Lost Laughter: 2

by Barbara Cartland

Rejected by the beautiful heiress, Niobe Barrington, Viscount Oakley marries her impoverished cousin, Jemima, and is threatened with debtors' prison when his creditors learn that his wife cannot pay his bills

Genres: Romance, Historical, Historical Romance

Hardcover

Published August 2, 1980

About the author

Born in 1901, Barbara Cartland started her writing career in journalism and completed her first book, Jigsaw, when she was just 24. An immediate success, it was the start of her journey to becoming the world’s most famous and most read romantic novelist of all time. Inspiring a whole generation of readers around the globe with her exciting tales of adventure, love and intrigue, she became synonymous with the Romance genre. And she still is to this day, having written over 644 romantic fiction books.
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com

Reviews

[LadyAileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ritorno alla gioia è uno dei romanzi rosa storici di Barbara Cartland, autrice considerata la Regina del romanzo rosa ai suoi tempi.
Si tratta di romanzo un po’ datato quindi non ci sono scene spinte (l’autrice difendeva i valori tradizionali e credeva nella verginità prima del matrimonio e questo traspare tanto nelle sue opere).
Valiant, squattrinato visconte di Oakley viene rifiutato dalla ricchissima Miss Barrington, deluso decide di sposare la prima donna che incontrerà. Caso vuole, che a incrociare la sua strada sia Jemima, la cugina povera di Miss Barrington. A quel punto decide di sposarla non solo per aiutarla ma convinto che in quanto cugina di Miss Barrington, la vendetta sarà doppia. I problemi sorgono quando dopo il matrimonio, la coppia ha problemi economici…
Un romanzo carino ma probabilmente la parte dedicata a risollevare le finanze della coppia ha preso il sopravvento sulla storia d’amore. I due protagonisti hanno sì interazioni ma alla fine è davvero difficile comprendere come si siano innamorati. Il sentimento sembra essere sbucato letteralmente dal nulla.
Probabilmente a causa della brevità tutto è trattato in maniera troppo veloce e poco approfondita. Le descrizioni di ambienti e vestiario non sono troppo dettagliate e non appesantiscono la lettura che resta sempre molto scorrevole.
Interessante e ben sviluppata l’idea di un nobile squattrinato che non ha mai lavorato in vita sua che alla fine deve rimboccarsi le maniche per non finire in prigione per debiti.
I romanzi (forse sarebbe il caso di chiamarli racconti lunghi) di Barbara Cartland sono storie adatte a chi ha voglia di iniziare a leggere romanzi rosa storici.
Per chi legge da anni potrebbe trovarli troppo sempliciotti e datati.

[Jena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would have gotten a higher rating if not for the end. The ML realizing he loved the FL sort of came out of nowhere. It needed a buildup.

[Heli Björn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suomennettuna Kun pilvet väistyvät

Ihana hömppäkirja

[Louise Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite good. A other I dependent strong heroine. Nice change.

[Marie-Christine Blandin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Des histoires d'amour qu'on aime lorsqu'on est romantique. Une lecture relaxante

[Alejandra Guerrero · Rating 3 out of 5]

God, I hated him.

[Raffaella De Leonardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una storia molto carina, dolce e romantica, una lettura piacevole, rilassante e intrigante che si legge in un soffio.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Viscount Ockley refused by Niobe for a Duke swears to marry the first woman he meets, which turns out to be Niobi's poor cousin Jemima who escapes from her brutal uncle by hiding in Ockley's curricle. He marries her and well of course there is a happy ending. This is a direct plot taken from Georgette Heyer right down to lines abstracted word for word. Differences are, in this book there is poverty and Jemima works as housekeeper, maid, cook, business manager looking after her husband. In Georgette Heyer..Hero married the man she worshipped from childhood and who had money.
Rejected by the beautiful heiress, Niobe Barrington, Viscount Oakley marries her impoverished cousin, Jemima, and is threatened with debtors' prison when his creditors learn that his wife cannot pay his bills

[Beth Hinshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!