The Haymaker

by Elizabeth Cadell, Nikita Garets (Illustrator)

Nether Stapling Manor nor any of the fine family possessions of this stately home really belonged to Lady Laura, but for more than twenty years she had enjoyed them undisturbed. Many people in the nearby little town of Rivering were well aware of the situation. No one was worried except nice old Cosmo Brierley, trustee of the Estate, and he had no control whatever over this eccentric aristocrat. His one comfort was that Lady Laura was a wonderful custodian of the place, keeping all intact and cherished, even making money by son et lumière in summer and her successful (if unlawful) use of the Stapling land.
But when the beautiful young blonde owner of the estate arrives from America, there are certain surprises in store for everyone…

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Adult

285 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1972

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

[Carolien · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I enjoy Elizabeth Cadell's books as a gentle break between heavier stuff and as I inherited a shelf of them from my mother and grandmother I can dip in and out when I feel like it. After the death of her father, Nell Berg discovers that she is the owner of a ruined castle in England. She sets off the meet her great-aunt and discovers a very formidable lady who considers herself the rightful owner of Nell's castle and possessions. Nell must decide how she will deal with this situation and what role the archeologist Hallam will play in her life. Not my favourite by Cadell, but a nice read overall.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying Cadell. Sort of reminds me of Mary Stewart, though not as exciting. Still she writes well which is hard to find in contemporary books.

[Merry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give all of Cadell's books 3 stars. They are pleasant to read but not too exciting.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this novel, the people are not well-drawn, or perhaps, not sympathetically drawn. It was an interesting plot and twist, but the romance was hollow...again too much man-speaking. Not my favorite Cadell.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was entertaining, but had several things I wasn't expecting. I enjoyed the different character's personalities and how that effected others. One particular character is very set in her ways, and they are dishonest ways but she has convinced herself that it is for good reason. Interesting to see the thought processes.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this was an attempt to re-read a romance I had borrowed from my mother about a decade earlier. The real book was actually Evergreen but this was in the day before Goodreads and other useful searchable book sites.

[Betsie Bush · Rating 3 out of 5]

nothing spectacular, but just a pleasant story set in England, which is exactly what I was looking for.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unless I download books from the vault, this is the last book by Edith Cadell, available through intra-library loan, that I will be reading for a long time. Though, if I do have the chance to read another, I won't bother you with it. (A committed group of followers are trying to resurrect her books for readers unfamiliar with her long list of books, but this is a social cause I will pass on.)

This book has many of the same themes as the others I have read: a strong female protagonist wrestles with issues of a changing England in the middle of the twentieth century; a small town filled with beloved if not eccentric characters; an unexpected romantic interest; and someone who stands in the protagonist's way. Here, a well meaning cousin, Corinne Saltry, accompanies Nell Berg, cue the protagonist, on a trip to Europe before she visits the English manor her mother left decades ago, marrying her father and moving to Arizona, to become a successful rancher's wife. Expecting a ruin, Nell instead discovers a well kept estate, Stapling Manor, and a great-aunt, Lady Laura, who has managed to restore the manor after WWII, develop a variety of enterprises to support herself, offend almost everyone in her path, and prepared to fight Nell to her last breath before giving up control.

Although predictable with a Doris-Day-like-feel to the plot and dialogue, there were a few things that caught my attention such as the epiphany experienced by many who discovered where they wanted to be in life, ridding themselves of the clouds they had previously lived under. Lady Laura, with her arrogance and single-mindedness, never apologized for the choices she made, trying to preserve the artifacts from a time gone by in England, or her rude, sometimes dishonest behavior. For 1972, the year of publication, she seemed a very different "lady of the manor."

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nell and her aunt leave the Arizona ranch to travel to England. At her father's death, Ellen discovered she owns a historic house there and wants to inspect it, thinking it a ruin. Aunt Corinne talks her into doing a tour of Europe first. When they arrive in England to talk to Cosmo, the lawyer, he reveals that Lady Laura has taken over the house, which is not a ruin, and made a few additions, included small homes on the border, a son et lumiere show weekly, and other money-making enterprises. He feels inept and incapable of stopping her. She is not welcoming to Nell and Corrine, who need to find a place to stay. An archeologist who lives in one of the small homes lets them use his house while he removes to his summerhouse, where he is revising a book. Of course an attraction rise between him and Nell, much to Corinne's disgust - she just wants to go home and take Nell with her, in hopes of marrying Nell off to her own son who is taking care of the ranch in their absence. This is the usual entertaining and interesting writing of Elizabeth Cadell - I love her books!

[Michele Frazier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellen is traveling with her cousin from Arizona to England. Seems Ellen has inherited property though her English mother who married an American, moved to Arizona and never returned to England. When he father dies, she discovers that the property belongs to her. Curious, Ellen arrives in a small English village and falls in love with not only the property but an archeologist who is renting from the last remaining relative of Ellen's mom. There is a lovely relationship that develops between her cousin, Corrine and the solicitor, Cosmo. That was a sweet side story. So Ellen has some decisions to make, not only about the estate, but her life as she has known it, which is about to change. Another fine tale from Elizabeth Cadell.

[ladydusk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was fun again.

The storyline around real and fraudulent is pretty interesting. The love story is slightly more involved than usual. I was more in agreement with the companion to Nell, but I am of a similar age.

The aspects of Nell increasing her education - first in Italy & Paris, then in England, and finally with her husband-to-be is a fun little theme running through.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story felt rushed and incomplete

[Ymt01 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Same title as The Haymaker?

[George · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled to finish this. It began promisingly but none of the characters was developed and virtually nothing happened until very near the end. A series of random happenings with people who did not really interact.

[Sarah Ambrogi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable, quick read, but I did not feel it was as good as many of the other Elizabeth Cadell books I have read. The romance felt forced, and the ending was abrupt and I did not feel was necessary. In general I love Cadell's books, they are just simple and sweet and harken back to an earlier, simpler time. This one was fine, but it didn't have quite the same magic for me. I will say, I am grateful to whoever has begun making these books available for Kindle, because I used to read the same 5 or 6 that were in my local library over and over and was never able to find many of the titles that have become available over the last couple of years. Her books are definitely worth preserving!

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

2016:This is not my favorite of Ms Cadell's books. I don't much like the main man..too much like the bodice-ripping hunks who run over the girl's protestations to get what he wants..and he always, always knows best. The other characters, I'd like to know..most of them.

2024: Same as above.

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual, a lot of interesting characters, mostly sympathetic (even the American ones). A pleasant read.