Idyllwilde

by Elizabeth Rae Stevens

“It must have been May, or perhaps early June, because that morning my arms were full of delicate bleeding hearts and lily of the valley…”

An Edwardian house shrouded in ivy and secrets, Idyllwilde has been Charlotte’s home for much of her long, comfortable life. Charlotte has known love and loss, but as her health fails, she finds herself thinking more and more of the past -- and the time has come to tell her story.

In 1910, she is betrothed to a serious-minded stranger, but drawn irresistibly to the vitality and passion of a wilder world; with the reluctant assistance of her maid and best friend, she crosses class lines and begins a fierce romance with a man her father would think most unsuitable.

In the present, Charlotte recounts her tale to her granddaughter Sarah, who is coming to terms with the unromantic reality of her own life and marriage. Separated by decades but united by experience, can Charlotte find peace and Sarah find purpose within the aging walls of Idyllwilde?

Idyllwilde is the lush, evocative debut novel from Elizabeth Rae Stevens.

161 pages, Paperback

Published July 3, 2017

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful writing that brings to mind warm, humid, lazy afternoons on a porch in the South. Evocative, languid, sensual, and unrushed. The use of language is captivating.

The characters and the relationships are deep and real. The life and joy and vividness of the 1910 parts of the story (the vast majority of the book) is engrossing and wonderful. The characters really do fully live and breathe.

The plot is emotional and engaging, if predictable. But it's the coming-to-life and internal story that draws you in and doesn't let go.

[Sarah McCracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Lovely Afternoon Read

This story reminded me a little bit of James Patterson's Sam's Letters to Jennifer. This isn't a genre I readily read for, but I was inspired by Elizabeth's passion to tell her story. The ending is a little too neat and wrapped up in a bow, but the characters vibrate with life and are enough to keep you turning the page. If you love period pieces and dramatic romance, this is the book for you!

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Stevens' writing is so vivid that it cannot help but draw you in. I found myself easily imagining the characters clothing and their surroundings as she wrote of their lives in the early 1900's. The story is quaint and refreshingly a light read.

I truly enjoyed Charlotte's flashbacks but I felt the few paragraphs devoted to her granddaughter Sarah, had created a void. I would have enjoyed reading more about Sarah in the present.

All in all, not too shabby for a first novel! I look forward to more!

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book. Elizabeth really found her writing stride in the flashback sequences and I completely fell into the world of 1910 Milwaukee. Charlotte experiences a range of emotions and experiences and I felt them with her completely. The lovely and vivid descriptions of the gardens and flowers made it easy to conjure images in my mind. My only complaint? I wish it were even longer! I can't wait to see what world she creates next!

[Alyssa Solt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned of this book through listening to the author's podcasts (I really adore her outlook on life)... that being said, I didn't know what to expect from a first novel. I bought the kindle version more out of support to Elizabeth than out of my expectation for a wonderful read. I WAS SO PLEASANTLY FLOORED BY HOW LOVELY THIS BOOK WAS! It's a beautiful story of an elderly woman remembering the great joys and struggles of her youth. Just the kind of thing that pulls at your heartstrings and makes you realize that these are the days you'll remember all your life. A quick read, that's beautifully worded, with a story that keeps you flipping pages. Highly recommend.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

That ending though!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read, elegantly written and quick paced. A series of flashbacks links Charlotte's struggles with love to Sarah's current marital crisis. I have to say I cared a lot more about the flashbacks than the present day scenes or characters but that may be intentional, as if the modern day storyline is just a framing device for the flashbacks.

All in all, this is a good first novel and I'm looking forward to more by this author.