Dear Hugo

by Molly Clavering

When the time comes for you to retire, Hugo, if you want a quiet life, don't settle down in the country. Bury yourself in London or any really large city, and you can live like a hermit, but avoid the outskirts of a village. I am dazed by the ceaseless whirl of activities in which almost everyone in and round Ravenskirk is involved.

Sara Monteith makes an ideal correspondent for Hugo Jamieson, brother of her lost love Ivo, killed in the war before they could marry. Her neighbours in the lovely Border village of Ravenskirk don't know that Sara has moved here because it's where Ivo and Hugo grew up, but they welcome her warmly. Soon, she's drawn into the active village social scene of tea parties, gardening, carol-singing, and Coronation festivities, dodging the judgments of stern Miss Bonaly, defending her helper Madge Marchbanks, an unwed mother, befriending kind, practical Elizabeth Drysdale and charming Mrs. Currie and her daughter Sylvia (the latter first met halfway through Sara's drawing room window), and having an embarrassing first encounter with rugged Major Whitburn. Add in her nephew Arthur, neglected by an indifferent father, Arthur's dog Pam, and even Hugo himself returning unexpectedly from overseas, and Sara's life is a 'ceaseless whirl' indeed!

Molly Clavering was for many years the neighbour and friend of bestselling author D.E. Stevenson (in just such a village as Ravenskirk), and they may well have influenced one another's writing. First published in 1955, Dear Hugo is one of the funniest of her spirited, joyful comedies of Scottish village life. This new edition includes an introduction by Elizabeth Crawford.

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

216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

AKA Marion Moffatt.

Molly Clavering was born in Glasgow, but lived in the country from an early age. After six years' service wiith the WRNS, she settled in Moffat, Dumfriesshire, where she served on the Town Council.

Reviews

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming.

Another great find for Furrowed Middlebrow. I had wanted to read this author since I heard about her from the blog. So good to have the opportunity, and I'm now looking forward to getting some more of her books.

This one is told through letters, though it often doesn't read like that. Sara is writing to Hugo, who is the younger brother of her fiance, who died in the war. Sara has moved to the Scottish village where the two brothers free up, and is getting to know the residents there, and filling Hugo, who is now working in Africa, with all their doings. Early on, she is joined by Atty, she son of her cousin Rex. Party's mother died, and Red has re-married and gone off to live in America, leaving Atty behind; fortunately for both Sara and the story.

There is a great cast of characters in the book, not least Sara herself; she comes across as strong minded, and unwilling to be bullied by the village cats. She loves going off by herself for walks in the hills, and there are some beautiful descriptions of the Scottish countryside.

Molly Clavering was a good friend of D.E. Stevenson's, which will inevitably lead to comparisons, and while I think it very likely that if you enjoy one, you will like the other, I did find that Molly Clavering had her own voice, and I'll enjoy exploring further.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much. It really felt like a balm to my soul because I read it when I was feeling anxious about the extreme hot weather at the end of June 2021. Sara Monteith is the heroine. She is around 40 years old when she decides to move to Ravenskirk, the town her fiance Ivo, who died in the War (WWII), was from in Scotland. She takes a little cottage nestled into the hills of Scottish Border Country and writes letters to Ivo's brother Hugo, who is working in Africa, describing how she is meeting her neighbors, exploring the countryside, and much more. The story covers about two years and is packed full of the most delightful characters, especially Atty, Elizabeth Drysdale (who reminded me of an older friend of mine), Mrs. Keith, Madge, and Sara herself.

Sara's voice is wonderful. She is a friendly creature, but also loves long solitary walks and quoting bits of poetry and literature. She loves to garden and spend time with various kindred spirits she meets in the village. She is rather inclined to meddle, though in a very nice way. She is asked to care for her cousin's 13-year-old son Arthur, called Atty, and describes a teenage boy's antics and appetite so hilariously. She is on the verge of various romatic relationships at times, but remains the free and happy spinster. I love that about Sara. She doesn't look at her life and perceive what she lacks as the story continues and she heals from Ivo's loss. She sees more and more the abundance of life even when things are hard. I think that is, at the core, what makes this book such a balm. I came away from it filled with the joy of living and the potential for adventure in each day!

I love how intuitive and sensitive Sara is, too. I love the rambles she takes over hill and dale and how her friends tell her that she comes home looking wild-eyed and moony. Sara thinks that hilariously funny because she always returns from her rambles feeling whole and strong. Solitary walking has that same effect on me at times, especially back when I lived close to a natural area with a forest and wildflowers and hills.

This book is definitely reminscent of the Mrs. Tim books by D.E. Stevenson and yet it is all its own, too. I loved it, and I'm so thankful to have found a new heart book that I will return to with gladness in the future.

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 shiny stars for this delightful look at village life in the early 1950s.
A few thoughts:
I enjoyed everything about this: Sara's lyrical descriptions of the countryside; her unsentimental assessment of the villagers; the schoolboy antics of young Arthur (fondly known as Atty).

I liked Sara a lot--she's an optimist, smart, friendly, compassionate, and willing to laugh at herself. I totally understood her need to get out, to walk the countryside for hours, as a way to settle her soul.

I loved the ending--the author was a very canny matchmaker and the ending she devised for Sara was perfect.

I shall definitely be trying more books from this author.

[Susan in NC · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars - Absolutely charming and delightful - reminded me of Thirkell’s Barsetshire books for humor, and especially for comments on the untidiness of school boys, and the affectionate portrayals of the denizens of Ravenskirk, a border village in Scotland.

It’s the early 1950s, and Sara Monteith has scraped together enough money to buy tiny Piper’s Cottage on the outskirts of the village. She still mourns her lost love, Ivo, killed in the war before they could marry. The book is in the form of the letters she writes to Hugo, Ivo’s younger brother; he is a civil servant in Northern Rhodesia, and she tells him she will write faithfully as she settles into her new home, the village where Hugo and Ivo grew up. Sara is private and doesn’t want to be an object of pity, so does not tell anyone of her tenuous connection to the village, but is welcomed warmly.

Like Thirkell’s books, there is a social hierarchy and gossip, and everyone interested in everyone’s business. But very little snobbery, and none of the tedious griping about “them”, Thirkell’s snide term for the British government after the war. The only time British national events intrude in our story is in the sadness after the King’s death, and the exciting preparations for the new Queen’s coronation – the whole village pulls together and stages a day chock-full of patriotic celebrations.

Otherwise, Sara is mainly concerned with her garden, her Energizer bunny/adopted nephew, Atty, and her delightful new friends. All is not perfect, however; there is a nasty old gossip, Miss Bonaly, who does try and spread poison, even about Sara, but she deals with the old witch fairly handily, with the help of her friends. Sara is a decent, kind, likable and humble person, not confrontational, mingles with all classes, from her house cleaner Madge, somewhat of a village outcast because she had an illegitimate child after a wartime romance, to the local grande dame, the delightful Mrs. Keith, an elderly lady who dishes out no-nonsense wisdom with charm and grace.

The letters are delightful and funny, because we get to see Sara’s true thoughts conveyed to Hugo, and she’s honest about both her love for the natural beauty of the place (abundant descriptions, quite swoony!), and the awkward social scrapes she endures as she settles in to her new home.

There’s also a hint of romance in a few directions, and like in Thirkell’s books, there are a round of engagements at the end of the book. Sara’s distant cousin Atty, who asks shyly if he might call her Aunt Sara, is a delightful young man of the house. A sad case at first, Atty is the son of Sara’s cousin Rex, who was serving overseas in the war and barely knew Atty. His wife died in the London Blitz and the boy went to his grandparents, then then they passed away. Rex remarried and the poor boy wasn’t really wanted with a new baby on the way; he and his father were virtual strangers, and Rex and the new wife were moving to the United States. Rex asked Sara to step into the breach and give Atty a home on school vacations, and he adds a great deal to her adventures, and the charm of the book. It’s a delight to watch Atty grow in confidence, knowing he’s loved and has a home.

Overall, a delightful, old-fashioned look at early 1950s village life in Scotland, with plenty of humor and heart, which I definitely enjoyed. My only observation, not even a fault because it’s a different author, but comparing to Thirkell’s best village comedies, I didn’t feel so much like everyone would become “old friends”, as I feel about Thirkell’s many recurring characters. Thirkell has a way of giving us hilarious, and often devastatingly honest observations, by getting into the heads of many of her characters. Here, we really only get to know Sara’s feelings and inner thoughts - but she’s such a likable, relatable character, that I loved it! Read as one of Retro Read Book Pool entries for this year - so far, I’ve enjoyed them all.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tremendously funny in spots, charmingly told, and I love the descriptions of the Scottish countryside, but I was disappointed with the ending. It didn't feel like there was any payoff after the build-up of the relationship. Or maybe I thought there was build-up and there wasn't. Either way, I was expecting something a bit more traditional.

[Abigail Bok · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s always a thrill to discover a new beloved author. Molly Clavering is one of those twentieth-century female writers in England who plowed a similar field—low-key social comedies focused on women leading ordinary lives in small villages—and to my taste she is one of the best. Dear Hugo tells the story of Sara Monteith, who lost her fiancé in World War II; six years later, apparently struggling with what we would now call complex bereavement, she moves to a small cottage in the southern Scottish village where he grew up. She knows nobody there but tells her story through a series of letters to her fiancé’s brother, Hugo, who is working in what was then colonial Rhodesia.

Sara isn’t a whiner; she says little of her woe and doesn’t even share her reason for settling in the village with her neighbors (except for one, late in the story). She makes a few friends and spends a lot of time hiking around the countryside, which is enticingly described. A cousin essentially abandons his teenage son to her, at least during school holidays, and the boy, Atty, helps draw her back into a fuller engagement with life.

The little intrigues and frictions among the neighbors, the judgmentalism versus open-mindedness, and possibilities of romance for Sara and others form the meat of the tale. I quickly came to care about various characters and their fates and loved the subtle story-telling; in stories like this, much of the emotion is left between the lines for the reader to discover.

I thought I knew where the plot was headed but was mistaken, and therein lies my lone discomfort with the book. I wanted a conventional happy ending for Sara and while she claims happiness (or at least contentment) at the end, I didn’t fully believe her protestations. It felt as if she decided not to live a full life. I also disliked the cavalier way another character’s fate was more or less decided for her by “wiser heads” with Sara’s collusion. But those caveats only make me want to read more books by Molly Clavering in hopes of having a purer satisfaction.

[Elinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would based on reviews, but it was certainly a very enjoyable read. The protagonist is a woman whose true love died in World War Two. Six years after the war ends, she rents a house in the Scottish village where he grew up, in a simple attempt to be closer to him. The reader can appreciate what is undoubtedly a lifelong grief, and there is an undercurrent of sadness throughout. This is an epistolary novel (not my favourite) in which she writes letters to her dead lover's brother and reveals herself in ways which she could not, had they ever met. She takes comfort in her surroundings, especially the rugged moors, and the interesting gaggle of folks in her little community including a young boy whom she more or less adopts. This was a gentle read filled with pathos and humour.

[Jerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this novel to be a delight. It hits many of my buttons. Lovely descriptions of Scotland in all sorts of weather, a woman making a life for herself as part of a community in rural/small town Scotland, and the simple day to day events that make up a life.

Especially joyful was watching Sara build a relationship with her cousin, a young teen boy left to her care by his father who has moved to America with a new second wife. The loving relationship between Sara and "Atty" becomes much stronger and more meaningful that that which he has with his father, and shows the true meaning of "Family".

Don't expect a "romance", this is a slice of life novel, covering close to two years in post-WWII Scotland, including but not highlighting the remaining shortages and rationing, while the damages that the war brought to people is a clear theme.

Some might find the long chatty letters to be unbelievable in today's world. But this wasn't "today's world", it was the 1950's, and long letters were the only way to communicate with someone who lived at a distance (the Hugo to whom the letters are addressed is working in Africia, but grew up in the area of Scotland in which Sara is now living.) My mother used to write long letters to me and to select friends in the days before inexpensive long distance calls and social media changed habits, so I have no problem accepting Sara writing such letters.

I loved this novel and am planning to re-read it a number of times and read more Molly Clavering.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book to end my January reading! I absolutely loved this epistolary novel. I love that it doesn’t take you in the typical directions you might think but wanders around a bit like our main character Sara over the Scottish countryside.

This is my second Molly Clavering book and I am even a bigger fan of her work than I was before!

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the lovely writing and the vignettes from small town life in 1950s England. Of course, any book with casual nods to the Bible, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Gunga Din, Kubla Khan, Cranford, Sir Walter Scott, the Brontës, Louisa Mae Alcott, and The Book of Common Prayer would be sure to make my literature-loving heart sing for joy.

Sara Monteith is a young woman who lost her fiancé, Ivo, in WWII. Years later she moves to the village where he grew up to try to bring some closure. She gets to know the townspeople and writes about her experiences to Ivo's brother, Hugo.

I had read some negative reviews about the book not having the requisite fairy tale ending, so I braced myself for that, but, honestly, I didn't mind how it all played out. Sara lives an unimpressive life as far as book heroines go, but I loved it that her quiet steadiness couldn't help but have an impact on her community.

[Carolien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this, my first by the author. Written as a series of letters by Sara Monteith to Hugo, the brother of her dead love, after she arrives at the small village of Ravenskirk. She is soon involved in village life and the various characters that makes up the local society. She is also asked to look after her cousin's teenage son who starts spending holidays with her. A lovely, light read.

[Seawitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and comforting read complete with an interesting heroine, walks in the hills, and an unexpected ending.

[Lisa of Hopewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How glorious the autumn colours are, though the ground is sodden. The woods, the dying bracken and withered heather on the hillside, all seem deepend and enriched by the rain, and now that the sunlight is falling on them they are glowing with russet reds and browns turning to deep purple in the shadow." (p. 159)
My Interest

I have fallen in love with Dean Street Press! Their books are so gentle and good–the perfect antidote for today’s world. Dear Hugo is one step better–it is an epistolary novel, a story told in letters. I am a big fan of such books told in the form of letters, diaries, emails or whatever. “Epistles”–like those in the Bible, or “serials” are stories told in “episodes” or small chunks. I like that.

The Story

It sounded affected to say that I had nothing to wish for, thought it was true enough. For I have what I need, and I am content, and I did not thick that to wish for a slightly larger oven or a new vacuum-cleaner was the right kind of which, somehow. (p. 44)

Scotland in post-war was a refuge for Sara Monteith. One of many women denied the dignity of widowhood by the cruelty of war, Sara, whose fiance, Ivo, was killed before they could marry, has moved to a cottage in the place where he grew up. Written between June 1951 and just after the Coronation in June 1953, her letters are addressed to his brother Hugo, who is out in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). Along the way she acquires guardianship of sorts over her cousin’s son, known as “Atty” when he is home from his pubic school (boarding school or prep school to Americans). Sara’s letters show her healing from her loss, her involvement in her local community and the cast of characters who live there. And, a little later in the story, the wonderful Pam appears. Pam (male) is a standard poodle.

"He was looking at me with a puzzled expression on his face–one of those rather craggy faces, very brown, with his cheek bones and a big nose, that go so well with the glengarry bonnets worn by Highland regiments." (p. 35)
My Thoughts

"The curlers, too, have been in their element, and tremendous day-long battles between rinks from all the villages round have been waged. The deep-toned ring of the stones over the ice could be heard long after the sun set like a huge orange balloon among smoky clouds, and the moons sailed up over the shoulder of hill …” (p. 77)

Typical of Dean Street Press books, Dear Hugo, moves at the pace of it’s own day, not of ours, but the end, again, had me not wanting to put it down–to see how it ended! And, again, I did not see the end coming (it is nothing horrible). This was a beautifully paced book, and Sara, is a much more generous soul than I can ever be! (No spoilers). Her simple contentment is an inspiration without ever being precious. I loved her and Atty and Pam and several others in the village of Ravenskirk.

“The average raincoat is a depressant in itself.” (p. 73)
My Verdict
4.0

The ending made me rate this even higher.

[Caro (carosbookcase) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published in 1955, Molly Clavering’s epistolary novel Dear Hugo is about a woman, Sara Monteith, who moves to a cottage in the Scottish Border village of Ravenskirk. Through letters to her lost love Ivo’s brother, Hugo, we discover Sara has moved here because it’s where Ivo and Hugo grew up, though she is keeping this fact a secret from her neighbours.

When I realized the entire novel was told through letters, I was a bit disappointed. I often find this convention breaks down at some point, with the reader being expected to suspend their disbelief in the likelihood that someone could transcribe lengthy conversations word for word. But you know what? It worked really well in this novel. Perhaps, it’s that Molly Clavering’s writing is so good that she can pull it off, because somehow she manages to bridge the gap between too much and too little detail.

The novel spans two years, from late June 1951 to the same time in 1953 and though we are only provided with the letters from Sara to Hugo, and not Hugo’s letters addressed to her, the letters read like a complete narrative.

One of the things I liked about this novel is that it doesn’t follow the predictable trajectory of taking a single woman and treating her marital status as a problem to be solved. Sara leads a busy and fulfilling life without a romantic partner. She is welcomed to the neighbourhood, and is quickly absorbed into village life, makes new friends, both female and male, and doesn’t bend to the bullying village busy body, Miss Bonaly. It isn’t all sunshine and roses, though. She makes a fool of herself, but isn’t above taking the advice of dear Mrs. Keith, and finds a way to recover from the embarrassment.

Sara also finds herself the unlikely guardian of her cousin’s thirteen-year-old son, Atty, who comes to her for the summer holidays, and during breaks from boarding school. Soon they acquire a dog, who Atty promptly names Pam, because “he looks like Pam”. Who’s to argue with that kind of reasoning?

Since I love dogs, and a book with a dog in it is always one step ahead of the crowd, in my opinion, I thought I’d share this funny bit when a breeder shows up at Sara’s house to drop off a dog that Hugo has bought for Sara, without having told her.

“Don’t play with him unless he wants to play,” she shouted above the noise of the car’s engine. “He needs a rest now and again. ’Bye.”
She waved a hand and bumped away down the road.
Atty looked after the car thoughtfully. Then he said: “I think Pam will really like living with us better than with her, don’t you, Aunt Sara?”
I dodged this by asking: “Why Pam?” and since you have already been told about his name, I will spare you a repetition. All that I’ll tell you is that even in this short time his presence has made me realize what the house lacked before he came, and Atty adores him. Thank you most truly for giving Pam to us.

I really could have picked any snippet of text from this book to share, but I think this one does a good job of highlighting Molly Clavering’s mixture of the humorous and dear in her writing.

What else can say about this one? Just this, I unreservedly loved it!

[Louise Culmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the summer of 1951, Sara Monteith comes to live in the Scottish border town of Ravenskirk. She has chosen it because it was the boyhood home of her fiancée, Ivo, who was killed in WW2. Her story is told in the letters she writes to Ivo’s brother, Hugo, a doctor living in Kenya. Sara appears to have a small independent income, enough that she doesn’t have to work, and can afford to employ a home help. She makes friends with a number of agreeable people, and there are a couple of characters who are mildly antagonistic. A cousin of hers who is remarrying and going to live in America asks her to take charge of his teenage son, Atty, who is at boarding school in Edinburgh. This turns out to be a very happy arrangement, Sara and Atty bond immediately, and he has no regrets apparently at being abandoned by his father. And she acquires a dog. Occasionally it is mildly humorous. There are some romantic entanglements for other characters. Sara herself stays aloof from romance though. I admit I had hoped something a bit more dramatic might happen at some point, but nothing does. It is quite a pleasant story though, with some nice descriptions of the Scottish scenery.

[Michael Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

In June of 1951 Sara Monteith, a forty-year old single woman takes a house by the Scottish border. Ivo, her fiancé who died in the war, came from this village of Ravenskirk and several years after his death she remains faithful to his memory, though she is reticent for her new neighbors to know about that relationship. She has been keeping up a correspondence with Ivo’s brother Hugo in Africa, with edgy assessments of some of her neighbors and humorous glimpses of her life – especially telling after taking over the guardianship of a young cousin, Atty, whom she treats like a nephew but is raising like the son she might have had, had she married Ivo.
Somewhere midway through this epistolary novel, Sara mentions, “Not that I consider my quiet life uneventful, for plenty of things happen in a small way, and if not actually to me, I have an excellent ringside seat, so to speak, and I can see it all at close quarters.” And so do we through Molly Clavering’s wonderfully lucid writing! Hugo does come to the village for a while on leave, and there are romantic interludes among some characters, though not IMHO enough for Sara, our heroine, but it is nevertheless a marvelous read full of atmosphere and yearning. This, as most of Clavering’s books, is highly recommended.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review: https://tinyurl.com/mr34cz5p

[Gina House · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟 Coziest of cozy books! I loved this Furrowed Middlebrow by Molly Clavering so much and there's only one reason why I didn't give it 5🌟 See spoiler section below if you'd like to know why.

Here's what I loved about this book:

❊ Darling domestic details
❊ Appealing and amusing characters
❊ Lush description of place and nature
❊ Wonderful and lively conversations
❊ Village gossip and rivalries
❊ Light romance
❊ A lovely sense of affection, warmth and family

This is the first Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow book in which I've actually bookmarked passages that I'd like to remember. It's definitely a re-read for me and, the more I read by Molly Clavering, the more I love her books.

I started out with Mrs. Lorimer's Quiet Summer and it just wasn't a favorite for me. But, after reading Near Neighbors, Because of Sam and now Dear Hugo, I'm totally hooked. I can't wait to read more!

SLIGHT SPOILER....BEWARE
*
*
*
*
*
I wish I could have given this book a 5🌟 rating, but the ending was so disappointing! I was hoping until the very last moment for a surprise or a change in thoughts, but it didn't happen. I don't know why it ended the way it did! I was so sad. Also, why would Mrs. Keith be "disappointed in" Sara for not choosing a certain person. I don't get it. If anyone has thoughts on this, please let me know in the comments. Thank you!

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked a lot about this book--as always, Clavering's descriptions of the surrounding countryside make me feel like I'm there, and I like that she doesn't end up in love or engaged at the end. But I don't generally love epistolary novels (although there are a few exceptions), mostly because I don't really believe that people can reproduce conversations that faithfully in letters, or that anybody would want them to. But there was a minor character that was depicted in an extremely antisemitic fashion that really put a damper on the book for me. I know, different times, yadda yadda yadda, but like I've said in other reviews, I'm rating my personal reading experience, so there you go.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Jacqie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an epistolary slice-of-life novel about a woman who moves to a small Scottish village to settle after WWII. Her fiance (killed in the war) was raised in this village and she is able to find a cottage that she can afford.

Sarah is writing to Hugo, the brother of her lost fiance Ivo. Hugo is in Africa (which is referred to in somewhat awkward terms in this novel from the 1950's). It seems that Sarah feels she can bare her soul to him in ways that she can't to the people around her. In this book, as in so many British books, keeping one's feelings buttoned up is a virtue, which I sometimes find tiresome if understandable.

A lot of the book revolves around Sarah's observations about the people around her as she is drawn in to village life. She quickly spots and despises the biggest village gossip. She finds a couple of other stiff-upper-lip folk that she likes, and passes judgement on many others. She gains a dog and a nephew to look after. It's all supposed to be charming and amusing, and it mostly is.

There's also a bit of romance, and the way the book ends makes me lower the book a star. Sarah, it seems, intends to spend her life alone. She doesn't have a problem sending a young girl all the way to Africa, though, as a consolation prize to the man who loves her. I guess this guy will decide that one woman is as good as another?

[Carol Bakker · Rating 4 out of 5]

My reasons for loving this novel are so personal: there were so many reading intersections and correlations and superb connections.

♥ It seems allusions to Rime of the Ancient Mariner are sprinkled in almost every fictional book I'm reading recently. In a parlor conversation while drinking tea, an older lady says, "We all thought it was going to be about a wedding." ☺

♥ tear-begrutten faces — I collect be-prefix words. This is a new one to me! (tear-stained)

♥ Sara and her foster son Atty, visiting the Loire Valley, stay in Tours, where I was last September (the 's' is silent: when you say, 'we are going to Tours' folks think Tours is a verb, not a proper noun.) Clavering mentions some of our favorite places: Chinon, Chenonceau, and Azay-le-Rideau.

♥ Tilleul - a word I learned just. this. month. from Carol Ryrie Brink's Chateau Saint Barbabé — it's an infusion of lime flowers served boiling hot and given to sick kids.

♥ Nonsense Latin poem. The Latin 'Fortibus es in aro' makes no sense in Latin, but if you read it aloud it sounds like 'Forty buses in a row.' Again - three days ago! - I was talking with former students laughing about a silly Latin phrase which befuddled our beloved Latin teacher: 'Semper ubi sub ubi.' Phonetically it sounds like 'Always wear underwear' but could never be translated that way. These are called "macaronic verses" I learned. #colormetickled

Well, you get it: I liked this book! It's light reading, not excellent literature, but as nourishing as light novels get. There were many literary allusions, ending with a nod to Psalm 16: as I went to my door I knew that my lot had fallen to me in a fair ground.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

While covering much of the same ground as Susan Settles Down, this book is far superior technically. Like many epistolary novels, the framing device takes a lot of liberties with the concept of ‘correspondence’ – even going so far as to explain that Hugo’s letters come by plane and Sara’s by boat, so she responds to the actual information Hugo gives in … different letters? There’s also a gesture at what could have been an interesting device, of skipping time when Hugo, Sara and Arthur go on holidays, and she resumes writing when it’s over but ‘recalls’ previous events.

I am reading a slew of books from this time period where the narrator-slash-heroine is a woman in her forties who retains her beauty and interest for the people around her. It’s heartening! Less heartening is the fact that Sara has decided to pine for her dead fiance Ivo, a man she admits to Hugo wouldn’t have been someone she considered a friend. For some reason Sara is more interested in the romantic travails of twenty-year-old Catherine than herself, and is ready to marry Catherine off to man far more age-appropriate to herself. I guess the times weren’t ready for a forty-year-old goer. A shame.

[Tony Siciliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully understated novel, taking the reader to post-war Scotland. Molly Clavering's elegant writing brings to life the natural beauty of the hills and fields that surround the fictional town of Ravenskirk, the charming homes, and customs and the variety of characters who live there. The main character moves to Ravenskirk, the home town of her late fiancee, keeping that secret to herself. She experiences deep new friendships, the lash of the local gossips, the joy of helping raise a young man, and a few doses of romance. The ending may be bittersweet to some readers, but the story underscores the ideals of living life on your own terms, understanding the difference between solitude and loneliness, and appreciating the beauty of all things simple.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful epistolary story of love and small-town England. Sara moves to Ravenskirk after the death of her fiancé and writes to his younger brother in Africa for two years. They meet when he has a leave and takes a house in Ravenskirk. I was disappointed about the various pairings of villagers. I was happy along with her about the determination of her young cousin's future. It was wonderful to read about how people lived in the country during or just after WWII. The story takes one to a more settled, peaceful, and comforting time.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightfully cozy epistolary novel from 1955, recently reprinted. The Scottish setting is evocative and the village characters are interesting and sometimes amusing. It’s not all cheerful fun as WWII left its mark, but that made the slice of village life even more satisfying.

Many thanks to Furrowed Middlebrow and Dean Street Press for recovering yet another wonderful woman author. I look forward to reading more by Molly Clavering.

[Niki (nikilovestoread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly Clavering books have been providing me with some very necessary comfort reads as I'm going through a very difficult time in my life right now. While Dear Hugo didn't end how I hoped it would, in the end, Sara's love proved genuine and steadfast and, I guess, that makes more sense in the context of the author's story. I've enjoyed each of the books I've read by Molly Clavering and highly recommend them for cozy, comfort reads.

[Todayiamadaisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was a delight. It's 1951 and Sara Monteith, still grieving the fiancé lost in World War II, moves to a small Scottish village and writes long letters about village life and the surrounding countryside. Over the course of two years, she adopts her nephew and gets a dog. And that's it. Warm, funny in parts, and very soothing.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone else is using the word charming in their reviews and so will I. It makes me want to go read everything else Molly Clavering wrote, however there are no more available through my library. Once a month I can recommend one (which is how I got them to buy Dear Hugo) so I need to choose another in six more days.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable quiet Cranfordish book all about the beauties of a small time life. Felt the end was somewhat surprising- in a Little Women Jo/Amy/Laurie kind of way ( though nowhere near as intense as that) and didn’t love that.

Also be prepared for those little slap in the face colonialist/racist moments that so often pop up out of nowhere in a mid- century British novel.