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Passing Fancies
Lovely and impetuous Pippa is surprised by the amount of gossip that appears destined to accompany her every action, until love appears from a most unexpected source. Reissue.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
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About the author
Elizabeth Mansfield
59 books61 followersElizabeth Mansfield is the author of numerous regency romances. She is an intelligent and thoughtful writer, a hidden gem whose novels deserve to be more widely read and enjoyed.
Elizabeth Mansfield is the pen name of the talented Paula Reibel Schwartz. Ms Schwartz also wrote different genres under the pen names Paula Reibel, Paula Reid, and Paula Jonas.
Elizabeth Mansfield is the pen name of the talented Paula Reibel Schwartz. Ms Schwartz also wrote different genres under the pen names Paula Reibel, Paula Reid, and Paula Jonas.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 15, 2014
Elizabeth Mansfield's "Passing Fancies"
Other reviewers have called this one their favourite of Elizabeth Mansfield's books, and All About Romance gave it a DIK (Desert Island Keeper) rating. I don't agree at all. The heroine, Pippa, is basically a pushover for her host family, the Sturtevants, who are, with the exception of Simon, the second son, simply appalling.The worst one is the sister Sybil, who is supposedly Pippa's BFF, but who immediately assigns Pippa the blame (and Pippa accepts without complaining) for anything that goes wrong with one of Sybil's impulsive, immature, irresponsible actions. I very quickly reached the point where I couldn't stand to read any scene involving her or the younger brother Adolphus (called "Dolly" in the book).
But the worst aspect of this book is that it takes Pippa about six YEARS and several knocks on the head to realize who she is really in love with (and she's about 22 when the story takes place). This just isn't realistic for young love, to say the least - the human race would have died out long ago if this situation was true. Elizabeth Mansfield forgot to include any sexual chemistry (or physical attraction, hormones, lust, animal magnetism or whatever you want to call it), or for some reason she deliberately left it out of this book, but it killed the story for me. The "clean Regency" argument doesn't explain this lack either - Georgette Heyer wrote brilliant "clean" Regency romances where the sexual chemistry between the two main characters practically leaps off the page.
Other reviewers have called this one their favourite of Elizabeth Mansfield's books, and All About Romance gave it a DIK (Desert Island Keeper) rating. I don't agree at all. The heroine, Pippa, is basically a pushover for her host family, the Sturtevants, who are, with the exception of Simon, the second son, simply appalling.The worst one is the sister Sybil, who is supposedly Pippa's BFF, but who immediately assigns Pippa the blame (and Pippa accepts without complaining) for anything that goes wrong with one of Sybil's impulsive, immature, irresponsible actions. I very quickly reached the point where I couldn't stand to read any scene involving her or the younger brother Adolphus (called "Dolly" in the book).
But the worst aspect of this book is that it takes Pippa about six YEARS and several knocks on the head to realize who she is really in love with (and she's about 22 when the story takes place). This just isn't realistic for young love, to say the least - the human race would have died out long ago if this situation was true. Elizabeth Mansfield forgot to include any sexual chemistry (or physical attraction, hormones, lust, animal magnetism or whatever you want to call it), or for some reason she deliberately left it out of this book, but it killed the story for me. The "clean Regency" argument doesn't explain this lack either - Georgette Heyer wrote brilliant "clean" Regency romances where the sexual chemistry between the two main characters practically leaps off the page.
September 24, 2021
Elizabeth Mansfield was one of my favorite traditional Regency romance authors and if I had to pick a favorite of hers, this one would be it. She really misdirects you into thinking one man will be the hero and love interest and the true love interest sneaks up on you. The romance is tender and touching.
In general, This author’s forte is non-stereotypical characters, or at least her heroes and heroines usually have a little quirk or two that makes you very fond of and invested in them. She is amazing at creating a sweet sexual tension between the love interests without anything more than a kiss. To add to the appeal of her books, many are lightly interconnected by family similar to my other favorite, the great Patricia Veryan. A while back, her books had become available on Audiobooks, and I have re-read a few of them. Sadly, they didn’t quite hold up with the passage of time. But this one, and a few others, are still among my favorites. Strangely, it is those which remain out-of-print and hard to find at a reasonable price.
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
In general, This author’s forte is non-stereotypical characters, or at least her heroes and heroines usually have a little quirk or two that makes you very fond of and invested in them. She is amazing at creating a sweet sexual tension between the love interests without anything more than a kiss. To add to the appeal of her books, many are lightly interconnected by family similar to my other favorite, the great Patricia Veryan. A while back, her books had become available on Audiobooks, and I have re-read a few of them. Sadly, they didn’t quite hold up with the passage of time. But this one, and a few others, are still among my favorites. Strangely, it is those which remain out-of-print and hard to find at a reasonable price.
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
June 29, 2025
When Lady Philippa Wyckfield's mother remarried a sea captain and often accompanied him to sea, Pippa occasionally went to stay with the lively and chaotic Sturtevant family for a while. Once again, she finds herself called to their home, urged by Sybil, the only girl of the four siblings. Sybil is thoughtless, selfish, childish, and flighty. She gets herself into difficulties and expects Pippa to bail her out with money from her fortune.
This is somewhat of a comedy of errors that isn't the least bit funny. Lady Sturtevant says to Pippa: "You’re so sensible that I trust your judgment implicitly.” Well I disagree. In some ways, Pippa is sensible; in other ways, out of misplaced kindness, she isn't sensible at all. She lets Sybil and her brother Adolphus walk all over her. They get into trouble and she agrees to take the blame. I don't enjoy reading about people who allow themselves to be taken advantage of, without exercising the slightest bit of common sense.
In spite of the plot, this has all of the other elements I've appreciated in the other two books by the author I've read: wonderful dialogue, lovely characters (in this case, Simon), and good writing that flows and never gets boring.
This is somewhat of a comedy of errors that isn't the least bit funny. Lady Sturtevant says to Pippa: "You’re so sensible that I trust your judgment implicitly.” Well I disagree. In some ways, Pippa is sensible; in other ways, out of misplaced kindness, she isn't sensible at all. She lets Sybil and her brother Adolphus walk all over her. They get into trouble and she agrees to take the blame. I don't enjoy reading about people who allow themselves to be taken advantage of, without exercising the slightest bit of common sense.
In spite of the plot, this has all of the other elements I've appreciated in the other two books by the author I've read: wonderful dialogue, lovely characters (in this case, Simon), and good writing that flows and never gets boring.
July 19, 2009
Synopsis: Lovely Lady Philippa Wyckfield gets drawn into any number of unfortunate situations due to her generous nature. Staying with friends she'd known since childhood, she manages to catch the eye of two of the brothers. One wrestles with his disgust of her supposed madcap nature while the other wrestles with his invisibility.
What I liked: I loved the characters with their varied idiosyncrasies. There is Lady Philippa (Pippa), whose generous nature lands her in more trouble than any normal human can handle; William, the stiffly proper head of the Sturtevant household and oldest child of Lady Georgina; Lady Georgina, air-headed, well-meaning mother and lady of the house; Simon, a scientist whose head is more often cloudy with his work than not; Sybil, only daughter and incorrigible madcap; and Dolly, the youngest son whose madness for horseflesh leads to at least one of the unfortunate situations I mentioned earlier. These characters are fleshed-out rather well despite the shortness of this book. Even the Oxbroughs, the lady and her son who are more or less the antagonists of the tale, have their quirks, making them more believable.
There was something I noticed with this book that struck me as interesting. It is written in third person omniscient. Perhaps this POV was more acceptable in 1983 when this book was written. From the research I've done in regard to publishing houses, this POV is not acceptable now. However, I feel Elizabeth Mansfield pulled it off rather well. While reading, I knew what was happening in each character's head, the POV switches were graceful and hardly noticeable. Considering this book is not a mystery in any way, I see no reason why we should not know what everyone is thinking.
The story was entertaining, light and fun. Love scenes were limited to kissing and even those were few and far between. I laughed more than once and at one point I thought I might cry. All that aside, this book is a good choice if you want a delightful, light read
What I liked: I loved the characters with their varied idiosyncrasies. There is Lady Philippa (Pippa), whose generous nature lands her in more trouble than any normal human can handle; William, the stiffly proper head of the Sturtevant household and oldest child of Lady Georgina; Lady Georgina, air-headed, well-meaning mother and lady of the house; Simon, a scientist whose head is more often cloudy with his work than not; Sybil, only daughter and incorrigible madcap; and Dolly, the youngest son whose madness for horseflesh leads to at least one of the unfortunate situations I mentioned earlier. These characters are fleshed-out rather well despite the shortness of this book. Even the Oxbroughs, the lady and her son who are more or less the antagonists of the tale, have their quirks, making them more believable.
There was something I noticed with this book that struck me as interesting. It is written in third person omniscient. Perhaps this POV was more acceptable in 1983 when this book was written. From the research I've done in regard to publishing houses, this POV is not acceptable now. However, I feel Elizabeth Mansfield pulled it off rather well. While reading, I knew what was happening in each character's head, the POV switches were graceful and hardly noticeable. Considering this book is not a mystery in any way, I see no reason why we should not know what everyone is thinking.
The story was entertaining, light and fun. Love scenes were limited to kissing and even those were few and far between. I laughed more than once and at one point I thought I might cry. All that aside, this book is a good choice if you want a delightful, light read
May 18, 2015
Such a bit of fun! The scrapes these people get into are uncomfortable and hilarious and frustrating- the Sturtevant household is utter chaos- but the true gem is the studious, reliable, and quietly passionate Simon.
September 27, 2025
Pushover Pippa
My goodness, I disliked Sybil so much I didn't think she could ever redeem herself, nor did I understand why Pippa held her in such high regard. And to be so misperceived...especially when Pippa was the best of them all. She endured being unjustly accused, which in my own experience is the most hurtful thing.
Yet Pippa prevailed in her own sweet way. I shall endeavor to emulate her.
Beautifully written, moving.
My goodness, I disliked Sybil so much I didn't think she could ever redeem herself, nor did I understand why Pippa held her in such high regard. And to be so misperceived...especially when Pippa was the best of them all. She endured being unjustly accused, which in my own experience is the most hurtful thing.
Yet Pippa prevailed in her own sweet way. I shall endeavor to emulate her.
Beautifully written, moving.
June 18, 2024
I struggled to get through this. The main character wasn’t just a pushover (something I could accept), but for a seemingly intelligent, grown woman she showed an incredible lack of judgment and common sense. I didn’t find the antics so much amusing as head-scratchingly silly. And much as I liked Simon, it couldn’t make up for the general unlikeableness of the rest of his family.
October 24, 2023
This should probably be a 3.5. It was very silly in parts, but had a very satisfying ending.
March 26, 2025
Such a fun read! And very sweet. I quite enjoyed it!
May 17, 2025
great book!
I just discovered this author and I’m thoroughly enjoying her books. I can’t wait to read more. Thank you Amazon!
I just discovered this author and I’m thoroughly enjoying her books. I can’t wait to read more. Thank you Amazon!
November 12, 2022
The premise: Lady Phillipa Wyckfield is a lady of good sense. She has a deep friendship with Sybil, the daughter of the family she is staying with. Sybil is a bit of a madcap who draws Pippa into all sorts of unwanted trouble. While Pippa finds herself with a couple of suitors (and proposals of marriage), the question remains: do these men really know her, or are they only seeing the insensible woman she appears to be?
Miscellaneous notes: This book was a breath of fresh air. Pippa's mother and step-father routinely travel, so Pippa has lived with the Sturtevants for years, becoming somewhat a member of the family. While she loves them dearly, sometimes she wishes to escape from their poorly managed, wild household. Sybil is a bit of a hoyden and causes endless trouble for Pippa.
Through the story of the Sturtevant sapphire and the wild horse, Salvaje, Ms. Mansfield slips in a romance. But, unlike the typical romance, the reader is NOT told who the hero is to be. You can read the synopsis on the cover if you like, but you will not find his name anywhere. Will her love be the stable, headstrong head of the Sturtevant family, William? Or perhaps she will fall for the classically handsome and fun-loving Lord Basil Oxbrough. You never know. She could just fall in love with Simon, the second Sturtevant brother who has a head for nothing but his light and optic experiments.
I'll tell you right off that I fell in love with one of them and prayed for him to be the lucky man. I was rewarded in the end. After I read the last sentence, I closed the book, held it to my chest and sighed. Yeah. It was that good.
Miscellaneous notes: This book was a breath of fresh air. Pippa's mother and step-father routinely travel, so Pippa has lived with the Sturtevants for years, becoming somewhat a member of the family. While she loves them dearly, sometimes she wishes to escape from their poorly managed, wild household. Sybil is a bit of a hoyden and causes endless trouble for Pippa.
Through the story of the Sturtevant sapphire and the wild horse, Salvaje, Ms. Mansfield slips in a romance. But, unlike the typical romance, the reader is NOT told who the hero is to be. You can read the synopsis on the cover if you like, but you will not find his name anywhere. Will her love be the stable, headstrong head of the Sturtevant family, William? Or perhaps she will fall for the classically handsome and fun-loving Lord Basil Oxbrough. You never know. She could just fall in love with Simon, the second Sturtevant brother who has a head for nothing but his light and optic experiments.
I'll tell you right off that I fell in love with one of them and prayed for him to be the lucky man. I was rewarded in the end. After I read the last sentence, I closed the book, held it to my chest and sighed. Yeah. It was that good.
November 21, 2013
I read this book because my friend brought it on vacation last year. She spent two days reading it, and by 'reading' I mean 'giggling uncontrollably'. I demanded that she hand it over as soon as she was done, and then of course I let it sit in a pile for the next year unread.
I started the book and within pages wanted to shake them all. Except maybe the eldest brother, because he was the only character who wasn't infuriating. (Instead, he became insufferable. I still pitied him.) The flightiness displayed by almost all involved, or the willful refusal TO JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER LIKE GROWN ASS ADULTS, has to be read to be believed. Somehow, this did not keep me from groaning when things invariably went wrong or snorting at a witty response. It didn't stop me from finishing the book in about two days, and being delighted at how well the ending came together. It's possible that ending salvaged my initial frustration with the characters, but in the end I want to acquire a copy.
I may just pace myself on future offerings from this author. I can only take so many ridiculous people.
I started the book and within pages wanted to shake them all. Except maybe the eldest brother, because he was the only character who wasn't infuriating. (Instead, he became insufferable. I still pitied him.) The flightiness displayed by almost all involved, or the willful refusal TO JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER LIKE GROWN ASS ADULTS, has to be read to be believed. Somehow, this did not keep me from groaning when things invariably went wrong or snorting at a witty response. It didn't stop me from finishing the book in about two days, and being delighted at how well the ending came together. It's possible that ending salvaged my initial frustration with the characters, but in the end I want to acquire a copy.
I may just pace myself on future offerings from this author. I can only take so many ridiculous people.
September 20, 2014
the ramshackle Sturtevant family seems to use and abuse poor Pippa (esp her money) not so much maliciously as just carelessly. sadly she never really stands up for herself, future doesn't bode well.
November 13, 2008
Very cute. I love Elizabeth Mansfield
September 25, 2009
Regency
October 13, 2020
Another charming story by Elizabeth Mansfield. The only improvement I might have suggested, only the very slightest, is the ending. It could have been just a little better.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews