Sweet Cassandra

by Denise Robins

Would he ever marry her?

Cassandra's happy homelife vanished with her mother's remarriage to a man Cass called the "General." He was an overbearing tyrant, used to his own way, who considered Cass a nuisance. Yet he did not hesitate to pass judgement on her boyfriends--and he absolutely forbid her to marry Kevin Martin. And her timid mother agreed with him. Leaving home would cut her off completely from her mother. But her love was too strong and Cass moved out, expecting to become Mrs. Kevin Martin. But then an accident postponed the marriage and Cass was left in limbo. She couldn't go back home, but neither could she live in sin.... Then Natasha and her french husband arrive.

Paperback

First published October 5, 1970

About the author

Denise Naomi Klein was born on 1 February 1897 in London, England, daughter of Herman Klein (1856-1934) and Kathleen Clarice Louise Cornwell (1872-1954). Her parents married on 19 February 1890 at the West London Synagogue, her father was a English music critic, author and teacher of singing and her mother was a Australian-born heiress, 16 years younger than him. Denise had a half-sister, Sibyl Klein, who became an actress. She also had two older brothers, Adrian Bernard L. Klein (1892-1969), who later changed his name to Adrian Cornwell-Clyne and wrote books on photography and cinematography, and Daryl Kleyn (b. 1894). During her parents marriage, her mother began an affair with a young Worcestershire Regiment officer, Herbert Arthur Berkeley Dealtry (b. 1878). When her father became aware of it, he filed a petition for divorce, which was granted in December 1901. After the divorce, her mother married Dealtry in 1902, but they were going through financial difficulties. They had to declare bankruptcy in 1905. The same year her father remarried with Helene Fox, a Christian Science practitioner of Boston, Massachusetts.

As Kit Dealtry, her mother began to publish her own writings, first short stories in magazines an later gothic novels. Years later, and single again her mother returned to London. In 1918, and remarried for a third time with Sydney H. Groom, and started to sign her novels as C. Groom, Mrs Sydney Groom, Kathleen Clarice Groom and Clarice Groom. After Naomi left school, she decided follow in her mother's footsteps, and to publish her writings. She went to work as a journalist for the D.C. Thomson Press, then became a freelance writer. Denise married Arthur Robins, a corn broker on the Baltic Exchange, but the marriage ended in divorce, after she met O'Neill Pearson in Egypt, who later became her second husband. She was the mother of three daughters, Patricia Robins (also know as Claire Lorrimer) who became another best-selling romance author, Anne, and Eve.

As a writer of fiction, Denise wrote short stories, plays and about 200 gothic romance novels under a variety of pseudonyms, including: Denise Chesterton, Hervey Hamilton, Francesca Wright, Ashley French, Harriet Gray, and Julia Kane, she also used to sign the books her first married name, Denise Robins, and some of her books were reedited under this pen-name. In 1927, over ten years after she began to publish, Denise meet Charles Boon, of Mills & Boon, and she signed her first contract with his firm the same year. In a short time, she became the best paid Mills & Boon's writer, and one of the most prolific, but in 1935 she changed to a new publisher, Nicholson & Watson, that made her a better offer, and later with Hodder & Stoughton.

In 1960, she founded with other romance writers the "Romantic Novelists' Association" (R.N.A.), and she was its first president until 1966. Denise passed away 1 May 1985 in her native England.

Reviews

[Kritikal Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

the fact that I am compelled to give this book 4 stars, one extra than the pre-decided three, is that I was amazed by how the storyline of the novel still has a unique resonance in our times. Since its dealing with relationships solely, it seems like a fairytale at one level, but soon turns out to be grounded in reality. the expressions and language are surprisingly tangible, understandable and commendably eternal. There was a high probability that one might be bored between, but the narrative is compelling and fast-paced enough to keep you glued to it. I was a bit annoyed in the end. it isnt clear if it was true love that stopped her in matrimony. Had any other girl been in Cassandra's place, she would have left it all. But , perhaps, thats the difference between our times and theirs.