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Sally-Ann
The Marchioness's face changed. ... She turned to Ann. "What is your name, dear?"
"Ann."
"Would you mind being Sally for this one afternoon?"
When her boss succumbs to influenza on the day of a high society wedding, perky young Ann Lane, assistant cosmetician at the elegant Maison Pertinax, is urgently called to a Sussex castle to make up the bride, the kind and understanding Lady Mona. Then a bridesmaid falls ill too and threatens the visual effects carefully planned by Cousin Dennis, and Ann (who just happens to be the perfect size) fatefully agrees to impersonate her. She makes a hit-and a considerable impression on the best man, Sir Timothy Munster. Ann slips quietly away at the end of the night, but both Sir Timothy and the glamorous Cora Bolt, who expects to marry him one day, are determined-for very different reasons-to discover her true identity.
Sally-Ann is the second of twelve charming, page-turning romances published under the pseudonym "Susan Scarlett" by none other than beloved children's author and novelist Noel Streatfeild. Out of print for decades, they were rediscovered by Greyladies Books in the early 2010s, and Dean Street Press and Furrowed Middlebrow are delighted now to make all twelve available to a wider audience.
"Ann."
"Would you mind being Sally for this one afternoon?"
When her boss succumbs to influenza on the day of a high society wedding, perky young Ann Lane, assistant cosmetician at the elegant Maison Pertinax, is urgently called to a Sussex castle to make up the bride, the kind and understanding Lady Mona. Then a bridesmaid falls ill too and threatens the visual effects carefully planned by Cousin Dennis, and Ann (who just happens to be the perfect size) fatefully agrees to impersonate her. She makes a hit-and a considerable impression on the best man, Sir Timothy Munster. Ann slips quietly away at the end of the night, but both Sir Timothy and the glamorous Cora Bolt, who expects to marry him one day, are determined-for very different reasons-to discover her true identity.
Sally-Ann is the second of twelve charming, page-turning romances published under the pseudonym "Susan Scarlett" by none other than beloved children's author and novelist Noel Streatfeild. Out of print for decades, they were rediscovered by Greyladies Books in the early 2010s, and Dean Street Press and Furrowed Middlebrow are delighted now to make all twelve available to a wider audience.
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1939
27 people are currently reading
236 people want to read
About the author
Susan Scarlett
13 books38 followersPseudonym used by the English author Noel Streatfeild for publishing her romance novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
August 21, 2022
This was a charming, escapist candy-shop read, as I have a feeling that all of Susan Scarlett's books will be. First published in 1939, newly available from Dean Street Press!
Ann comes from a barely-middle-class family that has come down in the world. She works at a beauty salon and is tasked one day with going out to do the makeup for a high society bride on her wedding day.
Catastrophe strikes when one of the bridesmaids (Sally) gets carted off before the ceremony due to appendicitis. Ann is the only female around who can fit into her dress, and is pressed into service as emergency bridesmaid. The only catch is, she's asked not to tell anyone she's not really Sally (who was a school-friend of the bride that no one else had met before).
And voila! Dressed in the most splendiferous dress she's ever seen, Ann is transformed for one day into a sort of Cinderella. And she almost immediately catches the eye of the best man... which causes one of the other bridesmaids to start sharpening her claws...
This was sweet and funny, and it didn't fall into some of the traps I dislike in romantic books of long-running misunderstandings and manufactured disagreements. Yay! There's also a really wholesome, happy family life serving as the backbone of the story. I'm so looking forward to reading ALL the rest of the Susan Scarlett books.
Having already read Clothes-Pegs, I can say that it seems likely that a number of tropes will be recycled from book to book. So it's probably best not to binge them. But that's okay. They are exactly the kind of delicious confection I like to have in reserve in between other reads.
A few quotes to give you the tone:
The Savoy to Ann was the place where the dance music on the wireless came from. Though she had often listened to it she had never bothered to wonder what the place was like where it came from. The reality seemed crushingly grand. Ann needed all her ermine and pink tulle to take herself across the lounge...
The attendant in the cloakroom gave her a ticket for her box and coat. Standing before a mirror, she folded the ticket and put it in her bag. There was an odd rather sad little smile on her face as she did it. Ticket one hundred and ten. When the attendant got that back, a dream would be over. Bridesmaid Sally would disappear.
-------------------------------
At the end of dinner they danced.
"Might as well tread the light and fairy," said the hunting young man.
Ann glanced at Timothy. He seemed to be talking to someone across the table. Unwillingly she turned to say "Yes." Timothy caught her wrist.
"Half a second, duckie. This is ours, remember."
"Oh I say--" The hunting young man protested. "Have a heart."
Timothy laughed.
"I have. That's why."
------------------------------
And for some catty comic relief:
[Cora] woke at eleven with a bad hangover. Her mouth tasted like the bottom of a parrot's cage looks.
------------------------
And some shop-girl patter:
"[Sir Timothy's] marvelous. Going the places me and Connie go, we know him quite well by sight. When I saw Ann with him the first time, I said, 'My word, that's a bit of all right, all right."
Note on the text: It could have benefited from another proofreading pass-through. There are a few typos and missed punctuation opportunities, but they're not too egregious, for the most part.
Ann comes from a barely-middle-class family that has come down in the world. She works at a beauty salon and is tasked one day with going out to do the makeup for a high society bride on her wedding day.
Catastrophe strikes when one of the bridesmaids (Sally) gets carted off before the ceremony due to appendicitis. Ann is the only female around who can fit into her dress, and is pressed into service as emergency bridesmaid. The only catch is, she's asked not to tell anyone she's not really Sally (who was a school-friend of the bride that no one else had met before).
And voila! Dressed in the most splendiferous dress she's ever seen, Ann is transformed for one day into a sort of Cinderella. And she almost immediately catches the eye of the best man... which causes one of the other bridesmaids to start sharpening her claws...
This was sweet and funny, and it didn't fall into some of the traps I dislike in romantic books of long-running misunderstandings and manufactured disagreements. Yay! There's also a really wholesome, happy family life serving as the backbone of the story. I'm so looking forward to reading ALL the rest of the Susan Scarlett books.
Having already read Clothes-Pegs, I can say that it seems likely that a number of tropes will be recycled from book to book. So it's probably best not to binge them. But that's okay. They are exactly the kind of delicious confection I like to have in reserve in between other reads.
A few quotes to give you the tone:
The Savoy to Ann was the place where the dance music on the wireless came from. Though she had often listened to it she had never bothered to wonder what the place was like where it came from. The reality seemed crushingly grand. Ann needed all her ermine and pink tulle to take herself across the lounge...
The attendant in the cloakroom gave her a ticket for her box and coat. Standing before a mirror, she folded the ticket and put it in her bag. There was an odd rather sad little smile on her face as she did it. Ticket one hundred and ten. When the attendant got that back, a dream would be over. Bridesmaid Sally would disappear.
-------------------------------
At the end of dinner they danced.
"Might as well tread the light and fairy," said the hunting young man.
Ann glanced at Timothy. He seemed to be talking to someone across the table. Unwillingly she turned to say "Yes." Timothy caught her wrist.
"Half a second, duckie. This is ours, remember."
"Oh I say--" The hunting young man protested. "Have a heart."
Timothy laughed.
"I have. That's why."
------------------------------
And for some catty comic relief:
[Cora] woke at eleven with a bad hangover. Her mouth tasted like the bottom of a parrot's cage looks.
------------------------
And some shop-girl patter:
"[Sir Timothy's] marvelous. Going the places me and Connie go, we know him quite well by sight. When I saw Ann with him the first time, I said, 'My word, that's a bit of all right, all right."
Note on the text: It could have benefited from another proofreading pass-through. There are a few typos and missed punctuation opportunities, but they're not too egregious, for the most part.
August 27, 2024
3.5★
I rate different types of books different ways & light romances I rate, to a large extent on enjoyment.
& I did enjoy this Cinderella story very much.
The beautiful Ann Lane works as a makeup artist in an upmarket beauty salon. & because fate can move in mysterious ways, this lower middle class girl ends up as a bridesmaid at a society wedding., where she meets a young man who is handsome & charming. But of course the path of true love can never run smooth...
There is not a great deal of drama in this short novel, but this story of the Lane family, who have moved downwards in society & their struggle to survive with dignity was oddly touching. & I liked the way the parents wanted Ann to have a career. 'Prince Charming' was a nice, personable man.
I liked finding out a bit more about like in 1930s London. The book had a lot of extra touches, not the least being lightly touching on different morals & standards for young women. While Scarlett shows her approval of Ann's choices, there is very little judgement on other women.
A good, light escapist read. I don't think I would go out of my way to acquire another Scarlett book, but if one came my way I would give it a try.
Scarlett also wrote as Noel Streatfeild & I am interested in hunting those books down.
I rate different types of books different ways & light romances I rate, to a large extent on enjoyment.
& I did enjoy this Cinderella story very much.
The beautiful Ann Lane works as a makeup artist in an upmarket beauty salon. & because fate can move in mysterious ways, this lower middle class girl ends up as a bridesmaid at a society wedding., where she meets a young man who is handsome & charming. But of course the path of true love can never run smooth...
There is not a great deal of drama in this short novel, but this story of the Lane family, who have moved downwards in society & their struggle to survive with dignity was oddly touching. & I liked the way the parents wanted Ann to have a career. 'Prince Charming' was a nice, personable man.
I liked finding out a bit more about like in 1930s London. The book had a lot of extra touches, not the least being lightly touching on different morals & standards for young women. While Scarlett shows her approval of Ann's choices, there is very little judgement on other women.
A good, light escapist read. I don't think I would go out of my way to acquire another Scarlett book, but if one came my way I would give it a try.
Scarlett also wrote as Noel Streatfeild & I am interested in hunting those books down.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
April 10, 2024
"She looked at Dennis. “Don’t get in an uproar. I’ll be married just the same even if the procession is a bit lop-sided.” The Marchioness was relieved. “That’s splendid of you, dear. I knew you’d be sensible.” “Sensible,” Dennis shrieked. “What about me? This wedding was my piece de resistance.” “Oh, stow it, Dennis,” said Mona. “Piece de resistance my foot.” “You don’t understand, any of you.” Dennis was almost in tears. “This was a work of art. A crescendo in anemones. You must put someone else in Sally’s place. I can’t have my work ruined.” Mona made a despairing shrug to her mother. “Hark at him. You’d think bridesmaids grew in the hedges in Sussex.”
Working class Cinderella gets her upper-class Prince Charming
A very light and escapist 3 stars. It was entertaining, but I would have preferred a bit more content.
Working class Cinderella gets her upper-class Prince Charming
A very light and escapist 3 stars. It was entertaining, but I would have preferred a bit more content.
November 24, 2024
This weekend it has rained pretty much non stop, so a good excuse to curl up on the sofa with something light and fluffy. I have read a couple of Susan Scarlett novels before, so I thought this one would fit the bill.
Ann has to do the make-up for the bride at a big society wedding. When one of the bridesmaids falls ill, Ann steps into the breach, where naturally, she catches the eye of the best man, Sir Timothy. There has been an understanding that he and his neighbour Cora will get together one day, but he had long since given up on what he thought a childish joke. Cora has other ideas; she will make sure obsticles are thrown in their path along the way, but we know where the story is going. It's no worse for that.
The characters at the beauty salon are a bit generic, but ultimately it's a fun read. A Cinderella story to brighten an otherwise gloomy day.
Ann has to do the make-up for the bride at a big society wedding. When one of the bridesmaids falls ill, Ann steps into the breach, where naturally, she catches the eye of the best man, Sir Timothy. There has been an understanding that he and his neighbour Cora will get together one day, but he had long since given up on what he thought a childish joke. Cora has other ideas; she will make sure obsticles are thrown in their path along the way, but we know where the story is going. It's no worse for that.
The characters at the beauty salon are a bit generic, but ultimately it's a fun read. A Cinderella story to brighten an otherwise gloomy day.
July 25, 2024
3.5 stars
Charming bit of fluff, with a touch of a Cinderella story about it. Ann is a really lovely young woman, who works in an upscale beauty salon, giving facials and doing make-up.
A twist of fate has her swept into a society wedding, and the notice of a male member of the wedding party. He is smitten, but she knows nothing can come of it.
But, what if...?
There's a 'fairy godmother' of sorts, A Prince Charming (he's actually a mere baronet), and a right nasty Other Woman.
Her family is wonderful. and their lodgers are a treat. Her co-workers are also an interesting group.
If you are looking for a feel-good story, give this one a try.
Charming bit of fluff, with a touch of a Cinderella story about it. Ann is a really lovely young woman, who works in an upscale beauty salon, giving facials and doing make-up.
A twist of fate has her swept into a society wedding, and the notice of a male member of the wedding party. He is smitten, but she knows nothing can come of it.
But, what if...?
There's a 'fairy godmother' of sorts, A Prince Charming (he's actually a mere baronet), and a right nasty Other Woman.
Her family is wonderful. and their lodgers are a treat. Her co-workers are also an interesting group.
If you are looking for a feel-good story, give this one a try.
January 21, 2025
4.5🌟 Wonderful, light, and full of family! This is the third Susan Scarlett book I've read and I loved it. Although Babbacombe's and Clothes Pegs were both very good, I think this is my favorite so far. I adored the character of Sally-Ann. She is sweet, thoughtful, intelligent, humble, and down-to-earth. I loved following her Cinderella-esque story to the end.
Once again, it was lovely to have another close, likable family at the center of this story. Sally-Ann's mother and father, as well as her little brother Bunny, are excellent characters. You get such a clear idea of how much they love her and how they want the best for her in life. The family (including the boarders living in their home) all support Sally-Ann (actually named Ann) in her transition from young woman to something more important.
The beauty shop setting in this book was interesting and fun, too. The only thing that was a snag for me during reading was another "mean girl" trope. Reading about that also triggers me a little and I feel like it never has a quite satisfactory turn around or solution. Otherwise, everything about this book was enjoyable.
It was a joy to read this book and I can't wait to read more in the Susan Scarlett/Noel Streatfeild series. Highly recommended!
Once again, it was lovely to have another close, likable family at the center of this story. Sally-Ann's mother and father, as well as her little brother Bunny, are excellent characters. You get such a clear idea of how much they love her and how they want the best for her in life. The family (including the boarders living in their home) all support Sally-Ann (actually named Ann) in her transition from young woman to something more important.
The beauty shop setting in this book was interesting and fun, too. The only thing that was a snag for me during reading was another "mean girl" trope. Reading about that also triggers me a little and I feel like it never has a quite satisfactory turn around or solution. Otherwise, everything about this book was enjoyable.
It was a joy to read this book and I can't wait to read more in the Susan Scarlett/Noel Streatfeild series. Highly recommended!
May 19, 2025
Many, many thanks to my GR friends who made me aware of these delightful books. I had no idea that Noel Streatfeild had written adult books under this pseudonym.
If you're looking for a fluffy, sweet, and silly fairytale kind of story with a G rating, this fits the bill! I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more of these wonderful stories.
If you're looking for a fluffy, sweet, and silly fairytale kind of story with a G rating, this fits the bill! I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more of these wonderful stories.
October 13, 2022
An excellent Cinderella-esque story. The Prince Charming is actually charming and kind. Cinderella has a loving family and is willing to stand up for herself when needed. And best of all, the story doesn’t rely on unnecessary misunderstandings or lack of communication for it’s conflict.
Thanks ever so much to Dean Street Press for providing me with a digital reading copy!
Thanks ever so much to Dean Street Press for providing me with a digital reading copy!
July 14, 2024
A sweet and charming Cinderella story with a beautiful main character that will melt your heart, and a Prince Charming worthy of the name. I really enjoyed this Susan Scarlett masterpiece.
August 14, 2022
This was so sweet!! Ann and her family are my favorites! 🥰
October 26, 2024
Ann es una joven londinense que tuvo que dejar sus estudios para ponerse a trabajar y ayudar a su familia a salir adelante. Sus padres se han visto obligados a convertir su hogar en una pension desde que el negocio farmacéutico quebró y la enfermedad cardíaca del hijo menor empezó a comerse las finanzas familiares. Tras un curso en una escuela de estética, Ann es la segunda maquilladora de una moderna peluquería. Al comienzo del libro se encuentra con que la primera maquilladora se ha tenido que quedar en casa enferma y, por eso, la joven la tiene que sustituir, yendo a maquillar a la novia en una boda. Pero ahi no termina el asunto porque también una de las damas de honor ha tenido que darse de baja por enfermedad, y resulta que casualmente tiene la misma figura que Ann, por lo que la novia le ruega que se haga pasar por esa dama de honor. Así es como Ann, por una noche, se tiene que hacer pasar por Sally y es con ese alias que esta cenicienta moderna conoce a su príncipe azul, el joven Timothy, que es amigo de la pareja que se casa.
Así es como Susan Scarlett nos da una preciosa rendición del clásico cuento de hadas en el que, en lugar de madrastras y hermanastras, tenemos a una jovencita mimada muerta de celos que intenta por todos los medios separar a Ann y Timothy. Como si la diferencia social no fuera suficiente. Pero ni Ann es una niña inocente, ni Timothy es cualquier pelele y la voluntad de estar juntos en un momento, como es el periodo de entreguerras, en que la felicidad es tan valiosa, será más fuerte que todos los impedimentos que les pongan en el camino.
Como la mayoría de los libros de la línea Furrowed Middlebrow, máxime siendo un libro de Susan Scarlett, “Sally-Ann” es un libro encantador con personajes entrañables a los que se toma cariño en muy pocas páginas (el libro consta de 192 tan solo) y con una protagonista con la que es difícil no encariñarse y ponerse de su lado. Además su frescura narrativa nos hace reticentes a abandonar la lectura porque todos los momentos en el libro son “el punto emocionante en el que no puedes dejar de leer”. Chispeante y mágica, así es Noel Streatfeild, la autora que se esconde a la vista de todos bajo el seudónimo de Susan Scarlett. ¿Lo mejor de todo? Que aun tengo libros suyos pendientes de lectura. Ideal para levantarle el ánimo a cualquiera o para arrebujarse en el sofá ahora que empieza a hacer frío.
Así es como Susan Scarlett nos da una preciosa rendición del clásico cuento de hadas en el que, en lugar de madrastras y hermanastras, tenemos a una jovencita mimada muerta de celos que intenta por todos los medios separar a Ann y Timothy. Como si la diferencia social no fuera suficiente. Pero ni Ann es una niña inocente, ni Timothy es cualquier pelele y la voluntad de estar juntos en un momento, como es el periodo de entreguerras, en que la felicidad es tan valiosa, será más fuerte que todos los impedimentos que les pongan en el camino.
Como la mayoría de los libros de la línea Furrowed Middlebrow, máxime siendo un libro de Susan Scarlett, “Sally-Ann” es un libro encantador con personajes entrañables a los que se toma cariño en muy pocas páginas (el libro consta de 192 tan solo) y con una protagonista con la que es difícil no encariñarse y ponerse de su lado. Además su frescura narrativa nos hace reticentes a abandonar la lectura porque todos los momentos en el libro son “el punto emocionante en el que no puedes dejar de leer”. Chispeante y mágica, así es Noel Streatfeild, la autora que se esconde a la vista de todos bajo el seudónimo de Susan Scarlett. ¿Lo mejor de todo? Que aun tengo libros suyos pendientes de lectura. Ideal para levantarle el ánimo a cualquiera o para arrebujarse en el sofá ahora que empieza a hacer frío.
August 28, 2022
An adorable, funny, charming confection that reminded me of a 1930s romantic comedy film so much that I couldn't help mentally casting the 1939 novel with actors of the time. (Maureen O'Sullivan as Ann and David Niven as Timothy, with Gail Patrick as Cora, Terry Kilburn as Bunny, and C. Aubrey Smith as Uncle George. Let's get Mitchell Leisen to direct. Now that's a movie I'd stay up late to watch on TCM!)
I enjoyed this sweet treat and am looking forward to reading the rest of the recently republished romances by Susan Scarlett (a/k/a Noel Streatfeild).
I enjoyed this sweet treat and am looking forward to reading the rest of the recently republished romances by Susan Scarlett (a/k/a Noel Streatfeild).
October 19, 2022
Sweet and charming. It's just the light, fluffy, whimsical sort of read one wants when one is in the mood for book candy but not something vapid. The characters all felt like real humans, fleshed out with individual personalities and voices; you could generally tell who was talking even when there wasn't a dialogue attribution, and with as many characters as this book contains, that is an impressive feat of craftsmanship. They all had distinct period voices, too, with slang and cultural references that gave a clear sense of place and depth. You could tell that this was written as a contemporary novel, and the language is now a delightful snapshot of its time.
The characters all felt real and authentic, yet the story also had a fairytale-like quality, because it was written as a modern fairytale — a romance, a dream, wish-fulfillment — and that was pleasing too.
A note on the text: Scarlett (Streatfeild) seems attached to fragments and an unorthodox use of commas, which was a bit jarring at first. I wondered if it was a consequence of the adaption of the original book to a new printing, because some of the periods/fragments would have worked far better as commas/complex sentences, and some of the commas/run-ons would have worked better as periods/separate sentences. If the text for the new edition was created by scanning a manuscript or the original book, it is very likely that some punctuation could have gotten muddled by the system. However, the fragments happened often enough that I concluded it was probably a stylistic choice. The idiosyncrasies of the text are easy to forgive, however, and they did not interfere with my reading experience after I got used to them in the first few chapters.
The characters all felt real and authentic, yet the story also had a fairytale-like quality, because it was written as a modern fairytale — a romance, a dream, wish-fulfillment — and that was pleasing too.
A note on the text: Scarlett (Streatfeild) seems attached to fragments and an unorthodox use of commas, which was a bit jarring at first. I wondered if it was a consequence of the adaption of the original book to a new printing, because some of the periods/fragments would have worked far better as commas/complex sentences, and some of the commas/run-ons would have worked better as periods/separate sentences. If the text for the new edition was created by scanning a manuscript or the original book, it is very likely that some punctuation could have gotten muddled by the system. However, the fragments happened often enough that I concluded it was probably a stylistic choice. The idiosyncrasies of the text are easy to forgive, however, and they did not interfere with my reading experience after I got used to them in the first few chapters.
August 11, 2022
This one was a little darker than Clothes- Pegs, the only other one I’ve read in this group of recently reprinted books by Noel Streatfield writing as Susan Scarlett. The heroine’s family was in reduced circumstances due to the father losing his business, and her younger brother was seriously ill. But it was still an utterly enchanting read. Aside from the main plot, I really enjoyed the glimpses of the beauty salon in which the heroine worked- the details of what it was like to perform (and receive) beauty treatments, just as I enjoyed the descriptions of the dressmaker’s shop in Clothes-Pegs.
June 30, 2023
Charming “Modern” Fairy Tale
Such a fun, sweet read. Perfect for a rainy day when you’d like to escape life in the 21st century for a bit.
Such a fun, sweet read. Perfect for a rainy day when you’d like to escape life in the 21st century for a bit.
February 14, 2023
¡Qué absoluta delicia de lectura!
Enorme, enorme coup de coeur...♥
Enorme, enorme coup de coeur...♥
May 7, 2025
The fact that these book serve a vital and useful service for me by dint of their very predictability makes me a hound and a beast (as one of the characters would say) for criticising that same thing. But truly, half an ounce more analysing would go a long way here. Deepen the problems, make the resolutions less one-step, and you’d have really superlative novels.
I’m also a bit confused by Scarlett’s ‘flour spice level’ attempts at social commentary. Invariably these beauticians/nannies/shop girls marry WAY up, like the Jeff Bezoses of their time (Scarlett brushing over concepts like ‘why do CEOs earn so much more than workers’, possibly because in the 1940s they didn’t earn so astronomically much more, but also they didn’t know at the time how much worse it would get so …?). Even if we control for the fact that there’s no ethical way to be that rich, and take the inherent goodness of the dudes at face value, what does this even mean? I think it means that everyone should be able to earn a living wage on their own terms rather than waiting for a rich prince to save them. I’m not sure who Ann and all her fellow MCs are supposed to BE, in 2025. We still have beauticians and nannies and shop girls, but that’s not the only option for a working woman anymore. The equivalent of Cora is probably a successful lawyer, so you’re getting the highly eligible man stiffing the laterally equivalent woman for a vertical downgrade. I’m just not super happy about that, in the context of hererosexual relationships still being held in such high regard for women especially. Get yours, Ann, I guess, but why is it always at the expense of the women who can’t date down? This is the problem with Cinderella overall, I think; you have to shut your mind to the fact that a male doctor can date a barista but a female one can only date another doctor, and even at that, she’s always in competition with both other doctors AND baristas. Exhausting.
“Of course not. I wouldn’t mind who I married if I was fond of him.” “Wouldn’t you mind if he was out of work?” “You mean on the dole?” “Not quite, but nearly.” “Course not. Loving hasn’t anything to do with things like that.”
This sentiment is also SEVERELY outdated. SPRINKLE SPRINKLE ANN. Iris and Connie have the right of it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2025
I love all of the Susan Scarlett books I am reading on Hoopla this winter. It's interesting to me that the "villains" are always jealous women and the heroines very honest women. Are they somewhat predictable books? Yes-ish. Am I hiding my head in the sand with them? Absolutely. Escaping into mid-century books from Dean Street Press is my very happy coping strategy in this crazy world.
October 24, 2025
Rags to riches! Lady Mona is getting married. One of her bridesmaids has a medical emergency. When at first you practice to deceive...a tangled web is the result for sure as Ann Lane, a facial beautician, is pressed to become Sally, Lady Mona's friend from South Africa. Sir Timothy is smitten. Lady Cora is furious and out for blood. Do two wrongs make a right?
December 12, 2023
Light, escapist, not literature, but fun and easy to read.
February 11, 2025
These chick lit romances by Noel Streatfeild were originally marketed as good books to read during the London blackouts of WWII. They are also perfect to read on a kindle when you can’t fall asleep - sweet, comforting, with characters you can root for and not too much conflict from the villain.
August 4, 2025
This one was fine, but not my favorite of hers. I loved the premise of the beautician standing in for a society bridesmaid at a wedding and the best man falling for her, but the thinness of how little time they spent together before they fell for each other lastingly didn't convince me. And Sir Timothy was simultaneously dated in his words and behavior and too good to be true. And how easily the final obstacles were got over!
April 30, 2025
Very very similar to Clothes-Pegs, but still fun to read.
August 24, 2022
Thank you, thank you, thank you Dean Street Press for these Noel Streatfeild reissues. A romantic fairy tale with all Streatfeild's usual trademarks, I can't wait to read the rest.
June 5, 2024
I read my first Susan Scarlett (aka Noel Steatfield) book, Clothes-Pegs, last spring. I bought my next Susan Scarlett right away.
Like Clothes-Pegs, this book was good for what it was, which is something light and frothy. I think these books are perfect palate cleansers between heavier reads, which is not to denigrate her books in any way. This is the type of book to read when you are not looking too closely at the plot for holes or inconsistencies but are just looking for a feel good book that's like a warm hug.
I don't think I liked this book quite as much as I liked Clothes-Pegs, perhaps because Clothes-Pegs dealt with the modeling industry and this book was adjacent with the cosmetology industry and it wasn't different enough for me. However, Scarlett has several other books published in the Furrowed Middlebrow line and the characters' backgrounds and experiences vary more widely. So I will definitely be reading more Scarlett books in the future.
Like Clothes-Pegs, this book was good for what it was, which is something light and frothy. I think these books are perfect palate cleansers between heavier reads, which is not to denigrate her books in any way. This is the type of book to read when you are not looking too closely at the plot for holes or inconsistencies but are just looking for a feel good book that's like a warm hug.
I don't think I liked this book quite as much as I liked Clothes-Pegs, perhaps because Clothes-Pegs dealt with the modeling industry and this book was adjacent with the cosmetology industry and it wasn't different enough for me. However, Scarlett has several other books published in the Furrowed Middlebrow line and the characters' backgrounds and experiences vary more widely. So I will definitely be reading more Scarlett books in the future.
January 31, 2023
2.5 stars
This is a sweet, likeable book and yet it failed to win me over. Maybe I’m just being a spoilsport, or maybe I’m just not susceptible to love stories at the moment.
It’s a Cinderella story set in 1930s London. Ann Lane is a young woman working as a cosmetician at the Maison Pertinax. Her family has fallen on hard times; her father, formerly a chemist, has had to give up his business and the family takes in boarders to pay the bills. Ann is brave, plucky, uncomplaining and straight as an arrow. She is also pretty and just the right slim size to fit - well, not the glass slipper, but a blue bridesmaid dress. As an unexpected bridesmaid in a high society wedding, she catches the eye of Sir Timothy - the best man, and the heir to the Munster soap flakes fortune. (I think that Susan Scarlett, aka Noel Streatfeild, got a kick out of that frothy, sudsy connotation.)
It’s all fairly predictable, so read it - if you like this sort of thing - for the setting and dialogue, and not the inevitable denouement.
This is a sweet, likeable book and yet it failed to win me over. Maybe I’m just being a spoilsport, or maybe I’m just not susceptible to love stories at the moment.
It’s a Cinderella story set in 1930s London. Ann Lane is a young woman working as a cosmetician at the Maison Pertinax. Her family has fallen on hard times; her father, formerly a chemist, has had to give up his business and the family takes in boarders to pay the bills. Ann is brave, plucky, uncomplaining and straight as an arrow. She is also pretty and just the right slim size to fit - well, not the glass slipper, but a blue bridesmaid dress. As an unexpected bridesmaid in a high society wedding, she catches the eye of Sir Timothy - the best man, and the heir to the Munster soap flakes fortune. (I think that Susan Scarlett, aka Noel Streatfeild, got a kick out of that frothy, sudsy connotation.)
It’s all fairly predictable, so read it - if you like this sort of thing - for the setting and dialogue, and not the inevitable denouement.
January 2, 2025
A light little romance, another that seems to have inspired authoresses like Essie Summers, though "Scarlett" (Noel Streatfield)'s misunderstandings aren't quite so cringe-making. At no point in this book did I feel like beating the female lead over the head with a heavy mallet, and the hero was just a nice man, not an opinionated neandertal. However the closer I got to the end the more it smelled like a previous "Scarlett" romance with everything turning up luverly for the poor, hardworked heroine's family. But in the years just before WW2 there was definitely a market for that, as one character spells out in so many words in the final chapter.
February 14, 2023
A delicious fairy-tale, but the realistic descriptions of contemporary everyday life are the best part. Class divisions seem to have been staggeringly strong still at that time. The description of a young woman's alcoholism was rather good, though brief.
The hero talks a bit irritatingly at times, but apparently he's not as bad as might seem to a modern reader at first. The author helpfully makes a point through Ann's mother, that a very jesting way of talking was fashionable. Still the comments on plain women by Timothy and Mona were a bit much.
This work is more complete than Clothes-Pegs, which seemed to lack material at times.
The hero talks a bit irritatingly at times, but apparently he's not as bad as might seem to a modern reader at first. The author helpfully makes a point through Ann's mother, that a very jesting way of talking was fashionable. Still the comments on plain women by Timothy and Mona were a bit much.
This work is more complete than Clothes-Pegs, which seemed to lack material at times.
May 1, 2023
I borrowed this without realizing it was Noel Streatfeild writing under another name. It was a pleasant-enough read, although quite simply written and a little dated. The heroine was sensible and resourceful until the storyline required her to become annoyingly self-denying and dramatic. The hero patronized her lovingly (yuk!) and the class distinctions which were part of the plot troubled me a bit even at the end.
December 17, 2023
Un altro delizioso romanzo di Susan Scarlett, senza pretese di alta letteratura, ma scritto con grande eleganza. Quanto mi piacciono i suoi dialoghi, caratterizzati dello slang giovanile della prima metà del novecento, tra umorismo e disincanto... ci ritrovo un po' del mio buon vecchio Wodehouse.
E la società inglese, con l'incrinarsi delle caste, e il primo rimescolarsi delle classi sociali, fornisce alla storia un affascinante background.
E la società inglese, con l'incrinarsi delle caste, e il primo rimescolarsi delle classi sociali, fornisce alla storia un affascinante background.
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