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The Best of Daughters
Despite her privileged upbringing, Daisy Lennox has always longed to make something of her life.
She is drawn to the suffragette movement, but when her father faces ruin they are forced to move to the country and Daisy's first duty is to her family.
Here she becomes engaged to her childhood friend - a union both families have dreamed of.
But, on the eve of their wedding, war is declared, and Daisy knows her life will never be the same again.
She is drawn to the suffragette movement, but when her father faces ruin they are forced to move to the country and Daisy's first duty is to her family.
Here she becomes engaged to her childhood friend - a union both families have dreamed of.
But, on the eve of their wedding, war is declared, and Daisy knows her life will never be the same again.
436 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2012
127 people are currently reading
400 people want to read
About the author
Dilly Court
83 books417 followersDilly Court grew up in North-east London and began her career in television, writing scripts for commercials. She is married with two grown-up children and four grandchildren, and now lives in Dorset on the beautiful Jurassic Coast with her husband. She is the author of eighteen novels and also writes under the name of Lily Baxter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
May 14, 2024
Really nice story about the war and how each of the characters come into the story and out again
July 3, 2014
I'm not fond of Lady Mary. I think she's uptight and makes choices for the wrong reasons, but that doesn't deter me from watching and thoroughly enjoying Downton Abbey. Just like my unsure feelings of this heroine, Daisy, didn't deter me from enjoying this novel.
It's the eve of WWI and Daisy, the daughter of wealthy parents fallen on hard times, is trying to decide just who she is. The world is changing. She must change with it.
There's only one servant throughout the story, really, so the novel is missing that strong DA feel as far as mingling with the hired help and there were no side dramas with them we could get really lost in. No Bates in jail, no Anna being raped, no housekeeper with breast cancer.
The one girl, Ruby, does get into some trouble though, the kind you'd expect back then. I won't get into it.
Ruby and Daisy also develop a friendship that starts in their suffragette days. And here is one of my big disappointments: the blurb promised me a suffragette or at least made me feel I would get some suffragette story. It's only in the beginning of the story and is such a small amount, it doesn't feel worth mentioning. I feel a bit ripped off in that aspect.
I liked Daisy sometimes, and others she just plain confused me. Perhaps that's supposed to be, as she seems confused by herself and her feelings as well. What is this strong attraction she feels to a cad? Does she believe in dividing the social classes? She says no, but her actions and snootiness often say yes.
She's afraid of the sight of blood, yet joins the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. She passes out in the butcher shop, yet assists a girl having a stillbirth with no trouble. Um...you see my point? She confuses me.
Disappointment number two: I did not know about the FANYs and was excited that this novel brought them up. It was an all-female unit that participated in intelligence work and nursing during WWI. During the war, they drove ambulances and ran hospitals and clearing stations. I guess they were somewhat like our Red Cross.
I had hoped the book would get into this further, that we'd have actual scenes of this part of Daisy's life, but instead, the novel glosses over these bits quickly, tells in about four pages that she did this and that, readied a hospital, tended the wounded, wrote letters, remained unscathed after everyone around her contracted dysentery, drove an ambulance, etc. There was so much that could have been a story on its own, but instead the author chose to focus the actual scenes on Daisy's imagined romance with a cad, her maid's stupidity, and Daisy's engagement to her childhood friend. The FANY stuff was just told to us as quickly as possible.
Full review here: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2014/...
It's the eve of WWI and Daisy, the daughter of wealthy parents fallen on hard times, is trying to decide just who she is. The world is changing. She must change with it.
There's only one servant throughout the story, really, so the novel is missing that strong DA feel as far as mingling with the hired help and there were no side dramas with them we could get really lost in. No Bates in jail, no Anna being raped, no housekeeper with breast cancer.
The one girl, Ruby, does get into some trouble though, the kind you'd expect back then. I won't get into it.
Ruby and Daisy also develop a friendship that starts in their suffragette days. And here is one of my big disappointments: the blurb promised me a suffragette or at least made me feel I would get some suffragette story. It's only in the beginning of the story and is such a small amount, it doesn't feel worth mentioning. I feel a bit ripped off in that aspect.
I liked Daisy sometimes, and others she just plain confused me. Perhaps that's supposed to be, as she seems confused by herself and her feelings as well. What is this strong attraction she feels to a cad? Does she believe in dividing the social classes? She says no, but her actions and snootiness often say yes.
She's afraid of the sight of blood, yet joins the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. She passes out in the butcher shop, yet assists a girl having a stillbirth with no trouble. Um...you see my point? She confuses me.
Disappointment number two: I did not know about the FANYs and was excited that this novel brought them up. It was an all-female unit that participated in intelligence work and nursing during WWI. During the war, they drove ambulances and ran hospitals and clearing stations. I guess they were somewhat like our Red Cross.
I had hoped the book would get into this further, that we'd have actual scenes of this part of Daisy's life, but instead, the novel glosses over these bits quickly, tells in about four pages that she did this and that, readied a hospital, tended the wounded, wrote letters, remained unscathed after everyone around her contracted dysentery, drove an ambulance, etc. There was so much that could have been a story on its own, but instead the author chose to focus the actual scenes on Daisy's imagined romance with a cad, her maid's stupidity, and Daisy's engagement to her childhood friend. The FANY stuff was just told to us as quickly as possible.
Full review here: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2014/...
September 26, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. By far my favourite Dilly Court novel so far, because Daisy has such a different story to all the others. Daisy has remained fairly privileged but chooses to help in the FANY for the war effort.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
September 14, 2024
Brilliant
Another page turner with wonderful characters and a storyline that keeps you gripped all the way through. Can't get enough of Dilly Court
Another page turner with wonderful characters and a storyline that keeps you gripped all the way through. Can't get enough of Dilly Court
March 4, 2014
Published: March 18.13
Pages: 448
Publisher: RandomHouse UK-North America
Posting the 2nd book review in this March series for
Women's History Month -
For this story, we enter the era leading up to,
then WWI itself. Author Dilly Court paints main character,
Daisy Lennox, as a strong willed young woman unwilling to settle for the status quo. Her interest in the suffragettes is just the first of
unusual involvements Daisy pursues. Her sense of justice
informs her life decisions and path she chooses. Well drawn and well researched,Dilly Court, reveals unique moments in Women's History.
My Thoughts?
Likeability of our MC, Daisy Lennox, is established early on in this story.
Her attitudes and actions to those less fortunate are skillfully contrasted with the stiffly ruled and regulated uppercrust of her mother's society. Daisy's adventurous spirit in
willingly assisting a young suffragette ends in a misadventure that entwines the two for the rest of the novel.
A saga covering a lengthy time span from 1912 to 1917.
Daisy's discontent with the status quo leads her to pursue involvement, first with the suffragette movement - highly criticized for their use of vandalism - followed by introduction to the FANYS. Organized for women to train as nurses for the unwanted yet inevitable WWI, Daisy finds purpose beyond the expected round of socializing, partying, and entertaining of a woman of her societal class.
When it is realized her father's business partner has absconded with the profits,the family is reduced to selling their London property, liquidating assets,and relocating to their rural summer home. Which just happens to neighbour lifelong family friends' property. An advantageous move for the family finances in general,
for Daisy in particular. And for Daisy's young suffragette friend, who is hired as maid of all work.
For Daisy it's a direct connection with her childhood friend who wants more than friendship. The rest of the story unfolds beautifully for the remainder of the novel.
Court has a particular warmth in her writing style - a caring for the characters - that kept me involved through tragedy and triumph. War descriptions preceding, during, and following, are authentic and emotionally involving.
Particulars of this period of history are well researched. As is the wealth of information on the FANYS written into the story without any sense of documentary.
It is an excellent story of love's endurance and redemption.
Important topics of marriage, class distinctions, romantic and familial relationships,pregnancy, wartime, and personal values, are written with serious consideration.
My appreciation to Dilly Court for sharing her creation of Daisy's story with us.
*
About this author:
Dilly Court grew up in North-east London and began her career in television, writing scripts for commercials. She is married with two grown-up children and four grandchildren, and now lives in Dorset on the beautiful Jurassic Coast with her husband. She is the author of eighteen novels and also writes under the name of Lily Baxter.
*
Dilly says of her novels, "Pacy stories, full of nostalgia and great plucky heroines set in turn-of-the-twentieth century London. I spend a long time researching my novels and fully enter the world when I am writing ... "
*
Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author in the UK, Dilly has sold over a million books to date.
Find Dilly on twitter: DillyCourt Online at DillyCourt and at GreatBritishReads
Ms Court is one of several British authors whose ebooks were made available in the US, with pb available as well in Canada and AU for the first time in 2013 as part of Random House UK's international marketing.
*Appreciation to RandomHouse UK-North America for providing an ecopy for reading and reviews without compensation or obligation.
Original review posted at FAITH HOPE & CHERRYTEA
Pages: 448
Publisher: RandomHouse UK-North America
Posting the 2nd book review in this March series for
Women's History Month -
For this story, we enter the era leading up to,
then WWI itself. Author Dilly Court paints main character,
Daisy Lennox, as a strong willed young woman unwilling to settle for the status quo. Her interest in the suffragettes is just the first of
unusual involvements Daisy pursues. Her sense of justice
informs her life decisions and path she chooses. Well drawn and well researched,Dilly Court, reveals unique moments in Women's History.
My Thoughts?
Likeability of our MC, Daisy Lennox, is established early on in this story.
Her attitudes and actions to those less fortunate are skillfully contrasted with the stiffly ruled and regulated uppercrust of her mother's society. Daisy's adventurous spirit in
willingly assisting a young suffragette ends in a misadventure that entwines the two for the rest of the novel.
A saga covering a lengthy time span from 1912 to 1917.
Daisy's discontent with the status quo leads her to pursue involvement, first with the suffragette movement - highly criticized for their use of vandalism - followed by introduction to the FANYS. Organized for women to train as nurses for the unwanted yet inevitable WWI, Daisy finds purpose beyond the expected round of socializing, partying, and entertaining of a woman of her societal class.
When it is realized her father's business partner has absconded with the profits,the family is reduced to selling their London property, liquidating assets,and relocating to their rural summer home. Which just happens to neighbour lifelong family friends' property. An advantageous move for the family finances in general,
for Daisy in particular. And for Daisy's young suffragette friend, who is hired as maid of all work.
For Daisy it's a direct connection with her childhood friend who wants more than friendship. The rest of the story unfolds beautifully for the remainder of the novel.
Court has a particular warmth in her writing style - a caring for the characters - that kept me involved through tragedy and triumph. War descriptions preceding, during, and following, are authentic and emotionally involving.
Particulars of this period of history are well researched. As is the wealth of information on the FANYS written into the story without any sense of documentary.
It is an excellent story of love's endurance and redemption.
Important topics of marriage, class distinctions, romantic and familial relationships,pregnancy, wartime, and personal values, are written with serious consideration.
My appreciation to Dilly Court for sharing her creation of Daisy's story with us.
*
About this author:
Dilly Court grew up in North-east London and began her career in television, writing scripts for commercials. She is married with two grown-up children and four grandchildren, and now lives in Dorset on the beautiful Jurassic Coast with her husband. She is the author of eighteen novels and also writes under the name of Lily Baxter.
*
Dilly says of her novels, "Pacy stories, full of nostalgia and great plucky heroines set in turn-of-the-twentieth century London. I spend a long time researching my novels and fully enter the world when I am writing ... "
*
Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author in the UK, Dilly has sold over a million books to date.
Find Dilly on twitter: DillyCourt Online at DillyCourt and at GreatBritishReads
Ms Court is one of several British authors whose ebooks were made available in the US, with pb available as well in Canada and AU for the first time in 2013 as part of Random House UK's international marketing.
*Appreciation to RandomHouse UK-North America for providing an ecopy for reading and reviews without compensation or obligation.
Original review posted at FAITH HOPE & CHERRYTEA
September 3, 2013
Originally published at Reading Reality
The Best of Daughters reminded me strongly of four different works: Upstairs, Downstairs, The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig, Charles Todd’s Bess Crawford series, and the very long shadow cast by Downton Abbey.
The World War I era has suddenly become very popular, thanks to Downton Abbey, but Upstairs, Downstairs, definitely the precursor for Downton Abbey, was also set in that same period of social upheaval. Great change makes for great drama.
The Best of Daughters is about the daughter of a businessman. The Lennox family are not members of the nobility. Daisy starts out the story as upper middle-class. Wealthy but not a blue blood. And she wants more than the life planned out for her.
She starts the story in rebellion against the strictures laid out for her by society. Not just by being arrested at a suffragette demonstration, but by forming a friendship with a woman considered of a much lower class than herself.
The bond that Daisy forms with Ruby is one of the foundations of the book. As the title indicates, the story told from the point of view of the women in it, and the relationships between women form the backbone of the book.
And even though Daisy does eventually find a traditional happily ever after, the book is really Daisy’s search for purpose. She only figures out what she wants in a romantic sense after she figures out who she is and what she wants in the other parts of her life.
That the war upset the social applecart and made many more things possible for her and all the women around her made the story much more interesting than any mere search for romantic fulfillment could have been.
Escape Rating B+: We go through this story from Daisy’s perspective, seeing the world as she grows and changes. It’s fortunate that she is not just likeable, but that the character is interesting, intelligent, and adaptable. Most important, she makes mistakes and learns from them.
Her character arc is one that contemporary readers can invest in; she starts as a very young woman who wants to make the world a better place, but has been a bit too sheltered to quite know how. She also desperately needs a purpose to her life. Then she suddenly has more than she bargained for and has to adapt quickly. She does, but finds the weight of managing everyone almost too much to bear.
And then the war. Following Daisy’s career as a nursing assistant was very reminiscent of Charles Todd’s Bess Crawford series (start with A Duty to the Dead), which covers the same period from the perspective of a trained nurse and is definitely worth a read.
Daisy comes back around to the place she started from. But she doesn’t, because she’s not the same. She grows up to realize that love was waiting for her all along, but that it has to meet her on her terms, and not the traditional terms that would have been set when she was a girl. The world has changed and she has changed with it. And anyone who loves her, including her family, has to accept those changes.
It makes for compelling family drama.
The Best of Daughters reminded me strongly of four different works: Upstairs, Downstairs, The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig, Charles Todd’s Bess Crawford series, and the very long shadow cast by Downton Abbey.
The World War I era has suddenly become very popular, thanks to Downton Abbey, but Upstairs, Downstairs, definitely the precursor for Downton Abbey, was also set in that same period of social upheaval. Great change makes for great drama.
The Best of Daughters is about the daughter of a businessman. The Lennox family are not members of the nobility. Daisy starts out the story as upper middle-class. Wealthy but not a blue blood. And she wants more than the life planned out for her.
She starts the story in rebellion against the strictures laid out for her by society. Not just by being arrested at a suffragette demonstration, but by forming a friendship with a woman considered of a much lower class than herself.
The bond that Daisy forms with Ruby is one of the foundations of the book. As the title indicates, the story told from the point of view of the women in it, and the relationships between women form the backbone of the book.
And even though Daisy does eventually find a traditional happily ever after, the book is really Daisy’s search for purpose. She only figures out what she wants in a romantic sense after she figures out who she is and what she wants in the other parts of her life.
That the war upset the social applecart and made many more things possible for her and all the women around her made the story much more interesting than any mere search for romantic fulfillment could have been.
Escape Rating B+: We go through this story from Daisy’s perspective, seeing the world as she grows and changes. It’s fortunate that she is not just likeable, but that the character is interesting, intelligent, and adaptable. Most important, she makes mistakes and learns from them.
Her character arc is one that contemporary readers can invest in; she starts as a very young woman who wants to make the world a better place, but has been a bit too sheltered to quite know how. She also desperately needs a purpose to her life. Then she suddenly has more than she bargained for and has to adapt quickly. She does, but finds the weight of managing everyone almost too much to bear.
And then the war. Following Daisy’s career as a nursing assistant was very reminiscent of Charles Todd’s Bess Crawford series (start with A Duty to the Dead), which covers the same period from the perspective of a trained nurse and is definitely worth a read.
Daisy comes back around to the place she started from. But she doesn’t, because she’s not the same. She grows up to realize that love was waiting for her all along, but that it has to meet her on her terms, and not the traditional terms that would have been set when she was a girl. The world has changed and she has changed with it. And anyone who loves her, including her family, has to accept those changes.
It makes for compelling family drama.
September 9, 2013
I have found a new favorite author – Dilly Court. Dilly Court is an English novelist who writes wonderful romantic historic fiction. I read The Best of Daughters while we were camping over Labor Day weekend and I loved it!
If you are a fan of Downton Abbey, like me, you will appreciate the setting of The Best of Daughters. Daisy Lennox is the daughter of a well to do stock broker growing up in Edwardian England. She is rich, beautiful, and privileged, but she wants more out of life. She joins the suffragette movement to fight for woman’s rights, but she finds her world soon crashing down when her father’s business partner leaves the country with all of the firm’s money.
Daisy seeks to reinvent herself in the country and finds herself physically attracted to Bowman, the mechanic that is fixing her father’s car. She also finds that the entire neighborhood is under Bowman’s spell. Daisy’s mother’s dream is that Daisy will marry her childhood friend, Rupert. While Rupert is wonderful and attractive, Daisy finds herself wishing for the spark that she finds with Bowman. WWI soon intervenes and Daisy finds herself making hard choices, but also doing the best that she can for her friends and her family.
I loved the twists and turns that the novel took with the fate of Daisy and her friends and family. I had a very hard time putting this book down, I’m just glad it was a vacation weekend. I loved the romance, but I really loved the setting and the hard realities that WWI put everyone through. Having Daisy as a nurse on the front experiencing it first hand was a wonderful narrative, but it was also sad to read at times. As WWI drifts further back in time, it’s easy to forget the horror that it really was.
I read The Best of Daughters as part of the TLC book tour. For more on this book and The Lady’s Maid check out the TLC website. http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/06/dilly...
Unfortunately, you cannot buy a hardcover copy of Dilly Court’s books in the United States. The good news is that you can purchase eBooks of her novels at the following site:
Great British Reads: Historical and Contemporary eBooks from across the pond:
http://www.greatbritishreads.com/
This review was originally published on my blog at: http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2013/...
If you are a fan of Downton Abbey, like me, you will appreciate the setting of The Best of Daughters. Daisy Lennox is the daughter of a well to do stock broker growing up in Edwardian England. She is rich, beautiful, and privileged, but she wants more out of life. She joins the suffragette movement to fight for woman’s rights, but she finds her world soon crashing down when her father’s business partner leaves the country with all of the firm’s money.
Daisy seeks to reinvent herself in the country and finds herself physically attracted to Bowman, the mechanic that is fixing her father’s car. She also finds that the entire neighborhood is under Bowman’s spell. Daisy’s mother’s dream is that Daisy will marry her childhood friend, Rupert. While Rupert is wonderful and attractive, Daisy finds herself wishing for the spark that she finds with Bowman. WWI soon intervenes and Daisy finds herself making hard choices, but also doing the best that she can for her friends and her family.
I loved the twists and turns that the novel took with the fate of Daisy and her friends and family. I had a very hard time putting this book down, I’m just glad it was a vacation weekend. I loved the romance, but I really loved the setting and the hard realities that WWI put everyone through. Having Daisy as a nurse on the front experiencing it first hand was a wonderful narrative, but it was also sad to read at times. As WWI drifts further back in time, it’s easy to forget the horror that it really was.
I read The Best of Daughters as part of the TLC book tour. For more on this book and The Lady’s Maid check out the TLC website. http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/06/dilly...
Unfortunately, you cannot buy a hardcover copy of Dilly Court’s books in the United States. The good news is that you can purchase eBooks of her novels at the following site:
Great British Reads: Historical and Contemporary eBooks from across the pond:
http://www.greatbritishreads.com/
This review was originally published on my blog at: http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2013/...
May 11, 2014
A wonderful historical novel set in the Edwardian era.
Daisy Lennox is from a good family and has everything to look forward to in life and her rebellious spirit even leads her to get involved in the Suffrage movement against her family's wishes.
She is all but formally betrothed to her childhood friend and constant companion, Rupert Pendleton.
Then a disaster strikes the family when her father's business partner swindles him and the firm itself out of money so the Lennox family is essentially ruined hence their departure to the country and a smaller house called Rainbow's end adjacent to the Pendelton property.
So starts the beginning of a new life, Gwendoline Daisy's mother and Teddy her son is struggling with the change in their circumstances but Daisy and her younger sister Beatrice seem to adjust a lot easier.
Enter the local handyman / car mechanic Barnaby Bowman who unsettles all the local female hearts and is the village lothario.
Daisy is then torn between Rupert and following her heart with Barnaby even knowing he is married with a child from another area and that he has also got the family maid in the family way not once but twice she can't help falling in love with him.
But the start of the war turns everything on its head and nothing in any of the families lives are the same and the future for everyone is uncertain.
Can Daisy possibly follow her dreams and hopes for a future with the rakish Barnaby or will she finally decide stability and love lies in Rupert's direction?
Well written and with so many twists and turns in the storyline this is a great historical novel.
Definitely worth reading.
Daisy Lennox is from a good family and has everything to look forward to in life and her rebellious spirit even leads her to get involved in the Suffrage movement against her family's wishes.
She is all but formally betrothed to her childhood friend and constant companion, Rupert Pendleton.
Then a disaster strikes the family when her father's business partner swindles him and the firm itself out of money so the Lennox family is essentially ruined hence their departure to the country and a smaller house called Rainbow's end adjacent to the Pendelton property.
So starts the beginning of a new life, Gwendoline Daisy's mother and Teddy her son is struggling with the change in their circumstances but Daisy and her younger sister Beatrice seem to adjust a lot easier.
Enter the local handyman / car mechanic Barnaby Bowman who unsettles all the local female hearts and is the village lothario.
Daisy is then torn between Rupert and following her heart with Barnaby even knowing he is married with a child from another area and that he has also got the family maid in the family way not once but twice she can't help falling in love with him.
But the start of the war turns everything on its head and nothing in any of the families lives are the same and the future for everyone is uncertain.
Can Daisy possibly follow her dreams and hopes for a future with the rakish Barnaby or will she finally decide stability and love lies in Rupert's direction?
Well written and with so many twists and turns in the storyline this is a great historical novel.
Definitely worth reading.
October 1, 2020
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over
This novel is an exploration of the meaning of character, and how upbringing, companions, and circumstance influence people’s attitudes. Historical fiction’s strength is in how the themes reflect the book’s time period. The early 1900s in England continued the shift from a separation of noble and common born based on land ownership to recognition of skills and wealth with no ties to the landholders. Those entering the military during World War I helped with this change because enemy fire doesn’t care about social standing. The suffragette movement also rose to prominence. I think this novel successfully portrayed the mix of people who were changing, learning to change, and resisting the expansion of their social ties.
Daisy, the main character, represents both those changed and resisting. She is from the wealthy financial class and grew up alongside the local lord’s son. Her support of suffragettes makes her cross class lines on the other side, befriending Ruby from the poor part of London.
Her attitudes are not as egalitarian as you might suppose, however, illustrating the complexity of early 20th Century class politics well. This is never clearer than with Bowman. Daisy dismisses him as a local handyman, and therefore incompetent, even when her noble friend sings the man’s praises. Things get more complicated when she faces her physical reaction to this man and the problems it causes.
I don’t want to give away the plot threads around each character, but I’ll provide a teaser. The book brings World War I to life from both the volunteer nurses’ and soldiers’ perspectives. It explores bravery and cowardice, moral character, and love and lust. Only kissing occurs on screen, with thought and implication revealing the rest. Still, the dangers of passion are very real while different consequences apply based on gender and position. We gain enjoyable and illuminating insights from how the characters handle various circumstances.
The book has its dark moments, and the main characters don’t always do the right thing, but I came to know them enough to understand even their bad choices. Daisy’s need to be useful puts her in the middle of first the suffragettes and then the war itself. The description of wartime makes the costs clear, and not just on the front lines, without dwelling on the gory aspects. The story explores the power of grief both for those left at home and from the aftereffects of traumatic injury (mental and/or physical). Nor is war the only suffering with consequences raised. The conditions of the lower classes, the treatment of suffragettes, and the aftermath of thievery hold a place within the many plot threads.
I know nothing of the suffragette movement in England, but the author talks about her research into this and WWI, suggesting resources to learn more. Her portrayal feels true to the early 1900s, and Daisy’s understanding of the suffragettes is compelling even if she doesn’t agree with all steps taken in the movement’s name. The portrayal of nursing and a woman’s role in wartime is my favorite part of the novel in a lot of ways. There were a few modern phrases, but not enough to throw me out of the historical period.
Daisy grows into her own person through the events in the novel, and this growth offers a main plot to tie all the others into a coherent whole. She learns the difference between infatuation and love, how emotions can mature, and how to value people for who they are rather than her expectations of them. Her journey gives us a brilliant view of the many forces pulling at the lives and fabric of society in the early 20th Century. Her search for purpose thrusts Daisy into the forefront of events that helped shape this time. She does not stand separate. These events impact Daisy and those she cares about, making them affect us, too.
The novel is an epic story about how people are their own worst impediments as well as the horrors of World War I. It’s petty at times, and selfish, then powerful and generous to an extreme. This is a people story of a complicated era where social change destabilized the existing order and war tore everything apart. Sometimes I despaired of Daisy’s choices, only to recognize the necessity of these steps in her life journey later.
The characters have many layers, not all of them good, making them complex and interesting. Not every plot thread has the strength of the nursing and war ones, but neither are they straightforward, even when they might appear simple at first. Also, the romance thread, while not the main one, has elements of a second chances story, a favorite trope of mine. There’s a lot to absorb in The Best of Daughters, and I enjoyed my time among the characters. A solid work of historical fiction focused on the role women played in society and World War I.
P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley some time ago, then lost it for a bit because of device failure. I am giving my honest opinion now because a novel rarely grows stale.
This novel is an exploration of the meaning of character, and how upbringing, companions, and circumstance influence people’s attitudes. Historical fiction’s strength is in how the themes reflect the book’s time period. The early 1900s in England continued the shift from a separation of noble and common born based on land ownership to recognition of skills and wealth with no ties to the landholders. Those entering the military during World War I helped with this change because enemy fire doesn’t care about social standing. The suffragette movement also rose to prominence. I think this novel successfully portrayed the mix of people who were changing, learning to change, and resisting the expansion of their social ties.
Daisy, the main character, represents both those changed and resisting. She is from the wealthy financial class and grew up alongside the local lord’s son. Her support of suffragettes makes her cross class lines on the other side, befriending Ruby from the poor part of London.
Her attitudes are not as egalitarian as you might suppose, however, illustrating the complexity of early 20th Century class politics well. This is never clearer than with Bowman. Daisy dismisses him as a local handyman, and therefore incompetent, even when her noble friend sings the man’s praises. Things get more complicated when she faces her physical reaction to this man and the problems it causes.
I don’t want to give away the plot threads around each character, but I’ll provide a teaser. The book brings World War I to life from both the volunteer nurses’ and soldiers’ perspectives. It explores bravery and cowardice, moral character, and love and lust. Only kissing occurs on screen, with thought and implication revealing the rest. Still, the dangers of passion are very real while different consequences apply based on gender and position. We gain enjoyable and illuminating insights from how the characters handle various circumstances.
The book has its dark moments, and the main characters don’t always do the right thing, but I came to know them enough to understand even their bad choices. Daisy’s need to be useful puts her in the middle of first the suffragettes and then the war itself. The description of wartime makes the costs clear, and not just on the front lines, without dwelling on the gory aspects. The story explores the power of grief both for those left at home and from the aftereffects of traumatic injury (mental and/or physical). Nor is war the only suffering with consequences raised. The conditions of the lower classes, the treatment of suffragettes, and the aftermath of thievery hold a place within the many plot threads.
I know nothing of the suffragette movement in England, but the author talks about her research into this and WWI, suggesting resources to learn more. Her portrayal feels true to the early 1900s, and Daisy’s understanding of the suffragettes is compelling even if she doesn’t agree with all steps taken in the movement’s name. The portrayal of nursing and a woman’s role in wartime is my favorite part of the novel in a lot of ways. There were a few modern phrases, but not enough to throw me out of the historical period.
Daisy grows into her own person through the events in the novel, and this growth offers a main plot to tie all the others into a coherent whole. She learns the difference between infatuation and love, how emotions can mature, and how to value people for who they are rather than her expectations of them. Her journey gives us a brilliant view of the many forces pulling at the lives and fabric of society in the early 20th Century. Her search for purpose thrusts Daisy into the forefront of events that helped shape this time. She does not stand separate. These events impact Daisy and those she cares about, making them affect us, too.
The novel is an epic story about how people are their own worst impediments as well as the horrors of World War I. It’s petty at times, and selfish, then powerful and generous to an extreme. This is a people story of a complicated era where social change destabilized the existing order and war tore everything apart. Sometimes I despaired of Daisy’s choices, only to recognize the necessity of these steps in her life journey later.
The characters have many layers, not all of them good, making them complex and interesting. Not every plot thread has the strength of the nursing and war ones, but neither are they straightforward, even when they might appear simple at first. Also, the romance thread, while not the main one, has elements of a second chances story, a favorite trope of mine. There’s a lot to absorb in The Best of Daughters, and I enjoyed my time among the characters. A solid work of historical fiction focused on the role women played in society and World War I.
P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley some time ago, then lost it for a bit because of device failure. I am giving my honest opinion now because a novel rarely grows stale.
October 17, 2025
It's a really good story, with strong female characters. Interesting story.
June 20, 2018
This was my first introduction to Dilly Court. I must say I was very pleased with this jump into a period novel. I was fascinated with the way that Dilly was able to use accurate verbiage throughout her descriptions and found myself looking up a few words here or there. When the words are added simply to push it onto the reader that the author is knowledgeable it annoys me. Dilly doesn't do this at all. The writing flows and fits and had she used modern words in her descriptions it would have been off-putting.
This book takes you back into times right before WWI when a well-to-do family is flung into a state of trial as her father's business is swindled by his partner and forces them to flee to the countryside giving up the luxuries they once took for granted. Daisy is on the path to finding herself and begins by attending meetings and demonstrations by the suffragettes. This path is halted on their move to the countryside which has Daisy searching for another path..
Most of the characters were likable and loved the family interactions. At the beginning I really struggled with Daisy's infatuation. I really love how we see and most of the other characters develop throughout the novel. At first I thought it was moving particularly slow amidst all the dress fittings and shopping sprees but I really got more into it as the war started. I really loved how much she grew and matured.
I enjoyed the story and the ending. There were no loose ends and everything ended well. There was romance but not a lot of lusty sex scenes, just small kissing scenes. There wasn't language and the war scenes were moving but not too heavy. There wasn't a lot of angst but there was a lot of painful war scenarios.
I definitely enjoyed this one and will find more by this author. I am eager to see what else she has written.
This book takes you back into times right before WWI when a well-to-do family is flung into a state of trial as her father's business is swindled by his partner and forces them to flee to the countryside giving up the luxuries they once took for granted. Daisy is on the path to finding herself and begins by attending meetings and demonstrations by the suffragettes. This path is halted on their move to the countryside which has Daisy searching for another path..
Most of the characters were likable and loved the family interactions. At the beginning I really struggled with Daisy's infatuation. I really love how we see and most of the other characters develop throughout the novel. At first I thought it was moving particularly slow amidst all the dress fittings and shopping sprees but I really got more into it as the war started. I really loved how much she grew and matured.
I enjoyed the story and the ending. There were no loose ends and everything ended well. There was romance but not a lot of lusty sex scenes, just small kissing scenes. There wasn't language and the war scenes were moving but not too heavy. There wasn't a lot of angst but there was a lot of painful war scenarios.
I definitely enjoyed this one and will find more by this author. I am eager to see what else she has written.
October 28, 2013
As the eldest daughter and with a mama intent on improving her family's social position, Daisy knew what was expected of her, no matter how it chafed -- to behave as a lady ought, and to marry soon and above all, marry well. But in 1912 Daisy's world stands on the brink of profound change, and she cannot resist the siren call of the women's suffragette movement and its heady message of empowerment. Daisy believes that campaigning to see women granted the vote is a worthy passion, one that will allow her to make an indelible mark on the world, and fulfill her closely held dreams of independence. For while ambition outside of marriage may be unconventional in a woman, it is the future Daisy craves, far preferable to marrying her childhood best friend -- the wealthy and highly respectable Rupert -- just because their mothers have willed that it will be so.
But Daisy's dreams of activism and her mother's of an advantageous marriage crumble when the their fortune vanishes and the family is left swindled, their reputation in tatters. Forced into "exile" into a modest country home, far from the never-ending whirl of London's social scene, Daisy's eyes are opened to a world she never dreamed existed, filled with social and professional possibilities she would have never known had her family remained ensconced in their privileged London lifestyle. Even as Daisy puts her dreams on hold to care for her family, her mother continues to push for a marriage to Rupert, made all the more critical as it promises to restore her family to solvency. As Daisy weighs her heart's desires the world catapults toward an all-encompassing conflict that threatens to to not only rob her of her dreams but destory any hope she has of a future. When the specter of the Great War arrives at Daisy's door, she's left with the greatest choice of all -- to embrace the brave new world being forged in the crucible of conflict, to allow herself to forge a new path of her own making, or to remain forever a pawn in the plans of others, powerless to direct the destiny of her heart and life.
When the opportunity to review The Best of Daughters was presented I jumped at the chance. Court is apparently a best-selling novelist in Britain, and a quick perusal of her novels on Amazon promised soapy, engrossing, historical reads -- essentially a Masterpiece costume drama in novel form. Daisy's story dovetails nicely with the first two seasons of Downton Abbey and is tailor-made to appeal to fans of the soapy, Fellowes-penned drama and those of a similar ilk. But what The Best of Daughters lacks that its filmic counterpart has in spades is sharp, compelling characterization. For all one may take issue with Downton's plotlines, Fellowes has a proven knack for crafting buzz-worthy television with characters that, love them or hate them, viewers respond to passionately.
While I liked Daisy and applauded her desire to forge her own path in a world that proscribed strict social roles for women, Court glosses over Daisy's character arc, failing to provide any real depth to Daisy's struggle to balance her dreams with her familial obligations until the novel's final act. The cross-class "romance" with Bowman, an appealing rake and auto mechanic, is little more than a blatant retread of the Downton Sybil/Branson romance, only lacking any of the pairing's character or relational development, not to mention chemistry. For an allegedly critical turning point in her life, Daisy's "scandalous" relationship with Bowman falls flat, leaving one to wonder for most of the novel if Rupert wouldn't be better off without Daisy after all.
Although Daisy's characterization is uneven at best, Court's secondary characters shine in comparison. Beatrice, Daisy's spoiled younger sister, develops a surprising romance with a farmer (horrors!), and Daisy's unorthodox friendship with her fellow suffragette-turned-maid Ruby is a bright spot of occasional humor, but more than that it serves as an effective vehicle for examining each woman's otherwise wildly disparate lifestyle. While The Best of Daughters falls into the narrative trap of telling/info-dumping vs. showing/nuanced characterization, what Court does best here is suggest -- at a high-level -- what a turbulent period of change her characters endured, and the inherent possibilities in the same for women like Daisy who dared to dream of something more. I also appreciated how she brought to light aspects of history that receive little attention in either the general historical record or in fiction of this type, such as the work of the FANYs (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry) during the Great War.
While The Best of Daughters lacked the nuance and emotional depth I crave in historical fiction, I am nonetheless thrilled to have discovered a new-to-me author whose work covers often ignored time periods and possesses a laudable scope and ambition, though it may falter in the realization of the latter. Through the lens of readjusted expectations, having how experienced one of Court's novels, I'd characterize her work as historical fiction lite -- a soapy, glossy look at a tumultuous time, with an ambition seen more in films than popular fiction in my experience. Though the narrative is occasionally cumbersome -- too little showing the development of characters and relevant plot points -- Court touches on a variety of issues that readers with an interest in women's history will find fascinating -- from the FANYs to the eroding social barriers that allowed a friendship to develop between Daisy and Ruby. While not quite captivated I am intrigued, and will definitely explore Court's fiction further!
But Daisy's dreams of activism and her mother's of an advantageous marriage crumble when the their fortune vanishes and the family is left swindled, their reputation in tatters. Forced into "exile" into a modest country home, far from the never-ending whirl of London's social scene, Daisy's eyes are opened to a world she never dreamed existed, filled with social and professional possibilities she would have never known had her family remained ensconced in their privileged London lifestyle. Even as Daisy puts her dreams on hold to care for her family, her mother continues to push for a marriage to Rupert, made all the more critical as it promises to restore her family to solvency. As Daisy weighs her heart's desires the world catapults toward an all-encompassing conflict that threatens to to not only rob her of her dreams but destory any hope she has of a future. When the specter of the Great War arrives at Daisy's door, she's left with the greatest choice of all -- to embrace the brave new world being forged in the crucible of conflict, to allow herself to forge a new path of her own making, or to remain forever a pawn in the plans of others, powerless to direct the destiny of her heart and life.
When the opportunity to review The Best of Daughters was presented I jumped at the chance. Court is apparently a best-selling novelist in Britain, and a quick perusal of her novels on Amazon promised soapy, engrossing, historical reads -- essentially a Masterpiece costume drama in novel form. Daisy's story dovetails nicely with the first two seasons of Downton Abbey and is tailor-made to appeal to fans of the soapy, Fellowes-penned drama and those of a similar ilk. But what The Best of Daughters lacks that its filmic counterpart has in spades is sharp, compelling characterization. For all one may take issue with Downton's plotlines, Fellowes has a proven knack for crafting buzz-worthy television with characters that, love them or hate them, viewers respond to passionately.
While I liked Daisy and applauded her desire to forge her own path in a world that proscribed strict social roles for women, Court glosses over Daisy's character arc, failing to provide any real depth to Daisy's struggle to balance her dreams with her familial obligations until the novel's final act. The cross-class "romance" with Bowman, an appealing rake and auto mechanic, is little more than a blatant retread of the Downton Sybil/Branson romance, only lacking any of the pairing's character or relational development, not to mention chemistry. For an allegedly critical turning point in her life, Daisy's "scandalous" relationship with Bowman falls flat, leaving one to wonder for most of the novel if Rupert wouldn't be better off without Daisy after all.
Although Daisy's characterization is uneven at best, Court's secondary characters shine in comparison. Beatrice, Daisy's spoiled younger sister, develops a surprising romance with a farmer (horrors!), and Daisy's unorthodox friendship with her fellow suffragette-turned-maid Ruby is a bright spot of occasional humor, but more than that it serves as an effective vehicle for examining each woman's otherwise wildly disparate lifestyle. While The Best of Daughters falls into the narrative trap of telling/info-dumping vs. showing/nuanced characterization, what Court does best here is suggest -- at a high-level -- what a turbulent period of change her characters endured, and the inherent possibilities in the same for women like Daisy who dared to dream of something more. I also appreciated how she brought to light aspects of history that receive little attention in either the general historical record or in fiction of this type, such as the work of the FANYs (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry) during the Great War.
While The Best of Daughters lacked the nuance and emotional depth I crave in historical fiction, I am nonetheless thrilled to have discovered a new-to-me author whose work covers often ignored time periods and possesses a laudable scope and ambition, though it may falter in the realization of the latter. Through the lens of readjusted expectations, having how experienced one of Court's novels, I'd characterize her work as historical fiction lite -- a soapy, glossy look at a tumultuous time, with an ambition seen more in films than popular fiction in my experience. Though the narrative is occasionally cumbersome -- too little showing the development of characters and relevant plot points -- Court touches on a variety of issues that readers with an interest in women's history will find fascinating -- from the FANYs to the eroding social barriers that allowed a friendship to develop between Daisy and Ruby. While not quite captivated I am intrigued, and will definitely explore Court's fiction further!
September 25, 2024
I genuinely love this book! It's a brilliant and easy read for young adults looking to transition to adult books, but also a lovely read for adults who want to go back in time and fall in love with the the twists and turns life can take.
*** Spoilers ***
The Best of Daughters was my favourite book as a teen, I first read it at 14 after my nana gifted it to me. I love the romance between Daisy and Rupert and how it isn't her full storyline. I have re-read this book many times and although my paperback has seen better days I will never part with it. I'm 26 now and I still feel just as immersed in the story as the first time I read it. I can't wait to re-read it next year!
*** Spoilers ***
The Best of Daughters was my favourite book as a teen, I first read it at 14 after my nana gifted it to me. I love the romance between Daisy and Rupert and how it isn't her full storyline. I have re-read this book many times and although my paperback has seen better days I will never part with it. I'm 26 now and I still feel just as immersed in the story as the first time I read it. I can't wait to re-read it next year!
April 6, 2019
A gripping tale of love , loss and war with a worthy heroine.
1912 London . Daisy Lennox has had a privileged life , but feels something is missing . She longs to join the Suffragettes . Alas her first attempt ends in disaster .
When the family fortunes disappear they are facing ruin and have to move out of London . Here Daisy finds herself running the home as her Mother is incapable of doing anything useful !
When war is declared Daisy must grow up and find what living in the real world entails . She must face the horrors of war and learn what love really means .
1912 London . Daisy Lennox has had a privileged life , but feels something is missing . She longs to join the Suffragettes . Alas her first attempt ends in disaster .
When the family fortunes disappear they are facing ruin and have to move out of London . Here Daisy finds herself running the home as her Mother is incapable of doing anything useful !
When war is declared Daisy must grow up and find what living in the real world entails . She must face the horrors of war and learn what love really means .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2024
love love LOVE.
i felt like i was in this universe, and i didn’t want it to end. i grew to have so much love for daisy! truly such a great character, a good book too, there was always something happening. i’m sooo happy bowman died because he was the worst part of this book in my opinion, although daisy claimed to have strong passion for him, i really couldn’t sense that in the book. i was hoping it would be rupert all along and i was right. :))
i felt like i was in this universe, and i didn’t want it to end. i grew to have so much love for daisy! truly such a great character, a good book too, there was always something happening. i’m sooo happy bowman died because he was the worst part of this book in my opinion, although daisy claimed to have strong passion for him, i really couldn’t sense that in the book. i was hoping it would be rupert all along and i was right. :))
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 19, 2019tAnother brilliant story from dilly court
I chose this rating because all of her books are always brilliant the stories are always a mixture of sadness and happy times.Rich and poor they always work together in the end.Daisy work for the Fanys was so important to her although very sad at times and then to have a convelesant home for all the soldiers was brilliant.
I chose this rating because all of her books are always brilliant the stories are always a mixture of sadness and happy times.Rich and poor they always work together in the end.Daisy work for the Fanys was so important to her although very sad at times and then to have a convelesant home for all the soldiers was brilliant.
June 13, 2023
My first book by Dilly Court so will be reading many more. Love stories of the “tiffs” and peasants / servants etc and how their lives intertwine. If you have enjoyed Catherine Cookson Josephine Cox you will enjoy Dilly Court or Lily Baxter.
March 10, 2018
I wasn't sure if I'd like Daisy to begin with but she grew on me. A good story about the horrors of ww1.
April 23, 2019
Good read
Although I felt this book a little slow to begin with and it took me longer to read than normal I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
Although I felt this book a little slow to begin with and it took me longer to read than normal I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
July 3, 2019
The best of daughters
I really enjoyed reading this story. It was not obvious what would happen next which kept my interest from start to finish.
I really enjoyed reading this story. It was not obvious what would happen next which kept my interest from start to finish.
February 23, 2021
Enjoyable
Good storyline that kept me interested though at times I felt Daisy’s progress was glossed over and could have been fleshed out more.
Good storyline that kept me interested though at times I felt Daisy’s progress was glossed over and could have been fleshed out more.
November 14, 2021
Really enjoyed this book. I love this author
January 11, 2022
Absolutely loved it couldn’t put it down as it took me just2 days to finish it and a lovely happy ending
May 22, 2023
Woeful...the only reason I kept reading it was there were no other books in the hospital.
October 18, 2024
A good read
Certainly not a page turner but I still enjoyed the book. I have read a lot of Dilly Court’s books and this one did not disappoint.
Certainly not a page turner but I still enjoyed the book. I have read a lot of Dilly Court’s books and this one did not disappoint.
February 24, 2025
Very good
July 3, 2025
I absolutely love all things DC
December 11, 2017
It was okay. Would recommend to fans of history/the 1910s or wartime stories but I wouldn't read it again.
August 9, 2016
My first introduction to Dilly Court, and I am thoroughly pleased to have the opportunity to read and review her work.
Set in the early 1900’s, just before the advent of WW1, this story manages to incorporate romance, hardship and scandal with a determined young woman at the center. Daisy is the eldest daughter in this well-to-do upper middle class family, with a mother who is decidedly difficult and spoiled, a brother that is heedless and snobbish at the best of times, and a younger sister. When her father’s inattention to his business dealings brings the family to near-ruin, they are forced to leave the city and take residence in their country home.
Daisy is a character that while not unique in terms of today’s views, was a highly controversial woman in her time. Pushing off marriage for as long as possible, she wants to accomplish something in life: to make a difference. And she takes on several different adventures and tasks, most unsuited to a woman of her class (Upper-Middle) and all abhorrent to her mother. Daisy is cooking and cleaning, managing the family budget and has befriended a lower-class girl from the slums of East London, bringing her on as a maid of all work after meeting her during her time with the Suffragettes.
We follow Daisy as her heart is captured by the ultimate bad boy in town: she finds passion for the first time, yet her parent’s expectations of her marriage to Rupert, her brother’s friend and the son of a Duke, leave her decidedly unmoved.
Characters in this story are well-defined and developed as they all grow (with the exception of her mother) significantly throughout their trials. Court incorporates historical elements into the story, giving us a sense of the changes that are coming to society, where often only Daisy is aware of the disintegration of the rigid and hierarchical class system that served to keep women quiet and homebound. Daisy is not willing to be constrained by society, and she is determined to do her part for the war effort: traveling to Belgium and providing ambulance service and light nursing.
Throughout the story, Daisy is torn between the comfortable and expected path that leads to her marriage and running the estate, or the passion that is ignited by the town’s bad boy: a jack of all trades on a motorcycle who is the local lothario. She has decisions to make and it isn’t until she nearly loses everything that she realizes where her heart lies.
This isn’t a direct path to a happy ending: there are tumultuous moments and while there isn’t overt sexuality detailed, there are plot twists that show the double standard that exists, as well as the consequences. Her mother is patently dislikable: whingy, spoilt and utterly callous toward her daughters and fawning over her son: her character drew strong emotions from all of the story’s characters, few pleasant. The scenes and settings are detailed with attention and the contrast between the lush to acceptable to horrific all manage to provide the reader with a solid visual reference. Pacing varies as required to set the scene and provide adequate time for the reader to grasp the era and the situation, yet there were no spots that were overtly lagging or too quick. The world was changing dramatically in the WW1 era, and this book shows one perspective of the effects.
I received an eBook copy from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Set in the early 1900’s, just before the advent of WW1, this story manages to incorporate romance, hardship and scandal with a determined young woman at the center. Daisy is the eldest daughter in this well-to-do upper middle class family, with a mother who is decidedly difficult and spoiled, a brother that is heedless and snobbish at the best of times, and a younger sister. When her father’s inattention to his business dealings brings the family to near-ruin, they are forced to leave the city and take residence in their country home.
Daisy is a character that while not unique in terms of today’s views, was a highly controversial woman in her time. Pushing off marriage for as long as possible, she wants to accomplish something in life: to make a difference. And she takes on several different adventures and tasks, most unsuited to a woman of her class (Upper-Middle) and all abhorrent to her mother. Daisy is cooking and cleaning, managing the family budget and has befriended a lower-class girl from the slums of East London, bringing her on as a maid of all work after meeting her during her time with the Suffragettes.
We follow Daisy as her heart is captured by the ultimate bad boy in town: she finds passion for the first time, yet her parent’s expectations of her marriage to Rupert, her brother’s friend and the son of a Duke, leave her decidedly unmoved.
Characters in this story are well-defined and developed as they all grow (with the exception of her mother) significantly throughout their trials. Court incorporates historical elements into the story, giving us a sense of the changes that are coming to society, where often only Daisy is aware of the disintegration of the rigid and hierarchical class system that served to keep women quiet and homebound. Daisy is not willing to be constrained by society, and she is determined to do her part for the war effort: traveling to Belgium and providing ambulance service and light nursing.
Throughout the story, Daisy is torn between the comfortable and expected path that leads to her marriage and running the estate, or the passion that is ignited by the town’s bad boy: a jack of all trades on a motorcycle who is the local lothario. She has decisions to make and it isn’t until she nearly loses everything that she realizes where her heart lies.
This isn’t a direct path to a happy ending: there are tumultuous moments and while there isn’t overt sexuality detailed, there are plot twists that show the double standard that exists, as well as the consequences. Her mother is patently dislikable: whingy, spoilt and utterly callous toward her daughters and fawning over her son: her character drew strong emotions from all of the story’s characters, few pleasant. The scenes and settings are detailed with attention and the contrast between the lush to acceptable to horrific all manage to provide the reader with a solid visual reference. Pacing varies as required to set the scene and provide adequate time for the reader to grasp the era and the situation, yet there were no spots that were overtly lagging or too quick. The world was changing dramatically in the WW1 era, and this book shows one perspective of the effects.
I received an eBook copy from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
September 5, 2013
While waiting on baited breath for Season 4 of Downton Abbey to begin, I was contacted with an opportunity to review a book that is a definite read for fans of the series. Best of Daughters by author Dilly Court takes readers into the look at the Lennox family living in Pimlico, London in 1912 just on the cusp of the future World War 1. As most aristocratic families of that time, the Lennox's hoped for a rich future through the marriage of their daughter Daisy and her childhood best friend Rupert Pendleton. Both families hoped that they would marry as they have been in one another's company for as long as they can remember, but like most women, Daisy had hoped to marry for love. She can't seem to see past Rupert as being anything more than her dearest friend.
However when her father's business partner runs off with money from his company, he is left to declare bankruptcy and relocate the family to their country house leaving London far behind. Unable to find the man, his family is left with nothing more than a roof over their heads and the rich and wealthy lifestyle is now something in the past, one her complaining and bitter mother Gwendolyn can't seem to forget. Her mother believes that with her marriage to Rupert, they will no longer have to struggle with doing their own chores and living below their means like the common villagers do, but Daisy can't bring herself to find the love Rupert so desperately desires from her. Especially when she finds heated passion in the eyes of the mechanic, Barnaby Bowman, who has been hired on to repair the family car.
Bowman is nothing more than a player of female hearts and he has his eyes set not only on conquering Daisy but also the only maid and friend Daisy has, Ruby. If he can't have Daisy, Ruby will be a great substitute, but no matter how much the truth confronts her, Daisy is drawn like a moth to a flame every time her and Bowman encounter one another. Now sitting on the brink of London going to war with Germany, life is about to change for Daisy is many unexpected ways when both Rupert, her brother Teddy and Bowman are all called into battle. Will her love for any of them make a difference or will Daisy wind up as an old maid on the spinster shelf?
I received The Best of Daughters by Dilly Court compliments of TLC Book Tours and Random House Publishing Group for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. I would rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and would have given it a higher rating had the book not contain any profanity, but it does contain some thus the need to rate the novel according to my own review scale. However this is such a great inbetween meal to indulge in while waiting for Downton Abbey to pick back up and along the way gives readers insight not only into the issues dealing with the women's suffrage movement but also their involvement in the FANYs or First Aid Nursing Yeomanry which helped out in the war efforts. I can't wait to read more of Dilly's novels and this one even includes an interview with Dilly Court as well a sneak peek into her next novel The Workhouse Girl.
However when her father's business partner runs off with money from his company, he is left to declare bankruptcy and relocate the family to their country house leaving London far behind. Unable to find the man, his family is left with nothing more than a roof over their heads and the rich and wealthy lifestyle is now something in the past, one her complaining and bitter mother Gwendolyn can't seem to forget. Her mother believes that with her marriage to Rupert, they will no longer have to struggle with doing their own chores and living below their means like the common villagers do, but Daisy can't bring herself to find the love Rupert so desperately desires from her. Especially when she finds heated passion in the eyes of the mechanic, Barnaby Bowman, who has been hired on to repair the family car.
Bowman is nothing more than a player of female hearts and he has his eyes set not only on conquering Daisy but also the only maid and friend Daisy has, Ruby. If he can't have Daisy, Ruby will be a great substitute, but no matter how much the truth confronts her, Daisy is drawn like a moth to a flame every time her and Bowman encounter one another. Now sitting on the brink of London going to war with Germany, life is about to change for Daisy is many unexpected ways when both Rupert, her brother Teddy and Bowman are all called into battle. Will her love for any of them make a difference or will Daisy wind up as an old maid on the spinster shelf?
I received The Best of Daughters by Dilly Court compliments of TLC Book Tours and Random House Publishing Group for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. I would rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and would have given it a higher rating had the book not contain any profanity, but it does contain some thus the need to rate the novel according to my own review scale. However this is such a great inbetween meal to indulge in while waiting for Downton Abbey to pick back up and along the way gives readers insight not only into the issues dealing with the women's suffrage movement but also their involvement in the FANYs or First Aid Nursing Yeomanry which helped out in the war efforts. I can't wait to read more of Dilly's novels and this one even includes an interview with Dilly Court as well a sneak peek into her next novel The Workhouse Girl.
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