Money to Burn

by Elizabeth Cadell

A week at Trysting had its trials, Leigh thought. A round of odd jobs with Aunt Elvira, bad poetry with Aunt Rosande, and bouts of hay fever with Aunt Dolly were not his idea of a restful holiday. Nor did his cousin Raymond, who seemed sunk in gloom, help matters. Some mystery Leigh could not fathom about the burning down of the old house and the disappearance of the family silver troubled him strangely. But meanwhile there was a Hampshire summer, and there was Auriol. Auriol, Leigh thought, was lovely—but he didn’t want to live on eggs.

Genres: Romance, Fiction

222 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Violet Elizabeth Vandyke was born on 10 November 1903 in Calcutta, British Raj, daughter of British parents, Elizabeth Lynch and Frederick Reginald Vandyke, a colonial officer. During the Great War she studied music in London, but refused a musical career and returned to India where she married in 1928 Henry Dunlop Raymond Mallock Cadell, and they had a son and daughter. After she was widowed ten years later, she returned to England.

Elizabeth wrote her first book 'My Dear Aunt Flora' during the Second World War in 1946, there after producing another 51 light-hearted, humourous and romantic books which won her a faithful readership in England and America. In addition to England and India, many of her books are set in Spain, France, and Portugal. She finally settled in Portugal, where her married daughter still lived.

She died on 9 October 1989, aged eighty-five.

Reviews

[Christina Dudley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Elizabeth Cadell book, and it was alternately amusing and maddening. Leigh Somebody of Vancouver, BC, comes to visit a cousin of sorts in England near the New Forest. Three eccentric aunts, a remote brother and dreamy-eyed sister--the Falcon family, with their legacy of lost house and money and silver collection. My favorite part was Leigh constantly starving.

Anyway, I was reminded at times of delightful Eva Ibbotson, for which reason alone I will certainly try another of Cadell's books.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another charming taste of Cadell. When Leigh, visiting from Canada, fulfils a promise to his mother to visit Aunt Elvira, he finds himself embroiled with the entire Trystings family. The dour and depressed Raymond, the current Lord Falcon, his would-be sweetheart Lisette, his dreaming sister Auriol, and of course the three dotty aunts. Since Trystings burned down, and the family silver and insurance money disappeared, the family has been living in various cottages on the estate, and Leigh is put in with Raymond and Auriol. Of course he is immediately attracted to Auriol, who has recently broken her third engagement to Bryan, who also makes an appearance. As Leigh gets more involved with the family and their friends, he begins to learn more of the background. The book culminates in another fire and an exciting discovery before Leigh has to go back to Canada. This book was not as good as some that I've read previously, but was still a charming story with interesting - and sometimes frustrating! - characters.

April 2019 - rereading. I'm using this as between-other-books reading for now - a few pages or chapters at a time. Since I already know what happens, reading it in bits and pieces doesn't bother me. In fact, it is rather fun meeting the characters again without the desperate need to keep reading to find-out-what-happens!
May 2019 - I'm going to put this back into To-Read - I haven't made any progress on it. Too many other new books!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reread Cadell every so often when I want a breeze of uplift with some humor and some suspense. I'm so glad they are on Kindle now. Some titles I haven't read for years.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a brash young Canadian encounters artist Raymond and his beautiful, dreamy sister Auriol, he has no intention of falling deeply in love. But it only takes 72 hours for Auriol to work her magic. Leigh is determined to wed her and take her back to Canada, but she's troubled by Raymond's thwarted romance. Leigh thinks that all the family needs is more money, but events prove him wrong. Light romance with the Cadell touch.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A light fun read, somewhat typical Cadell which, if you like her, is high praise. My two issues: (a) being Canadian myself I have always found her attitude towards Canada pretty funny. Apparently any young man with ambition will make his fortune (doing what exactly, left unspecified) - if only this were true! And (b) There is constant talk about how the Trystings are poor and Auroil is rueful that she isn't qualified to get a job that brings in a good income - yet no one seems to expect Raymond to stop being a starving artist and get a job. I don't think it ever comes up.

Considering I really enjoyed this book I am surprised at how many nitpicks I have - but here's another! Reading this was like hearing John Cleese in Fawlty Towers. "Nobody mention the war!". This book was written in 1955, Auriol and Raymond lived in France until their mother died, which means they were in France as children during WWII and could not possibly have been popping back and forth to visit dear old Dad as is implied in the book.

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cosa è andato storto? Perché non possiamo quasi più leggere queste fresche, frizzanti, intime conversazioni, vivere un serio, interessato rapporto tra i personaggi - talvolta eccessivi e bizzarri, ma decisamente vivi ed umani?
Mi trovo ormai costretta ad attingere quasi soltanto alla letteratura del passato per ritrovarmi in quel 'modo di vivere la vita' che ho riconosciuto e riconosco ancora come mio. Quello in cui si dà grande spazio alle parole – le parole dell'amicizia, dell'ironia, dello scherzo, dell'amore, eventualmente dell'odio o della follia – prima di lasciarsi governare dagli istinti.
Sono molto grata ad EC (una scrittrice che non conoscevo) per questo rinfrescante viaggio nel passato.

[Christine Goodnough · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed Elizabeth Cadell's story and this was interesting, too. The brooding artist, the dreamy sister who can't make up her mind about marriage, the three odd aunts. the Canadian cousin didn't sound very Canadian to me, however. Also, it seemed like the characters kept going over the same ground as waited for something to really happen. Which it did in the end -- with the outcome quite predictable. I'd say this is not one of her better stories, but it was a pleasant place to spend a few days.

[Jannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable farce

[Ymt01 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the New Forest. Canadian hero visits distant relatives and uncovers a family mystery while getting the girl.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly book

This was such a silly book with unbelievable characters and an abrupt ending. I did not find it a worthwhile or entertaining use of my time

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of my least favorite of Cadell's books I've read so far, mainly because of the hero and heroine. I saw him as condescending and a bit of a bully. He feel in love with her in 3 days, and her feelings don't really seem to come in to it at all. I also didn't like that one of the aunts is "forgetful," and it is supposed to be funny, but it isn't. Like many of her books it is a mystery as much as a romance, and the mystery part is fine. I like several of the supporting characters too. But on the whole the book is just okay.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another lovely story by Cadell with pleasant interesting characters. I enjoyed it very much, but the ending was too abrupt.

[Kay Robart · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review here:

http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/...