Not Like Other Girls

by Rosa Nouchette Carey

"Five-o'clock tea was a great institution in Oldfield. It was a form of refreshment to which the female inhabitants of that delightful place were strongly addicted. In vain did Dr. Weatherby, the great authority in all that concerned the health of the neighborhood, lift up his voice against the mild feminine dram-drinking of these modern days, denouncing it in no measured terms: the ladies of Oldfield listened incredulously, and, softly quoting Cowper's lines as to the "cup that cheers and not inebriates," still presided over their dainty little tea-tables, and vied with one another in the beauty of their china and the flavor of their highly-scented Pekoe. In spite of Dr. Weatherby's sneers and innuendoes, a great deal of valuable time was spent in lingering in one or another of the pleasant drawing-rooms of the place. As the magic hour approached, people dropped in casually. The elder ladies sipped their tea and gossiped softly; the younger ones, if it were summer-time, strolled out through the open windows into the garden. Most of the houses had tennis-grounds, and it was quite an understood thing that a game should be played before they separated. With some few exceptions, the inhabitants of Oldfield were wealthy people. Handsome houses standing in their own grounds were dotted here and there among the lanes and country roads. Some of the big houses belonged to very big people indeed; but these were aristocrats who only lived in their country houses a few months in the year, and whose presence added more to the dignity than to the hilarity of the neighborhood."

534 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1884

About the author

Rosa Nouchette Carey wrote about forty novels, many of which achieved great popularity. Her fiction focused on domestic and family themes, and her plots and characters generally reflected a conservative outlook. In her youth, Carey tried to quench her longing to write, believing that it was impossible to combine literary achievement with a useful domestic life. But her writing won out, and she never married. Although her literary reputation was not high, her works sold well, remaining in print from 1868 until 1924.

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story. I liked the overall not-like-other-girls theme, and that the Challoners were determined to fend for themselves no matter what anyone said about them. I thought the book took an unfortunate turn into melodrama with the Cheyne subplot, but for the most part I enjoyed it.

[Cat {Pemberley and Beyond} · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought for the title, read through because it was quite lovely although very, very of its era. High rating because it's good within its category (moralising love story written by and for genteel ladies in mid 19th century).

[Little Red Readinghood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet sentimental story about sisters surviving on a tight budge and finding love along the way.. Enjoyable.

[Honeylieg Vela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a peek into developing feminist ideas when a family of women are forced to open a shop to survive only to learn that they enjoy entrepreneurialism. I'm sure when this book was originally written it was deliciously scandalous. I'm not sure old my edition is. The gold gelding is nearly worn from the top of the pages, the binding has come undone and the pages are so brittle they flake at a firm breath. The penciled inscription to Hazel from Aunt Kate is date Christmas 1901. The publisher: New York; A.L. Burt, Publisher

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book in 2011 was a real eye-opener. It is amazing to see the things we take for granted and do every day,without a second thought, and to find out how scandalous those same things were in a different era. Much of the storyline was predictable, yet I still enjoyed reading it.

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!