The Baker's Daughter

by D.E. Stevenson

A stranger came to town and stole her heart

Sue Pringle has never met anyone like John Darnay before. A painter who roams the countryside with brush in hand, Darnay is so absorbed in his art that he can barely remember to feed himself—a stark contrast to the practical shopkeepers and shepherds of her tiny village.

Working as his housekeeper allows Sue to observe the eccentric Darnay unnoticed as he goes about his work translating the beautiful Scottish countryside onto canvas… and Sue soon realizes that not only has she been transfixed by his arresting artwork, she has fallen in love with Darnay himself. But will he ever look up from his paints long enough to love her back?

One of celebrated author D.E. Stevenson's earliest and most beloved novels, The Baker's Daughter is a heartwarming story of finding love in unexpected places.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Scotland, British Literature, Classics, Novels

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

There 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.

Reviews

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars for this older love story by D.E. Stevenson. The Baker's Daughter isn't as inspired as Miss Buncle's Book, but it's a cozy, charming romance set in the Scottish lowlands in the 1930s.

Sue Pringle, a young woman in her early 20s who is itching to get out of her family home since her irascible widowed father (the baker of the book's title) remarried, accepts a job as live-in cook and housekeeper for an artist and his wife, who live in a renovated mill outside of town. The morning after she arrives, she discovers that the wife -- who actually hired her, but hates small town life -- has engineered a dispute with her husband and returned to Paris. But Mr. Darnay is determined to stay, and this absent-minded artist clearly needs someone to take care of him. So Sue stays on, flouting social rules (since she's alone in the house with him) and disregarding her family's pleas to come home.

It's all very innocent, though -- even when Sue starts falling for her (still-married) employer, she keeps it to herself, and he's so lost in his art that he doesn't realize how vital Sue is becoming to his happiness.

There are some subplots dealing with Sue's brother and her dead mother that could have used some additional fleshing out (they kind of peter out without going anywhere in particular, though they do add some color to the plot), and the romance itself is pretty understated. And after reading a few of Stevenson's romances, I'd say she's a little overly fond of the men getting tangled up with (and often marrying) the wrong woman before they finally see the light and end up in the arms of the right one. I'm starting to think maybe Stevenson was working out some personal issues here.

But that aside, for fans of old-fashioned romances, this is a solid, enjoyable read. The parts of the plot dealing with the life of the artist and his art were interesting, and the Scottish setting and characters are lovely.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading D.E. Stevenson books are like wearing your coziest, comfiest jammies on a cool, lazy Sunday, sipping hot, homemade soup in bed. I L O V E her. This book is one of a very comforting formula of astute observations of honest, everyday people doing regular ol' things oozing with love.

[Chautona Havig · Rating 4 out of 5]

In true D.E. Stevenson style, this book drew me in on the first page. Something about the way she writes makes me enjoy description in a way that I rarely do in a book. Add to that, characters that she makes me love, and things get so very complicated.

The problems I had with the book were personal ones--ones that are sparked by my faith and understanding of Scripture. I'll admit, I was torn about one situation in particular. What I LOVED about the book is that it made me ponder and think and question. It's one thing I love about vintage and antique general market books. Questions of faith appear without apology and without expectation. Faith is treated as a matter of course--some have it. Others don't. How does that affect the world and in particular, the story? The author leaves it for us to see.

In the end, I felt satisfied with how the author settled the ending. I feel like I should give the book five stars, because my "five chapters a day" lasted for two days before I devoured the ending. No, it's not the deepest or even wittiest book, but it just drew me in and made me feel as though I lived in the little house by the mill and I didn't want to leave.

And yet... I wanted to throw the book and scream at the author at the same time. Just sayin'.

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love D. E. Stevenson's novels because I always find an interesting romantic story with added Scottish mise en scene feel. I just wish all her books were available via Kindle. Sue Pringle begins to enjoy life when working as a housekeeper for an artist near her home town but he is so out of her reach in so many ways and she needs to learn to forget him.

[Julie Durnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of her best-I could not warm up to Sue or Mr. Darnay. The Scotland setting was beautiful and the painting of their homeland was well done.

[Gina House · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟 Even though this wasn't a full five star read for me, it was certainly very close! The coziness factor was high, especially in the themes of this lovely and refreshing vintage romance!

Here's what I loved about The Baker's Daughter:

💙 Mentions of working in bakery (a fav theme of mine!)
💙 Corner shop owned by the family
💙 Beautiful Scottish setting
💙 Artists, galleries, painting
💙 House set up (!!)
💙 Caring grandparents
💙 Strong brother and sister relationship
💙 Independent, hard working and kind female protagonist

I truly felt deeply interested in this story and in the well-being of Sue Pringle (aka Miss Bun) and in the goings on of her and her family. Her unexpected relationship with John Darnay goes from non-existent to very involved after just a few months of working for him. It was a bit tense towards the end, but not in a bad way.

I can't say exactly why it's not a 5 star title because I did love so much about it. But, there were times of frustration when Sue's grandparents interfered and there was a lack (or withdrawal of communication) between characters that sometimes got on my nerves.

But, to me, it was the perfect escapist novel that checked off many of my bookish boxes. Solid recommendation for a D.E. Stevenson book!!

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting this book to be quite so meandering. I enjoyed it well-enough, but the story really does mosey along at its own pace and Stevenson throws in a lot of side events that end up going nowhere that enhance the feeling of taking its own time. Which isn't a bad thing if you're in the mood for an idyllic, even pastoral piece about life in a small Scottish town and a very slow-burn romance.

Sue is truly charming, and that helps a lot. She's unhappy at home with her step-mother and her father is kind of a great lumbering jerk so getting out and keeping house for the new artist is a huge step up. I love how innocent Stevenson kept this cohabitation when it could easily have devolved into frustrated yearnings as the two develop an interest in and appreciation for each other. I liked that Darnay was such a clearly decent guy and that he's not the selfish artist he could easily have been. I don't have a lot of patience for that kind of self-interested obsession, so was happy to have him turn out to be someone I could see taking care of Sue and acting in her best interest even as she was so obviously devoted to him.

The slow pace and the odd side-jaunts (French lessons? What was that about?) kept this in the 3.5 area for me, throughout. The charm of the central characters have me rounding up, though. They really were worth spending the time with.

Also, I wonder if there isn't some classism buried here. I mean, that Sue could be the by-blow of the Admiral guy seems a bit random. And it seems to imply that this is why she could span the class boundary with Darnay—i.e. that because she "really is" upper-class stock, she can have refined tastes and learn to appreciate "the finer things". This is underscored when the last scene is the Admiral and Laird discussing how they were going to bring her into upper-crust society, at least in the region. Because that's important? Leaving on that note is actually what made me wonder if this was something important to Stevenson, somehow.

[John’aLee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful summer read! Written in 1938, long before cell phones and internet access, a lovely unspoiled Baker’s Daughter falls in love with a disillusioned painter who is not free to marry. He disappears and she goes on a quest to find herself in her sorrow and in turn finds him in another land, all through the help of his paintings.

[Gina Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

D.E. Stevenson might be the L.M. Montgomery of my adulthood. Both authors write characters who make me want to be a better person.

[Olga Godim · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
A quiet and charming love story. I’m falling in love with this author. This is my third book by her, and I want to read them all. On the surface, the story is simple and ‘as old as time’. A young woman Sue comes to work as a housekeeper for a famous artist, Mr. Darnay. She falls in love with him, but he is already married, even though his wife sort-of left him. After some tribulations and a lot of heartache and self-improvement for our heroine, the happy ending ensues.
Like every other book by Stevenson I’ve read so far, the sense of place is very strong. A small town in Scotland. The moors. The river. The birds flitting around.
In contrast, the sense of time, of the era, is almost absent. The novel was written and published in 1938. Europe is on the brink of a horrible war. Hitler is on the rise in Germany, and tension is rising everywhere, but the anticipation is nowhere in this book, except on a small, intimate level.
Maybe that was how every English person felt at that time – far removed from whatever was happening on the continent, sure nothing would touch them on their secure island. Maybe that is how they still feel, or want to feel, and that was what led them to the Brexit. But that is a discussion for another time and place.
Anyway, the events in this book could’ve happened in the 1920s or 1930s, or even fifty years before that. Nothing would’ve been different, except cars and buses in place of horses. Otherwise, life, physical and emotional, went on in the same way.
Also the same was the sense of class disparity. I’m not sure it would be as impossible in 1938 as Sue thought for an educated gentleman artist and his housekeeper to get married. It would certainly be highly improbably in the 1850s, but in the middle of the 20th century? Maybe I don’t know as much about England at that time as I thought. This book was definitely educational in that respect.
Another educational aspect of this novel, at least for me: the book mentions a game Happy Families. I never heard about such a game before. I had to Google it to find out what it was. Sue’s father is a village baker, and Darnay always calls her not by her proper name, Miss Pringle, but by the name of the baker’s daughter from that game – Miss Bun.
For some reason, it grated on my nerves, although Sue herself didn’t seem to mind. For me, Darnay using the game name for Sue felt like an insult. As if she didn’t merit her true name. And he often did insult her, because of her ignorance in the artistic matters. Yes, she was ignorant, but it wasn’t by choice. Nobody in her village knew anything about art. She didn’t know herself that she was lacking until she came in contact with Darnay. So while she was falling in love with him and scrubbing his floors and cooking his dinners, I was angry and upset on Sue’s behalf. But then, I’m a much more emancipated woman and much better educated than Sue was.
Despite the above-mentioned concerns, I loved the book. It touched my heart. I want more of D.E. Stevenson.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sue Pringle isn’t happy living at home, she doesn’t get on with her father Will, a dour baker, and her stepmother ,Grace. So when she hears that the Darnays, an artist and his wife, are looking for a live in housekeeper, she applies and is accepted. No sooner has she arrived to take up her post though, than Mrs Darnay leaves her husband. This leaves Sue alone with Mr Darnay, but she can’t bear to leave him to manage alone, so she stays on. She is fascinated by John Darnay’s paintings, which are different from any she has seen before, and a close friendship develops between them. But there is trouble looming ahead. This is an absorbing story with some lovely characters - Sue is a delightful down to earth heroine with a mind of her own, and her grandparents, the Bullochs, are very likeable characters. There are very vivid descriptions of the lowland Scottish countryside, and of London too. If you are inclined to overlook how dirty London was in those days, passages like these bring it back “She was seeing it at its best, for the sun shone and the trees were green, their new leaves as yet ungrimed with soot.” A highly enjoyable book.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sue Pringle is the baker's daughter of the title. Her mother was the spoiled only daughter of the grocer in their small Scottish lowlands village. She was a beautiful dreamer who could have had any man in the village and she chose the baker, Will Pringle. Will is a dour, stern man who doesn't understand his children. Sue is eminently practical like her father. She was content to keep house for him after her mother died but longs for independence now her father has remarried. When the Darnays, a wealthy city couple, move to the old grist mill, Mrs. Darnay hires Sue to be housekeeper and then promptly runs off with her French maid. Sue elects to stay on with Mr. Darnay. He's a dreamy artist who has left off his popular painting style in favor of a new one. Without Sue to take care of him, he'll starve. John fits in with the locals and is kind to Sue's troubled younger brothrer Sandy. Then the world intrudes on their idyllic time and John disappears without a trace. Sue despairs of ever seeing him again but she's a practical Scots woman and knows how to get what she wants.

This is a mild, pleasant sort of book. There's no real action or any kind of plot to drive the story until the last few chapters. The story is a relic of a simpler time between the world wars. I liked Sue and I could relate to her practical nature but I felt she was a little too self-sacrificing. She is also very naive and innocent. There's not much to her character but I especially liked her in the last few chapters. She improved greatly there. John is a complex character without much to do in the story except paint. One wonders about his back story. He reveals a few hints here and there. He's a passionate artist who is true to his art.

It's the secondary characters that round out the story. Sue's grandparents are so sweet and loving. They seem devoted to each other and to their family. I didn't like how her grandfather was pushing her to marry his assistant but it's only natural for him to want to keep the business in the family and when his daughter didn't choose the man he would have chosen, he feels like he gets a do-over with his granddaughter. I loved the curling scene where we meet "good old Bill" and some of the other men. That scene was so descriptive and the characters so appealing that I wanted more of them. That scene and the characters reminded me a bit of the TV series Road to Avonlea though the story is set 20 years later.

This isn't Stevenson's best novel but it's not bad. It's a good read for a rainy or snowy day with a cup of tea and a scone.

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favorite Stevenson novels, mainly because someone has to get divorced to be happy with someone else. The Bullochs (Sue's grandparents) are a delightful couple and the writing is lovely as always.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the new Audible edition of this early Stevenson book, which was originally published at the start of 1939. I must say Hilary Neville does a great job as narrator - I'll watch out for more books read by her. However, the story itself has problems. The heroine, Sue Pringle, takes up a job as housekeeper and cook to a couple, but the wife walks out and she is left working for just the husband, the attractive artist Mr Darnay. Romance is in the air, but unfortunately it's hard to warm to Darnay as he is frequently patronising to Sue.

Another problem is that, although we are introduced to several interesting characters in the village, their stories seem to fizzle out - for instance, Sue meets a brother and sister who have set up a smallholding, and it seems as if she and the sister will be firm friends, but then they hardly come in again. This was a bit disappointing as Stevenson is so good at describing life in Scottish villages. Sue's grandparents are great characters, anyway. There are also a few dated political/racial comments which leave a bad taste now and must have done so for some readers in 1939.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's no "owl was the baker's daughter" allusions here -- Sue actually is the daughter of a baker. A rather uncongenial one who made her leave school to keep house for him when her mother died. A decade later he remarries, and suddenly Sue has little to occupy her time. Coincidentally overhearing a newcomer to her small Scottish town asking for a housekeeper, she takes the job and finds herself living in an abandoned mill with an absent-minded artist.

[Karen (Living Unabridged) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not Stevenson's best work. I couldn't warm up to Sue and most of the plot is so over the top implausible.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Darnay is a successful painter. His work has sold well and now he decides he will paint the countryside around Scotland (which entails renting 'Tog's Mill', up in the hills!)

When the Darnays hire a new cook, Sue Pringle is more than ready to take on a job. Having lost her mother several years before, Sue has completed her teen years cooking and cleaning for her father and young brother, Sandy. The loss of his first wife has changed Will Pringle into a sober, taciturn and sometimes harsh father. When Will remarries, Sue and Sandy have trouble welcoming their new stepmother into the home.

Hearing about the need for a cook gives Sue a way out of her drab home life. However, just after Sue arrives at her new job, Mrs. Darnay leaves her husband, packing up her bags and departing for the bright lights of London and taking her maid with her. Mrs. Darnay, who is French, and her French maid, are *not* happy living in the wilds of Scotland. They miss the city life and the excitement of Paris, London, parties, and shopping.

Although John Darnay encourages Sue to go back home (since his wife has left), she decides to stay on in her new job and make a go of it.

As the weeks and months pass, Sue finds herself loving the countryside and hills of Scotland, taking her daily walks after her work is done. Sue finds purpose and new meaning in her new life, and begins to develop a friendship with the artist. She even begins to 'cover' for him, when bills in town become due, convincing the merchants (who are old friends of hers), that Darnay will pay them eventually.

After experiencing the harsh criticisms of her father and his new wife, it is natural for Sue to blossom and develop a loyalty to her new employer who offers her friendship, support and affirmation. What Sue does not expect or foresee, is for her heart to be drawn away.

"Sue locked the door behind her and set off for a walk, taking the hill path. It was still raining in the wind, but she did not mind that, for the rain was in tune with her mood and therefore more welcome than bright sunshine. She walked slowly and heavily, for there was no spring in her body, and wound her way wearily toward the hills. Part of her saw and noted the rain, the birds, the brownish-red buds on the bog myrtle, and part of her was withdrawn, suffering in a sort of dark, dumb misery. This was not the first time Sue had suffered mental agony, for she had suffered the same kind of loss when her mother died. Then as now, the whole light of her life had been extinguished in a moment - the whole light of her life."

This novel was another of DE Stevenson's 'comfort reads'. I especially liked the chapter describing a fun New Year's Eve dinner party, but also the descriptions of winter in Scotland were charming and made for a nice cosy winter-time read!

In this story, it is interesting to see the way the author 'grows' the characters through simple everyday life experiences. Sue's brother Sandy has some growing to do, as does Sue herself:

"You're so brave!" exclaimed Sue impulsively.

"Not really brave," replied May with a faint smile. "I'm an awful coward at night. I think of the bills and try to calculate how much money we've got left, but it's no use going about with a long face and moaning over our bad luck, for that would only make things worse. I've got to think of Alec and keep him cheerful and that's a great help. It's when you've only got yourself to think of that it's difficult to smile through troubles."

Sue digested this philosophy in silence, for she saw that she could apply it to her own case. 'And May's troubles are worse than mine,' Sue thought as she walked home across the moor, 'for I'm sure of a roof over my head and plenty to eat. My troubles are imaginary. They are all in myself, and the best thing to do is to pull myself together and make the best of life.' "

It is refreshing to see that there are moral conflicts in the story that are not simply dismissed as 'old-fashioned morality', but rather the characters make choices based on what simply is right. Over the years with the changes in society in divorce laws it now seems to be much easier to sever the bonds of marriage (and whether that is 'progress' or no, is a discussion for another day!) But in this novel and in Sue Pringle's time, things were different. Divorce with all of its repercussions was a drastic measure, and seen as such.

Choosing not to defend the charges now against him, Darnay allows the divorce to go through uncontested (even though he had grounds for 'abandonment'). However, this is no tidy, neat process (it never is), and Stevenson portrays Darnay with natural, human reactions.

As so often occurs in real life, we are most drawn to those who seem sympathetic to us. Given Sue's sympathetic, intuitive nature, Darnay finds (to his dismay) that he cannot hide his struggle or resentment:

"You're dead right, Miss Bun. I was in a tearing rage when I painted that picture. I thought I had sublimated my rage, but I hadn't."

Sue understood now. "Why, of course," she cried. "You painted your feelings into it."

"But I shouldn't have", he told her. "You seem to think that makes it right, but it's all wrong. What are my feelings worth? I must be no worth than a seeing eye, a crafty hand. I must allow the tree or the flower I paint to exhibit its own nature - that is art. I thought I was painting the soul of the willow, but it was my own black soul I was painting - that's no good. An artist must paint as though he were God."

It is very evident that Darnay's painful experiences have brought out his strength of character and maturity. Sue herself, with her quiet (although not always easy) background and particular family life, has some growing up to do, and with it, some choices to make. Should she take the easy road and marry Hickie, her family's choice of a good, dependable husband, and in the process, gain her family's approval (and in the long run, isn't that what we all want, to gain the approval of those we love most?)

Whatever your thoughts on love, romance and traditional marriage and what true fidelity looks like, read D.E. Stevenson, if for no other reason than for the pleasantry of a good comfort read.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bulloch were sitting by the fire. Mrs. Bulloch was knitting a gray sock, and Mr. Bulloch was reading out tidbits from the evening paper. They were very happy and completely in harmony. The fire burned merrily in the grate and was reflected in dancing points of light in the lenses of Mrs. Bulloch's spectacles and on the highly polished surface of her knitting needles. Outside the wind howled, and now and then the windows rattled, but this only served to accentuate the comfort of the cosy room."

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since i last read it so it was almost like reading it for the first time. It had me reading til 2 am to finish it, so, as always d. E. Stevenson is just such a readable author. With 50 books and more to her credit, (not sure of that number), even though i gave it a 3 star rating, i still really enjoyed reading it. There is a light touch of humor in many of her books, but that was missing here. I liked her characterization of the artist, and loved the descriptions of curling, and it takes place in scotland, so, lots of things to like. I liked it much more this time around and changed it to 4 stars! She has such a deft hand with her writing and her characters. The more you reread, the more you see and appreciate her skill and her understanding of people and what makes them tick. Amazing, really.

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why I was under the impression that Sue was about 17 and that Darnay was somewhere in his 40's. I didn't find out until page 219 that Sue was 23, and I never did find out how old Darnay was. Their relationship felt more father / daughter to me and that colored my perception of the story. I just could not get behind the idea of a romance between the two of them.

[The Daydreamologist · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was sweet. In the first half of the book, there was even a Howl's-Moving-Castle feel, which I loved.
Other than that, the word 'declared' was over used, and I'm sure it wasn't just me; everyone was declaring almost everything, even if it seemed against their character to declare anything. I mean, people could've simply said things!

[LaRae☕️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a comfort read - a love story in the 30s, set in Scotland; however, although the happy ending was predicted and hoped for, the plot getting there was unique in many ways. I really liked the main characters, some of the side characters were intriguing, I loved the setting and the period, and thoroughly enjoyed it all around. D. E. Stevenson is simply a good storyteller.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book - 4.5 stars
Narration by Hilary Neville - 5 stars

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

None of the characters ever fully captured my sympathy, however the author’s beautiful descriptions of scenery and clearly drawn characters still made for a pleasant read.

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stevenson's eugenicism is on display here. She even mentions Hitler. Though the statement is vague, I think it comes off as positive. The book was published in '38, before the war and therefore without full knowledge, but it sounds as if she was one of those Britons of the era who had fascist sympathies.

Aside from that, I still didn't love the story. Sue should have listened to her family regarding the inappropriateness of the arrangement. Putting oneself in such proximity to a married person of the opposite sex is dumb.

Not my favorite.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite DE Stevenson, although I really enjoyed the ending. The book’s main character, Sue (the eponymous baker’s daughter), reads more like a character study than a final draft. She is a cipher through most of the book—a little dull-witted, if mindlessly (and fiercely) loyal, and not well fleshed out. Almost a “noble savage” stereotype in working class female form. I’m not sure if this is just the time period (perhaps we expect more introspection in the 2st century). Or it may be Stevenson’s inability to write a working class character who is as fully realized as her middle-class characters.

The flat Sue is too bad, because there is much here to like, including grandparents who embody the wonderful, companionate marriages that Stevenson does so well. (The grandparents may themselves be a character study for the wonderful Jock and Mamie who appear in later books.)

While I softened toward the book by the end, this was one of my least favorite Stevensons. For (IMHO) a better DES read, I recommend Miss Buncle’s Book, The Two Mrs. Abbotts, Fletcher’s End, and The House on the Cliff.

[Teri-K · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love the author's Mrs. Tim books, which I own. I really enjoy her Miss Buncle series, too, and several of her others that I've had the opportunity to read, but I hated this book so much I ended up returning it to Audible.

For one thing, the heroine is boring. She's so naïve and passive she has no personality at all. And the supposed love interest is a jerk. I could see why his wife probably left him. Apparently he thinks calling women names like "uneducated savage" is sweet. When she makes one feeble attempt to educate herself about art he tells her not to bother as she'll never understand it and adds "I prefer my gentle savage, my woman Friday." Of course he does, she does all the housework and errands for him, never argues, discusses or talks back, and apparently inspires his muse. Bleh.

At about the 30% point I couldn't take it and quit. I actually love a lot of old fashioned style books, but not if the hero is simply a jerk. Disappointing, especially as Mrs. Tim and Miss Buncle are strong, intelligent women. I wish this heroine were more like them.

[Leonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars as reading this light, sweet delight made me happy. Written in 1938 (with accordingly dated ideas of womanhood being only fulfilled once attached to a man, but hey, this is a romance!) this story about a young Scots girl falling in love with an artist is a gem, complete with villains, feckless siblings who come good, fabulous descriptions of landscape and a suitably last minute happy ending. Utter bliss, and I just want to read more of this author’s work.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Rembrandt’s mother was a baker’s daughter”

Sue Pringle, la hija del panadero del pueblo, perdió a su madre, Mary, cuando tan sólo tenía 14 años. La mujer se puso repentinamente enferma y sabiendo que iba a morir, le pidió a su padre, el abuelo de Sue, que ayudara a su hija a que dejara de ser tan seria, que saliera del cascarón. Durante los 5 años siguientes Sue ha cuidado de su intratable padre y su apocado hermano menor, hasta que un día el padre se vuelve a casar y Sue se siente desplazada en su propia casa.

Justo en ese disgusto se hallaba metida cuando la señora Darnay, esposa del pintor que vive en un molino a las afueras, pregunta al tendero del pueblo si conoce de alguna muchacha que pueda ir a cocinar para ellos. Este buen nombre no es otro que el señor Bulloch, el abuelo de Sue y daba la casualidad de que en ese momento Sue estaba visitándolo a él y a su esposa, escuchó la petición de la acaudalada señora y, por impulso, se ofreció a ser la cocinera del molino.

La historia se desarrolla principalmente en un pueblecito de las Lowlands escocesas en (calculo yo) los años 30 del s.XX. Los Darnay se han trasladado allí desde Londres porque el pintor, a pesar de hacer mucho dinero con sus retratos, no se siente satisfecho de su obra y quiere probar cosas nuevas en lugares completamente distintos y alejados de la gran urbe. Pero su esposa no es feliz, le gusta demasiado el lujo y la vida en sociedad, por eso una noche, justo la noche en que Sue se traslada al molino, la señora Darnay y su criada francesa, agarran sus maletas y sin decir nada, abandonan el lugar.

El pintor le dice a Sue que vuelva a su casa, pues en el molino no hay nada para ella, pero la joven se apiada de él porque no sabe cuidarse solo, y decide quedarse.

Este es, muy a grandes rasgos, el argumento de “The Baker’s Daughter” en el que DE Stevenson nos vuelve a invitar a visitar su Escocia natal, sus gentes y sus paisajes. Porque las gentes y los paisajes lo son todo en este libro, más allá de la historia de Sue y el pintor. Es imposible no tomarle cariño a las sencillas pero simpáticas, a la par que peculiares, gentes de Beilford, que es como se llama el pueblecito, en especial a los Bulloch, el bueno de Thomas y su esposa Susan, que asisten perplejos a la evolución de su querida nieta, desde que es un ratoncito que apenas llama la atención a ser una mujer llena de vitalidad, energía y felicidad. Si leéis este libro, prestad mucha atención a este crecimiento de Susan tan bien retratado y plasmado en palabras.

Dicho todo esto, sumado a lo mucho que disfruté leyendo nuevamente a DE Stevenson, debo también señalar que para mi lo mejor, o dicho de otra manera, lo que más me gustó y disfruté del libro es la ambientación. La autora conoce bien los paisajes, las gentes y los pequeños detalles que hacen única a Escocia, los rincones más allá de Edimburgo, Glasgow, Aberdeen o incluso Skye. Esos lugares que no tienen mucha importancia en el mapa ni grandes poblaciones o atractivos turísticos, es el paisaje, la orografía y la idiosincrasia específicos de esos pequeños lugares que no son del conocimiento común. Es esa gente y son esos lugares los que siempre llenan las paginas de los libros de esta entrañable autora.

[Jannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sue Pringle jumps at the chance to be the cook at the new couple Mr and Mrs Darnays, she sees it as escape from her fathers dour moods and her step mother.
However she finds that on her first day Mrs. Darnay has left and Mr. Darnay is all alone. Sue decides to stay when she realises Mr Darnay is like a child, painting is in his blood and often he knows all else. Slowly but surely she falls in love. What happens next?
Lovely warmth as is characteristic of all Stevenson's books. Quite annoyed at the ending ending for its ambiguity but the "ending" was good. Its not as good as her others but it was sweet to read. There's something a little lacking in terms of meat, but abound comfort.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

My thoughts are mixed. Some moral and religious things are stopping me from giving this more stars. Like the fact that Sue falls in love with Darnay while he's still married, and they stay unchaperoned in the same house for four months. (Absolutely nothing happens, but still.)

Honestly, I knew that content existed in The Baker's Daughter before I picked this up, so it's also my fault for reading it.

But D.E. Stevenson is an amazing author and her work deserves more praise. This wasn't my favorite of her novels, though - I'd recommend Miss Buncle's Book or The Tall Stranger as an introduction to her work.