The Locked Cupboard

by Amy Le Feuvre

The four Dane sisters must leave the home in which they have been raised. Though their cousin secretly convinces his aunt to revise her will shortly before her death, they will not leave empty-handed! Aunt Mildred has provided a modest annual stipend for each sister and their godly nurse Nannie gives each sister a special verse from Psalm 37. Only a small country home is within their means, so Gwen finds the perfect little cottage for them. But the owner imposes one mysterious condition: a beautifully carved cupboard in his study must never be opened by the new tenants! What secret hides within the carved cupboard? Will Nannie’s scripture provide the key to unlock it? As you discover the answers to these questions, you will also learn key lessons with Agatha, Gwen, Clare and Elfie: to commit your way to the Lord, and to trust and rest and delight in Him.

Genres: Fiction

198 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2015

About the author

Amelia Sophia Le Feuvre (1861-1929) was born in Blackheath, London, England in 1861.

She grew up in a large family which employed a governess for the children's education. Her father worked as a Surveyor at H. M. Customs. Her grandfather, James Mainguy, was a reverend in Guernsey.

She dedicated her life to writing and wrote many books and stories that are filled with Biblical principles and her popularity began in the 1890s and continued for over three decades. She also wrote for magazines like 'Sunday at Home' and 'The Quiver'. Her writing was typical of the new approach of the evangelical writers to the young reader and, like many of the writers of the period she was particularly fond of the "quaint" child, "old fashioned" with delicate health, a type modelled on Paul Dombey. She also wrote of family life, specialising in the outwardly naughty child, the odd one out, whose motives are consistently misunderstood by the adults.

Her publishers included Revell in Chicago, Dodd Mead in New York, the Religious Tract Society in London, and Hodder and Stoughton in London and latterly the Lutterworth Press kept her works in print.

She died at Exeter, Devon, on 29 April 1929 after 68 fruitful years.

Her first book, 'Eric's Good News', was published in 1894 and her last, 'A Strange Courtship' was published posthumously in 1931. She wrote more than 65 books in her career, including at least one, 'Laddie's Choice' (1912), using the pseudonym Mary Thurston Dodge.

Note: Her exact date of birth is not known, she was born in the first quarter of 1861 so the date of 1 March has been used for convenience.

Reviews

[Kaitlyn S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The four sisters in this story are absolutely delightful! They each have their own challenges and issues they must face, and it's a beautiful thing to watch them draw near to God as He works through their problems.

[Kayna Yess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book! Anyone who loves Little Women will love this! I love how they all get married in the end!

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's about four sisters who move to the country in a house with a secret locked cupboard. Through the story they learn spiritual lessons and how to apply the verses their nanny left them with.

[Karen]

I have been absorbed in thinking and preparing for the summer and next years schooling. Watching Carole Joy Seid dvd, reading old notes, etc. That when I lay down to read this book my mind is too much on other things that I have forgotten whose characteristics match each character. For there are 4 sisters in this book and I have confused them up. So I am putting this aside for now and will come back to it. That is not to say that the mystery of the Locked Cupboard is any less intriguing, it is just not right for me right now. This is a book best read in its entirety rather than in snippets here and there..krb 5/7/16

[Victoria Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters were very different from how I first pictured them. They were a cross between the March sisters from Little Women and the Pinderwick girls. I found it interesting that they weren't good, pious, Christian girls at the beginning of the story, but blossom into noble righteous women by the end of the book. The story behind the locked cupboard was not really a mystery, and it was a little confusing keeping up with the certain family surrounding it. Although the story might be a little dull and uninteresting in some places, it's a great read for a family.

[Summereyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It has a similar feel of Little Women and Sense & Sensibility. The group of girls are all given a verse by their nanny to live their lives by. The verses are referred to throughout the book and in the end the girls come to realize their lives are transformed by living out these verses. The locked cupboard adds an element of mystery to the book that just makes it a good read.

[Megan Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.
I read it a couple years ago, so don't remember everything about it...
But one thing I DO remember is that Psalm 37 is the theme. Prob-ly one of my favorite chapters in the book of Psalms!
It was a lovely book, I plan to read it again, so I can remember why I enjoyed it so much. ;)

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a little bit more on the moralistic side then I typically like, but it was still sweet. I loved how real each of the girl's problems were, and that they didn't always get what they wanted. The characters were all very uniquie, and couldn't help but love them.

And that concludes my reading challenge for 2019. I probably should have set it higher. ;)

[April Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read. I highly recommend to anyone ready to read Christian lit without all the corny romance.

[Johanna Knopf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story for all ages

[Kimberlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This simple book of a bygone era was lent to me by a dear new friend. It tells the story of four adult sisters who meet with misfortune and have to find their way together. It is a Christian story, set in the late 19th century. Their "nannie" blesses them each with a verse from Psalm 37, and the plot twists and turns as each sister learns Truth through their lives as they seek to follow their own paths and yet are drawn back to their Creator. It is honest and not sugar coated, telling of a simpler day yet a day with tragedy and sorrow, different and yet the same as today. It reminded me in some ways of "Little Women". One challenge to me was the way that the characters interpret misfortune as opposed to how I view it in my life today. It is from the Lamplighter Collection, and I look forward to reading more from this publisher.

[Katelyn Snell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Lamplighter delivers a terrific reading experience!