What do you think?
Rate this book
Ayrton Family #1
Amberwell
Amberwell tells the story of the Ayrton family: five siblings raised by cool and distant parents, scattered afar in adulthood, but brought together by the oncoming Second World War.
The eponymous estate on the west coast of Scotland has been in the Ayrton family for several generations, descending from father to son in an unbroken line. By family tradition, each new owner was to add to the amenities of the place and in this way Amberwell grew larger and more beautiful as the years went by, endowed with gardens and terraces and orchards.
Sweet and melancholy, Amberwell paints a vivid picture of one family torn apart by wider events in their world.
The eponymous estate on the west coast of Scotland has been in the Ayrton family for several generations, descending from father to son in an unbroken line. By family tradition, each new owner was to add to the amenities of the place and in this way Amberwell grew larger and more beautiful as the years went by, endowed with gardens and terraces and orchards.
Sweet and melancholy, Amberwell paints a vivid picture of one family torn apart by wider events in their world.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1955
551 people are currently reading
1674 people want to read
About the author
D.E. Stevenson
67 books626 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
June 12, 2020
Good old-fashioned historic fiction.
I started this nostalgic book, intending to read just a couple of chapters, but found it too hard to put down and finished it off the same night. It's the story of the Ayrton family and their beloved estate in Scotland, Amberwell. In particular, it follows five siblings through their childhood and into their lives as young adults during the WWII years. With emotionally absent parents, Roger, Tom, Connie, Nell and Anne learn to rely on each other for support. But life pulls them in different directions.
It's rather leisurely-paced but insightful, and the characters are well-drawn. I wanted to punch out the parents, who really did their children — especially their daughters — a disservice. The parents' motto was "never explain" (citing Benjamin Disraeli: "Never complain and never explain."). They just issue orders. The girls are never taken anywhere as children, not even to church or the local village.
So it was really interesting seeing what life brought to their five children, and what they made of their lives, especially when hard times hit ... as they do nearly all of them, with one notable exception.
This book isn't nearly as heartwrenching as some WWII era books; it felt a little more like a cozy read, with most of the deaths and trauma taking place with a little distance. But I really liked that it was realistic, both about the effects of the family's dysfunctions () and the wartime experiences.
I started this nostalgic book, intending to read just a couple of chapters, but found it too hard to put down and finished it off the same night. It's the story of the Ayrton family and their beloved estate in Scotland, Amberwell. In particular, it follows five siblings through their childhood and into their lives as young adults during the WWII years. With emotionally absent parents, Roger, Tom, Connie, Nell and Anne learn to rely on each other for support. But life pulls them in different directions.
It's rather leisurely-paced but insightful, and the characters are well-drawn. I wanted to punch out the parents, who really did their children — especially their daughters — a disservice. The parents' motto was "never explain" (citing Benjamin Disraeli: "Never complain and never explain."). They just issue orders. The girls are never taken anywhere as children, not even to church or the local village.
So it was really interesting seeing what life brought to their five children, and what they made of their lives, especially when hard times hit ... as they do nearly all of them, with one notable exception.
When he had gone Nell lay awake for a long time trying to tidy up the chaos in her mind. It was not easy. She had always thought of herself as a complete nonentity, unimportant and ineffectual; but now, all of a sudden, she had had heavy responsibilities placed upon her shoulders, and placed there quite confidently. Roger obviously had no doubt at all of her ability to cope.It's always nice seeing people rise to a challenge. Not that life is all rainbows and sunshine here; WWII, not to mention the fraught family dynamics, both have a real effect on the characters' lives.
This book isn't nearly as heartwrenching as some WWII era books; it felt a little more like a cozy read, with most of the deaths and trauma taking place with a little distance. But I really liked that it was realistic, both about the effects of the family's dysfunctions () and the wartime experiences.
March 13, 2017
There’s a period between the world wars that is widely regarded by anglophiles and other sentimentalists as a golden era (for a certain class of English gentry, at least)—a time when families with land still had enough money, and enough servants disposed to serve, that they could lead lives of beauty and elegant idleness. D. E. Stevenson’s gentle “romance” (or so the cover tells us to consider it), Amberwell, begins in the heart of that era. Her writing is sweet and placid, but are we really to consider it the golden age it appears to be?
Amberwell is an estate in southern Scotland that has been inhabited by the Ayrton family for generations, each generation adding to or enhancing the property. The current generation, after due reflection, decides that a lily pool with a mermaid statue is the apt enhancement for their day. Perhaps this fanciful embellishment should serve as a warning that all is not as edenic as it seems.
Five children are being raised in this remote paradise, and the story quickly becomes theirs. There are two sons from a lost first wife and three daughters from the second wife and current Amberwell mistress. Absent much interaction with neighbors, the children develop their own society, influenced by their governess and (mostly) their nurse and one another but remote from parents and the outer world alike. The boys are eventually sent away to school and thus receive exposure to wider influences, but the girls remain at home, immured within the walls of the estate. They are happy there, but the reader soon picks up intimations that they are not being prepared for real life.
Eventually rumors of war, followed inevitably by war itself, intrude upon this idyll. The boys vanish into service, one of the sisters moves on, the parents ignore the cataclysm, and it is left to the youngest sisters to adapt and cope. That they do so without losing their grace is miraculous.
I love D. E. Stevenson’s writing because she shows that realism does not require harshness, profanity, violence, or following characters into the bedroom or bathroom. This is a traumatic story gently told; to my mind, it is all the more impactful for the deceptive sweetness. The beauties of the scene, the surface ease of the characters’ lives, seduce the reader into expectations that are repeatedly defied. It is “cozy” put to meaningful purpose.
The final chapters require a wrench in setting and point of view and the wrap-up felt a bit hasty, but these are trivial criticisms when set against my appreciation for Stevenson’s artfulness.
Amberwell is an estate in southern Scotland that has been inhabited by the Ayrton family for generations, each generation adding to or enhancing the property. The current generation, after due reflection, decides that a lily pool with a mermaid statue is the apt enhancement for their day. Perhaps this fanciful embellishment should serve as a warning that all is not as edenic as it seems.
Five children are being raised in this remote paradise, and the story quickly becomes theirs. There are two sons from a lost first wife and three daughters from the second wife and current Amberwell mistress. Absent much interaction with neighbors, the children develop their own society, influenced by their governess and (mostly) their nurse and one another but remote from parents and the outer world alike. The boys are eventually sent away to school and thus receive exposure to wider influences, but the girls remain at home, immured within the walls of the estate. They are happy there, but the reader soon picks up intimations that they are not being prepared for real life.
Eventually rumors of war, followed inevitably by war itself, intrude upon this idyll. The boys vanish into service, one of the sisters moves on, the parents ignore the cataclysm, and it is left to the youngest sisters to adapt and cope. That they do so without losing their grace is miraculous.
I love D. E. Stevenson’s writing because she shows that realism does not require harshness, profanity, violence, or following characters into the bedroom or bathroom. This is a traumatic story gently told; to my mind, it is all the more impactful for the deceptive sweetness. The beauties of the scene, the surface ease of the characters’ lives, seduce the reader into expectations that are repeatedly defied. It is “cozy” put to meaningful purpose.
The final chapters require a wrench in setting and point of view and the wrap-up felt a bit hasty, but these are trivial criticisms when set against my appreciation for Stevenson’s artfulness.
February 26, 2025
Lugar feliz total.
Una historia de una familia, de cinco hermanos, sus idas y venidas, la guerra, los jardines y Escocia.
Una historia de una familia, de cinco hermanos, sus idas y venidas, la guerra, los jardines y Escocia.
October 5, 2020
Amberwell is a light read about a family in southwest Scotland in the years before, during and after WWII. This story centers around 5 siblings as they grow from children playing in the beautiful gardens on the Amberwell Estate to young adults who move on to live their separate lives. What stood out for me was the love the siblings had for each other and for their home, a Scottish Tara. Their young adulthoods coincide with the start of the war at which point the story became interesting because this is the point at which each of the 5 children move beyond their cloistered and pampered positions at home and take on distinct lives of their own. I enjoyed following the course of the lives of each “child” as one by one they made decisions which had major repercussions on their lives. Taking care of the home and the parents (a neglectful, nasty duo), good marriages, bad marriages, babies, deaths, poverty and misery ensue as well as finding backbone and strength that was not encouraged in the pampered kids while living at home.
Stevenson’s writing does not require much from the reader. So this is a perfect read for a time when you want an easy, relaxing novel which does’t require much from your little grey cells. I have to admit that at times the story felt a bit too sweet and twee but I suppose that’s what allows a novel which takes place during and after WWII to remain a comfort read.
Stevenson’s writing does not require much from the reader. So this is a perfect read for a time when you want an easy, relaxing novel which does’t require much from your little grey cells. I have to admit that at times the story felt a bit too sweet and twee but I suppose that’s what allows a novel which takes place during and after WWII to remain a comfort read.
February 10, 2016
How lovely...lovely estate, lovely children, lovely descriptions... I escaped to my favorite place, Britain, with my favorite characters, children, made possible by my new favorite author, D.E. Stevenson.
The novel revolves around the Ayrton family. Will and Marion Ayrton seem to have one raison detre: to enhance their Scottish estate, while adhering to the social mores of the time. Their children are neglected and left to fend for themselves, and the novel focuses on the children's survival skills and their development in adulthood as they live through WWII.
I enjoyed Amberwell much more than I expected. This novel so reminds me of Richmal Crompton and her ability to write about children as individuals. I truly delighted in this novel. My visit to Amberwell was a happy one...I just wished it could have been longer.
The novel revolves around the Ayrton family. Will and Marion Ayrton seem to have one raison detre: to enhance their Scottish estate, while adhering to the social mores of the time. Their children are neglected and left to fend for themselves, and the novel focuses on the children's survival skills and their development in adulthood as they live through WWII.
I enjoyed Amberwell much more than I expected. This novel so reminds me of Richmal Crompton and her ability to write about children as individuals. I truly delighted in this novel. My visit to Amberwell was a happy one...I just wished it could have been longer.
January 14, 2016
A few years ago I read one of D. E. Stevenson’s most popular novels, Miss Buncle’s Book. I found it a lovely, charming read, but as I said in my review at the time, I thought it 'lacked that special spark’'. I hadn’t really thought about reading any more of her books until I noticed that some of them were being reissued by Endeavour Press. I liked the sound of Amberwell and decided to give Stevenson another chance to impress me.
Amberwell is the name of a house and estate in the south west of Scotland, home to Mr and Mrs Ayrton and their five children: Roger, Tom, Connie, Nell and Anne. The Ayrtons show little interest in getting to know the children; the two boys are sent away to school as soon as possible, their future careers mapped out for them by their father regardless of their own wishes. Education for the girls is not considered important – they remain in the nursery at Amberwell to be raised by Nannie and taught at home by Miss Clarke, who comes in daily.
As the years go by and World War II approaches, the Ayrton children begin to follow their own paths in life. Roger and Tom go off to war while Connie and Anne (under very different circumstances) both leave home, with only the middle sister, Nell, left behind to care for Amberwell. Amberwell itself remains at the centre of the story and even as the Ayrtons move away or move on, it continues to hold a special place in each of their hearts.
I loved Amberwell. I found it very different from Miss Buncle’s Book (a more serious, poignant story rather than a humorous one) but much more to my taste. I was particularly interested in the portrayal of the effects of war on a wealthy family living in a quiet, rural area who at first are shielded from what is going on elsewhere but eventually find that their own way of life is changing too. I could understand Roger’s anger during a conversation with his parents in which he discovers that they are more concerned about losing their servants than they are about Roger himself, who is risking his life for his country.
This is not just a book about war, of course. It’s also a book about Scottish society before and during the war and what it was like to be a young woman growing up in that time and place. And it’s a book about the relationships between brothers and sisters and between parents and children – and the damage which can be caused by a lack of understanding, attention and affection.
The beautiful Connie is the conventional one who does what is expected of her and as such she is the least interesting of the Ayrtons to read about as well as being the hardest to warm to, but I cared very much about the fates of the other four siblings. Anne’s life takes a dramatic turn following a visit to her Aunt Beatrice and we have to wait until the end of the novel to hear the full story of her adventures, while Tom and Roger are both easy to like and their love for Amberwell and their sisters shines through strongly. But this is really Nell’s story – Nell’s and Amberwell’s – and Nell is a wonderful person, offering help and support to those who need it and ensuring that her brothers and sisters have a home to come back to when the war is over.
After finishing this book I was pleased to find that there is a sequel, Summerhills, which I will be reading as soon as I have the opportunity. I would love to know what happens to the characters I’ve become so fond of, particularly Nell, my favourite. I also have a copy of another Stevenson novel, Vittoria Cottage, which I’m looking forward to now that I’ve enjoyed this one so much.
Amberwell is the name of a house and estate in the south west of Scotland, home to Mr and Mrs Ayrton and their five children: Roger, Tom, Connie, Nell and Anne. The Ayrtons show little interest in getting to know the children; the two boys are sent away to school as soon as possible, their future careers mapped out for them by their father regardless of their own wishes. Education for the girls is not considered important – they remain in the nursery at Amberwell to be raised by Nannie and taught at home by Miss Clarke, who comes in daily.
As the years go by and World War II approaches, the Ayrton children begin to follow their own paths in life. Roger and Tom go off to war while Connie and Anne (under very different circumstances) both leave home, with only the middle sister, Nell, left behind to care for Amberwell. Amberwell itself remains at the centre of the story and even as the Ayrtons move away or move on, it continues to hold a special place in each of their hearts.
I loved Amberwell. I found it very different from Miss Buncle’s Book (a more serious, poignant story rather than a humorous one) but much more to my taste. I was particularly interested in the portrayal of the effects of war on a wealthy family living in a quiet, rural area who at first are shielded from what is going on elsewhere but eventually find that their own way of life is changing too. I could understand Roger’s anger during a conversation with his parents in which he discovers that they are more concerned about losing their servants than they are about Roger himself, who is risking his life for his country.
This is not just a book about war, of course. It’s also a book about Scottish society before and during the war and what it was like to be a young woman growing up in that time and place. And it’s a book about the relationships between brothers and sisters and between parents and children – and the damage which can be caused by a lack of understanding, attention and affection.
The beautiful Connie is the conventional one who does what is expected of her and as such she is the least interesting of the Ayrtons to read about as well as being the hardest to warm to, but I cared very much about the fates of the other four siblings. Anne’s life takes a dramatic turn following a visit to her Aunt Beatrice and we have to wait until the end of the novel to hear the full story of her adventures, while Tom and Roger are both easy to like and their love for Amberwell and their sisters shines through strongly. But this is really Nell’s story – Nell’s and Amberwell’s – and Nell is a wonderful person, offering help and support to those who need it and ensuring that her brothers and sisters have a home to come back to when the war is over.
After finishing this book I was pleased to find that there is a sequel, Summerhills, which I will be reading as soon as I have the opportunity. I would love to know what happens to the characters I’ve become so fond of, particularly Nell, my favourite. I also have a copy of another Stevenson novel, Vittoria Cottage, which I’m looking forward to now that I’ve enjoyed this one so much.
January 7, 2025
A esto se le puede llamar empezar el año 2025 lector por todo lo alto. Soy plenamente consciente de que estamos en los primeros meses de enero, que aún queda año para rato, y que encima tengo proyectadas o quiero hacer muchas lecturas que tienen pinta de que van a ser muy interesantes o que son eternos pendientes a los que tengo muchas ganas. Pero si me dices que “Amberwell” , cuando llegue el próximo diciembre, va a estar entre mis mejores lecturas del 2025 te lo compro totalmente. Hacía bastante tiempo que no cogía un libro con tantas ganas y me metía en su historia tan plenamente, que me hacia disfrutar tanto de la lectura y quesu historia me atrapaba totalmente. Esta lectura ha sido un absoluto placer, me he bebido la novela en dos días y me he quedado con la impresión de que no me hubiera importado que hubiera tenido 100 o 200 páginas más. D. E. Stevenson era una autora a la que tenía muchas ganas de leer, y creo que he empezado a leerla por la puerta grande, con uno de sus mejores trabajos.
Desde que que en el siglo XVII, el primer William Ayrton compro un terreno en el sur de Escocia donde mando construir la mansión de Amberwell, sus descendientes han vivido en el lugar, con la curiosidad de que cada generación añade siempre algún elemento a la propiedad para embellecerla. En el periodo de entreguerras, los cinco hijos del nuevo, dueño; Tom, Roger, Connie, Nel y Ann, crecen poco a poco entre sus bellos jardines, mayormente ignorados por sus padres. A medida que van haciéndose mayores la llegada de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y el transcurso de sus propias existencias harán que los hermanos tomen rumbos diferentes. Pero Amberwell siempre será el punto de referencia para ellos, el lugar querido al que están intrínsecamente conectados.
Nos encontramos ante una novela profundamente coral que podría inscribirse dentro del género de crecimiento o bildungsroman. Y es que conocemos a los cinco hermanos Ayrton cuando son niños y vamos viendo a lo largo de unos 20 años cómo van creciendo y desarrollándose a medida que pasan los años y el mundo que conocen va cambiándose y convulsionándose por la llegada e influencia de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Y eso nos permitirá ver cómo durante esos años el mundo y la sociedad británica cambiaron, como todo aquello que se sentía seguro y aquellos principios que parecían más firmes fueron trastocados h se vieron en la obligación de adaptarse a los nuevos y complicados tiempos. En ese sentido, la lectura me ha recordado mucho a la serie de “Downton Abbey”, donde también se echa un vistazo a como se forjo este cambio de mentalidades y de roles y como termino por imponerse. Y en menor medida, y no sé si es por la ambientación o el momento de la escritura, leer este libro también me ha recordado mucho a las novelas de Nancy Mitford, pero sin ese toque de cinismo agrio tan característico de la pluma de la aristócrata escritora. Lo cual no quiere decir que D. E. Stevenson no cargue las tintas contra la alta sociedad británica y sus principios, evidenciando su ineficacia en el momento de la verdad y poniendo en relevancia que cuando la cosa se complicó, los que realmente levantaron la situación y el país fueron todos esos hombres y mujeres que se pusieron manos a la obra y trabajaron sin descanso por su país o por sus familias, no aquellos que se quedaron de brazos cruzados. Es cierto que la autora representa esta situación como algo inevitable innecesario para sobrevivir, sin cargarla de dramas, pero lo hace desde una perspectiva que resulta cercana y humana por lo realista que es y por la manera en que habla de cómo se vivió la Segunda Guerra Mundial en Escocia.
Y es que D. E. Stevenson compone una novela de trama fácil de seguir, con muchos personajes y una prosa directa y simple; pero a la vez cálida y profundamente evocadora; y un ritmo narrativo ágil pero que da espacio para los pequeños y grandes detalles . Aunque a lo largo de sus páginas aparezcan situaciones complejas debido a errores y a la propia guerra, “Amberwell” no es una lectura, especialmente dura, ya que todo está trabajado con ligereza y buenas dosis de amabilidad y comprensión. De hecho, toda la obra se siente como estar envuelto en una suave y confortable manta al calor del fuego mientras tienes al lado una taza de chocolate caliente y el libro siempre dispuesto a dejarte sumergir en su tierna y benevolente historia. Y que te retrotrae a esos años de infancia, en los que uno se sentía seguro, gracias a esa atmósfera nostálgica y con tintes melancólicos que la autora compone junto a momentos y situaciones más ligeras y cómicas. Hay momentos y situaciones muy sensibles y tristes, pero creo que la autora tiene el acierto de trabajarlas desde una perspectiva en la que no se ahonde en lo excesivamente en lo triste, sin permitirse caer en la sensiblería barata o excesiva. Todo el libro siempre tiene siempre ese toque de esperanzador y de suave alegría que aligera todo y que hace que el conjunto resulte muy agradable de leer.
Es una obra que rápidamente atrapa por su falta de pretenciones y la placidez de su trama, que se lee con gran placer y te deja un poso cálido y tierno en el corazón mientras avanzas en ella. La autora logra de una manera tranquila y sosegada mostrarnos la fragilidad del ser humano y la importancia de los lazos emocionales, pero al mismo tiempo nos muestra la complejidad de las relaciones humanas y lo complejas y complicadas que puede ser. El libro cuenta con más matices y mayor complejidad de la que pueda aparecer a priori por su sencilla trama, sus personajes entrañables y su prosa. Es una novela sobre errores, situaciones sobrevenidas, guerra, nostalgia, episodios de maltrato psicológico, separaciones y disputas familiares y tiene una gran carga critica contra la sociedad del momento, que puede resultar imperceptible a primera vista, al ser un alegato hacia la independencia económica y moral de la mujer.
Aunque la narración se articule en varios momentos en los diferentes puntos de vista de los niños que conocemos al principio, si hubiera dos personajes que destacan dentro de ella serían las dos hermanas más pequeñas de los Ayrton, Nell y Anne, quienes tendrán sendos periplos vitales que demostraran la necesidad de que una mujer se forme y aprenda a ser independiente por su cuenta, cuando la guerra y sus propias elecciones, las obliguen a valerse por sí mismas y a cuidar de otros, a tomar decisiones por su cuenta y riesgos y a avanzar en la vida aprendiendo a no preocuparse por lo que piensen los demás. Y es que una de las grandes bazas de la novela es lo bien que se mueve la autora con un elenco tan amplio y variado y como logra conectar al lector con unos personajes sencillos pero bien esbozados y muy diferentes entre ellos, a través de los cuales vemos cómo es la vida cotidiana en una mansión escocesa a mediados del siglo XX , como la vida puede dar muchas vueltas y puede resultar cambiante. A los hermanos protagonistas hay que sumarle unos padres chapados a la antigua y distantes, un grupo de sirvientes de carácter vivaz que actúan como perfectos acompañantes de las andanzas de la familia y una suerte de personajes secundarios que ayudan a dar mucha vida y color a la trama.
Pero aunque las trayectorias de los de los hermanos se separen, en ciertos puntos de Escocia y del resto de su familia, siempre tendrán un nexo en común que será la mansión que da título a la novela. Y es que se puede decir que la auténtica protagonista de esta historia es Amberwell. Stevenson no solo se recrea a la hora de describir la mansión y, muy especialmente, sus jardines. De alguna manera, a través de las visiones y las experiencias de los cinco hermanos, la convierte en la indiscutible y auténtica narradora de la novela. Se puede decir que es a través de sus ojos que se va desgranando todo el argumento del libro y las vidas de sus protagonistas. Amberwell no es solo el centro neurálgico de la novela, es la narradora silenciosa de la obra, siempre presente en los pensamientos de Tom, Roger, Connie, Nell y Anne como el lugar amado siempre añorado y donde siempre se quiere volver. La mansión es un personaje más, a veces da la impresión de que tiene vida propia. De hecho, va cambiando en el tiempo y no solo porque cada generación de la familia le añada algún elemento. Ella también pagará y sufrirá el precio de la guerra y de los constantes vaivenes de sus habitantes. En cierta forma, Amberwell expresa en su fisonomía y sus cambios como es la situación social y política del país y de la región antes, durante y después de la segunda Guerra Mundial, pero también la emocional entre los miembros de la familia. Por lo que no se trata solo de un mero y nítido decorado en el que aúnen las diferentes tramas y personajes que componen la narración, sino que también tiene dentro de ella una profunda carga simbólica y emocional.
En definitiva “Amberwell” es una novela sobre lo pequeño y lo grande, lo complejo y lo simple, la esperanza y la tristeza, la nostalgia y la necesidad de pertenecer a un sitio que todos tenemos, junto a la importancia de los lazos familiares. Es un libro encantador que cierras con muy buen sabor de boca y una sensación cálida en el pecho. Si tuviera que ponerle un único, pero a este libro es algo que he comentado ya más arriba, que cuando llegué a su final me quedé con muchas ganas de que tuviera más páginas. Y es algo raro, porque realmente el final me ha parecido bastante bueno y para nada abrupto, la historia queda perfectamente cerrada y todo el conjunto deja al lector con la sensación de tener la duración y el ritmo apropiados, que nada faltaba y nada sobraba. Pero al mismo tiempo me dejó con ganas de más, quizás por lo mucho que disfrute la lectura y lo buena que me ha parecido. Pero he visto, que por lo visto hay una segunda parte que fue publicada en ingles un año después de “Amberwell” (que vio la luz en 1956). Tengo que mirar a ver si ha salido en español, y si no es el caso rezar para que pronto nos la traigan a la lengua de Cervantes.
Desde que que en el siglo XVII, el primer William Ayrton compro un terreno en el sur de Escocia donde mando construir la mansión de Amberwell, sus descendientes han vivido en el lugar, con la curiosidad de que cada generación añade siempre algún elemento a la propiedad para embellecerla. En el periodo de entreguerras, los cinco hijos del nuevo, dueño; Tom, Roger, Connie, Nel y Ann, crecen poco a poco entre sus bellos jardines, mayormente ignorados por sus padres. A medida que van haciéndose mayores la llegada de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y el transcurso de sus propias existencias harán que los hermanos tomen rumbos diferentes. Pero Amberwell siempre será el punto de referencia para ellos, el lugar querido al que están intrínsecamente conectados.
Nos encontramos ante una novela profundamente coral que podría inscribirse dentro del género de crecimiento o bildungsroman. Y es que conocemos a los cinco hermanos Ayrton cuando son niños y vamos viendo a lo largo de unos 20 años cómo van creciendo y desarrollándose a medida que pasan los años y el mundo que conocen va cambiándose y convulsionándose por la llegada e influencia de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Y eso nos permitirá ver cómo durante esos años el mundo y la sociedad británica cambiaron, como todo aquello que se sentía seguro y aquellos principios que parecían más firmes fueron trastocados h se vieron en la obligación de adaptarse a los nuevos y complicados tiempos. En ese sentido, la lectura me ha recordado mucho a la serie de “Downton Abbey”, donde también se echa un vistazo a como se forjo este cambio de mentalidades y de roles y como termino por imponerse. Y en menor medida, y no sé si es por la ambientación o el momento de la escritura, leer este libro también me ha recordado mucho a las novelas de Nancy Mitford, pero sin ese toque de cinismo agrio tan característico de la pluma de la aristócrata escritora. Lo cual no quiere decir que D. E. Stevenson no cargue las tintas contra la alta sociedad británica y sus principios, evidenciando su ineficacia en el momento de la verdad y poniendo en relevancia que cuando la cosa se complicó, los que realmente levantaron la situación y el país fueron todos esos hombres y mujeres que se pusieron manos a la obra y trabajaron sin descanso por su país o por sus familias, no aquellos que se quedaron de brazos cruzados. Es cierto que la autora representa esta situación como algo inevitable innecesario para sobrevivir, sin cargarla de dramas, pero lo hace desde una perspectiva que resulta cercana y humana por lo realista que es y por la manera en que habla de cómo se vivió la Segunda Guerra Mundial en Escocia.
Y es que D. E. Stevenson compone una novela de trama fácil de seguir, con muchos personajes y una prosa directa y simple; pero a la vez cálida y profundamente evocadora; y un ritmo narrativo ágil pero que da espacio para los pequeños y grandes detalles . Aunque a lo largo de sus páginas aparezcan situaciones complejas debido a errores y a la propia guerra, “Amberwell” no es una lectura, especialmente dura, ya que todo está trabajado con ligereza y buenas dosis de amabilidad y comprensión. De hecho, toda la obra se siente como estar envuelto en una suave y confortable manta al calor del fuego mientras tienes al lado una taza de chocolate caliente y el libro siempre dispuesto a dejarte sumergir en su tierna y benevolente historia. Y que te retrotrae a esos años de infancia, en los que uno se sentía seguro, gracias a esa atmósfera nostálgica y con tintes melancólicos que la autora compone junto a momentos y situaciones más ligeras y cómicas. Hay momentos y situaciones muy sensibles y tristes, pero creo que la autora tiene el acierto de trabajarlas desde una perspectiva en la que no se ahonde en lo excesivamente en lo triste, sin permitirse caer en la sensiblería barata o excesiva. Todo el libro siempre tiene siempre ese toque de esperanzador y de suave alegría que aligera todo y que hace que el conjunto resulte muy agradable de leer.
Es una obra que rápidamente atrapa por su falta de pretenciones y la placidez de su trama, que se lee con gran placer y te deja un poso cálido y tierno en el corazón mientras avanzas en ella. La autora logra de una manera tranquila y sosegada mostrarnos la fragilidad del ser humano y la importancia de los lazos emocionales, pero al mismo tiempo nos muestra la complejidad de las relaciones humanas y lo complejas y complicadas que puede ser. El libro cuenta con más matices y mayor complejidad de la que pueda aparecer a priori por su sencilla trama, sus personajes entrañables y su prosa. Es una novela sobre errores, situaciones sobrevenidas, guerra, nostalgia, episodios de maltrato psicológico, separaciones y disputas familiares y tiene una gran carga critica contra la sociedad del momento, que puede resultar imperceptible a primera vista, al ser un alegato hacia la independencia económica y moral de la mujer.
Aunque la narración se articule en varios momentos en los diferentes puntos de vista de los niños que conocemos al principio, si hubiera dos personajes que destacan dentro de ella serían las dos hermanas más pequeñas de los Ayrton, Nell y Anne, quienes tendrán sendos periplos vitales que demostraran la necesidad de que una mujer se forme y aprenda a ser independiente por su cuenta, cuando la guerra y sus propias elecciones, las obliguen a valerse por sí mismas y a cuidar de otros, a tomar decisiones por su cuenta y riesgos y a avanzar en la vida aprendiendo a no preocuparse por lo que piensen los demás. Y es que una de las grandes bazas de la novela es lo bien que se mueve la autora con un elenco tan amplio y variado y como logra conectar al lector con unos personajes sencillos pero bien esbozados y muy diferentes entre ellos, a través de los cuales vemos cómo es la vida cotidiana en una mansión escocesa a mediados del siglo XX , como la vida puede dar muchas vueltas y puede resultar cambiante. A los hermanos protagonistas hay que sumarle unos padres chapados a la antigua y distantes, un grupo de sirvientes de carácter vivaz que actúan como perfectos acompañantes de las andanzas de la familia y una suerte de personajes secundarios que ayudan a dar mucha vida y color a la trama.
Pero aunque las trayectorias de los de los hermanos se separen, en ciertos puntos de Escocia y del resto de su familia, siempre tendrán un nexo en común que será la mansión que da título a la novela. Y es que se puede decir que la auténtica protagonista de esta historia es Amberwell. Stevenson no solo se recrea a la hora de describir la mansión y, muy especialmente, sus jardines. De alguna manera, a través de las visiones y las experiencias de los cinco hermanos, la convierte en la indiscutible y auténtica narradora de la novela. Se puede decir que es a través de sus ojos que se va desgranando todo el argumento del libro y las vidas de sus protagonistas. Amberwell no es solo el centro neurálgico de la novela, es la narradora silenciosa de la obra, siempre presente en los pensamientos de Tom, Roger, Connie, Nell y Anne como el lugar amado siempre añorado y donde siempre se quiere volver. La mansión es un personaje más, a veces da la impresión de que tiene vida propia. De hecho, va cambiando en el tiempo y no solo porque cada generación de la familia le añada algún elemento. Ella también pagará y sufrirá el precio de la guerra y de los constantes vaivenes de sus habitantes. En cierta forma, Amberwell expresa en su fisonomía y sus cambios como es la situación social y política del país y de la región antes, durante y después de la segunda Guerra Mundial, pero también la emocional entre los miembros de la familia. Por lo que no se trata solo de un mero y nítido decorado en el que aúnen las diferentes tramas y personajes que componen la narración, sino que también tiene dentro de ella una profunda carga simbólica y emocional.
En definitiva “Amberwell” es una novela sobre lo pequeño y lo grande, lo complejo y lo simple, la esperanza y la tristeza, la nostalgia y la necesidad de pertenecer a un sitio que todos tenemos, junto a la importancia de los lazos familiares. Es un libro encantador que cierras con muy buen sabor de boca y una sensación cálida en el pecho. Si tuviera que ponerle un único, pero a este libro es algo que he comentado ya más arriba, que cuando llegué a su final me quedé con muchas ganas de que tuviera más páginas. Y es algo raro, porque realmente el final me ha parecido bastante bueno y para nada abrupto, la historia queda perfectamente cerrada y todo el conjunto deja al lector con la sensación de tener la duración y el ritmo apropiados, que nada faltaba y nada sobraba. Pero al mismo tiempo me dejó con ganas de más, quizás por lo mucho que disfrute la lectura y lo buena que me ha parecido. Pero he visto, que por lo visto hay una segunda parte que fue publicada en ingles un año después de “Amberwell” (que vio la luz en 1956). Tengo que mirar a ver si ha salido en español, y si no es el caso rezar para que pronto nos la traigan a la lengua de Cervantes.
August 9, 2017
Another delightful book from Stevenson-this was so heart-warming! I really enjoyed Nell's character and I am assuming there is a sequel so we know if she finds love at last. The siblings are so close even though as adults they have moved apart-great ending!
January 11, 2021
This is a story about the house, Amberwell, and the Scottish Ayrton family living there. The house has passed down from generation to generation. The generation we meet is headed by the patriarch William and his second wife, two sons from his first marriage and three daughters born by his second wife. The children’s names and their respective ages are at the start of the novel Roger (12 years), Tom (11 years), Connie (7 years), Nell (6 years) and the youngest Anne (5 years) born in 1921. We follow the parents, the five children, nanny, tutor, cook, gardener, and maids through the years to the end of the Second World War. The family’s pastor is drawn into the story too. Grandchildren come to be born, and the house passes on to the next generation.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the story told. It is realistic. That which unfolds is believable. The respective characters vary in personality. There are characters you'll like and those you won’t. The mother and father lie at the bottom of the scale. There is sadness and there is happiness. Some disagreements are resolved, and others are not.
I don’t know what else to tell you, and maybe it is this that is the problem. The story told is ordinary. The story told has been told umpteen times before. Nothing, nothing here is new. The prose is ordinary too.
There is a touch of humor—but only at the book’s start. Don’t be fooled, as I was.
I will not continue the series. There is nothing in this book to entice me to try another by the author. The book isn't bad; it's OK; it's just not a book for me!
Lesley Mackie gives a wonderful narration of the audiobook. Kids and adults, both male and female characters and different accents are all perfectly rendered. The narration has given me not the slightest trouble. Mackie’s narration deserves five stars.
********************
TITLES IN THE SERIES
*Amberwell 2 stars
*Summerhills not-for-me
*Still Glides the Stream mot-for-me
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the story told. It is realistic. That which unfolds is believable. The respective characters vary in personality. There are characters you'll like and those you won’t. The mother and father lie at the bottom of the scale. There is sadness and there is happiness. Some disagreements are resolved, and others are not.
I don’t know what else to tell you, and maybe it is this that is the problem. The story told is ordinary. The story told has been told umpteen times before. Nothing, nothing here is new. The prose is ordinary too.
There is a touch of humor—but only at the book’s start. Don’t be fooled, as I was.
I will not continue the series. There is nothing in this book to entice me to try another by the author. The book isn't bad; it's OK; it's just not a book for me!
Lesley Mackie gives a wonderful narration of the audiobook. Kids and adults, both male and female characters and different accents are all perfectly rendered. The narration has given me not the slightest trouble. Mackie’s narration deserves five stars.
********************
TITLES IN THE SERIES
*Amberwell 2 stars
*Summerhills not-for-me
*Still Glides the Stream mot-for-me
June 11, 2025
This is by far my favorite D.E. Stevenson book to date. I loved the story of the five Ayrton children during the interwar period and as young adults during WWII. There were very sad aspects to the story, but it was so well-written and beautifully detailed that I enjoyed them all. I will certainly start the sequel right away.
May 23, 2022
How does this woman manage to write so many wonderful books with characters you want to invite to tea and talk to for hours? 😊 I particularly loved how much dignity and courage D.E.S. gives Nell even though she remains home at Amberwell during the whole war. Even Mrs. Ayrton displays a kind of courage at the end of the novel. But it’s Nell’s sacrifices to steward Amberwell and care for all its inhabitants that gave Roger and Tom something worth fighting for. I also love that Anne’s memories of her home and her siblings enable her to turn her difficult circumstances into something fruitful. The relationship between Anne and Nell reminds me of the two sisters in The Priory by Dorothy Whipple.
December 17, 2024
No os hacéis una idea de con cúanta alegría recibimos la noticia de que Concha Cardeñoso iba a traducir “Amberwell”, de la querida DE Stevenson, para Alba Rara Avis, porque según Marie, el libro es muy difícil de encontrar en inglés.
Aunque no metemos demasiado ruido, somos muchas las que poco a poco vamos buscando, encontrando y leyendo libros de esta autora escocesa cuya plenitud se sitúa en los años 40 y 50 del siglo pasado. Es una autora de comfort y así debían sentirla sus coetáneos cuando la leían para aliviar un poco y distraerse del día a día en un mundo en plena reconstrucción. De ella y de otras autoras afines podéis encontrar muchas más obras gracias a la colección Furrowed Middlebrow o a sellos como Virago.
“Amberwll” es un libro del tipo saga familiar, muy al estilo de obras como “Los Cazalet” que tanto nos ayudaron a sobrellevar el confinamiento a muchos lectores y lectoras. Es mi caso como es también el de Marie o el de Magrat, a quien aprovecho para recomendar este libro. En este caso es autoconclusivo y gira alrededor de los Ayrton, o mejor dicho de Amberwell, la casa escocesa que ha sido hogar de la familia durante muchas generaciones. Tiene un tono más ligero que los Cazalet, eso sí, pero no deja de hacer constantes referencias a la guerra, a la familia, a las relaciones y dinámicas entre los Ayrton y sus vecinos, la gente que trabaja en la casa, los jardines y sobre todo mi querida Nell, mi personaje favorito, la hija mediana a la que poca gente ha prestado atención hasta que se hizo impresdindible para que los Ayrton como familia y la propia Amberwell saliera adelante y sobreviviera a la guerra. Si Roger Ayrton es el cabeza de familia, Nell es el corazón… y los padres… no merecen ni el suelo que pisan.
He disfrutado muchísimo de este libro y me ha costado sudores no devorarlo en un día. Es como una montaña rusa que va subiendo, va subiendo y en cuanto llega a la cima no puedes dejar de leer. Creo que junto con “El libro de la señorita Buncle” es el más especial de los libros de Stevenson, el más completo y complejo y… no hemos leído pocos de ella.
Aunque no metemos demasiado ruido, somos muchas las que poco a poco vamos buscando, encontrando y leyendo libros de esta autora escocesa cuya plenitud se sitúa en los años 40 y 50 del siglo pasado. Es una autora de comfort y así debían sentirla sus coetáneos cuando la leían para aliviar un poco y distraerse del día a día en un mundo en plena reconstrucción. De ella y de otras autoras afines podéis encontrar muchas más obras gracias a la colección Furrowed Middlebrow o a sellos como Virago.
“Amberwll” es un libro del tipo saga familiar, muy al estilo de obras como “Los Cazalet” que tanto nos ayudaron a sobrellevar el confinamiento a muchos lectores y lectoras. Es mi caso como es también el de Marie o el de Magrat, a quien aprovecho para recomendar este libro. En este caso es autoconclusivo y gira alrededor de los Ayrton, o mejor dicho de Amberwell, la casa escocesa que ha sido hogar de la familia durante muchas generaciones. Tiene un tono más ligero que los Cazalet, eso sí, pero no deja de hacer constantes referencias a la guerra, a la familia, a las relaciones y dinámicas entre los Ayrton y sus vecinos, la gente que trabaja en la casa, los jardines y sobre todo mi querida Nell, mi personaje favorito, la hija mediana a la que poca gente ha prestado atención hasta que se hizo impresdindible para que los Ayrton como familia y la propia Amberwell saliera adelante y sobreviviera a la guerra. Si Roger Ayrton es el cabeza de familia, Nell es el corazón… y los padres… no merecen ni el suelo que pisan.
He disfrutado muchísimo de este libro y me ha costado sudores no devorarlo en un día. Es como una montaña rusa que va subiendo, va subiendo y en cuanto llega a la cima no puedes dejar de leer. Creo que junto con “El libro de la señorita Buncle” es el más especial de los libros de Stevenson, el más completo y complejo y… no hemos leído pocos de ella.
March 16, 2017
This wasn't as "cozy" as some of the other DE Stevenson books I've read but instead it felt like a realistic view into life during the war. There was tragedy but also triumph. I loved it.
February 13, 2025
Necesito saber más!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2023
4.5 stars for this lovely, absorbing, old-fashioned family saga set at the Scottish estate of the title. On the first page we learn the Amberwell estate has been passed down for generations in the Ayrton family, and tradition dictates each new caretaker makes some material improvement during his tenure.
The current Ayrtons settle on a lotus pond with a mermaid fountain; they are a very self-involved couple, and though they have five children - the two eldest boys from his first marriage, and three girls from the current union - they don’t give them a thought. They’re left to Nannie’s care and don’t even have meals with their parents or go to church. The children soon become the center of the story, which was a relief; I wanted to read this first book before reading book 2 (Summerhills)with one of my groups next year, but I was so appalled by the parents I didn’t know if I could finish this book!
I'm glad I stuck with it - after reading that Mrs. Ayrton stopped after baby #3 because she was a girl, and not pretty, and later that the children only learned their parents were going abroad for three months when they saw luggage in the hall and asked a housemaid, I was ready to chuck it! But then, luckily, WWII started, and the plot shifted to the now young adult children.
The two eldest boys serve in the armed forces, two of the sisters have married - one “suitably” to a family friend, the other rather disastrously to a poor man - but Nell, my favorite sister, must figure out how to do all sorts of things to run Amberwell. The parents are too selfish and isolated to realize the war will eventually take all the staff away, so it falls to Nell to learn to cook, fix the car, and do whatever else needs to be done to keep the home front going, with the help of the elderly cook, nanny and gardener.
I ended up enjoying this story very much, and want to see what happens next to the Ayrtons. I look forward to reading “Summerhills” next year.
The current Ayrtons settle on a lotus pond with a mermaid fountain; they are a very self-involved couple, and though they have five children - the two eldest boys from his first marriage, and three girls from the current union - they don’t give them a thought. They’re left to Nannie’s care and don’t even have meals with their parents or go to church. The children soon become the center of the story, which was a relief; I wanted to read this first book before reading book 2 (Summerhills)with one of my groups next year, but I was so appalled by the parents I didn’t know if I could finish this book!
I'm glad I stuck with it - after reading that Mrs. Ayrton stopped after baby #3 because she was a girl, and not pretty, and later that the children only learned their parents were going abroad for three months when they saw luggage in the hall and asked a housemaid, I was ready to chuck it! But then, luckily, WWII started, and the plot shifted to the now young adult children.
The two eldest boys serve in the armed forces, two of the sisters have married - one “suitably” to a family friend, the other rather disastrously to a poor man - but Nell, my favorite sister, must figure out how to do all sorts of things to run Amberwell. The parents are too selfish and isolated to realize the war will eventually take all the staff away, so it falls to Nell to learn to cook, fix the car, and do whatever else needs to be done to keep the home front going, with the help of the elderly cook, nanny and gardener.
I ended up enjoying this story very much, and want to see what happens next to the Ayrtons. I look forward to reading “Summerhills” next year.
June 16, 2025
Amberwell ha sido una lectura profundamente satisfactoria, una de esas novelas que encajan perfectamente en mi zona de confort. Desde las primeras páginas, me sentí acogida por la atmósfera serena y envolvente de la historia, como si me envolviera una manta suave en un día lluvioso.
La novela gira en torno a los Ayrton, la familia que vive en Amberwell, una hermosa y antigua casa situada en la costa escocesa. A lo largo de los años, seguimos a los cinco hermanos mientras crecen, enfrentan pérdidas, cambios y desafíos —especialmente con la llegada de la Segunda Guerra Mundial—, pero también mientras conservan el espíritu de su hogar y el vínculo entre ellos.
Entre los muchos detalles encantadores que dan vida a Amberwell, destaca la fuente de la sirena, una presencia silenciosa pero constante en el jardín, cargada de memoria y significado. Esa fuente no es solo un elemento decorativo: es casi un personaje más, testigo de la infancia, los juegos y los secretos de los hermanos Ayrton. A lo largo del libro, se convierte en símbolo de la permanencia, de la inocencia perdida y del alma misma del hogar. Cada vez que aparece, parece recordarnos que, aunque todo cambie, hay cosas que siguen en pie, inmutables, esperándonos.
Lo que más he disfrutado han sido, sin duda, los personajes. Están tan bien delineados, tan humanos y entrañables, que es imposible no encariñarse con ellos. Sus pequeñas luchas, sus vínculos, sus silencios y afectos implícitos me acompañaron durante toda la lectura con una calidez muy especial.
Este libro me ha proporcionado justo lo que necesitaba: entretenimiento, disfrute y una gran dosis de calma. Ha sido una lectura reconfortante, como una pausa apacible en medio del ruido del día a día. Sin giros estridentes ni dramatismos exagerados, Amberwell me ha ofrecido la belleza de lo cotidiano, de lo sutil, de lo verdaderamente humano.
Definitivamente, un libro al que volveré cuando necesite un refugio literario.
5,0⭐️
La novela gira en torno a los Ayrton, la familia que vive en Amberwell, una hermosa y antigua casa situada en la costa escocesa. A lo largo de los años, seguimos a los cinco hermanos mientras crecen, enfrentan pérdidas, cambios y desafíos —especialmente con la llegada de la Segunda Guerra Mundial—, pero también mientras conservan el espíritu de su hogar y el vínculo entre ellos.
Entre los muchos detalles encantadores que dan vida a Amberwell, destaca la fuente de la sirena, una presencia silenciosa pero constante en el jardín, cargada de memoria y significado. Esa fuente no es solo un elemento decorativo: es casi un personaje más, testigo de la infancia, los juegos y los secretos de los hermanos Ayrton. A lo largo del libro, se convierte en símbolo de la permanencia, de la inocencia perdida y del alma misma del hogar. Cada vez que aparece, parece recordarnos que, aunque todo cambie, hay cosas que siguen en pie, inmutables, esperándonos.
Lo que más he disfrutado han sido, sin duda, los personajes. Están tan bien delineados, tan humanos y entrañables, que es imposible no encariñarse con ellos. Sus pequeñas luchas, sus vínculos, sus silencios y afectos implícitos me acompañaron durante toda la lectura con una calidez muy especial.
Este libro me ha proporcionado justo lo que necesitaba: entretenimiento, disfrute y una gran dosis de calma. Ha sido una lectura reconfortante, como una pausa apacible en medio del ruido del día a día. Sin giros estridentes ni dramatismos exagerados, Amberwell me ha ofrecido la belleza de lo cotidiano, de lo sutil, de lo verdaderamente humano.
Definitivamente, un libro al que volveré cuando necesite un refugio literario.
5,0⭐️
June 15, 2016
This is a somber story of five children raised by Nannie and ignored by their parents on a Scottish estate, Amberwell (by no means a palace but it was definitely 'a place').
For example, the children discover their parents are leaving on a three-month trip to South Africa when luggage appears in the entrance. Parents and children don't share meals. There's an unattachment I find unfathomable.
Roger evaluates his father with these chilling words: He doesn't love me because he doesn't know me. You can't love somebody you don't know. They've never bothered to get to know any of us. They've never made the slightest attempt to understand.
The siblings bundle together in ways that occasionally compensate. Their secret place, 'Ponticum' — a hollow space under a rhododendron — occupies them. As they grow, they are more loyal to their home than to their people.
Two adolescent sisters cling to each other and to their isolation, acting like socially awkward home schoolers. ...they could not meet [people] half-way; they could not manufacture polite conversation, it was difficult even to smile. One sister makes a disastrous decision while visiting her aunt. Another sister is the kind of strong female you would find in Jane Austen: capable, trustworthy, sacrificial, and unmarried.
These books are pleasant, especially if you love all things Scottish, and they don't ask much of the reader. I've noticed that Stevenson inserts a reference to her second cousin, Robert Louis Stevenson, in each book. I've made a Where's Waldo? sort of game to find it.
Several Stevenson books, this one included, end so abruptly that I suffer literary whiplash. In lieu of a denouement, a character simply walks out the door or picks up a cup of tea.
My favorite part? Learning the Scottish phrase when a loved one leaves: Haste ye back!
For example, the children discover their parents are leaving on a three-month trip to South Africa when luggage appears in the entrance. Parents and children don't share meals. There's an unattachment I find unfathomable.
Roger evaluates his father with these chilling words: He doesn't love me because he doesn't know me. You can't love somebody you don't know. They've never bothered to get to know any of us. They've never made the slightest attempt to understand.
The siblings bundle together in ways that occasionally compensate. Their secret place, 'Ponticum' — a hollow space under a rhododendron — occupies them. As they grow, they are more loyal to their home than to their people.
Two adolescent sisters cling to each other and to their isolation, acting like socially awkward home schoolers. ...they could not meet [people] half-way; they could not manufacture polite conversation, it was difficult even to smile. One sister makes a disastrous decision while visiting her aunt. Another sister is the kind of strong female you would find in Jane Austen: capable, trustworthy, sacrificial, and unmarried.
These books are pleasant, especially if you love all things Scottish, and they don't ask much of the reader. I've noticed that Stevenson inserts a reference to her second cousin, Robert Louis Stevenson, in each book. I've made a Where's Waldo? sort of game to find it.
Several Stevenson books, this one included, end so abruptly that I suffer literary whiplash. In lieu of a denouement, a character simply walks out the door or picks up a cup of tea.
My favorite part? Learning the Scottish phrase when a loved one leaves: Haste ye back!
August 24, 2016
My 4 star review does not mean that this is for everyone. It's very British and cozy and somewhat twee - - definitely a comfort read for me but I am sure that many of my friends would not enjoy it. I loved the "manor house" elements and the Scottish landscape. This is my first Stevenson and in the early chapters I wasn't sure it would be for me - the early years where we learn the lay of the land through very young children's eyes was a bit too cute at times but once the children are adults and war (WWII) is looming the storyline picks up. I'm definitely going to look for more by Stevenson.
October 27, 2017
Another thoroughly enjoyable read from Stevenson. A bit more serious in tone than some of her other books but still very typical. I have read enough of Stevenson's novels by now to feel I am treading familiar ground each time I pick up one of her books. Perhaps, at this point, that is part of the appeal and why I keep reading.
I liked how Stevenson made a nod to her famous lighthouse building ancestors by having one of the characters see and talk about the Bell Rock Lighthouse.
I liked how Stevenson made a nod to her famous lighthouse building ancestors by having one of the characters see and talk about the Bell Rock Lighthouse.
October 26, 2019
Sooo good! I listened to this one. My fourteen year old was enjoying the last couple of hours with me in the car. She is dying to know if Ann will be remarried one day. Thankfully, we have more in this series and can hope for the best. That and I need to know what happens to the beloved Nell!
September 23, 2019
Very good . Need to move right onto next as have them all on free downloads. Times running out. Ahhh!
June 29, 2024
Coup de coeur ♡︎
May 31, 2020
There's never been a D.E. Stevenson book I haven't liked and will readily admit that even her less satisfying stories tend to be far and away much better reading than most contemporary novels. However, I will say that in this story all the Ayrton adults (both parents and the aunt) are truly reprehensible humans and hard to take page after page; their selfishness, narrowness, arrogance, and negligence are astounding. What saves the book from a complete fall into the morass of family dysfunction are the relationships of the children, which are a delight to read. And of course, Amberwell itself.
4.5 stars
Note on the narration: As always Lesley Mackie does a superb job and manages to pull off the children's voices which seems to be challenge most narrators have difficulty with.
4.5 stars
Note on the narration: As always Lesley Mackie does a superb job and manages to pull off the children's voices which seems to be challenge most narrators have difficulty with.
December 27, 2024
“¡Amberwell en mayo, con el bosque cubierto de jacintos silvestres, los lirios de los valles en los rincones sombríos y los árboles apuntando hojas nuevas!”
El jardín de la casa Amberwell ha sido testigo de muchas cosas. La sirena de la fuente ha despertado en pocas ocasiones, pero en las que lo ha hecho han sido especiales.
La familia que vive allí es una familia adinerada inglesa normal, con su casoplón, su enorme y cuidado jardín, sus hijos, sus sirvientes, su ajetreada vida social, sus secretos y el tiempo que les ha tocado vivir.
Y es que los tiempos tranquilos de abundancia económica y convenciones sociales en los que los pequeños crecieron pronto llegarán a su fin cuando los hermanos lleguen a la edad adulta y comience la guerra, tomando cada uno caminos diferentes según su género.
Amberwell es el centro de toda esta historia con unos personajes estupendos, una historia interesante que nos muestra distintas formas de vida de la época y una narración deliciosa, que aunque cuenta cosas duras se sirve de la ternura para hacer de esta una lectura amable.
(5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ directa a mis novelas favoritas.
P.D.: aunque se puede leer sola quedan algunas tramas sin cerrar y parece que tiene una segunda parte aun no traducida al español.
El jardín de la casa Amberwell ha sido testigo de muchas cosas. La sirena de la fuente ha despertado en pocas ocasiones, pero en las que lo ha hecho han sido especiales.
La familia que vive allí es una familia adinerada inglesa normal, con su casoplón, su enorme y cuidado jardín, sus hijos, sus sirvientes, su ajetreada vida social, sus secretos y el tiempo que les ha tocado vivir.
Y es que los tiempos tranquilos de abundancia económica y convenciones sociales en los que los pequeños crecieron pronto llegarán a su fin cuando los hermanos lleguen a la edad adulta y comience la guerra, tomando cada uno caminos diferentes según su género.
Amberwell es el centro de toda esta historia con unos personajes estupendos, una historia interesante que nos muestra distintas formas de vida de la época y una narración deliciosa, que aunque cuenta cosas duras se sirve de la ternura para hacer de esta una lectura amable.
(5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ directa a mis novelas favoritas.
P.D.: aunque se puede leer sola quedan algunas tramas sin cerrar y parece que tiene una segunda parte aun no traducida al español.
August 13, 2017
Full of aching nostalgia, this romantic family saga is hugely absorbing. While reading it, I resented having to stop for things like meals and work! This was only the second book by D.E. Stevenson I'd read (the first was Mrs Tim Of The Regiment, which didn't grab me quite so much) but I'm now hooked and will definitely read many more.
Much of the book is set in the "summer between the wars", following a wealthy Scottish family, the Ayrtons, who live in splendid isolation on their country estate, Amberwell. The three sisters, Connie, Nell and Anne, are inadequately educated at home, and all find it hard to break free from their childhood as they grow up.
Much of the book focuses on youngest sister Anne, who starts off as a bouncy, cheerful girl but has to face a series of challenges in adulthood, especially when the Second World War breaks out. After finishing this book, I was impatient to find out what happened to the family next, and went on to listen to the sequel, Summerhills, as an audio book.
Much of the book is set in the "summer between the wars", following a wealthy Scottish family, the Ayrtons, who live in splendid isolation on their country estate, Amberwell. The three sisters, Connie, Nell and Anne, are inadequately educated at home, and all find it hard to break free from their childhood as they grow up.
Much of the book focuses on youngest sister Anne, who starts off as a bouncy, cheerful girl but has to face a series of challenges in adulthood, especially when the Second World War breaks out. After finishing this book, I was impatient to find out what happened to the family next, and went on to listen to the sequel, Summerhills, as an audio book.
November 29, 2015
As with all D E Stevenson's novels I've read so far, this was exquisitely written, with wonderfully rounded characters. The story covers the ups and downs of a well-to-do family before, during and after WWII and, apart from a rather slow beginning, I found it positively enchanting. Just what appeals to me.
January 26, 2023
Fantastic family story by D.E. Stevenson! I really wanted to give it a 4.5🌟, but it wasn't quite as joyful and sparkling as I'd hoped. The novel is a bit more somber and quiet, though, still a solid 4🌟.
This introduction to the Ayrton Family was slow paced and very satisfying. The beginning threw me a bit because I usually get confused by a chapter full of names and dates of many characters. But, I made a list and, after the second chapter, I didn't need it at all.
Amberwell mainly focuses on the children of Mr. and Mrs. Ayrton, which is actually a relief because both parents are extremely unlikable, intolerant, and annoying. The children, on the other hand, are truly interesting to follow as they grow up and start living their own lives. Roger, Tom, Connie, Nell, and Ann choose different paths, but their family bond and connection to Amberwell keeps them together in the end.
The description of house, gardens, rooms and atmosphere of Amberwell make you wish you could visit this Scottish estate. It would make a beautiful movie. I'd love to experience living in this warm, cozy, stately and protective home, if only for a week or weekend. I keep thinking of Amberwell itself, even after finishing the book. I felt that way about Vittoria Cottage, too.
I was so lucky to listen to the audiobook version because the narrator was wonderful! Her tone, inflections and manner while reading was excellent for this D.E. Stevenson book. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series, Summerhills, immediately. If you love a mini family saga, then make sure to check out this duology!
This introduction to the Ayrton Family was slow paced and very satisfying. The beginning threw me a bit because I usually get confused by a chapter full of names and dates of many characters. But, I made a list and, after the second chapter, I didn't need it at all.
Amberwell mainly focuses on the children of Mr. and Mrs. Ayrton, which is actually a relief because both parents are extremely unlikable, intolerant, and annoying. The children, on the other hand, are truly interesting to follow as they grow up and start living their own lives. Roger, Tom, Connie, Nell, and Ann choose different paths, but their family bond and connection to Amberwell keeps them together in the end.
The description of house, gardens, rooms and atmosphere of Amberwell make you wish you could visit this Scottish estate. It would make a beautiful movie. I'd love to experience living in this warm, cozy, stately and protective home, if only for a week or weekend. I keep thinking of Amberwell itself, even after finishing the book. I felt that way about Vittoria Cottage, too.
I was so lucky to listen to the audiobook version because the narrator was wonderful! Her tone, inflections and manner while reading was excellent for this D.E. Stevenson book. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series, Summerhills, immediately. If you love a mini family saga, then make sure to check out this duology!
November 3, 2015
Amberwell, an estate on the west coast of Scotland, has been in the Ayerton family for several generations passing from father to son in an unbroken line. Each generation follows the last in the tradition of updating the estate so that it has become larger and more beautiful over the years. In the late 1920s five young Ayertons inhabit the nursery at Amberwell raised by Nannie. The first Mrs. Ayerton having died after giving birth to two boys and the second have no interest in her three daughters. There's Roger, the heir, who loves Amberwell with all his heart; Tom, who wants to join the navy; Cynthia, beautiful and shallow who knows how to please; Nell, sensitive and shy and Anne, the free spirited baby of the family. As they grow they are influenced to make decisions based on their feelings about the estate. One by one they leave the nest until one is left behind to care lovingly for the home they all love. When the world is plunged into the darkness of war, Amberwell becomes a beacon for the Ayerton children.
I liked this book well enough. It took a very long time to get into. I put it down for a month and didn't miss it. When I got back to it, I couldn't put it down until I found out what happened to the missing sibling. It seemed kind of strange that the reader isn't clued in on what happened. The story ends up being told from Nell's limited point of view. You have to read the entire book and remember characters from the beginning to discover what happened to that sibling. I also wanted to know how the boys fared during the war. I was a little surprised by what happened. The writing is decent and the story is very light. There's a racist phrase that pops up now and again and a very minor amount of wartime violence mentioned.
The characters are largely unmemorable and I don't love them or really care about them too much now I finished the story. There are some loose threads that will pick up in Summerhills but my library doesn't have that one and I don't really care. I did sympathize with Nell about her love for her home and I liked her for her goodness but she was rather a Mary Sue sort of character. Roger seemed a decent chap until tragedy got in the way, Tom is a good man and good brother and though his character development is told rather than shown, I liked it. Cynthia doesn't get much page time as an adult and remains as shallow as her personality. Amberwell is the real star of the book.
I liked this book well enough. It took a very long time to get into. I put it down for a month and didn't miss it. When I got back to it, I couldn't put it down until I found out what happened to the missing sibling. It seemed kind of strange that the reader isn't clued in on what happened. The story ends up being told from Nell's limited point of view. You have to read the entire book and remember characters from the beginning to discover what happened to that sibling. I also wanted to know how the boys fared during the war. I was a little surprised by what happened. The writing is decent and the story is very light. There's a racist phrase that pops up now and again and a very minor amount of wartime violence mentioned.
The characters are largely unmemorable and I don't love them or really care about them too much now I finished the story. There are some loose threads that will pick up in Summerhills but my library doesn't have that one and I don't really care. I did sympathize with Nell about her love for her home and I liked her for her goodness but she was rather a Mary Sue sort of character. Roger seemed a decent chap until tragedy got in the way, Tom is a good man and good brother and though his character development is told rather than shown, I liked it. Cynthia doesn't get much page time as an adult and remains as shallow as her personality. Amberwell is the real star of the book.
March 27, 2023
Stevenson excels in creating stories that pull you in and make you feel as though you're a part of the story yourself and yet if you were, the way she skips over time that isn't important in such large leaps would make you dizzy. But it doesn't happen as you read. A brilliant storyteller, Stevenson even got me to give her four stars for a book I didn't like (not this one) because she managed to teach me much without me realizing it until I was finished with it.
So is it any wonder that a large, family estate in Scotland--one with neglected children and self-important parents, and all ravaged by petty jealousies, selfishness, and war would be a fascinating book? Well... it was. Only one character never served to gain any sympathy from me at all, and that character died, which was actually, rather cathartic. Just sayin'.
Watching these pampered AND neglected children grow into men and women and see where they went right and wrong and why--all without being "instructed" in it... wonderful. Anytime an author gives her reader credit for having the sense to understand something without the equivalent of the jokester who says, "See what I did there?", I'm all for it.
I thought Anne would be my favorite character, and in some ways she kind of is, but Nell stole my heart. I've already ordered the next two books so I can find out more of their stories!
If you loved Anne Shirley's children in those stories, especially Rilla of Ingleside, from L. M. Montgomery, you might want to check this out.
So is it any wonder that a large, family estate in Scotland--one with neglected children and self-important parents, and all ravaged by petty jealousies, selfishness, and war would be a fascinating book? Well... it was. Only one character never served to gain any sympathy from me at all, and that character died, which was actually, rather cathartic. Just sayin'.
Watching these pampered AND neglected children grow into men and women and see where they went right and wrong and why--all without being "instructed" in it... wonderful. Anytime an author gives her reader credit for having the sense to understand something without the equivalent of the jokester who says, "See what I did there?", I'm all for it.
I thought Anne would be my favorite character, and in some ways she kind of is, but Nell stole my heart. I've already ordered the next two books so I can find out more of their stories!
If you loved Anne Shirley's children in those stories, especially Rilla of Ingleside, from L. M. Montgomery, you might want to check this out.
December 19, 2021
D.E. Stevenson doing what she does best in this warm, kind book. While the story begins with two self-absorbed adults who are deeply flawed parents, their 5 children are all the closer for it. And it’s the children’s stories from young ages into adulthood that form the heart of Amberwell.
The war causes several of the siblings really to come into their own, just as Stevenson (IMO) wrote some of her best work during that trying period. The book does include some harrowing and sad moments, but DES’s trademark warmth, kindness, and “warm hug” elements fill the pages.
I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 mostly because one of the sibling’s stories near the end felt tacked on and rushed. The ending was also quite abrupt, even by DES standards (which is saying something). But overall Amberwell is everything I love about a Stevenson book, and I’m adding this to my list of favorite D.E. Stevenson novels
Looking forward to diving right into the next in this series, Summerhills.
The war causes several of the siblings really to come into their own, just as Stevenson (IMO) wrote some of her best work during that trying period. The book does include some harrowing and sad moments, but DES’s trademark warmth, kindness, and “warm hug” elements fill the pages.
I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 mostly because one of the sibling’s stories near the end felt tacked on and rushed. The ending was also quite abrupt, even by DES standards (which is saying something). But overall Amberwell is everything I love about a Stevenson book, and I’m adding this to my list of favorite D.E. Stevenson novels
Looking forward to diving right into the next in this series, Summerhills.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews