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The Certain Spring
Penny was in the middle of an important-and rather painful-discussion with the man she hoped to marry, when someone came knocking at the door of her father's surgery, and she had to leave Max and turn to the stranger. Was that moment symbolic of the events to follow?
Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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About the author
Nan Asquith
28 books2 followersNan Asquith and Susannah Broome are pseudonyms for Nancy Evelyn Pattinson.
Nancy Evelyn Pattinson, the author of 20 or so romantic novels, settled in Harpenden, England after WWII and stayed there until shortly before her death in the 1970's.
Nancy Evelyn Pattinson, the author of 20 or so romantic novels, settled in Harpenden, England after WWII and stayed there until shortly before her death in the 1970's.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 10, 2019
SYNOPSIS:
'Penny was in the middle of an important - and rather painful - discussion with the man she hoped to marry, when someone came knocking at the door of her father's surgery, and she had to leave Max and turn to the stranger. Was that moment to be symbolic of the events that were to follow?'
REVIEW:
A proper vintage read from Nan Asquith, published in 1956 and very much of the post-war M&B period - being more 'family saga' than unfolding relationship between two protagonists. I'm giving it three vintage romance stars by way of rating, but really more for the vintage factor than anything else. The story-line itself is pretty predictable, with the 'other woman' character, in the form of the heroine's beautiful cousin Celine, breaking up the heroine, doctor's daughter Penny Robert's, romance with lightweight member of the local 'squirearchy' Max Wilding of 'Broome Court'. Along comes hero Steve Burrows, a Canadian jack-of-all-trades type, who collapses at Penny's feet with an illness and manages, during his recovery, to inveigle his way into her wounded pride/heart. At one point there's a suggestion of a juicy mystery sub-plot involving forged antique miniatures, which gave me high hopes that Steve was in fact an incognito Scotland Yard/ Interpol type, but alas alack that theory proved futile. But I note there are some rather incongruous sub-plots in the story, namely; Celine's instant actress fame which brings her a 'serviced flat' in Mayfair and Steve managing to have the play he wrote (in an attic naturally) accepted for West End production, freeing him from financial constraints and - once the 'trouble' over the antiques (he was selling) is resolved - permitting him to propose to Penny .
If you like a glowing-hearth, small town, post war reads with a hint of romance, this book is for you...
'Penny was in the middle of an important - and rather painful - discussion with the man she hoped to marry, when someone came knocking at the door of her father's surgery, and she had to leave Max and turn to the stranger. Was that moment to be symbolic of the events that were to follow?'
REVIEW:
A proper vintage read from Nan Asquith, published in 1956 and very much of the post-war M&B period - being more 'family saga' than unfolding relationship between two protagonists. I'm giving it three vintage romance stars by way of rating, but really more for the vintage factor than anything else. The story-line itself is pretty predictable, with the 'other woman' character, in the form of the heroine's beautiful cousin Celine, breaking up the heroine, doctor's daughter Penny Robert's, romance with lightweight member of the local 'squirearchy' Max Wilding of 'Broome Court'. Along comes hero Steve Burrows, a Canadian jack-of-all-trades type, who collapses at Penny's feet with an illness and manages, during his recovery, to inveigle his way into her wounded pride/heart. At one point there's a suggestion of a juicy mystery sub-plot involving forged antique miniatures, which gave me high hopes that Steve was in fact an incognito Scotland Yard/ Interpol type, but alas alack that theory proved futile. But I note there are some rather incongruous sub-plots in the story, namely; Celine's instant actress fame which brings her a 'serviced flat' in Mayfair and Steve managing to have the play he wrote (in an attic naturally) accepted for West End production, freeing him from financial constraints and - once the 'trouble' over the antiques (he was selling) is resolved - permitting him to propose to Penny .
If you like a glowing-hearth, small town, post war reads with a hint of romance, this book is for you...
Displaying 1 of 1 review