The Wishing-Ring Man

The Rose-Garden Husband #2

by Margaret Widdemer

Margaret Widdemer (1884-1978) was an American author who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (known then as the Columbia University Prize) in 1919 for her collection The Old Road to Paradise (1918). She shared the prize with Carl Sandburg, who won for his collection Corn Huskers (1916). Margaret Widdemer was born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Asbury Park, New Jersey. She graduated from the Drexel Institute Library School in 1909. She came to public attention with her poem The Factories (1917), which treated the subject of child labour. In 1919 she married Robert Haven Schauffler (1879-1964), a widower five years her senior. Schauffler was an author and cellist who published widely on poetry, travel, culture, and music. Widdemer's memoir Golden Friends I Had (1964) recounts her friendships with eminent authors such as Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, T. S. Eliot, Thornton Wilder, and Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Genres: Romance, Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1917

About the author

Margaret Widdemer (1884-1978) was an American author who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (known then as the Columbia University Prize) in 1919 for her collection The Old Road to Paradise (1918). She shared the prize with Carl Sandburg, who won for his collection Corn Huskers (1916). Margaret Widdemer was born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Asbury Park, New Jersey. She graduated from the Drexel Institute Library School in 1909. She came to public attention with her poem The Factories (1917), which treated the subject of child labor. In 1919 she married Robert Haven Schauffler (1879-1964), a widower five years her senior. Schauffler was an author and cellist who published widely on poetry, travel, culture, and music. Widdemer's memoir Golden Friends I Had (1964) recounts her friendships with eminent authors such as Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, T. S. Eliot, Thornton Wilder, and Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a "spin-off" to "The Rose-Garden Husband" -- it is not about Phyllis but she plays a lovely supporting role and it was so nice to see her again! But this story belongs to Joy Havenith and I really loved the beginning. There's a bit of Rapunzel about it, because Joy is kept pretty well tucked away by her eccentric poet-genius grandfather and diminutive grandmother -- she is regarded as a muse rather than a real girl. She is intelligent but also quite naive though she is of an age when most other girls are "out" and even being engaged or married and while most others feel she is so lucky to have such a famous relative and could imagine she might wish nothing more than being his inspiration, she begins to feel her ivory tower is a bit of a prison and she longs to be more like normal girls, to be around young people, and even to have a bit of romance. This has a bit of a fluffy Hallmark romance plot about it, with the fake engagement to a wonderful man who seems actually quite perfect for her, and maybe it was more surprising and original back in its day but I think any modern reader will see the ending coming from the beginning. Still, Widdemer has a way with words and I enjoyed reading though I felt it was over-long (the whole putting-on-an-opera dragged a bit though I do tend to love that sort of thing) and Joy's characterization began to slip part way through (perhaps because she began to find a new identity for herself beyond the confines of her grandparents' home, but I still felt it could have been developed better). Then, the huge age difference between Joy and John was a bit of a stumbling block for me despite the fact I've been fine with such gaps elsewhere. (I know things were different "back then." And I'm a huge fan of "The Sound of Music" and I even got over it in "Emma" because Mr. Knightley was so wonderful and I felt like Austen matured Emma well enough to match him. ) But it really grated on me here because John thought Joy was so young initially and I guess I didn't feel like she quite "grew-up" enough for him in the span of a few months and I got so tired of him calling her "kiddie" even at the end. I still enjoyed the book on the whole, just wished a few aspects were handled more deftly. But maybe I was just grumpy cause I wanted more about Phyllis, LOL! ;-) It's still a sweet story and if you enjoyed "Rose-Garden Husband" definitely read this one.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a few books like this that I've enjoyed very much, and I knew there had to be more somewhere! I'm glad to have found this one. It is sort of a sequel to The Rose-Garden Husband, that is to say, Phyllis & Allan play a pretty big part in it, though not the starring roles. This book is about their friend who was introduced in The Rose-Garden Husband: Dr. John Hewitt. The new character is Joy Havenith, a 19-year-old girl who lives with her grandparents and has been extremely sheltered her whole life. Her grandfather is a famous poet, and he dresses her in costumes so that she can serve as his muse, and requires her to live for nothing but his poetry and his literary parties and so forth. It's odd. She develops a desire to live more of a normal life and spend time with ordinary people her own age. Eventually she makes friends with Phyllis & Allan. They invite her to spend a month at their home, but her grandfather refuses to let her go. The only way he would ever let her out of his sight, he says, is if she was engaged. (He thinks this will never happen.) Out of desperation, Joy blurts out the name of the only young man she has ever really met (and she only talked with him for a few moments, but he was kind to her): John Hewitt. Surely they will never meet again...surely she will never have to face the consequences!
This ploy actually works, and she gets to spend the month with her wonderful friends. But John Hewitt almost immediately shows up, and the rest of the story goes from there.
It's a very sweet story. Not original--I'm afraid the plot is rather predictable! But I don't mind. Comparing it with some of my other favorite early-20th-century books, it's very, very well written. Occasionally funny, easy to get lost in but not overly intense. I will definitely be checking out more of Margaret Widdemer's books.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in the mood for something light and innocent, so picked up this story by Margaret Widdemer, a favorite author of mine. I was so surprised and pleased to find that it includes my favorites from "Rose-Garden Husband", Allan and Phyllis Harrington, as major characters. It has delightful nods to fairy-tale lore along the way to young Joy Havenith coming into her true womanhood.
It is difficult to review this without giving away much of the story, but I do love the hero, and you will be sure to root for Joy's success at freedom the whole story.
If you've enjoyed L. M. Montgomery's "The Blue Castle" or Ruth Sawyer's "Seven Miles to Arden", you will probably enjoy this tale and its companion story.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the Rose-Garden Husband but still good fun. The heroine does seem to be excessively childish for her age.

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was largely delightful! I was vaguely content with the prior book in this duology. But this was a step better.

Raised by her famous poet grandfather and surrounded by intellectuals, 19-year-old Joy just wants to have fun. When a family acquaintance, Phyllis Harrington, invites her for a visit, she desperately wants to go. But her old-fashioned grandfather thinks that visits are only proper between family. So she picks the first person that comes to mind and claims to be engaged to Jack, one of the attendees at one of the literary open houses her grandfather hosted. Almost in-laws are basically family, right? And claiming a connection between the Harringtons and her new "fiance" means her grandfather will approve the visit. Coincidentally, though, Jack does run in the same social circles as the Harringtons. And when he hears the news, Joy is certain that he'll reveal the truth.

There are two small things that irked me. One is the age difference. I would forget and then the characters would bring it up again. Widdemer could have closed that gap a bit and the concerns would still have been valid. And these days it gives me pause more than it used to.

The other is the racism. And it's not just using the (wrong) dated terms. Margaret Widdemer goes out of her way to explain her viewpoints (which are not acceptable). So I'm conflicted. On the one hand, the plot was well-dressed. On the other... well, it's not really something to sweep under the rug.
3.5? Maybe 4? I'm not sure.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a treat to discover Margaret Widdemer more than a hundred years after her books were published. She has a lovely Frances Hodgson Burnett, sort of vibe, with an initially marginalized character finding a life, and happiness, through the help of really lovely people.

Surprisingly for something written in 1915, Widdemer’s writing does not feel at all dated, and her characterizations would easily work much later in the century.

It was a happy surprise to reencounter Phyllis and Alan from The Rose Garden Husband — even more so as I had forgotten their names, and didn’t initially realize who they were. And while one could see the ending coming, almost from the first page, Widdemer made the journey so creative and enjoyable that I didn’t mind a bit.

I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!

[Sarah TheAromaofBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story started a little strangely, with Joy living with her grandparents and always being dressed in rather strange, flowing clothes as part of her grandfather's "muse", as he is a famous poet. Still, Widdemer manages to make this feel quite believable, and while everything that unfolds is a bit impractical, I lapped up every word.

Once Joy enters her fake engagement, the story really gets going. I loved seeing Phyllis and Allan from 'The Rose-Garden Husband' so happily married in this book, and overall the whole story was just delightful and fun. I enjoyed the whole thing quite thoroughly and definitely recommend both this and 'The Rose-Garden Husband', especially as they are available as free Kindle books. The perfect way to while a way some winter hours.

[Sumaya Paruk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A predictable plot, but nonetheless a sweet tale.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps this book isn't great lit. But Margaret Widdermer was a Pulitzer Prize winning poet so she isn't all bad.
Joy is the heroine and we meet her as a rebellious( not really by our standards, she does nothing actually wrong) 19 year old who is sick of being on display at the whim of her poet Grandfather. Joy meets a young man who encourages her to think that everything will turn out right.
Everything seems to be turning out great. She meets the Harringtons( of The Rose Garden Husband) and they invite her to stay with them. Problem is her grandparents won't let her go anywhere without them unless she is engaged.
Joy is desperate and she does a very stupid teenage thing. She tells them she is engaged to the young man she met named John Hewitt. Problem is he is best friends with the people she is staying with and finds out.
He has met her once and at first he is angry at her for stealing his name. Once he finds out why she did it he feel sorry for her and agrees to play a ruse of being engaged so she can go. First he makes sure she is actually older than she looks since Joy looks like all of 15.
We then see their "fake" engagement and it is both amusing and cute. I loved how John and Joy flirt with each other because they are meant for each other. I loved the scene where the small toddler dares John to kiss Joy. It was a truly sweet moment.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books like this. The plot is somewhat predictable but I didn't mind. Joy is simply adorable, and John is great character as well. Phyllis and Allan of The Rose-Garden Husband are supporting characters. At one point, they all put on an amateur performance of Iolanthe, which made me very happy.

Joy's poet grandfather is a satiric character, which is interesting considering Margaret Widdemer was a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet herself.

[Vendethiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as strong as the prequel, "The Rose-Garden Husband," but still a lovely book. The main characters are perhaps not quite as strong and the relationship between them not quite as beautiful. I especially enjoyed seeing Allen and Phyllis' relationship several years later.

I also enjoyed how it portrayed love and those who love each other. Love was shown to be beautiful and kind. And those that love each other belong to each other, not one owning and controlling the other, but a commitment by each to the other. Those in love belong to each other and take joy in that belonging.

It was an enjoyable step back in time and a beautiful look at true, abiding love.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet book written in 1910.

[Elizabeth Burk · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars.