Penny Plain

The Priorsford Trilogy #1

by O. Douglas, Anna Masterton Buchan

The Cinderella story of Jean Jardine, a Scottish girl raising her younger brothers on her own... until a mysterious stranger asks for her hospitality. Part romance, part family story, and part small town semi-satire.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classics, Romance, Scotland, British Literature, Ebooks

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

Born Anna Masterton Buchan, younger sister to the statesman & prolific novelist John Buchan. She began writing in 1911, and published 12 novels and a personal memoir of her brother before her death. Her novels are humorous domestic fiction, focusing on the lives of families in Scotland. Her autobiography was published posthumously, in 1960.

Reviews

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to think a lot about my rating on this one as the main character is a bit of a Mary Sue.

But the sweet charm of this novel totally won me over. A lovely, charming look at an England & Scotland that will have almost totally disappeared. The book did lag a bit for me in the centre & ( Jean's reasons for turning down Biddy's original proposal totally baffle me!) The story definitely picked up for me after Jean inherited the money & the mechanisms (unintentional pun there!) of the car journey were very interesting - having to hire a chauffeur to drive the car for example & pay for the chauffeur's accommodation. & neither Jean or David (her brother) mention intending to learn to drive. It probably would never be an aspiration for them.

I can get hold of a copy of the sequel Pink Sugar & may well do so.

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Penny Plain' by Anna Buchan (writing as O. Douglas). Anna is the sister of John Buchan who wrote 'The 39 Steps' and other adventurous spy thrillers. Anna's books are quite a departure from Johns. She writes beautiful depictions of small town life with rich full characters exhibiting old fashioned values. This book was written in the 1920's. Greyladies is an Edinburgh publishing company that specializes in re-printing adult books by children's authors. You might want to bookmark their sight, if you like these kind of books! I read the ebook version that you can download free at Project Gutenberg, but I really would love to find a copy in written word. (It's so much easier to flip back and forth in the pages!)

Our story takes place in fictional Priorsford, Scotland on the river Tweed, just after WWI. The Jardine family, Jean 23 and guardian to 3 brothers, David 19, Jock 14, and adopted Gervase 7, live in an old quaint house called The Rigs. It has windows in odd places, strange shaped rooms, mullioned windows and a beautiful garden. Gervase is called the Mhor (gaelic for the great one) by the family and he is always accompanied by the fox terrier, Peter, who is the wickedest dog in Priorsford! Every boy should have a dog like Peter! Mrs. M'cosh is the housekeeper who has been with the Jardines for years. Jean is a young woman of high moral values and the kindest, most giving heart in the world. Jean's aunt has passed away and left her in charge of the 3 boys and The Rigs. She works very hard and sacrifices much to make sure the boys have everything they need on a very small yearly allowance. Although life is very sparse and difficult for the Jardine family they have love, a joy for living, faith, and books! Their house is filled with books.

Peter Reid, the owner of The Rigs, is a very wealthy, lonely man who just found out he is dying and goes home to The Rigs with the intention of making the tenants move out so he can live out his time left in his boyhood home. He has no one to leave his vast fortune to and decides he will leave it to the first person who shows him a kindness without any want of anything in return. Will he make the Jardines move? Who does he end up leaving his fortune to?

Pamela Reston is a socialite who in her middle age is questioning what her life has been for and comes to Priorsford to get away from the whirlwind of the social scene and see what small town quiet life is all about. She rents a room at Bella Bathgates and immediately meets up with The Mhor (no one is a stranger to the Mhor!) and finds herself immersed in the daily lives of the Jardines. Pam's brother, Biddy, comes to Priorsford to visit her after returning home from India and the war and falls head over heels for Jean. Does Biddy tell Jean how he feels and will his love go unrequited? Does Pam fit in, in Priorsford? Does she long for London or decide to stay?

The other villagers are a delight, the minister and his wife, The Jowetts, Bella, Mrs. Hope, Mrs. Duff-Whalley, the two Miss Speirs (one a spiritualist and one a Buddist) and the 3 spinster Duncan sisters (Miss Mary, Miss Janet and Miss Phemie). You will find yourself wishing you could be invited to tea at any one of these homes!

I read one review that said it was a little to saccharin for them, but I found this a wonderful comfort read, taking me back to a slower, happier way of life full of selflessness and love for others. It is full of fun and I highly recommend this book and will be reading all the O Douglas books I can get my hands on!

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parentless, twenty-three year old Jean Jardine lives in a little town in Scotland and is raising her three younger brothers. They can barely make ends meet, but their home is filled with love and books.

This is a “happily ever after story” like most light fiction of the early 20th Century, but it's above average for several reasons. The writing is good. And the characters are extremely literate (even the children!) They are always quoting Shakespeare, the Bible or some other famous tome. Everybody worth liking has a library positively bursting with books.

Wikipedia describes Douglas’ novels as “gentle domestic dramas,” yet this story is grounded in history too. Written in 1920, it addresses some of the suffering caused by World War One.

In the last chapter Jean tells her husband that the four nicest things in the world are “tea, a fire, a book, and a friend.” If you agree with her, you’ll enjoy this little book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I am glad of this room…It has such a kind feeling. The other rooms are lovely, but they are meant for crowds of people. This says tea, and a fire and a book and a friend—the four nicest things in the world."

I hope this gives you a tiny taste of how thoroughly delightful this book is. O Douglas’s writing is simply my perfect cup of tea. It’s funny; it’s insightful about human nature; it’s poignant as it gently explores suffering; it has an undercurrent of prizing what is good, true, and beautiful. Jean is a standout character for me. She’s one of those characters I wish was real so I could be her friend and sit at her feet to soak in her humility, her wonder, and her kindness. I ended up ordering a used copy of this book because I wanted a real copy that I can cherish. I read this originally through Project Gutenberg, and I am so thankful for the individuals who made it available there.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

How to Woo A Woman (According to This Sanctimonious, Obnoxious Book)

Step 1: Meet girl and immediately fall in love with her
Step 2: After about a week of not really conversing, propose. This will shock her and she will say no. That's okay.
Step 3: Go away for two months. Make no attempt to communicate with her.
Step 4: Show up in her life again! She'll have realized that she secretly loves you and will have started pining for you during your absence.
Step 5: Insist you get married within, like, a week. I'm sure you can get a special license in London.

(Alternatively, you can fall for a girl but decide she could never love you, disappear for 25 years, and then reconnect only when she follows you to your hometown because she's been pining after you this whole time. Then drag your feet until you finally feel compelled to let her know you love her. You will then discover she has loved you the whole time. Feel like an arse. Get married within three months.)

[Gina House · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟 A lovely, crawl-under-the-covers-with-a-cup-of-tea-at-hand type of book! My third O. Douglas reading experience and it did not disappoint!

My Favorite Quotes:
❊ "I am glad of this room, Biddy. It has such a kind feeling. the other rooms are lovely, but they are meant for crowds of people. This says tea, and a fire and a book and a friend—the four nicest things in the world."
❊ "I read that one autumn in Argyle—slowly—about two chapters a day, making it last as long as I could."
❊ "Edinburgh is our own town, and we are inordinately proud of it. It's full of steep streets and east winds and high houses, and you can't move a step without treading on a W.S., but it's a fine place for all that."

What I Loved:
💛 Beautifully illustrated dust jacket and size (Thomas Nelson edition)
💛 Sweet Jean Jardine
💛 Cozy and welcoming household at The Rigs
💛 Beautiful, energetic and supportive Pamela
💛 Quaint Priorsford village and its old country ways
💛 Mrs M'Cosh and the boys (David, Jock and Mhor)
💛 The word "extra" used in a sentence to mean something very special indeed
💛 The Christmas scenes in Chapter 17
💛 Description of the parlour of hotel the family stayed at while visiting Stratford-on-Avon
💛 The little enchanted cottage they visited for tea and cakes with orange icing

The only thing I struggled with (as I do with any of O. Douglas' books) is the dialect written out for the country folk. Sometimes, I have absolutely no idea what the character is trying to say. Some conversations or thought aren't even words to me...just a string of unfamiliar letters. I definitely felt like I needed an interpreter at times. That's the only reason it wasn't a 5 star read for me.

Otherwise, it was absolutely wonderful! I feel that this is a book that will get better and better with each read and I'm looking forward to more cozy nights with Penny Plain in the future. Many thanks to Arpita (@bagfullofbooks on Instagram) for recommending this O. Douglas book to read next! 😍

Also, thanks to my Bookstagram Besties Facebook group for reading this book with me in June! (especially to Michael @michaelmccarty62 on Instagram) 🤩

[Rebekah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't take any pleasure in myself if my face were made up." Pamela swung round on her chair and laid her hands on Jean's shoulders. "Jean," she said, "you're within an ace of being a prig.

"Jean, I'm afraid you're a chirping optimist. You'll reduce me to the depths of depression if you insist on being so bright. Rather help me to rail against fate, and so cheer me."

This started off fairly promisingly with the rich and fashionable but very likable and down-to-earth Miss Pamela Reston, retreating to the small Scottish village of Priorsford because she has become bored with the social whirl of London and wants to rest and rediscover herself and the joy of living. Her exotic ways have quite an impact on the villagers there and vice versa. Of particular interest is the very well-read Jean Jardine, her next-door neighbor, and her little family who are genteelly poor, but very happy and delightful. Much of the initial exposition, Pamela's description of the town and her new neighbors takes place in letters to her brother, Biddy, Lord Bidborough, who is on business in India. The tone reminded me of the letters comprising 2 Jean Webster books, Daddy Long Legs and Dear Enemy. Of course, we know that Pamela’s description of her new friend and her charming family is going to intrigue Biddy to no end and that he will come to Priorsford the first chance he gets to visit his sister and proceed to quickly fall in love with both Jean and her family. Unfortunately, the letters ceased way too soon. As the book’s focus shifted to include Jean and her three brothers, It wasn’t long before it started to remind me of the children's classic, Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.

This book was a mainstay of my childhood reading history. I read it over and over, loving it very much, although I was an adult before I could ever find the longed-for sequels to the original story, in which Polly Pepper and her family (3 brothers, and the youngest little sister Phronsie) grow up into upstanding citizens and get married. I won’t go into all of the parallels, but the main one is the utter and unremitting goodness of both Polly Pepper and Jean Jardine, the two heroines, and their self-sacrificing devotion to their little brothers. But I am no longer an innocent and naive little girl appreciative of a stellar role model like Polly Pepper. Jean was just too good for me.

I was led to the author of Penny Plain by her association with a favorite “old-timey” author, D.E. Stevenson. Loving her novels, I am no stranger to lovely, kind, and good heroines. But I am afraid that Jean was just too much. I started to lose touch with her when she gave a bedraggled sad stranger a valuable and treasured book when he confides that it contains a song that his mother used to sing to him when he was a child. She pretty much lost me when she turned down Biddy’s inevitable marriage proposal because “We belong to different worlds." and also,

“My feelings," said Jean, "don't matter at all. Even if there was nothing else in the way, what about Davie and Jock and the dear Mhor? I must always stick to them—at least until they don't need me any longer."

Girl. But praise be, it turns out that the poor stranger was in fact a very wealthy but dying man who leaves his entire fortune to Jean because of her little act of generosity. Even though Jean and her little family have been living pretty much hand to mouth, she views this windfall not with joy and gratitude, but with suspicion and fear. She doesn't want it. She is persuaded to see the value of her legacy (she can use the fortune to do good works and give to charity! Yay!) Eventually, she even buys a spiffy car and buys some nice clothes in Glasglow. Another big plus is that now she is worthy of Lord Biddy!

There were enough enjoyable things about this novel that kept me going to the end fairly happily. Most of the character sketches of the Jardines and their neighbors were well done and engaging. Most of the townspeople were very lovable and even the two flies in the ointment the snobby Mrs. Duff-Whalley and her shallow, fashionable, but surprisingly self-aware daughter were entertaining and had a few layers to their personality. I loved the wise and gentle parson and his merry big-hearted wife, Mrs. Macdonald, and their little story.She liked the place kept so tidy that her sons had been wont to say bitterly, as they spent an hour of their precious Saturdays helping, that she dusted the branches and wiped the faces of the flowers with a handkerchief. I was moved by how Jean helps Miss Abbot the dour local seamstress who is going blind but is too proud to ask for help. But sometimes the book took off on short tangents that had nothing to do with anything and added nothing to the plot or character development. Peter the beloved family dog going missing for example. It was further hampered by the use of archaic words and long passages written in the Scottish vernacular and in dialect, which unlike in most books set in Scotland that I have read, was largely indecipherable without a lot of effort and research. In addition, the book is littered with cultural and literary references that were no doubt familiar to readers of the day (World War I era) but which have since been lost to obscurity. (a song called Strathairlie,“Mary Slessor of Calabar”, Mrs. Wishart, Maggie Tulliver, Ethel Newcome, Beatrix Esmond, Clara Middleton, John Splendid, the Scylla of affectation nor the Charybdis of off-handedness, King Cophetua, and on and on. I looked up everything I didn't "get", or tried to. As an aside, Mary Slessor needs to have a movie made about her life.

If I had had a daughter, I would have given her this book to read as a child and been very happy if she liked it. But in the future, when I next want to read a wholesome old-fashioned novel, I'll just stick with D.E. Stevenson or Elizabeth Cadell.
**2 1/2 stars**

P.S. In looking up Five Little Peppers for this review, I discovered that there was a series of movies based on their adventures and some of them are available on YouTube. Can't wait! And I just may re-read the book.

https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

For now I’ll say nice and sweet!

Review to follow.

[Carrie Brownell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like D.E. Stevenson or the Mitford series, you'll love this one. Clean, fun British fiction set in a border town. The writing is stellar, the characters delightful, and I have no reservations in recommending this read to any and everyone. It's brilliant.

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was written a long time ago so it had the slower, more relaxed pace of many others written then. I didn’t mind it most of the time but there were a few times I got a little tired of all the different people in the little town and all their thoughts and views on everyone and everything.
I loved Jean and Pamela. And the boys were fun. Loved the accents different people had and their personalities. The setting made me wish I could just step into the story and visit for a bit.
There was some good Christian messages tucked in here and there, but I wouldn’t say this was a Christian book necessarily. It was just written when that was more or less expected or at least tolerated, unlike it is today.

[Jannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely little tale, delightful and cosy. The best character had to be Mhor, Jean's adopted little brother. Pretty much all the quotes I highlighted were to do with him. Hes so hilarious and full of mischief. Jean is lovely and all the nice people like her family and Pamela are lovely. Even the not so nice people have a sympathetic side. However nice it is its not saccharin, quite an enjoyable tale. The only part that I wasn't a big fan of was the poetry. There was too liberal a sprinkle of it for my liking.

Some funny/enjoyable quotes:

Mhor looked discontentedly at the offering. "I wish," he said slowly—"I wish I had a post-card of a hippopotamus being sick."

One never-to-be-forgotten day a sympathetic engine-driver lifted Mhor into the engine and, holding him up high above the furnace, told him to pull a chain, whereupon the engine gave an anguished hoot. Mhor had no words to express his pleasure, but in an ecstasy of gratitude he seized the engine-driver's grimy hand and kissed it, leaving that honest man, who was not accustomed to such ongoings considerably confused.


She was glad she lived among people who had the decency to go on caring for each other in spite of lines and wrinkles—comfortable couples whose affection for each other was a shelter in the time of storm, a shelter built of common joys, of "fireside talks and counsels in the dawn," cemented by tears shed over common sorrows.


The latter had a notion that somewhere the lawyer had a cave in which he kept Jean's fortune, great casks of gold pieces and trunks of precious stones, and that any lack of manners on his part might lose Jean her inheritance. He was disappointed to find him dressed like any ordinary man. He had had a dim hope that he would look like Ali Baba and wear a turban.


The world," said Jean, "is divided into two classes, the givers and the takers. Nothing so touches and pleases and surprises a 'giver' as to receive a gift. The 'takers' are too busy standing on their hind legs (like Peter at tea-time) looking wistfully for the next bit of cake to be very appreciative of the biscuit of the moment."

[Melanie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most famous book by this writer and, oh joy, what fun it is! Although rather extraordinary things happen to extraordinary people, the writer succeeds in making the reader feel comfortable and explores the more mundane sides of life too. Characters (especially Jean and Pamela) intermittently voice observations on life (and death) and society that holds true today. O Douglas has the gift of making her characters come alive on the pages, especially children, and in this story we have 'the Mhor' with his many eccentricities. It's a 'feel good' book, but we need these from time to time to lighten our load.

[Alisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Cinderella story for the early 1900s. Not that there are any evil stepsisters or stepmother. It's just an impoverished but generally perky family, the Jardines, who make the acquaintance of their new neighbor, Pamela, a wealthy woman from London who has come to their out-of-the-way town to try to clear her mind about some things. The book is about their friendship, about the pleasantness of home and village life, and about the far-reaching implications of one unselfish act. Throw in a couple of romances, and you've got a pleasant enough, but not really memorable, fairy tale.

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for this bit of popular fiction from 1920. Read for the Retro Reads Book Pool.

This is a lovely mix of family life, friendships, social drama/commentary, romance.. with a touch of earnest Christianity.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quiet little book with two romances that pop up and are resolved with almost no tension -- good for reading last thing at night. The best part of the book is its Cranford like focus on the neighbors in a small town in Scotland and all the literary references. Enjoyable in a gentle way but not especially memorable.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sentimental but enjoyable story of life in a small Scottish town immediately after the First World War. The heroine is impossibly nice and the ambience is a mixture of Anne of Green Gables and Cranford, with a bit of Scots dialect thrown in.

[Oolookitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very charming but runs out of gas long before the end.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, a wonderful old-fashioned story! Jean Jardine and her brothers are orphans - she has done her best to 'mother' them since her parents died. They are poor but make the most of what they have, and their lives are full of literature and make-believe. When a wealthy young woman comes to their little town for a vacation, she takes a room next door and soon all are fast friends. Pamela has a brother she is just sure will fall in love with Jean, and sure enough, he does - but Jean refuses him because of the difference in their stations. But fate - or perhaps God - is not through with the Jardines...

[Will Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wholesome. If I ever read any contemporary romance novels, I imagine this would be far better than any of them.

[Abigail Lyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect cozy Fall/Winter read! Absolutely loved it. The characters and dialogue were excellent. 5/5 for sure!

[Louise Culmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant but rather bland story about a family of siblings living in a small scottish town in the 1920s. Ther heroine is Jean, twenty three years old, who looks after her younger brothers and worries about money, you can tell the family is really poor because they can only afford one servant. Not a great deal happens. Jean makes friends with an older, more sophisticated woman called Pamela who has come to stay nearby and happens to have a highly eligible younger brother, who naturally falls for Jean. he proposes to Jean, she refuses for no very good reason that one can see, and the book meanders pleasantly along, with people going to tea with each other a lot, and nothing at all surprising happening. If you enjoy books where everyone is nice and nothing much at all happens, this is a pleasant enough read.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1?2 stars
Shopman: "You may have your choice--penny plain or twopence coloured."
Solemn Small Boy: "Penny plain, please. It's better value for the money."

I enjoyed this vintage story that is almost a fairy tale. Jean Jardines is raising her three younger brothers on a very meager income. But she does so cheerfully and with great love. They feel the pinch but their good natures and unselfish service bring a richness to their lives and the people around them in the small town of Priorsford in Scotland. A generous act from a heart that gives freely and without thought of any return changes this family's circumstances but not their character.

I was charmed by this story and will seek out more books by this author.

[Mary Ronan Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean Jardine is only 23 but for five years she has been a mother to three orphaned boys -- her brothers and an adopted half-brother by marriage. They haven't much money but they have their father's library and a great love of books and music and they have been happy with the help of their housekeeper, Mrs M'Cosh, in a little cottage, The Rigs, in a small Scottish lowland town, the fictional Priorsford. . . .

To read the rest of my review go to my blog at:

http://maryslibrary.typepad.com/my_we...

[Squeak2017 · Rating 2 out of 5]

An old fashioned, feelgood novel ending with a rather worrying description of a new bride leaving behind her home and her entire life to surrender herself slavishly to her new husband. I am sure the author intended it as a happy ending though it feels manufactured and just a little unsettling.

The best writing in the novel is when she describes the loss of loved ones, either in the colonies or the Great War, clearly deeply felt and very moving.

[Christine McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. So many quaint and sympathetic characters. As with Pink Sugar, I at times felt I had stumbled into Avonlea, rather than Priorsford, as the characters' remarks and attitudes reminded me of some of L.M. Montgomery. No disrespect intended to either author! These were some of the aspects I enjoy most about each. I wonder if it's the Scottish legacy of PEI that helps account for some of it?

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love a domestic book with a house and a sympathetic main character and people who become friends upon meeting and a happily ever after vibe. While Penny Plain is a mess in places and sometimes goes off on tangents, the characters are so endearing.

The writing doesn’t live up to Douglas’s Olivia in India (a beautifully written book sadly peppered with the racial attitudes of the time). But there’s something warm and cozy about this one.

[Tahsina Syeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Twelfth Night reference on every other page! O. Douglas must have been a huge fan :) .
Penny Plain is a simple sweet book about family, friendship, a dash of romance, and small-town Scottish life; the characters are charming in an Anne-of-Green-Gables kind of way.

[Grier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely fairy tale

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite charming. A feel good light read that some may find too sentimental but I think has a mocking (but kindly) humour in its depiction of the various characters.

[Ellen Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really nice, simple, sweet, slow-moving, story. Set in a little town in ma beloved Scotland, it follows the lives of the young Jardines, the older Honourables, and a few other colourful characters. It is a restful read, calming nerves and heart, and soothing troubled spirits and souls. The characters are not very well-developed, but there is enough on their frames to distinguish them from one another and they have their individual personalities. My favourite character was Lewis, the shy, retiring bachelor who decided to do sheep farming on his inherited property. I love Scotland, I love farms, I love sheep, I am a sheep farmer, so I guess it's all pretty clear.