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Caprice
The treacherous, windswept moors echoed with her silvery laughter...From the moment she arrived in Yorkshire, Carla McAllister knew nothing would be the same. After her archaeologist father's death, she had returned from Egypt content to take a paid position as companion at Milverton Hall -- the great house that had brightened her childhood -- and eager to serve Caprice, the radiant, raven-hared beauty who had once ridden so gaily at Thorn Lytton's side. But Caprice was gone, vanished. And the woman Thorn had married instead, the frail, beautiful Elsa, was hovering on the edge of madness. What dark tragedy had befallen this once happy place? Only Thorn seemed to know, and he was locked in a bitterness that Carla longed to pierce -- for her girlish infatuation had become the deeper passion of a woman. And in some eerie way, she sensed that Caprice was guiding her, for in this mystery-shrouded house, Caprice seemed to live on...willing Carla to unravel the secrets and find the happiness she herself had lost.
349 pages, Hardcover
First published June 2, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 11, 2017
CAPRICE is another of the gothic-rom paperbacks I collected around 2004. Sometimes one postpones a book because they're sure it'll be a delectable snack...but nope. The bread is stale, the bologna is greasy, & the cheese has dried edges. (We've all been there. Admit it. :P)
So let's talk about why this book was disappointing.
1) (Heroine) Carla's obsession with (villain) Caprice. Wow, that was annoying. She was dumb to miss the hints that Caprice is dead, but worse was her constant waxing over Caprice's perfection. Carla knows, y'all. She knows because she saw Caprice riding her horse & looking beautiful & hanging on Thorn's arm & therefore she must be amazing & awesome & practically perfect in every way. ...Really? The way she obsessed over Caprice made me wonder if she was bi, but this wasn't a Sarah Waters novel. Point of fact, Carla was highly obsessive on a number of topics (see below).
2) Carla's harping on how she has no talents & no skills & nothing worth appreciating & no beauty as compared to other women in the world. Of course it's quickly apparent that she is, in fact, utterly gorgeous, & is told so by every male character short of the butler & the dog...but she refuses to see it because such a thin plot demands her purity of mind. Yawn. As for having no talents, she's dumb enough to continue nosing around in what is universally considered none of her business -- so maybe that's something to put on her CV? *shrug*
3) Carla doesn't do anything. I like a good cerebral heroine, but I expect her to unravel things herself, rather than be spoonfed clues secondhand. Furthermore, Caprice's last day is told, re-told, told yet again, & explained once more. Due to Carla's badgering, the day is rehashed separately by every major character until the reader knows it backward & forward. Even worse, THEY ALL SAY THE SAME THING. The only version with significant difference is the villainous confession, & by then I didn't GAF.
4) Carla & Thorn have zero interaction, yet they're in love. 3/4ths of the book has her mentioning that he only gives her passing nods, polite good mornings, & the barest of conversations regarding her duties. She has more emotive interaction with Agnes-the-maid than her own love interest, yet I'm supposed to buy that she's in love with the guy?
5) The last 50 pages were useless. The gothic element is closed by pg 300, so a quick tie-up of loose ends (i.e., the expected HEA) is all that is necessary...right? But instead the characters wander around for FIFTY MORE PAGES of the same stuff we've already dealt with before the climax. Hm.
6) The hero's hair has silver wings at his temples. I hate those. I don't want to read something romantic & picture Mitt Romney as the hero. Gross.
7) Wasted potential. I loved Elsa's creepy little dollhouse, but that was given a pat explanation that annoyed the hell out of me. I also wanted to know more about Rowenna & Jeremy, the restless twin siblings, but they served no purpose but to pop onscreen for three pages & disappear for long stretches.
I do give props for an awesome gothic mansion. Milverton Hall is one sexy old house. :D But alas, I must award CAPRICE a lackluster 3 stars. I guess we can't all be roast-beef-and-cheddar on toasted sourdough.
So let's talk about why this book was disappointing.
1) (Heroine) Carla's obsession with (villain) Caprice. Wow, that was annoying. She was dumb to miss the hints that Caprice is dead, but worse was her constant waxing over Caprice's perfection. Carla knows, y'all. She knows because she saw Caprice riding her horse & looking beautiful & hanging on Thorn's arm & therefore she must be amazing & awesome & practically perfect in every way. ...Really? The way she obsessed over Caprice made me wonder if she was bi, but this wasn't a Sarah Waters novel. Point of fact, Carla was highly obsessive on a number of topics (see below).
2) Carla's harping on how she has no talents & no skills & nothing worth appreciating & no beauty as compared to other women in the world. Of course it's quickly apparent that she is, in fact, utterly gorgeous, & is told so by every male character short of the butler & the dog...but she refuses to see it because such a thin plot demands her purity of mind. Yawn. As for having no talents, she's dumb enough to continue nosing around in what is universally considered none of her business -- so maybe that's something to put on her CV? *shrug*
3) Carla doesn't do anything. I like a good cerebral heroine, but I expect her to unravel things herself, rather than be spoonfed clues secondhand. Furthermore, Caprice's last day is told, re-told, told yet again, & explained once more. Due to Carla's badgering, the day is rehashed separately by every major character until the reader knows it backward & forward. Even worse, THEY ALL SAY THE SAME THING. The only version with significant difference is the villainous confession, & by then I didn't GAF.
4) Carla & Thorn have zero interaction, yet they're in love. 3/4ths of the book has her mentioning that he only gives her passing nods, polite good mornings, & the barest of conversations regarding her duties. She has more emotive interaction with Agnes-the-maid than her own love interest, yet I'm supposed to buy that she's in love with the guy?
5) The last 50 pages were useless. The gothic element is closed by pg 300, so a quick tie-up of loose ends (i.e., the expected HEA) is all that is necessary...right? But instead the characters wander around for FIFTY MORE PAGES of the same stuff we've already dealt with before the climax. Hm.
6) The hero's hair has silver wings at his temples. I hate those. I don't want to read something romantic & picture Mitt Romney as the hero. Gross.
7) Wasted potential. I loved Elsa's creepy little dollhouse, but that was given a pat explanation that annoyed the hell out of me. I also wanted to know more about Rowenna & Jeremy, the restless twin siblings, but they served no purpose but to pop onscreen for three pages & disappear for long stretches.
I do give props for an awesome gothic mansion. Milverton Hall is one sexy old house. :D But alas, I must award CAPRICE a lackluster 3 stars. I guess we can't all be roast-beef-and-cheddar on toasted sourdough.
May 27, 2019
Hermosísima novela gótica que se inspira en clásicos como Rebecca, Jane Eyre o Cumbres Borrascosas. Situada en la época victoriana, nos cuenta la historia de Carla McCallister quien tras la muerte de su padre, entra al servicio de la familia Lyton para cuidar a una joven enferma mental, esposa del señor de la casa. Tiene todos los ingredientes de las historias de las Bronte y la forma de escribir de la autora es evocadora y nostálgica. Una novela muy especial, con maravillosos hallazgos narrativos. Es una pena que su autora (la mayoría de sus libros tienen unas estupendas críticas), haya sido olvidada y que no sea descubierta por las nuevas generaciones de lectores. Excelente.
June 22, 2023
The year was 1983. I was 16 years old. This hardcover library book leapt into my hands and I fell in love! Everything a romantic girl loves!
a) A heroine in a mysterious house!
b) A brooding hero clearly stolen from Rhett Butler
c) Clothes and descriptions of clothes!
d) Life-threatening peril with rescue by Brooding Hero.
e) A madwoman in the attic! (you'll get there)
Twists and turns galore! It was the sort of trashy novel that experts despaired of and that teen girls devoured. (Insert Austen's 'Defence of the Novel' from Northanger Abbey)
It's a good representation of the genre. You do have to wink at the anachronisms, but you're here to have fun, not read a monograph.
I found this second-hand, and I was surprised at the scenes and phrases I remember from 40 years ago.
a) A heroine in a mysterious house!
b) A brooding hero clearly stolen from Rhett Butler
c) Clothes and descriptions of clothes!
d) Life-threatening peril with rescue by Brooding Hero.
e) A madwoman in the attic! (you'll get there)
Twists and turns galore! It was the sort of trashy novel that experts despaired of and that teen girls devoured. (Insert Austen's 'Defence of the Novel' from Northanger Abbey)
It's a good representation of the genre. You do have to wink at the anachronisms, but you're here to have fun, not read a monograph.
I found this second-hand, and I was surprised at the scenes and phrases I remember from 40 years ago.
May 24, 2021
«Caprice» fue la primera novela de romance que leí, la que me llevó a este mundo maravilloso. Si quieres echar un vistazo a la reseña, la puedes encontrar en: https://www.soloddt.com/caprice-sara-...
May 4, 2025
Missä olet, Silvia- kirja oli mukaansatempaava. Sopivasti jännitystä, romantiikkaa ja vanhaa aikaa. Pidin kirjan luonto- ja maisemakuvauksista sekä juonesta. Kirja kertoo Milvertonin kartanosta ja sen ihmisistä sekä kohtaloista.
December 14, 2018
Well, that was fun! Not great literature, but I read it back when it first came out (back when I was in my gothic novel phase), and it held up pretty well, so, 4 stars for the sake of nostalgia.
March 10, 2022
I first read this story in 7th grade when it was included as a Good Housekeeping magazine insert. Still a good tale.
September 30, 2011
This was a very good book. It is a love story and mystery set at the turn of the century in Egypt and Yorkshire. Right after the death of her father, Carla McAlister goes to England to be the companion to a mentally ill thirty year old. I enjoyed this book and may want to read this author again.
August 9, 2014
this book is one the favorites, like it history love behind mistery. I always read and never tire. I recommend it warmly.
September 7, 2024
Read years ago
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews