be related to her age rather than an intellectual issue. The author does nothing to make us see why Colonel Barrington is so determined to marry her, and it's never explained. She was completely indifferent to him when they met (off page), and she's completely colorless once she visits him. He's so besotted that he fails to see that she doesn't want to be there. He, on the other hand, is a great hero, except that he fell in love with an immature and uninteresting young lady for no good reason. His age is never mentioned, but it's clear that he's significantly older and much more mature. I kept waiting for a big revelation about how he came to regard her so highly but nothing happened. He was all that was sweet and polite, and it was hard to see Catherine dismissing him all the time but, once again, he seemed entirely delusional about their relationship.

There's a rich set of secondary characters that are more tridimensional and interesting but, unfortunately, the story never took off. The side plots are hastily described and resolved, and I was just left with a feeling that I read an incomplete story. I do think this is part of the author's style since I've encountered it before and, to be fair, I still go back to her books in order to see if the next one will be better. To me, that says that there's something about her plots that creates a feeling of high expectations that are unfortunately never fulfilled. Well, perhaps I'll try just one more?