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Celia #1
Celia's House
There's no place like home Celia Dunne may be an old spinster, but she's no fool. She knows that changing her will to leave the grand family estate, Dunnian, to her grand-nephew will ruffle feathers within the family. But Celia also knows that Dunnian has stood solemn and empty for far too long, and she intends for that to change after she's gone. Humphrey's children will turn the creaky old house back into a family home―just the way it was meant to be. As Humphrey's young family grows and expands within the walls of Dunnian, the house seems to welcome them with warmth and a wonderful feeling of belonging. Following the Dunnes through youthful antics, merry parties, heartbreaks, love, and marriages, Celia's House is an enchanting family novel that begs to be read and savored over and over again. Celia's House is another heartwarming tale from D.E. Stevenson, beloved author of Miss Buncle's Book Readers love D.E. "Finding a re-issued D.E. Stevenson novel is like finding a Tiffany lamp at Woolworth's."
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1943
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1005 people want to read
About the author
D.E. Stevenson
67 books627 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Dorothy Emily Stevenson was a best-selling Scottish author. She published more than 40 romantic novels over a period of more than 40 years. Her father was a cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson.
D.E. Stevenson had an enormously successful writing career: between 1923 and 1970, four million copies of her books were sold in Britain and three million in the States. Like E.F. Benson, Ann Bridge, O. Douglas or Dorothy L. Sayers (to name but a few) her books are funny, intensely readable, engaging and dependable.
Dorothy Emily Stevenson was a best-selling Scottish author. She published more than 40 romantic novels over a period of more than 40 years. Her father was a cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson.
D.E. Stevenson had an enormously successful writing career: between 1923 and 1970, four million copies of her books were sold in Britain and three million in the States. Like E.F. Benson, Ann Bridge, O. Douglas or Dorothy L. Sayers (to name but a few) her books are funny, intensely readable, engaging and dependable.
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April 30, 2020
Celia's House, written in 1943 by popular Scottish author D.E. Stevenson, is a cozy and charming read, a little old-fashioned, with some lovely moments. Readers who like nostalgic books with some light romance, like The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery, will probably enjoy this book. Also, about half of this novel is a 1920s retelling of Mansfield Park, so how you feel about retellings generally and that Austen novel in particular will affect how well you like Celia's House.
Scottish border country
Centered around Dunnian, a beautiful family estate in the countryside between Scotland and England, this novel follows various members of the Dunne family over about a 40 year period, beginning in 1905, when 90 year old Celia Dunne, a spinster, decides to bypass her stuffy nephew Maurice and leave her beloved home and money to her grandnephew, Humphrey, a rather poor naval officer with a wife and three small children who needs the home much more than Maurice, and who Celia trusts to treat Dunnian properly. This first part of the story, where Humphrey and his wife Alice are astonished and delighted in their good fortune (and Maurice and his wife equally astounded and upset about the loss of what they expected to be given them) is enchanting. It's lovely to see Humphrey's family settle into their new home, especially experiencing this through 5 year old Mark's eyes.
The book jumps forward in time periodically, and most of the middle section takes place in mid-1920s, when Humphrey's children are in their teens and twenties and beginning to form romantic relationships. The story also pulls in Deborah, a second cousin once removed, who adores Mark. Mark, unfortunately for Deb, only has eyes for Tessa Skene, a beautiful neighbor. This middle part channels Mansfield Park rather closely, but I thought it fit into the overall story pretty well, and I don't mind retellings when they're handled well. The last part of the story follows the family members into the early years of WWII, with an up-close look at how the war affects people on the outskirts of the main action.
There are a few brief paranormal moments: some mysterious appearances of Aunt Celia to members of Humphrey's family, and the similarities between Celia and Humphrey's youngest daughter Celia, named after her. But generally this is a pretty straightforward historical novel with appealing characters. It's a fairly lightweight novel - the characters don't have a whole lot of depth or complexity - but I found it very pleasant, relaxing reading.
I've got a couple of Goodreads friends who are D.E. Stevenson fans, and they convinced me to give another of her books a try, after being a little disappointed with Anna and Her Daughters. This one falls in the "win" category for me. Now to see how many more Stevenson books my library has ...
Scottish border country
Centered around Dunnian, a beautiful family estate in the countryside between Scotland and England, this novel follows various members of the Dunne family over about a 40 year period, beginning in 1905, when 90 year old Celia Dunne, a spinster, decides to bypass her stuffy nephew Maurice and leave her beloved home and money to her grandnephew, Humphrey, a rather poor naval officer with a wife and three small children who needs the home much more than Maurice, and who Celia trusts to treat Dunnian properly. This first part of the story, where Humphrey and his wife Alice are astonished and delighted in their good fortune (and Maurice and his wife equally astounded and upset about the loss of what they expected to be given them) is enchanting. It's lovely to see Humphrey's family settle into their new home, especially experiencing this through 5 year old Mark's eyes.
The book jumps forward in time periodically, and most of the middle section takes place in mid-1920s, when Humphrey's children are in their teens and twenties and beginning to form romantic relationships. The story also pulls in Deborah, a second cousin once removed, who adores Mark. Mark, unfortunately for Deb, only has eyes for Tessa Skene, a beautiful neighbor. This middle part channels Mansfield Park rather closely, but I thought it fit into the overall story pretty well, and I don't mind retellings when they're handled well. The last part of the story follows the family members into the early years of WWII, with an up-close look at how the war affects people on the outskirts of the main action.
There are a few brief paranormal moments: some mysterious appearances of Aunt Celia to members of Humphrey's family, and the similarities between Celia and Humphrey's youngest daughter Celia, named after her. But generally this is a pretty straightforward historical novel with appealing characters. It's a fairly lightweight novel - the characters don't have a whole lot of depth or complexity - but I found it very pleasant, relaxing reading.
I've got a couple of Goodreads friends who are D.E. Stevenson fans, and they convinced me to give another of her books a try, after being a little disappointed with Anna and Her Daughters. This one falls in the "win" category for me. Now to see how many more Stevenson books my library has ...
June 4, 2020
'Celia's House' was such a sweet story. I couldn't help turning the pages because it was so charming and innocent. Set in Scotland between 1910 and the 1940's 'Celia' felt like a Scottish 'Downton Abbey'.
If you like the family scenario and the country descriptions and a special house everyone keeps coming back to throughout generations then you will probably melt for this book. I loved all the characters and 'watching' the family and kids grow was lovely. I wanted to be a fly on the Dunnian household.
"Alice would love this place. The children would adore it. They would grow strong and fit in the lovely air with plenty of milk and cream and rich golden butter from the farm. They would be perfectly happy and he would be happy thinking of them... and he would come back here for his leave to a real home, to a safe harbour. This place would give him roots , and Humphrey wanted roots for himself and his family. He wanted roots all the more because his life was nomadic, because he had never known what it was to have a real settled home." (pg. 25)
It's like coming home, truly.
If you like the family scenario and the country descriptions and a special house everyone keeps coming back to throughout generations then you will probably melt for this book. I loved all the characters and 'watching' the family and kids grow was lovely. I wanted to be a fly on the Dunnian household.
"Alice would love this place. The children would adore it. They would grow strong and fit in the lovely air with plenty of milk and cream and rich golden butter from the farm. They would be perfectly happy and he would be happy thinking of them... and he would come back here for his leave to a real home, to a safe harbour. This place would give him roots , and Humphrey wanted roots for himself and his family. He wanted roots all the more because his life was nomadic, because he had never known what it was to have a real settled home." (pg. 25)
It's like coming home, truly.
October 17, 2015
I hoped – in fact I expected - that I would fall in love with ‘Celia’s House’.
It promised things that I love, and things that I know D E Stevenson is very, very good at:
•A Scottish setting
•A big house
•The history of a family.
I did fall in love with the story as it began, but sadly I fell out of love again before very long. I found things to love, I found moments to love, but it wasn’t the same. Because the spell had been broken.
Let me explain.
The story opens early in the twentieth century. Celia Dunne had lived at Dunnian for every one of her ninety years. She knew that the end of her life was very near, and that she would have to leave her beloved home. She knew that there always been Dunnes at Dunnian, and she was going to do everything she could to make sure that there always would be.
She summoned Humphrey, her great-nephew, who she knew was home on leave from the Navy. She saw that he loved the house too, and that he understood how wonderful it would be to raise his children there; and so she told him that she was going to disinherit the nephew she knew had plans to redevelop her property as soon as he got his hands on it, and leave it to Humphrey instead. In trust for his daughter Celia.
Humphrey is thrilled, but he is also somewhat confused. He doesn’t have a daughter named Celia. The elderly Celia assure him that he will, and indeed he does.
It isn’t long before Celia dies, the nephew who thought the house would be his is sent packing, and Humphrey; his rather delicate wife, Alice; and their three small children, Mark, Edith and Joyce, move to Dunnian. It becomes a family home; two more children, Billy and Celia, are born; Humphrey and Alice take in a seven-year old cousin, Debbie, when her mother remarries and follows her husband to India.
This part of the story was lovely. The house and family life is so very well evoked. It was lovely to meet the family retainers, who loved Dunnian too, and to see them ease the family’s transition into a new life that was so lovely, but quite different from what they were used to.
Sadly, the story lost its way when the children grew up. Their lives became tangled with the lives of a family at a bigger, grander, neighbouring house. It turned into a reworking of ‘Mansfield Park’, with Mark, who was studying medicine cast as Edmund Bertram and his cousin Debbie cast as Fanny Price. If only it had been a little more than a retelling, if only more that a few of the character had been given the depth they needed, and if only it hadn’t gone on for quite so long, it could have been lovely. But it wasn’t, and I was relieved when it was over.
There had been some lovely touches along the way. The author used the world’s expectation that Mark, as the eldest son, would inherit, and the reality that he wouldn’t very cleverly. I appreciated her understanding of Humphrey’s feelings -as a father, as a widower and as a military man – when war came, his sons were called up, and he realised that there was very little he could contribute.
I couldn’t help thinking that if D E Stevenson had understood all of her characters as well this would have been a better, more even, book.
It was only at the end that Celia, the heir to Dunnian, emerged from the shadows to learn her destiny and to bring the story to a lovely ending, that had its roots in its very beginning.
It’s maddening that, though D E Stevenson does many things so very well, she sometimes goes terribly wrong.
I’ve read more of her books that have gone right than have gone wrong, and so I’m going to keep picking my way through them.
I just need to tread carefully …
It promised things that I love, and things that I know D E Stevenson is very, very good at:
•A Scottish setting
•A big house
•The history of a family.
I did fall in love with the story as it began, but sadly I fell out of love again before very long. I found things to love, I found moments to love, but it wasn’t the same. Because the spell had been broken.
Let me explain.
The story opens early in the twentieth century. Celia Dunne had lived at Dunnian for every one of her ninety years. She knew that the end of her life was very near, and that she would have to leave her beloved home. She knew that there always been Dunnes at Dunnian, and she was going to do everything she could to make sure that there always would be.
She summoned Humphrey, her great-nephew, who she knew was home on leave from the Navy. She saw that he loved the house too, and that he understood how wonderful it would be to raise his children there; and so she told him that she was going to disinherit the nephew she knew had plans to redevelop her property as soon as he got his hands on it, and leave it to Humphrey instead. In trust for his daughter Celia.
Humphrey is thrilled, but he is also somewhat confused. He doesn’t have a daughter named Celia. The elderly Celia assure him that he will, and indeed he does.
It isn’t long before Celia dies, the nephew who thought the house would be his is sent packing, and Humphrey; his rather delicate wife, Alice; and their three small children, Mark, Edith and Joyce, move to Dunnian. It becomes a family home; two more children, Billy and Celia, are born; Humphrey and Alice take in a seven-year old cousin, Debbie, when her mother remarries and follows her husband to India.
This part of the story was lovely. The house and family life is so very well evoked. It was lovely to meet the family retainers, who loved Dunnian too, and to see them ease the family’s transition into a new life that was so lovely, but quite different from what they were used to.
Sadly, the story lost its way when the children grew up. Their lives became tangled with the lives of a family at a bigger, grander, neighbouring house. It turned into a reworking of ‘Mansfield Park’, with Mark, who was studying medicine cast as Edmund Bertram and his cousin Debbie cast as Fanny Price. If only it had been a little more than a retelling, if only more that a few of the character had been given the depth they needed, and if only it hadn’t gone on for quite so long, it could have been lovely. But it wasn’t, and I was relieved when it was over.
There had been some lovely touches along the way. The author used the world’s expectation that Mark, as the eldest son, would inherit, and the reality that he wouldn’t very cleverly. I appreciated her understanding of Humphrey’s feelings -as a father, as a widower and as a military man – when war came, his sons were called up, and he realised that there was very little he could contribute.
I couldn’t help thinking that if D E Stevenson had understood all of her characters as well this would have been a better, more even, book.
It was only at the end that Celia, the heir to Dunnian, emerged from the shadows to learn her destiny and to bring the story to a lovely ending, that had its roots in its very beginning.
It’s maddening that, though D E Stevenson does many things so very well, she sometimes goes terribly wrong.
I’ve read more of her books that have gone right than have gone wrong, and so I’m going to keep picking my way through them.
I just need to tread carefully …
August 11, 2023
Well, I started off really enjoying this book, as D.E. Stevenson is a trusted comfort-read author for me, but I could not really handle the plot suddenly switching itself into a kind of Mansfield Park retelling (though thankfully, Deb is not as pathologically shy, weak or passive as Fanny Price) all that well.
It wasn't too bad as far as retellings go and I liked Deb and Mark much better than Fanny and Edmund and yet I could not really get comfortable with it all.
It wasn't too bad as far as retellings go and I liked Deb and Mark much better than Fanny and Edmund and yet I could not really get comfortable with it all.
August 11, 2023
Celia's House is a delightful 1920s homage to Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. Full of joy and laughter, woven with sadness and tears, it is one of D.E. Stevenson's most lovable works. The Dunne family is unforgettable and Dunnian, Celia's house, is a dream. (Only second to Pemberley in my list of bookish places I wish I could visit.) Set in the Scottish countryside and complete with a remarkable cast of characters, Celia's House is magnificent.
Content: some sort of ghost is seen multiple times by multiple people, which is unexplained; there's kissing (undescribed); one of the side characters is mentioned to have had an affair. There's no violence, only a little romance, and minimal bad language, very common to the time period.
Celia's House is pretty clean. I'd suggest this to readers 12+.
Highly recommended to fans of Mansfield Park and L.M. Montgomery's novels, especially The Blue Castle and her Emily of New Moon series. If you've read anything else by D.E. Stevenson, this one won't disappoint.
Content: some sort of ghost is seen multiple times by multiple people, which is unexplained; there's kissing (undescribed); one of the side characters is mentioned to have had an affair. There's no violence, only a little romance, and minimal bad language, very common to the time period.
Celia's House is pretty clean. I'd suggest this to readers 12+.
Highly recommended to fans of Mansfield Park and L.M. Montgomery's novels, especially The Blue Castle and her Emily of New Moon series. If you've read anything else by D.E. Stevenson, this one won't disappoint.
June 25, 2025
LOVE this book. It was my first D. E. Stevenson and is still my favorite. Partially a modern retelling of “Mansfield Park”, it’s also a story of a family over many years and a love story.
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May 5, 2020A listener suggested that I might like the work of D. E. Stevenson. A comforting, easy read.
May 31, 2016
An enchanting family saga that I am so fond of!
September 23, 2015
Celia Dunne has lived 90 years at Dunnian. She was born the day after Waterloo and has lived into the new century. Now she's elderly and dying and knows she has to leave her beloved Dunnian. There have always been Dunnes at Dunnian, even before their house was built. Her nephew, Maurice, and his wife Nina are dying to get their hands on Dunnian to make "improvements," but Celia has other plans. She summons her great-nephew Humphrey, on leave from the Navy and determines he loves Dunnian as much as she does. It will be a good place for his children to grow up, she thinks and she will leave the house to his daughter Celia. The catch - Celia isn't born yet and the house has to stay in the Dunne family. Should Celia marry, her husband must take her name. Humphrey's wife Alice and their three children: Mark, Edith and Joyce, settle into life at Dunnian. Once Mark becomes acquainted with the woods, the streams and the old Peale, he becomes enchanted with Dunnian. When his distant cousin Deb comes to live with them, she shares his quiet enthusiasm for their beloved old home. Years come and go, two more children are born at Dunnian and Mark learns the truth about the inheritance. He promises to work hard and make a living for himself if he can be near Dunnian. One by one the siblings begin to leave the nest and old neighbors are now grown. This includes the beautiful, lively Tessa and her charming brother Oliver, who come to visit their grandmother in the summer. Summer casts it's spell and soon the plot turns into Mansfield Park. If you haven't read the original - go do that now before you read this book.
The story has too much exposition at the beginning and very little plot. About halfway through the story turns into Mansfield Park - light. It's close enough to be a pale imitator rather than an homage. The plot pretty much follows Mansfield Park from the scheme of getting up the play to the end - leaving out all the extraneous bits that don't fit the 1920s plotline and leaving out nasty Mrs. Norris. There's a lot at the end - a few chapters of epilogue. The writing is decent but there's a lot of telling. The very best writing is reserved for the last chapter. I was very interested in that final chapter and it ends so abruptly! I can imagine what happens though. This book isn't what I would call a romance. It's more about the house than the people and the romance is only a third of the story. It follows Mansfield Park pretty closely but there are some changes which I really liked. This story lacks the satire and humor of Miss Buncle's Book but it's not that kind of story. The first half and the end reminded me a lot of a Lucy Maud Montgomery story. It's a story of place more than people.
The characters aren't all that memorable. I wasn't crazy about Humphrey and his feelings that Dunnian should be entailed on Mark. He was away a lot and I kept having to remind myself that the story begins in 1905 and he is a man of his time. I'm not sure what was up with Alice but she's better than Lady Bertram. She's kind and loving but a little vague and physically weak at times. She wants Deb to stay with her because she truly loves Deb and requires Deb's help, unlike Lady Bertram and Mrs. Norris who treat Fanny as an unpaid servant. Deb is very much a member of the family. Mark frequently refers to her as "my favorite sister." She's sweet and kind but not as insipid as Fanny. She has good heart, she nurses her secret love for years but she also has a lively, loving grandmother who gives her good advice. I liked the way Deb handled her situation very much. I liked Mark a lot too, for the most part. He's smart, works hard, loves his family and the old home. I can relate. He, like most men, like Edmund Bertram, is dazzled by a pretty face and sparkling personality. I liked Tessa too, at first, until she grew into a spoiled minx who would stop at nothing to achieve her ends. Then I loathed her. Her brother Oliver is too slick for my tastes. He's not as bad as Henry Crawford but he is indulged and used to getting his own way.
The minor characters include the other children. Edith and Joyce are Maria and Julia Bertram without the influence of Mrs. Norris. Edith is a spoiled beauty and I didn't care for her much. I didn't feel bad for her at all. Joyce is hardly in the book but her character transformation is told rather than shown and I was happy to read it. The younger children are charming. I like their adventures very much and thought they should have been in the story more. I also really liked the servants who are as devoted to Dunnian as the family. They're more like family than hired help. I wished they appeared more often.
The story has too much exposition at the beginning and very little plot. About halfway through the story turns into Mansfield Park - light. It's close enough to be a pale imitator rather than an homage. The plot pretty much follows Mansfield Park from the scheme of getting up the play to the end - leaving out all the extraneous bits that don't fit the 1920s plotline and leaving out nasty Mrs. Norris. There's a lot at the end - a few chapters of epilogue. The writing is decent but there's a lot of telling. The very best writing is reserved for the last chapter. I was very interested in that final chapter and it ends so abruptly! I can imagine what happens though. This book isn't what I would call a romance. It's more about the house than the people and the romance is only a third of the story. It follows Mansfield Park pretty closely but there are some changes which I really liked. This story lacks the satire and humor of Miss Buncle's Book but it's not that kind of story. The first half and the end reminded me a lot of a Lucy Maud Montgomery story. It's a story of place more than people.
The characters aren't all that memorable. I wasn't crazy about Humphrey and his feelings that Dunnian should be entailed on Mark. He was away a lot and I kept having to remind myself that the story begins in 1905 and he is a man of his time. I'm not sure what was up with Alice but she's better than Lady Bertram. She's kind and loving but a little vague and physically weak at times. She wants Deb to stay with her because she truly loves Deb and requires Deb's help, unlike Lady Bertram and Mrs. Norris who treat Fanny as an unpaid servant. Deb is very much a member of the family. Mark frequently refers to her as "my favorite sister." She's sweet and kind but not as insipid as Fanny. She has good heart, she nurses her secret love for years but she also has a lively, loving grandmother who gives her good advice. I liked the way Deb handled her situation very much. I liked Mark a lot too, for the most part. He's smart, works hard, loves his family and the old home. I can relate. He, like most men, like Edmund Bertram, is dazzled by a pretty face and sparkling personality. I liked Tessa too, at first, until she grew into a spoiled minx who would stop at nothing to achieve her ends. Then I loathed her. Her brother Oliver is too slick for my tastes. He's not as bad as Henry Crawford but he is indulged and used to getting his own way.
The minor characters include the other children. Edith and Joyce are Maria and Julia Bertram without the influence of Mrs. Norris. Edith is a spoiled beauty and I didn't care for her much. I didn't feel bad for her at all. Joyce is hardly in the book but her character transformation is told rather than shown and I was happy to read it. The younger children are charming. I like their adventures very much and thought they should have been in the story more. I also really liked the servants who are as devoted to Dunnian as the family. They're more like family than hired help. I wished they appeared more often.
April 29, 2019
When is a story an homage and when is it a ripoff? Celia's House invites such speculation. Homage, I would say, requires at a minimum open acknowledgment, and never does this book let on that it is Jane Austen's Mansfield Park retold in the first half of the twentieth century. There is one chapter titled "Persuasion" but that's as close as we get to a hint. For an homage to succeed it also needs to go beyond mere plot points and similar characters by reexamining and working within the themes of the original book, in my view, or else the new book merely highlights the fact that the original was a masterpiece and this is a pale copy.
So for me, Celia's House fell more into the ripoff zone--but that seems not entirely fair to what was in the end a pleasant book to read. If I had never read MP I would doubtless have appreciated it more. It's a several-generations saga of the Dunne family, who have lived at Dunnion in the Scottish Borderlands for time out of mind. They are one of those British gentry families who are obscure but proud of their heritage and who love their home to the point of regarding it as another family member. I like this sort of thing, though with advancing skepticism as the years pass and social mores change. ("Doing without servants when the war begins," for instance, is a trope that had been done to death even when this book came out in 1943, and I learned nothing new about it here.) There is a surface quality to the events and relationships that made me nostalgic for MP's depths of feeling and subtle artfulness. I like the characters and was happy for their happiness, and chuckled at the spots where the author sanitized Jane Austen. I was entertained for a few days but it felt a little treacly to me. I like other books by D.E. Stevenson more.
**Advisory about cousin marriages for those who are troubled by such plot points**
So for me, Celia's House fell more into the ripoff zone--but that seems not entirely fair to what was in the end a pleasant book to read. If I had never read MP I would doubtless have appreciated it more. It's a several-generations saga of the Dunne family, who have lived at Dunnion in the Scottish Borderlands for time out of mind. They are one of those British gentry families who are obscure but proud of their heritage and who love their home to the point of regarding it as another family member. I like this sort of thing, though with advancing skepticism as the years pass and social mores change. ("Doing without servants when the war begins," for instance, is a trope that had been done to death even when this book came out in 1943, and I learned nothing new about it here.) There is a surface quality to the events and relationships that made me nostalgic for MP's depths of feeling and subtle artfulness. I like the characters and was happy for their happiness, and chuckled at the spots where the author sanitized Jane Austen. I was entertained for a few days but it felt a little treacly to me. I like other books by D.E. Stevenson more.
**Advisory about cousin marriages for those who are troubled by such plot points**
June 5, 2016
Dunnian is a Scottish estate that has been home to the Dunnes for generations. The story begins at the end of the 19th century with the elderly Celia and takes the family through WWII. Thoroughly enjoyable.
September 15, 2019
Celia Dunne (Sr.) changes her will to leave Dunnian, the familial estate, to her grand-nephew Humphrey, and after him his yet-to-be-conceived daughter Celia (Jr.), because she says the old house needs children to make it a home.
1. This book suffers because it doesn't know what it wants to be. It's partly a story about a family's history with a place; it's partly a Mansfield Park retelling; it's partly about the world encroaching upon the corner of the universe that Dunnian occupies. But none of these threads are strong enough to support the sprawling, strange directions Celia's House chooses to go.
The premise seems to want to focus on Celia's ties to the house: it was Celia (Sr.)'s legacy and it becomes Celia (Jr.)'s future but the story quickly gets distracted by its own need to have a narrative. It drops Celia and focuses instead on the trials of Mark and Deb and the neighbors and spoonfeeds its audience a little farce of a romance—before dropping them in order to quickly attempt to land an ending about Celia (Jr.).
Sloppy, disjointed, and disappointing.
2. It's difficult to review the middle part because it is literally just a retelling of Austen??
3. I think the thing I struggled with most is the fact that I don't really think I understand framing of Celia as the house's true owner / keeper at the beginning / end of the novel, but the hyper-focus on Mark's connection to the house and its history in the middle part. Was the point that you can love a place without needing to own it? Or that ... reincarnation is real? Or...something else? There's a massive disconnect between those two elements and neither is supported in the text and neither make sense with the narrative we were given.
Very, very frustrating
1. This book suffers because it doesn't know what it wants to be. It's partly a story about a family's history with a place; it's partly a Mansfield Park retelling; it's partly about the world encroaching upon the corner of the universe that Dunnian occupies. But none of these threads are strong enough to support the sprawling, strange directions Celia's House chooses to go.
The premise seems to want to focus on Celia's ties to the house: it was Celia (Sr.)'s legacy and it becomes Celia (Jr.)'s future but the story quickly gets distracted by its own need to have a narrative. It drops Celia and focuses instead on the trials of Mark and Deb and the neighbors and spoonfeeds its audience a little farce of a romance—before dropping them in order to quickly attempt to land an ending about Celia (Jr.).
Sloppy, disjointed, and disappointing.
2. It's difficult to review the middle part because it is literally just a retelling of Austen??
3. I think the thing I struggled with most is the fact that I don't really think I understand framing of Celia as the house's true owner / keeper at the beginning / end of the novel, but the hyper-focus on Mark's connection to the house and its history in the middle part. Was the point that you can love a place without needing to own it? Or that ... reincarnation is real? Or...something else? There's a massive disconnect between those two elements and neither is supported in the text and neither make sense with the narrative we were given.
Very, very frustrating
November 29, 2012
This book covers about 40 years of one family's history. In 1905, old Celia Dunne is deciding who should inherit the family estate. She settles on her great-nephew, Humphrey Dunne, after she assures herself that he really loves the place like she does and would settle down there and raise his family. Her condition is that even though he already has 3 children, he must have another daughter and name her Celia, and that daughter must be the next heiress to the estate.
The Dunnes move in, years go by, two more children are born (including the aforementioned Celia), the kids grow up and get married, and two world wars are survived. This is another life-goes-on type of book, with distinct episodes but no one climax or plot thread. In the middle there is a lengthy and 99% exact Mansfield Park parallel story, with a "Henry and Mary Crawford" playing with the emotions of a "Fanny and Edmund." The details are, point-for-point, the same, in everything from putting on a play to the roles of "Edmund's" two sisters.
Enjoyable reading. A nice little loose thread is left at the end that is pretty fitting.
At the beginning, when old Celia Dunne is talking to her great-nephew, there are a couple of pretty amazing remarks she makes about things she has seen (she's nearing 100 years old) and stories that her grandparents had told her about things they had seen...these kind of conversations remind one that what we call "history" is not really all that long ago, when you start talking in terms of generations (albeit long-lived ones).
The Dunnes move in, years go by, two more children are born (including the aforementioned Celia), the kids grow up and get married, and two world wars are survived. This is another life-goes-on type of book, with distinct episodes but no one climax or plot thread. In the middle there is a lengthy and 99% exact Mansfield Park parallel story, with a "Henry and Mary Crawford" playing with the emotions of a "Fanny and Edmund." The details are, point-for-point, the same, in everything from putting on a play to the roles of "Edmund's" two sisters.
Enjoyable reading. A nice little loose thread is left at the end that is pretty fitting.
At the beginning, when old Celia Dunne is talking to her great-nephew, there are a couple of pretty amazing remarks she makes about things she has seen (she's nearing 100 years old) and stories that her grandparents had told her about things they had seen...these kind of conversations remind one that what we call "history" is not really all that long ago, when you start talking in terms of generations (albeit long-lived ones).
August 4, 2023
If you loved Amberwell, I don't see how you could help but love Celia's House. It has just the tiniest hint of a "sorta kinda" inspired by one element of The Middle Window by Elizabeth Goudge and a whole lot of Stevenson's usual family story. Add a dash of one tiny bit of Wives and Daughters as well, now that I think of it! Oh, and a bit of Mansfield Park!
Stevenson excels at writing about people with their strengths and weaknesses. Character growth is natural, sporadic (instead of in a perfect line up a perfect chart), and relatable. We've all had our moments, and so do these characters.
But I think the setting is as dear to me as any of the characters. Dunnian is a real house for real people. It's not too grand for everyday wear, so to speak. Side characters never feel like it. Oddly enough, everyone is definitely the hero/heroine of his or her own part of the story, small as it may be.
Set in Scotland before WWI through WWII, we watch the Dunne children grow up, get married, make wise and not-so-wise decisions, and all with the triumphs and heartaches you expect from decades of life.
Another favorite by Stevenson.
Stevenson excels at writing about people with their strengths and weaknesses. Character growth is natural, sporadic (instead of in a perfect line up a perfect chart), and relatable. We've all had our moments, and so do these characters.
But I think the setting is as dear to me as any of the characters. Dunnian is a real house for real people. It's not too grand for everyday wear, so to speak. Side characters never feel like it. Oddly enough, everyone is definitely the hero/heroine of his or her own part of the story, small as it may be.
Set in Scotland before WWI through WWII, we watch the Dunne children grow up, get married, make wise and not-so-wise decisions, and all with the triumphs and heartaches you expect from decades of life.
Another favorite by Stevenson.
August 25, 2019
A clever retelling of Mansfield Park, if you pay attention to the way the characters follow the story.. Mark is Edmund, Debbie is Fannie, Tessa is Mary Crawford, Ect. However, the whole plot is not the same, and Celia has her own fresh story. Quiet good.
June 23, 2018
There are no spoilers in this review, even though the warning has been inserted!!
A book with Celia in the title. Why would I want to read that!!
Dorothy Emily Stevenson (1892–1973) was a best-selling Scottish author. She published more than 40 "light romantic novels" over a span of more than 40 years.
I love the classics and finding one with my name in the title... priceless.
Another quote: "Finding a re-issued D.E. Stevenson novel is like finding a Tiffany lamp at Woolworth's."
Synopsis:
Celia Dunne owns a beautiful old home, Dunnian, in rural Scotland. As she is getting on in years, Celia needs to make a decision to whom she should bequeath the house. Going against expectations, she decides to leave it to the grandson of her youngest brother: Humphrey and his family, wife, Alice and children, Mark, Edith and Joyce. One stipulation: the family must have another girl, they must name her Celia and the house will become the property of Celia upon the death of her parents.
The book is divided into four parts: Old People in the House, Children in the House, Young People in the House, and Grown-ups in the House. The new Dunne family does move in to the home. And, yes, the new Celia is born, preceded by her brother Billy. The story chronicles the lives of the family, as they grow up, endure the disappointments of young people and marry and have children of their own.
One more interesting tidbit: Alice is an anagram of Celia!
Review:
The book is a loving portrait of a loving family. I enjoyed meeting the Dunnes and sharing their exploits, joys and sorrows. And of course, because both Celia’s are such wonderful people, I enjoyed that part too.
Further Reading:
Celia's House inspired Listening Valley, where Celia makes a re-appearance. We hear of her again during Anna and Her Daughters. Anna pops up briefly in the Katherine books which link with Charlotte Fairlie (Mr. Heath the vicar makes a re-appearance this time). Later Sarah Morris ends up in Ryddelton in Sarah's Cottage to be befriended by Debbie (who made her debut in Celia's House) and to hear about Tonia (Listening Valley) and Charlotte Fairlie.
5 Loving Stars
A book with Celia in the title. Why would I want to read that!!
Dorothy Emily Stevenson (1892–1973) was a best-selling Scottish author. She published more than 40 "light romantic novels" over a span of more than 40 years.
I love the classics and finding one with my name in the title... priceless.
Another quote: "Finding a re-issued D.E. Stevenson novel is like finding a Tiffany lamp at Woolworth's."
Synopsis:
Celia Dunne owns a beautiful old home, Dunnian, in rural Scotland. As she is getting on in years, Celia needs to make a decision to whom she should bequeath the house. Going against expectations, she decides to leave it to the grandson of her youngest brother: Humphrey and his family, wife, Alice and children, Mark, Edith and Joyce. One stipulation: the family must have another girl, they must name her Celia and the house will become the property of Celia upon the death of her parents.
The book is divided into four parts: Old People in the House, Children in the House, Young People in the House, and Grown-ups in the House. The new Dunne family does move in to the home. And, yes, the new Celia is born, preceded by her brother Billy. The story chronicles the lives of the family, as they grow up, endure the disappointments of young people and marry and have children of their own.
One more interesting tidbit: Alice is an anagram of Celia!
Review:
The book is a loving portrait of a loving family. I enjoyed meeting the Dunnes and sharing their exploits, joys and sorrows. And of course, because both Celia’s are such wonderful people, I enjoyed that part too.
Further Reading:
Celia's House inspired Listening Valley, where Celia makes a re-appearance. We hear of her again during Anna and Her Daughters. Anna pops up briefly in the Katherine books which link with Charlotte Fairlie (Mr. Heath the vicar makes a re-appearance this time). Later Sarah Morris ends up in Ryddelton in Sarah's Cottage to be befriended by Debbie (who made her debut in Celia's House) and to hear about Tonia (Listening Valley) and Charlotte Fairlie.
5 Loving Stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2019
Another delightful book by D.E. Stevenson. I didn't want it to stop, ever!
Loveable characters and a great plot in which the family house is almost a character.
I can't wait to start reading Listening Valley. Although I do know it's not exactly a sequel.
Loveable characters and a great plot in which the family house is almost a character.
I can't wait to start reading Listening Valley. Although I do know it's not exactly a sequel.
November 14, 2021
Enjoyed this historical read where history was in the progress of being at time of significance since it was written in 1943 during world war 2 but the book starts at 1905. A family history of Dunne's live in this house built long ago by a past family member & all the drama that goes with friends & family.
It was hard to put this book down & I wanted to start this one before reading more of Listening Valley which while reading even though they say the stories are different many characters are in this book.
I found this author when I was looking up other books listed in Parnassus on Wheels, Morley mentioned Stevenson as a author but he must have meant
D. E. Stevenson's cousin Robert Louis Stevenson (1850- 1894) Treasure Island & Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. I know Morley did not mean D. E. Stevenson (Dorothy Emily) (1892-1973) because his book was written in 1917 & 1918, whereas D. E. wrote her first book in 1923. Dorothy was born in Scotland & her family did not want an educated college woman in the family but she did have governess & at a young age started writing in secret. I will read more of her books as well as her cousin's stories but I really loved these two novels!
I started reading Listening Valley (1944) & noticed that a book prior called Celia's House (1943) has many familiar characters, so I wanted to read this first & I am so glad I did because the stories are both more complete. They both center on a town in the country in Scotland & some older ladies are important to the story but the young people are the center stage of both novels. Celia's House starts in 1905 and then goes continues during world war 2 with the family & friends of The Dunnes. Celia is the last of her sibling alive of the Dunne family and the house was built many years by Humphrey Dunne & she must decide who the house will go to after her death. The story is about the children of the inheritor & all life trials that go with their life. It is a romantic kind of book that is akin to Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. Somebody on Goodreads mentioned this & I agree that their are some similarities, this book is its own uniqueness in itself, IMO.
When I started reading Listening Valley first for the first chapter before reading the other; I was really not sure how I would like it, but knowing I liked the other book so when I started it up again, the story was very engaging & parallel to the other story. Two young sister who live in Scotland with their detached parents become a universe onto themselves & one sister takes care of the other sister who is not so able to fend for herself. Antonia & Louise's father is from the same part of the country that Celia reigns, but sold all his property due to his wife's wants.
There is a break up with the sisters & Antonia is made to be by herself which is difficult for her since Lou was always there for her. Romance, family, friends, country life & the war are the main themes in this book. I could not put either book down & was finding myself trying to fit little bits here & there even on my busy days. This is a coming of age book; where the first book is more of a story about the characters, Listening Valley is about the knocks of life more so.
It was hard to put this book down & I wanted to start this one before reading more of Listening Valley which while reading even though they say the stories are different many characters are in this book.
I found this author when I was looking up other books listed in Parnassus on Wheels, Morley mentioned Stevenson as a author but he must have meant
D. E. Stevenson's cousin Robert Louis Stevenson (1850- 1894) Treasure Island & Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. I know Morley did not mean D. E. Stevenson (Dorothy Emily) (1892-1973) because his book was written in 1917 & 1918, whereas D. E. wrote her first book in 1923. Dorothy was born in Scotland & her family did not want an educated college woman in the family but she did have governess & at a young age started writing in secret. I will read more of her books as well as her cousin's stories but I really loved these two novels!
I started reading Listening Valley (1944) & noticed that a book prior called Celia's House (1943) has many familiar characters, so I wanted to read this first & I am so glad I did because the stories are both more complete. They both center on a town in the country in Scotland & some older ladies are important to the story but the young people are the center stage of both novels. Celia's House starts in 1905 and then goes continues during world war 2 with the family & friends of The Dunnes. Celia is the last of her sibling alive of the Dunne family and the house was built many years by Humphrey Dunne & she must decide who the house will go to after her death. The story is about the children of the inheritor & all life trials that go with their life. It is a romantic kind of book that is akin to Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. Somebody on Goodreads mentioned this & I agree that their are some similarities, this book is its own uniqueness in itself, IMO.
When I started reading Listening Valley first for the first chapter before reading the other; I was really not sure how I would like it, but knowing I liked the other book so when I started it up again, the story was very engaging & parallel to the other story. Two young sister who live in Scotland with their detached parents become a universe onto themselves & one sister takes care of the other sister who is not so able to fend for herself. Antonia & Louise's father is from the same part of the country that Celia reigns, but sold all his property due to his wife's wants.
There is a break up with the sisters & Antonia is made to be by herself which is difficult for her since Lou was always there for her. Romance, family, friends, country life & the war are the main themes in this book. I could not put either book down & was finding myself trying to fit little bits here & there even on my busy days. This is a coming of age book; where the first book is more of a story about the characters, Listening Valley is about the knocks of life more so.
February 8, 2016
Celia's House. The funny thing is that I read this as a teenager, and I've often tried to think of the title through the years. I knew it had something to do with Celia. Well, a friend in my bookclub requested to read it. And...you guessed it....I rediscovered a book I read probably 30 years ago. How fun is that?
The book is an old-fashioned, comfortable read from 1943. So, I guess people were wanting a pleasant book to escape from the war. Celia Dunne decided to change her will to leave the family estate to her grand-nephew, skipping over a generation and ruffling a few family feathers. But, needless to say, Humphrey and his wife are just the people to make Dunnian Estate the family home it was always meant to be. The book follows their story in the Scottish countryside with children, parties, Shakespeare, and marriages.
The book is an old-fashioned, comfortable read from 1943. So, I guess people were wanting a pleasant book to escape from the war. Celia Dunne decided to change her will to leave the family estate to her grand-nephew, skipping over a generation and ruffling a few family feathers. But, needless to say, Humphrey and his wife are just the people to make Dunnian Estate the family home it was always meant to be. The book follows their story in the Scottish countryside with children, parties, Shakespeare, and marriages.
July 30, 2018
This was a fun story that told the story of a family across four decades. There was one curse word that was used about five times throughout the book so that detracted a little. Still I would read more by this author.
December 21, 2020
You've got the bookends of an interesting saga here. Unfortunately, the middle bit is all knock-off Mansfield Park. And Mansfield Park is hard enough to swallow when Jane Austen writes it. D.E. Stevenson does not improve the story much.
I do think this book deserves credit because, like almost all Stevenson novels, it creates very realistic characters. They're cross, foolish, and sometimes silly, but also whimsical and fun. They all feel like someone you might actually know. (When not emulating Jane Austen characters.) So as much as I might whine in my spoiler about Mark's reason for marrying, it felt quite, disappointingly honest and not at all romanticized...which is exactly why it charms.
Overall, though, I would say this is not her best book. Besides some overt sexism, it feels too at loose ends. The Mansfield Park ripoff comes out of nowhere after several other promising starts involving wills and ghosts and servants. Then it gives way to the kind of patriotic, WW2 triteness that fills other Stevenson books before shifting again and emphasizing a half-remembered family tree plotline.
It is an ambitious story with many characters and several family lines and unfortunately simply too short to do all it wants and still tell a full tale.
I do think this book deserves credit because, like almost all Stevenson novels, it creates very realistic characters. They're cross, foolish, and sometimes silly, but also whimsical and fun. They all feel like someone you might actually know. (When not emulating Jane Austen characters.) So as much as I might whine in my spoiler about Mark's reason for marrying, it felt quite, disappointingly honest and not at all romanticized...which is exactly why it charms.
Overall, though, I would say this is not her best book. Besides some overt sexism, it feels too at loose ends. The Mansfield Park ripoff comes out of nowhere after several other promising starts involving wills and ghosts and servants. Then it gives way to the kind of patriotic, WW2 triteness that fills other Stevenson books before shifting again and emphasizing a half-remembered family tree plotline.
It is an ambitious story with many characters and several family lines and unfortunately simply too short to do all it wants and still tell a full tale.
February 2, 2016
1943. So, MID-2oth century women's lit rather.
Historical interest. Written by a woman, in the midst of WWII Britain (or Scotland).
So sweet. But not TOO sweet, and not too fluffy. Sure, it's a charming little romance that well beguiled my Sunday afternoon, but it also had a few little thoughtful moments.
Stevenson does relationships pretty well. She also does slightly to quite broken heroines pretty well (and helps them become whole again in a fairly realistic manner).
And she always (okay in the three I just read, anyway, so that was way too much generalizing there. Miss Buncle's book does not follow those lines, the heroine therein has to make her own money, find her own love, and buy her own house) seems to have a sweet old lady bequeathing a really great old (family history filled) house to said heroine, which is part of what saves the day.
Well-written. I suppose they might fit in the romance category, but in the sweet old-fashioned Anne of Green Gables or Little Women sort of way. No tawdriness. Bedroom doors firmly closed.
Companion to "Listening Valley."
Historical interest. Written by a woman, in the midst of WWII Britain (or Scotland).
So sweet. But not TOO sweet, and not too fluffy. Sure, it's a charming little romance that well beguiled my Sunday afternoon, but it also had a few little thoughtful moments.
Stevenson does relationships pretty well. She also does slightly to quite broken heroines pretty well (and helps them become whole again in a fairly realistic manner).
And she always (okay in the three I just read, anyway, so that was way too much generalizing there. Miss Buncle's book does not follow those lines, the heroine therein has to make her own money, find her own love, and buy her own house) seems to have a sweet old lady bequeathing a really great old (family history filled) house to said heroine, which is part of what saves the day.
Well-written. I suppose they might fit in the romance category, but in the sweet old-fashioned Anne of Green Gables or Little Women sort of way. No tawdriness. Bedroom doors firmly closed.
Companion to "Listening Valley."
March 1, 2023
A lovely and satisfying story about the Dunne family. It was so enjoyable learning about each family member and following them throughout the years of their lives. This mini family saga was interesting, heart warming and wonderful.
I adored Celia’s character (both the older and younger), Mark and Debbie. Although this story is titled Celia’s House, there aren’t as many details about the house itself as I’d hoped for. I’m always drawn to books about houses! Especially if the house is more like s character in the book.
This was a slower paced DE Stevenson and was a quiet and calm read, even though it is a wartime novel. Happy that I finally read this book!
I adored Celia’s character (both the older and younger), Mark and Debbie. Although this story is titled Celia’s House, there aren’t as many details about the house itself as I’d hoped for. I’m always drawn to books about houses! Especially if the house is more like s character in the book.
This was a slower paced DE Stevenson and was a quiet and calm read, even though it is a wartime novel. Happy that I finally read this book!
January 8, 2023
It's great to see so many novels by D.E. Stevenson being republished, as I find her books to be perfect comfort reading. This Scottish family saga is the second book of hers that I've listened to on Audible narrated by Lesley Mackie, who has a great voice.
First published in 1943, the book starts in the early years of the 20th century. The 90-year-old Celia Dunne has lived in her home, Dunion, all her life. She makes a surprising decision to leave it to her great-nephew, Humphrey, and his family, and the novel follows their lives there.
As I'd seen from other reviews, much of the book closely follows the plot of Mansfield Park, with a cousin, Deb, as a 20th-century Fanny Price. This made the story rather predictable for anyone who has read Austen, but the characters are not all that similar to Austen's and the book feels very different anyway. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to listening to the linked novel, Listening Valley, which is said to be "a companion book rather than a sequel".
First published in 1943, the book starts in the early years of the 20th century. The 90-year-old Celia Dunne has lived in her home, Dunion, all her life. She makes a surprising decision to leave it to her great-nephew, Humphrey, and his family, and the novel follows their lives there.
As I'd seen from other reviews, much of the book closely follows the plot of Mansfield Park, with a cousin, Deb, as a 20th-century Fanny Price. This made the story rather predictable for anyone who has read Austen, but the characters are not all that similar to Austen's and the book feels very different anyway. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to listening to the linked novel, Listening Valley, which is said to be "a companion book rather than a sequel".
August 2, 2021
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I fell in love with this writing style at once. It’s quite similar to my own, in fact. It’s so light and old-fashioned and deep POV and humorous, and she does so well expressing it as people think, especially kids. I loved the characters too. Humphrey and Mark were my favourites, also Deb; but all the characters were very realistic and alive. The old-fashioned flavour of the book delighted me; I adored the sweet Scottish setting, and the way the book was set almost exclusively at home, describing everyday life as the children grew up. The time leaps were very well done. The morals and themes were good, too. This is definitely my style of book and I would love to read D.E. Stevenson again!
Content: What keeps me from rating this more than 5 hearts is the fact that it’s implied that a ghost is seen, and the wife gives birth to a baby girl immediately after. I felt like it was insinuated the baby might be a reincarnation of the dead lady, although that was never stated or even more than vaguely implied. But it was enough that it bothered me and I’d edit it out of my copy.
Quotes to come upon reread
Content: What keeps me from rating this more than 5 hearts is the fact that it’s implied that a ghost is seen, and the wife gives birth to a baby girl immediately after. I felt like it was insinuated the baby might be a reincarnation of the dead lady, although that was never stated or even more than vaguely implied. But it was enough that it bothered me and I’d edit it out of my copy.
Quotes to come upon reread
February 18, 2022
I wish there were more Elizabeth Goudge in audio. She'd be more satisfying than Stevenson. This was pleasant, but not very substantive. Still, it's nice to have light fiction that isn't downright dreadful awful. I was too sleepy last night to continue comprehending the nonfiction I was listening to, so I was grateful to have this to switch over to.
A big chunk of the plot was lifted directly from Mansfield Park, which was fun, but not as good as the original, of course.
Leslie Mackie is just the right reader for Stevenson.
A big chunk of the plot was lifted directly from Mansfield Park, which was fun, but not as good as the original, of course.
Leslie Mackie is just the right reader for Stevenson.
March 15, 2019
Whoever recommended D.E. Stevenson, thank you!!
June 5, 2015
I really liked this book. The tale of a grandmother leaving her house to her namesake granddaughter instead of the oldest son. Very untraditional back in those days. However, what Celia wanted, Celia got.
The story steeped in traditions was about a family of 7 and a cousin all growing up in Dunnian. It was a very entertaining story with laughter, joy, love, jealousy,sadness and strong family ties. A time when there were several maids and a Gardner and a cook, only they were workers, not slaves so they were as much a part of the family as the family themselves.
This book went quick for me and I seriously did not want it to end. I was very surprised that it was a book published back in 1943 or 1945. I guess today it would be historical fiction, then it was just fiction. I loved most of the characters, definitely all the Dunnes and thought it a very entertaining read.
Thank you Sourcebooks and Net Galley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this delightful story which I very much enjoyed!
The story steeped in traditions was about a family of 7 and a cousin all growing up in Dunnian. It was a very entertaining story with laughter, joy, love, jealousy,sadness and strong family ties. A time when there were several maids and a Gardner and a cook, only they were workers, not slaves so they were as much a part of the family as the family themselves.
This book went quick for me and I seriously did not want it to end. I was very surprised that it was a book published back in 1943 or 1945. I guess today it would be historical fiction, then it was just fiction. I loved most of the characters, definitely all the Dunnes and thought it a very entertaining read.
Thank you Sourcebooks and Net Galley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this delightful story which I very much enjoyed!
April 8, 2017
Forty years in the life of a family and a house. . . in 1905 the elderly Miss Celia Dunne is visited by her grandnephew Humphrey and tells him, contrary to the expectations of her oldest brother's son, she's leaving the house to him, and after him to his daughter Celia -- even though he has only a son and two daughters, neither named Celia.
This meanders into a tale of the family growing up; the son Mark getting his feeling for the place and being told by the gardener that he could eat the apples because they were his father's; how Billy and then finally Celia were born; the time Humphrey explained the will to Mark; a performance of A Midsummer's Night Dream; the faintest hint of something non mundane; a cousin coming to stay; the neighbors, particularly their children; both wars, of course; and more.
This meanders into a tale of the family growing up; the son Mark getting his feeling for the place and being told by the gardener that he could eat the apples because they were his father's; how Billy and then finally Celia were born; the time Humphrey explained the will to Mark; a performance of A Midsummer's Night Dream; the faintest hint of something non mundane; a cousin coming to stay; the neighbors, particularly their children; both wars, of course; and more.
October 10, 2020
This is a inheritance book. But it's a reversal of Austen's Sense and Sensibility. It's a D.E. Stevenson novel, so there is that cozy English village feel, just without the village.
I loved two small episodes: one is a kid vomiting (!) and the other is one of the most comforting death scenes [not deathbed] I've ever read.
I copied these sentences as an example of self-control:
New vocabulary: trug
I loved two small episodes: one is a kid vomiting (!) and the other is one of the most comforting death scenes [not deathbed] I've ever read.
I copied these sentences as an example of self-control:
This was the last [father-son] expedition together before Humphrey went south to [cousin] Joan's wedding. He did not want to go for he was enjoying himself at Dunnian, but that could not be helped, and, as Humphrey was used to the discipline of putting duty before pleasure, he would not only go to the wedding but would behave as if he liked it.
New vocabulary: trug
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