Beyond the Foothills

Belle Knowes #2

by Essie Summers

After the unwelcome publicity aroused by a television interview, Marilla St. John decided to retreat to the country for a while until the fuss had died down. She was not prepared for the encounter with Rufus Sinclair, a confirmed bachelor who had heard that Marilla St. John was a determined husband-hunter. How could she convince him he was wrong?

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Fiction, Contemporary, Harlequin Romance

187 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1976

About the author

Essie Summers was a New Zealand author who wrote so vividly of the people and landscape of her native country that she was offered The Order Of the British Empire for her contributions to New Zealand tourism.

Ethel Snelson Summers was born on on July 24, 1912 to a newly-emigrated couple, Ethel Snelson and Edwin Summers, situated in Bordesley Street in Christchurch, Essie was always proud of both her British heritage and her New Zealand citizenship. Both her parents were exceptional storytellers, and this, combined with her early introduction to the Anne of Green Gables stories, engendered in her a life-long fascination with the craft of writing and the colorful legacy of pioneers everywhere.

Leaving school at 14 when her father's butcher shop experienced financial difficulties, she worked for a number of years in draper's shops and later turned her experiences to good use in writing the romantic novels for which she became famous.

She met her husband-to-be William Flett when she was only 13 years old, but it was 13 years before she consented to marry him. A minister's wife and the mother of two, William and Elizabeth, she still found many opportunities to pen short stories, poetry and newspaper columns before embarking on her first novel, which sold to the firm of Mills & Boon in 1956.

Summers died in Taradale, Hawkes Bay on the August 27, 1998.

http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/...

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my 14-year-old scrawl in the inside cover, I had written "1978 -My first Harlequin romance". It wouldn't be my last. In the subsequent 4+ years, I went through a pretty massive haul of these books, and kept about 15 favorites. Now, over 30 years later, I cracked open my "first" Harley and re-read it. Alot has changed in the world since 1976 when this was written (and 1978 when I first discovered it), but in its basic essentials, this romance was a darn good re-read, and better then average by classic Harley standards IMO.

Yes, some parts of the story were dated, with references to woman's lib, trouser suits and telegrams/letter writing. And I do admit to cringing just a bit over some of the verbal sparring between the heroine and hero (seriously, do writers ever take the time to read some of their dialogue out loud?) However, the basic plot, the characters, and the overall love story ring true and have more then their fair share of humor and good feeling. Being a classic 70's Harley, you won't find any steamy sex scenes, so if that's your thing, walk away now, 'cause you won't find it here. This is a book you wouldn't mind letting your grandmother read, or your 13 year old daughter. An added bonus of this story is all the references made to author L.M. Montgomery and her classic books Anne of Green Gables and Jane of Lantern Hill. Even some of the character names and locales come in for their share of Montgomery-speak: Marilla, Diana, Jane, Anne, Matthew, Lantern Hill, Green Gables, Rainbow Valley.

But perhaps the best thing about this book for me back in 1978 (as well as 2012) was the writing skill of author Essie Summers. She was so good at showcasing her country of New Zealand that she was awarded an OBE for her contributions to tourism. This is so much more then your typical romance-fare, and deserves additional praise for spotlighting a part of this country to readers far and wide. I've always loved books of any genre that place a big emphasis on descriptive prose, and Summers does an excellent job of painting a picture of New Zealand that allows arm-chair travellers like myself to vicariously visit a country via a book.




***
2012 personal reading challenge for the month of February:
RO-mance - the good, the bad, the turgid manhoods straining to break free...

[Leona · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok read, but the ending was a let down.
More like 2.5 stars, but rounding to 3 because it's Essie.

[Fiona Marsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a funny book to read considering it was written in the seventies when women's lib was still something you chose or didn't.

Marilla is interviewed for a television show and after all the other interviewees being scathing about marriage in a very fashionable way, she come out in defence of marriage. The result is that she is inundated with proposals. I kept thinking of The Farmer Wants a Wife as she fended off all these lonely and occasionally creepy farmers. Her solution was to go to the South Island and find a job, maybe as a governess somewhere with no television.

Rufus knows nothing of this but he does know his sister is trying to set him up with the new governess. So when he meets Marilla he is not very friendly. She gives a variation on her surname to remain anonymous thinking she would never see him again. But a landslip very conveniently traps her at his isolated property along with his sister's children.

All sorts of complication arise including the arrival of Marilla's half-brother and an old beau of her favourite Aunt Elfreda. There is no deep dark conflict here, rather a series of misunderstandings and coincidences that make for an enjoyable and lightweight read.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of this book was the Kindle edition's Foreword and Afterward. The Foreword involves familiar references to "Essie" and pictures of the real life locations in the book. The Afterward is a truly charming reminiscence from the editor about his grandmother's love of early Harlequins (especially Essie Summers) and how she passed that love on to him. After reading about his passion for this author, I wanted desperately to love her too.
But if this is the best of the lot...I don't think I'll be seeking much more.
Comparatively I can see why this one rates high. It keeps things clean. The hero is a working man and there are an abundance of side characters to keep things going. Even the final big 'misunderstanding' doesn't drag out as long as I expected.
But I was bored.
The hero and heroine have no character flaws besides quick tempers which they regularly blame on their red hair. They're not objectionable for the most part, just uninteresting.
And some of these statements...oi. You can tell they're pushing 50 years old. A few gems:
"I mean, let's face it, we women may ignore wolf-whistles, but it does a lot for one's morale, after all."
"M'm, you're certainly not the chubby type. But how heavily for you later, not having to diet."
"Everything about you, your warm-heartedness, your way with the children, your slant on life as expressed in your little homilies to them now and then, upholds family life and delights in home, hobbies, reading, gardening, pets—oh, the lot. Which all adds up to womanliness."
"I'm not one to poach on anyone else's preserves." (Because Lord forbid a woman say no and mean it! No, there must be another man around to explain it.)

It isn't the worse for this era by a long shot, but it left me grimacing!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming, sweet, delightful romance set in the foothill ranch country of New Zealand. How could I not love a story in which the heroine, Marilla (yes, named after the "Anne of Green Gables" character), ends up stranded after a storm on a warm, family-run ranch with place names like Lantern Hill and Rainbow Valley (ditto the LMM references), three sweet and precocious children, and their uncle--the handsome Rufus Sinclair. Only problem is, Marilla has to hide her true identity otherwise Rufus would quite despise her (as his sister and mother, matchmakers extraordinaire, hatched an elaborate scheme to set him up with Marilla and he thinks said Marilla is an avowed husband-hunter). Of course, natural attraction and inevitable misunderstandings and snafus ensue, but it's all handled with such charm I didn't mind the predictability.

Many thanks to my friend Hannah for the recommendation. I certainly would never have checked out a Harlequin romance otherwise, but this one has me eager to try more of Essie Summers work.

[Aubry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not, traditionally, a Harlequin reader. But Essie Summers is such a great writer that I make an exception. All of her stories are set in or have to do with New Zealand, a favorite place of mine ever since a fifth grade project in elementary school. There is usually a family setting with children involved, and none of your excessive sex scenes...Essie was married to a preacher after all.
This one has to do with family history and celebrating the past...right up my alley...and I love reading it every time.

[Megzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scholarly and meticulous details about the mountains in New Zealand. You almost feel like you can touch the scenery.

This book is very clean, you won't find anyone with a throbbing members or heaving bosoms in here. It is very light and filled with humor; it focuses on marriage and domestic issues in an isolated environment. The plot is very unique and the characters both primary and secondary are fascinating.

[Diane Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dated but still a great story. The descriptions of New Zealand were wonderful and I'd love to go there. Lots of references to Anne of Green Gables. The main character's name is Marilla aka Rilla.

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO much better than book 1!
Love these old "Woman's weekly library books and old Harlequins!"
Have some still tucked away...forgot all about them.
Fun short reads down memory lane Lol!

[Crystal Memmott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several books written by Essie Summers. I enjoy the characters that she creates and the settings that are explored in her stories. Over the years I have read many Harlequin Romance books. This is my favorite one!

I really enjoyed the New Zealand setting. I could visualize the fictional Blue Canyon, and Mount Aspiring with its ridges and mountain peaks. The homage to the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery is inspirational.

Main characters Marilla St. John and Rufus Sinclair are a perfect match. I loved following along the journey as they met and discovered commonalities in the qualities they desired in a potential spouse. Hiding Marilla's real identity was a fun twist. The entire storyline kept me entertained and reading on. Always loving a perfectly happy ending, this book delivered.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marilla has always wanted to return to the mountains to live. Unfortunately, after she inadvertently "advertised" this desire on television, she is overwhelmed with proposals. So she cuts and runs, to New Zealand's South Island. There she finds herself stranded, incognito, "Beyond the Foothills", in what would be her ideal — if it weren't for the station owner, Rufus Sinclair, who will never believe she didn't plot with his mother and sister to snare him into marriage! How the misunderstands are unraveled makes a fascinating story, set against magnificent scenery. Great characterization, including believable children. Highly recommended.

[Patrizia · Rating 3 out of 5]

È stata per me una nuova esperienza, leggere una storia ambientata in Nuova Zelanda nella seconda metà del 900. Essendo una donna che, pur non rinunciando alla famiglia, non ha mai pensato di poter rinunciare al lavoro, la figura femminile qui descritta, che dichiara che il suo sogno è di trovare un marito con cui condividere una vita da montanaro, lontana dal mondo civilizzato, non poteva certo piacermi.
Ma la vicenda è ben raccontata, con qualche imbroglio e qualche piccolo colpo di scena, e alla fine l'ho considerata una 'buona' storia.

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

I really enjoy the chance to find new authors, and this one has me raring to go see all the rest of them! Marilla had a whole lot of unwanted and unexpected attention simply by voicing her opinion, and what a time she had before things got unsnarled with Rufus. Loved the story, the setting, and all the secondary characters. And Elfreda and Stephen were definitely awesome.

[Robbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard such bad things about Mills & Boon over the years, and was expecting this to be terrible, but in the end I quite enjoyed it. A nice tale about a trip into the country to a high country farm set & written in the 1970's.

[Bea Tea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming, delightful and sweet. Love Essie Summers.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those aren't five literary fiction stars, just five good-fun stars. This was one of the first Harlequin Romance novels I ever bought. In those days they had a monthly book club; members received six brand-new books every month, and at first a magazine that quickly died after I joined. I soon learned the parameters of Essie Summers' novels (and she was a real person, not a pseudonym ghosted by various people):
The heroine is red-haired and usually a Presbyterian minister's daughter OR the daughter of some wealthy woman (not often).
She is either a shop assistant, an antique seller, secretary, or a nurse/teacher.
She goes to the outback in search of peace and quiet, or a job that can lead to her being loved for herself, not her money.
At some point there is a snowstorm or a flood (sometimes both, as in this book), cutting the mountain sheep station off from civilization for weeks, during which she proves her worth, earns her salt, and sometimes patches up an old lovers' quarrel.
Often, though not always, she does some deed of derring-do to save something or someone she values.
And it made me want to emigrate to New Zealand, which never happened. Probably just as well, as this romanticised version of the Land of the Long White Cloud probably never existed anywhere.

This particular novel was read aloud on a long car drive. Mother, sister and self were trapped in the car with one of those drama queens that wants to tell you allll their troubles, real or imagined, with herself starring as the misunderstood, injured, put-upon martyr--and everyone who knows her can see her for the selfish little fool she is. I stuck my nose firmly in this book and was soon giggling in all the wrong places. Mom asked me what was so funny so I read a passage. She insisted on my starting over and reading it aloud, which shut the drama queen up nicely and occupied a big chunk of the car trip. After that I read it several times (I was 14 in 1976 when it came out), and just rediscovered my old copy when clearing out a bookshelf. Sure, I skimmed over the rapturous descriptions of nature, but I giggled again over the silliness. The dialogue sounded even more stilted today than it did to my 14 year old ears back then (lines like,"Cling to those fuschias" instead of "Grab on to that bush!"), but hey. It saved me from the slippery slope into a reading slump. And I don't even have a fuschia bush to cling to.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the essay at the end of the book by the man who has spearheaded the project of republishing all of Summers's books. The story itself wasn't my favorite that I've read so far, but it wasn't bad. I just felt that the issue keeping the hero and heroine apart should have been resolved much earlier. One aspect of this book I found interesting was the way that the nature and landscape really do play a major role here. Summers does a great job of making me feel like I understand a bit about what it would be like to live there.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the unwelcome publicity aroused by a television interview, Marilla St. John decided to retreat to the country for a while until the fuss had died down. She was not prepared for the encounter with Rufus Sinclair, a confirmed bachelor who had heard that Marilla St. John was a determined husband-hunter. How could she convince him he was wrong?

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Typical Essie Summers - bit of light-hearted fluff where silly girl tries to lie her way out of a situation and just buries herself deeper in it. All works out well of course.