Rosabelle Shaw

by D.E. Stevenson

Edinburgh, 1890. The Season is in full swing with parties nearly every night and Fanny is enjoying every moment. Then John Shaw comes to town on business and loses his heart to her. He sets about his wooing without delay and eventually brings his young bride to his farmhouse near the sea. Fanny is unhappy at first. John is hard to understand, and she misses the excitement and glamour of city life and the companionship of her sister. But she struggles hard to become a good farmer's wife and, with the help of a strange old book, learns to manage. Rosabelle, their first child, is delightful and soon has a sibling to share her games. Then an unexpected accident occurs, which brings a stranger into the family circle; a strangely fascinating boy whose ways threaten trouble for everyone in the district.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Scotland, Historical, British Literature

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1937

About the author

There is more than one author with this name

Dorothy Emily Stevenson was a best-selling Scottish author. She published more than 40 romantic novels over a period of more than 40 years. Her father was a cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson.

D.E. Stevenson had an enormously successful writing career: between 1923 and 1970, four million copies of her books were sold in Britain and three million in the States. Like E.F. Benson, Ann Bridge, O. Douglas or Dorothy L. Sayers (to name but a few) her books are funny, intensely readable, engaging and dependable.

Reviews

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some nice characters in this book, and I liked the slow development of the relationship between Rosabelle and her future husband.
But there was also an issue for me that occasionally crops up in D.E. Stevenson's books, and that is her notion that people are BORN unchangeably good or bad. In this story, Jay is an orphan taken in by the Shaw family, and he brings nothing but trouble and deceit. As he grows up he seems to improve, but this is only a façade for him to get what he wants. If that was all, he would just be your token bad guy, but Stevenson ties some of his badness to the fact that he is "dark" and "foreign," so to a modern reader there is that racist vibe. Also she has one of her characters suggest that if Jay ever had children, they would unfailingly be just as evil as he is, right from the cradle. I don't buy that. It kind of negates free will.

But the story of Rosabelle Shaw herself is nice. It begins with her parents in a fairly cute courtship, then they settle down to life on a Scottish farm and begin a family. Rosabelle grows up with two younger siblings and Jay. When she gets into her late teens, she becomes fascinated by Jay's mesmerizing personality. But then there's Tom, the splendid neighbor man whom she "likes" but doesn't "love." (Hint, hint, he's the best choice.) I won't go into any spoilers, but her story ends well, albeit in the midst of World War I. There is some decent commentary toward the end about how that war changed society, including women, clothing, attitudes, and classes of people.

(This is also why the cover is wildly inaccurate--we're talking Edwardian era, not 70s!!!!)

Incidentally I believe this is my last D.E. Stevenson, I've now read all her published novels!!!! There are definitely some of her books that I will be revisiting. She has a lovely narrative style that makes you just want to keep turning pages! Seriously, if I don't have distractions I can easily finish a book of hers in a day. I highly recommend her as an author: just read some reviews and pick a good one (because there were a few duds). But the ones that were good were really good.

[Gina House · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75🌟 I liked this D.E. Stevenson novel, but not quite as much as some of her other titles. The family-centric story reminded me a bit of Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher...except concerning the first World War, not the second. Even though I liked most of the characters (especially Rosabelle herself), I was a little disappointed in the story and I didn't feel as invested as I usually do when reading a DES book. I would read it again in the future, but it's definitely not one of my top favorites. There was something a little bit irritating about Fanny (Rosabelle's mother) and the overall tone (not sure what it was exactly) that kept me from loving this book. But, if you're a huge DES fan like I am, it's worth a read.

[Elizabeth]

Hmm… must ponder. 🤨

[Louise Culmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book follows the not very eventful life of Rosabelle Shaw. It begins with the account of her parents courtship and marriage in the 1890s. Then Rosabelle is born, and doted on by both parents. When Rosabelle is three,there is a shipwreck near her home, and her father rescues a small child from the wreckage of the Spanish ship, the only survivor. Nobody knows who he is or where he came from. Named James Shaw, he is raised by the Shaw family, and Rosabelle’s mother dotes on him. But Jay, as he is known, seems to be a rathe dubious character. He has black hair and plays the violin and is very likely Spanish, so you know he must be a bit dodgy. As she grows up, Rosabelle is fascinated by him, but she is courted by Tom, the nice, dull young man from the farm next door. You think something interesting might be going to happen, but it doesn’t. In fact, we get to the end of the book without anything interesting having happened at all. Even the outbreak of WW1 can’t do anything to enliven this story.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. Even when the her plots fails to wow me, I still find D. E. Stevenson’s writing style compelling. Her way of describing locations and scenes makes it easy for me to visualize them.

There ends my review. What follows is a semi-spoilery tangent regarding the racism in the book.

The setting of this book is a rural Scottish community. There is a lot of mistrust of foreigners, be it the worker from Ireland or Jay, the (likely Spanish) orphan taken in by the Shaw family. Unfortunately, they both eventually act in ways that confirm the negative view ones have of them. What makes this feel like a reflection of racist views of the author is that Mr. Wallace, a likable and levelheaded vicar, says that Jay must have been born wicked and inherited it from his parents. He also says that any children Jay has would be the same. That is a fairly awful mindset. However, I can’t decide if, as the reader, you are supposed to truly think that is what the vicar believes.

The context is Mr. Wallace speaking privately with Rosabelle, who had ‘fallen in love’ with Jay. She is worried that Jay will still be able to influence her feelings and actions despite her knowing his true nature. Speaking of Mr. Wallace it says “He hated to lie to Rosabelle—but he must lie, and lie convincingly.” He then proceeds to expound on Jay’s wickedness, including this very reasonable argument:

“Let us not deceive ourselves by carrying the metaphor of a disease too far. A man cannot fight a disease in his body, but he can fight against wickedness if he is so minded—therefore he must be blamed for wickedness.” “It was his nature—he couldn’t help it.”
“Did he try to help it?” Mr. Wallace asked”.

It’s after the above exchange that he says that Jay was ‘born wicked’. Rosabelle struggles to be believe it, but is sobered by the conversation. Here is the paragraph in the following chapter that caught my attention:

“Mr. Wallace had spoken very strongly about Jay’s wickedness, more strongly even than he felt, but he had done so of set purpose. He had spoken of Jay’s parentage, and of his possible children, of set purpose too. God forgive me for judging a fellow-creature so cruelly, he thought, but I think I would turn in my grave if there was any chance of Rosabelle bearing Jay’s child.”

All of this is to say that I’m left wondering what Stevenson’s intent was. To express her own narrow views? Or to convey that Mr. Wallace was willing to use exaggeration and partial lies to keep Rosabelle safe from someone whose actions had proved them to be untrustworthy?
Obviously, there isn’t really a way to answer this without knowing the author’s personal views at the time. I just found it to be an interesting thought exercise.

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story

[Cricket Muse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned out to be an unexpected read. At the beginning it focuses on Fanny, a beautiful city girl who is won over by the steadfast devotion of John, a Scottish farmer. Instead of focusing on Fanny's struggles and adjustments of coping with the isolation of agrarian life, the plot focuses on her daughter, Rosabelle. The unexpected plot aspect is the subtle study of nature vs nurture. When John and Fanny take in a foundling, it quickly becomes apparent the Shaw family will never be the same. Rosabelle must choose between reality and perceived truth. There is a strong message of whether a person can truly change their behavior. There is an echo of Wuthering Heights to the plot in the way Jay beguiles the women in his life and creates havoc in the lives of those who would care for him, much like Heathcliffe in Bronte's story.

[E.L.]

An appalling cover - thankfully my library copy was an ancient green hardcover with no illustration whatsoever - but a thought-provoking story. I would have loved to see more depth to Rosabelle's journey, but that isn't really Stevenson's style: she's much more of an "overview" writer than an in-depth writer (except maybe for Listening Valley, which is probably why that's my favorite of all her books that I've read so far). The views on heredity were somewhat appalling to me, but a good insight into the beliefs and attitudes prevalent in her day and age. All in all, a mostly-charming story.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dull book for this author. I read it again to see if it would change my mind. It's missing something, that sparkle I expect from D.E. Stevenson.

[Bookworman]

I’ve been trying to read this book for a week and just couldn’t get into it.

[Gerrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 stars

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the only historical fiction (1880s–1910s) I've read from Stevenson. I'm not sure if she wrote any others. It's also a quite early work of hers, first published in 1937. I'll make those two points her excuses for how unsatisfying it was. I like easy stories with comfortable endings, and DES is reliable for that sort of thing, but this was too easy and conflictless even for me. The book is longish, but the ending felt abrupt. We're not told what happened to one of the main characters. Stevenson's eugenicism rears its ugly head — a character is bad by nature, and that's that. Very lamely one-dimensional.

Reader was good except for a smattering of mispronunciations.

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stevenson's "Rosabelle Shaw" is a story set in Scotland farm community and the generation of Shaws that starts in the nineteen century and ends during World War 1.
This is published in 1937 and the general public did not see another World War around the horizon, so I always find it interesting when reading a book and thinking about the history that takes place or will take place when the book was written or first read. The war is in the last quarter of the novel, this is mostly a bildungsroman story.



Story in short-Rosabelle Shaw must make up her mind, should she be like her namesake and not marry or marry someone she likes but doesn't love.


➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
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“Well, well—out with it whatever it is.” “I’m afraid you will be surprised.” Mr. Dinwiddie smiled. He had been an advocate too long to be surprised at anything—or so he thought. “Come, come, sir! you are wasting my time —and your own. It would have been better to approach me through your solicitors——”
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“But it’s not business, Mr. Dinwiddie,” objected the man. “It’s just—I beg you to hear me out—I want to marry your daughter.” Mr. Dinwiddie stared at his visitor incredulously—could he have heard aright? His first instinct was to throw the man out, but the man met his glance so frankly, so beseechingly, and with such complete humility that Mr. Dinwiddie’s heart softened towards him. After all, there was no harm in listening to what he had to say—he could be thrown out later, if necessary.
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“You want to marry Alison?” said Mr. Dinwiddie at last. “No, no—it is the younger Miss Dinwiddie,” said the man hastily, and, now that the ice was broken, the words poured out of him in a flood. “It was at the theatre last night—I saw you there and I was able to find out where you lived. I know nobody in Edinburgh, nobody at all— there was no other way—or so it seemed, but to approach you, sir. If I may be introduced to Miss Dinwiddie— that is all—it would be
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impossible to ask any more—if I may speak to her——” The man was twisting his cap in his strong hands, wringing the water out of it on to the tiles of the grate, from whence it sent up a little cloud of steam. Mr. Dinwiddie watched him, fascinated. He was so bewildered by the strangeness of the interview that he could hardly follow the man’s words. “Good Heavens!” he said at last. “Good Heavens! Who are you? This is most extraordinary—I don’t know what to say——”

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“I know—I know! It’s dreadful—but what else could I do?” “Where did you meet my daughter? How long have you known her?” “I told you, sir, I saw her last night at the theatre.” Mr. Dinwiddie gazed at him in amazement. It was no wonder to him that Fanny should have made another conquest, for she was the belle of Edinburgh—or so he had been led to believe—but this man had never even spoken to her. The
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thought crossed his mind that the man was mad. “What else could I do?” demanded the man, looking earnestly
at Mr. Dinwiddie. “What else could I do but come to you? There was no other way of meeting Miss Dinwiddie. I am a stranger to Edinburgh—I know nobody. There was no time to be lost—even now there may be somebody— perhaps she is already engaged to be married—I cannot believe——”

❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert


There are two Rosabelle Shaws, one was a great aunt who Mr. Wallace knew when he first came and there was a forty years difference in their ages, he wished it was different because he loved her. The second Rosabelle was the daughter of John and Fanny Shaw, when she was in her late teens, he was nearing ninety. Wallace gave consul to Rosabelle about her troubled heart. I was glad that Wallace kept Jay away from troubling Rosabelle. I knew Jay was trouble when he wanted Fanny for himself, he was saved after a wreck crashed near the Shaws. She gave less attention to her children. After Jay had gotten O'Malley's daughter pregnant, he escaped trouble without telling anyone where he was except Wallace who gave him money to stay away. All that is known about him is that he is doing well and always will not starve. He cares for only himself. The Shaws gave him a home and love, and he always caused trouble, they had not known all the trouble because he was too smooth. I think he only paid attention to Rosabelle because he saw Tom was in love with her and wanted to make her fall for him. When Rosabelle heard he had given her necklace away in such a mean way, finally the love she had for him had gone. I wonder why John did not call Bill, James because he so wanted to continue the tradition. I was happy that Rosabelle married Tom and her love grew. I had thought the last chapter, a baby would be coming.



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“Fanny!” he exclaimed rapturously. She smiled, and the smallest whitest pearls showed for a moment between her lips. “Papa,” she cried, running up to him and laying her hand on his arm. “Papa, quick—the guests are arriving——”
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Mr. Dinwiddie pulled himself together—“Fanny, this young gentleman——” he began, and then he stopped in bewilderment for the young gentleman had vanished. “Who was it?” Fanny inquired, opening her brown eyes very wide and looking round the room. “Oh look, Papa, there are pools of water all over your carpet.”
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The dance was a great success—even Mr. Dinwiddie, who knew very little about such matters, could see that his guests were enjoying themselves. He found himself thinking of Mr. John Shaw off and on during the evening, for the young gentleman had made an impression on his
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mind. His introduction to Mr. Shaw had not been altogether felicitous, but Mr. Dinwiddie had forgiven him and bore him no ill will. Indeed, it seemed to Mr. Dinwiddie, when he had time to consider the matter, that a young gentleman who was ready to brave the elements on such a night as this, and who came to do his wooing with his account books under his arm, might prove himself to be a good sound husband and a satisfactory son-in-law.
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So Mr. Dinwiddie dipped his pen into the inkpot and wrote a short note—an extremely guarded and lawyer-like note—asking Mr. Shaw to call. John Shaw called the following day. He was rather a quiet young man, but he was full of indomitable purpose, and he pursued Fanny with the same tenacity with which he had pursued her

father on the night of the dance. Just at first he was extremely humble, and Fanny laughed at him and called him “the country cousin.” She found fault
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with his manners and his clothes, and teased him unmercifully. But Johnny did not mind the teasing; he took it in good part, since all he wanted was to see Fanny and be near her. His devotion never wavered, and Fanny began to depend upon him and to miss him if he did not come. It was extremely pleasant to have such an ardent admirer at her beck and call.
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Johnny was soon on an intimate footing at Heriot Row, for they all liked him, and he liked them. And then, as he lost his shyness and began to get impatient, he wanted more than just to sit at Fanny’s feet; so the humble adorer became a masterful wooer, and Fanny found—somewhat to her surprise—that she had fallen in love with him. The marriage of Fanny Dinwiddie to Johnny Shaw caused a considerable stir in Edinburgh Society.
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Mr. Dinwiddie sank into a chair and looked at his elder daughter somewhat helplessly. “Well, well, it’s all over,” he remarked. Alison agreed that it was. “What a rush it’s been!” she added, “and how quiet it seems now that they’ve gone!” “As long as she’s happy——” Mr. Dinwiddie said, with a sigh. “Johnny’s nice,” declared Alison, “and they love each other, so she ought to be happy.”

*** Mr. Dinwiddie is giving a dance for his daughters, Fanny is the youngest and Alison. When Dinwiddie is walking home he is approached by a young man who just saw Fanny the night before and fallen in love with her. He looks to see the father about making himself known to the young lady. He brings his Farm records so her father can judge him, finding John Shaw who seems reliable so he starts to visit the Dinwiddies and wins her heart. They marry.

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

An odd book; as one of the other reviewers mentioned, I felt a definite Wuthering Heights vibe, except in this case, most of the misery that the Heathcliffish character causes is salvageable once he leaves. There are some definite racist overtones which are not unusual in the 1930s but sure make for uncomfortable reading today. An interesting artifact, but not one I will be reading again.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. D.E. Stevenson never fails me. Interesting story about good and evil. Excellent characterization like always. I can truly escape into her stories and am always sad when the book comes to an end.

[Karen (Living Unabridged) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't be fooled by the 1970's cover: this book was first published in 1938. So, excuse the cover. But even with that disclaimer, I have to admit that this is not my favorite book by Stevenson.

[L B · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favorite DES book ever. Weirdly melodramatic and ends unsatisfactorily.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely give DE less than five stars

And while I have an affinity for dear Ms. Stevenson, I also rarely give out five stars, they are reserved for books that make me laugh out loud (the old fashioned way, not the ironic lol) or cry actual tears, (or both) but also that I will read again. I regularly return to my favorites of d.e. Stevenson and here she does not disappoint, although I want to know what happens next! She does leave you in a lurch and as far as I know these characters do not recur in other books. Sigh. But so thrilled that these old dears are getting sent out on the ether for us 21 Century cynics to ponder.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately not one of D.E. Stevenson's better books. The plot was unevenly paced and tedious, and the characters felt flat. It didn't have any of her usual astute observations on human behavior that I enjoy so much in some of her other novels. Instead, it pushed a pretty strong agenda that people are born good or bad and can't change. I felt like if it had been a story about Fanny (which it started off as) instead of her daughter, it would have been a more interested book.

[scarlettraces]

I have a collection of Hepple for reasons, so it's kind of nice to know that other novels of the period have the same issues [classist and omg racist. OMG. Also it lacks red-headed scotsmen so on the whole Hepple comes out better]. Back to the op shop with you!

Btw the cover featured on the goodreads entry could not be more misrepresenting.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m so unhappy reading this book. So much so that I ventured to read some reviews to see whether I should stick it out. Tbh, I’m reading D.E. Stevenson for light, hopeful fun. This is simply too gloomy that I’d rather read some other gloomy books.

[LeRoy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

great reading but way too many errors

I can’t imagine that an editor ever looked at this book. Sentences with no punctuation, spelling errors, etc. The table of contents had every chapter twice. It should have been half the price.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one didn't age well.

[Jannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant read but not one of her better ones

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a typical D E Stevenson read. Overall rather gloomy. If you're looking for something more like her standard fare then skip this one

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her writing is beautiful, but I don’t like the way the story was heading so I put it down.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the characters in this one annoying -- and was particularly irritated with the negativity displayed toward the poor orphan child.

[Diane Shearer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love DES but this book absolutely freaked me out. I almost couldn’t finish it. It’s one of her generation stories which covers a family over about 20 years. It’s also a morality tale, with really strong spiritual themes. There is a lot of good stuff in it that’s worth reading, especially the excerpts from Advice To Wives, and wise Mr. Wallace. But it’s also really dark and it got under my skin quite badly. It gives a very good look at what farming was like in the early 20th century and how the war changed everything. It ends very abruptly, as they do. I wonder what was going on in our beloved author’s head when she wrote this? It must have been a very bad time for her to come up with the character of Jay. It reminds me of other really dark works written in and about war time, like East of Eden, Brideshead Revisited, and that more famous Jay in The Great Gatsby. If you are a huge fan and want to say you’ve read everything DES wrote, as I am, then read it. If you’re just looking for a good afternoon read, skip this one. She has plenty of lovely uplifting stories that are more worthwhile.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Hint: Ignore the distasteful cover...that goes for most DES covers.)

Rosabelle Shaw is actually an intriguing book, very readable, with somewhat complex characters. Another enjoyable, satisfying DES read.

[Susan Dove Lempke]

Very charming and old-fashioned but unfortunately with some glaringly racist comments that I guess were typical of the time.