Clara Vaughan, Volume II of III

Clara Vaughan #2

by R.D. Blackmore

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

155 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 18, 2012

About the author

Richard Doddridge Blackmore, referred to most commonly as R.D. Blackmore, was one of the most famous English novelists of his generation. Over the course of his career, Blackmore achieved a close following around the world. He won literary merit and acclaim for his vivid descriptions and personification of the countryside, sharing with Thomas Hardy a Western England background and a strong sense of regional setting in his works.[1] Noted for his eye for and sympathy with nature, critics of the time described this as one of the most striking features of his writings.

Blackmore, a popular novelist of the second half of the nineteenth century, often referred to as the "Last Victorian", acted as pioneer of the new romantic movement in fiction that continued with Robert Louis Stevenson and others. He may be said to have done for Devon what Sir Walter Scott did for the Highlands and Hardy for Wessex. Blackmore has been described as "proud, shy, reticent, strong-willed, sweet-tempered, and self-centred."

Though very popular in his time, Blackmore's work has since been altogether ignored, and his entire body of work, save for his magnum opus Lorna Doone, which has enjoyed considerable popularity since its being published, has gone out of publication. Thus his reputation rests chiefly upon this romantic work, in spite of the fact that it was not his favourite.

Reviews

[Tweety · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clara Vaughan has grown up into a dark, passionate woman who loves strongly and hates just as strong. She rarely feels anything in between the two emotions unless the person is of no importance to her.

And she has come to love her sweet friend Isola, so much so that even her quest for vendetta has come to a standstill. When she meets Isola's handsome brother Conny, the carver of a magnificent stag Isola has, she quickly realizes that for her, this is her one and only love.

But there is her search that she will not relinquish, his troubled home life, the secret Clara hid that wasn't so big, and the stain on her family history that she never knew of.

This becomes very exciting and learning more of Clara's Uncle Edgar's history was just fantastic, but be warned that this book ends in the middle of his story, you've got to pick up the third volume to finish it.

Poisoning, theft, a 'ghost' who knows how to find family papers in locked draws and a lovely dog named Judy who is of a great help in the story. From London back to Vaughan Park, to Italy and the Dagenham marshes.

Clara becomes a much more likable creature in this second volume and you really start to feel from her and understand why it's so important for her to learn the truth about the past.

On to volume three! I wish I could find a hard copy of this.

PG some fighting, a few swears and mention of an iron hook going through someone's eye/face.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even more intriguing than Volume I (see reviews on that, please), Clara’s life takes an unexpected turn, we learn more of her eccentric friends, there’s a thieving ghost, more heartache for Clara, a history of her uncle,... now I must see how it all ends in Volume III.

[Tami Campbell-Bishop]

DNFed. Just couldn’t bring myself to continue.