the silver flute

by Lida Larrimore

&D edition bound in purple cloth. Book is VG+, has tanned paper but otherwise clean, tight. DJ has some tape along the edges as reinforcement & some dust soiling. Still, decent copy in servicable DJ

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1931

About the author

Lida Larrimore Turner Thomas was born in Girdletree, on the eastern shore of Maryland, where her father Henry Clay Turner was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Miss Larrimore's writing career began with a play she created out of necessity.

Her only juvenile novel, "The Blossoming of Patricia-the-Less," came in 1924. Tarpaper Palace, her first novel, was published in 1928. On February 27, 1931, Lida Larrimore "Larry" Turner married a widower, Charles Thomas of Tredyffrin Township, Maryland. They had two daughters.

Lida wrote seventeen novels in less than twenty-five years. Her work has been compared to Grace Livingston Hill.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Barbara Thorne’s mother died, she and her three younger siblings were parceled out to various relatives until their father was in a position to care for them again. This was extremely hard on them all, so when (on Barbara’s 18th birthday) their father dies in an accident, they are desperate to somehow all stay together. Though Barbara has never met her godfather ’Uncle Stephen’ he has always been kind in the gifts he sends, and upon their father’s death he writes and tells them to let him know if there is anything he can do to help. This leads to them running away to his house, hoping he can help them find a way to stay together as a family.

Stephen Drake is about 40, a successful lawyer, and is fairly certain he hates change. However, he doesn’t want to be alone the rest of his life, so he is on the verge of asking a woman to marry him, mostly because she’s calm and won’t shake up his life. At this point, the Thorne children show up on the doorstep of his mansion. Stephen was secretly in love with their mother years ago, so he can’t resist helping the children of the woman he loved. But, the longer they stay, the more he begins to care for them as individuals. He also realizes that maybe change and a little chaos is not so bad after all.

Alongside all of this is another plot line, regarding Stephen’s feelings for Barbara. He suspects he is falling in love with her, but is plagued by doubts. Is it just because she reminds him of her mother? Is their age difference too much? Might she feel the same way? Barbara, on the other hand, recently got engaged to Bruce, a young man she has known for years. She hasn’t told Stephen because she doesn’t want him to think she is planning to just dump her younger siblings on him and then leave. Barbara loves Stephen, but she is she ‘in love’ with him? Will her gratefulness for all he has done override her feelings for Bruce?

Overall, this was a sweet story. I think it would have been better without the Stephen/Barbara possible romance plot. Thankfully, that never became weird and uncomfortable. Mostly because ‘Uncle Stephen’ really is a wonderful guy throughout the story and truly wants Barbara to be happy.

[Rose Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read - Lida Larrimore invites us to live among these young people as they adjust to their new life and we feel their emotions. With empathy and charm, Lida Larrimore weaves a wonderful tale. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon!