What do you think?
Rate this book
Alexa
Alexa, impulsive, gay and very appealing, stands out against a vivid background of live people. There are Rollo, the passionate yet reluctantlover; Kathryn who is afraid of the past; cold Sylvester and clever Irene; gay Delia and kind Sir Frederick; Ethel who is angry with life, and Frank who is bewildered by it. The uneasy atmosphere of impending tragedy pervades the book until that breathtaking climax in Alexa stands face toface with horror in the misty wood. This is a story of laughter and thrills, of tragedy and comedy, of a great fear which was overcome by love... a finenovel that will hold the reader's attention to the last word.
252 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1948
43 people want to read
About the author
Eleanor Burford
33 books37 followersEleanor Alice Burford was born on September 01, 1906 in Kensington, London. Her father, Joseph Burford, was something of an odd-job man, with no steady profession, but he quickly passed on his great love of books to his young daughter. She was an avid reader from the age of four onwards. In her early twenties, she married a leather merchant, George Percival Hibbert, who shared her love of books and reading.
Eleanor Burford was one of the preeminent English authors of historical fiction for most of the twentieth century. She used eight pennames during her career and many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities. In 1941, she began signing her novels with her maiden name: Eleanor Burford, later she created her first and most prolific pseudonym: Jean Plaidy. In the 1950's she used the pseudonyms: Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. In 1960, she created the pseudonyms: Anna Percival and the popular Victoria Holt. In 1972, she created her last pseudonym Philippa Carr. (Some of her novels were reedited as different pseudonyms)
She died on January 18, 1993 at sea, somewhere between Greece and Port Said, Egypt. By the time of her death, the novels of Jean Plaidy had sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. Her last novel The Black Opal as Victoria Holt was published posthumously, under this pseudonym, she sold 56 millon copies and as Phillipa Carr, 3 million.
Eleanor Burford was one of the preeminent English authors of historical fiction for most of the twentieth century. She used eight pennames during her career and many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities. In 1941, she began signing her novels with her maiden name: Eleanor Burford, later she created her first and most prolific pseudonym: Jean Plaidy. In the 1950's she used the pseudonyms: Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. In 1960, she created the pseudonyms: Anna Percival and the popular Victoria Holt. In 1972, she created her last pseudonym Philippa Carr. (Some of her novels were reedited as different pseudonyms)
She died on January 18, 1993 at sea, somewhere between Greece and Port Said, Egypt. By the time of her death, the novels of Jean Plaidy had sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. Her last novel The Black Opal as Victoria Holt was published posthumously, under this pseudonym, she sold 56 millon copies and as Phillipa Carr, 3 million.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 7, 2013
This is the first Eleanor Burford novel I have been able to purchase, due to scarcity and cost, and I am happy to report that not only do I own such a rare novel, but I really enjoyed reading it as well! I didn’t know what to expect with this book, because it’s an earlier work than most of her historical novels written under Jean Plaidy, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate, and in a separate genre. I can’t speak for all Eleanor Burford titles, but this one was set in the time it was written (late 1940′s) and focused on a girl who was not what she’d been brought up to believe.
The first chapter in the book gives a snippet of Alexa’s parent’s love affair and then jumps to her life at the age of 10, as a farmer’s daughter. Her birth mother, Kathryn, was from an affluent family and with the help of her friend, Delia, hid her pregnancy and placed her daughter with a family close to her home so that she could watch over her. Alexa is a vibrant, happy child and always looking for the good in everyone and everything. Her personality is contagious and she is an easily well-liked protagonist. Her (foster) sister is as different in personality and appearance as possible, but there is a bond between them. Both girls are educated by the benevolent ladies who show a special interest in their plight. Alexa, who did not shine academically as her sister did, ended up a companion of the mysteriously generous ladies she had grown to revere. Meanwhile Alexa’s adoptive mother was a bitter and mean-spirited woman, bent on making Alexa’s life as miserable as possible without revealing the fact to the women who paid her handsomely for Alexa’s keep. Alexa’s adoptive father is kindly but lacks a backbone to counteract his wife’s behavior.
Add to the mix Alexa’s meeting with Rollo, a young man of Delia’s acquaintance who steals Alexa’s heart but holds himself aloof. Their first encounter, when Alexa was 10 years old, is one of the most humorous in the book and his personality reminds me much of Georgette Heyer’s characters. Here is a quote:
Alexa was stuck in a tree by her torn clothing and trying to rescue her cat:
“I have to get Tiger.” She glanced over to where Tiger was crouched, silent now and watching the new arrivals with interest.
“What! Is that Tiger?”
“Yes.”
“Pocket-size tiger, eh?”
“He’s only a kitten yet,” she said indignantly. “He’s very intelligent though.”
“Must be! To climb a tree he couldn’t descend.”
“He was driven up the tree.”
“Now I’m going to get you down first, then I’ll come up again for old Tiger.”
“I can get Tiger. All I wanted was someone to unhitch me.”
“Suppose you get hitched again! Torn frocks are very hitchable you know.”
They meet again when Alexa is 17, and the story evolves from there…
I found to my great pleasure that this book is every bit as detailed with character analysis as the author’s later works. The difference lies in the presentation: it is very verbose with dialogue in most parts of the book, and in this reminded me much of Heyer’s writing as well. There are parts that are very much “Plaidy” and some that remind me of Victoria Holt (such as the twisted, unexpected ending).
I would love to see all 30 Eleanor Burford titles reprinted. One can hope!
The first chapter in the book gives a snippet of Alexa’s parent’s love affair and then jumps to her life at the age of 10, as a farmer’s daughter. Her birth mother, Kathryn, was from an affluent family and with the help of her friend, Delia, hid her pregnancy and placed her daughter with a family close to her home so that she could watch over her. Alexa is a vibrant, happy child and always looking for the good in everyone and everything. Her personality is contagious and she is an easily well-liked protagonist. Her (foster) sister is as different in personality and appearance as possible, but there is a bond between them. Both girls are educated by the benevolent ladies who show a special interest in their plight. Alexa, who did not shine academically as her sister did, ended up a companion of the mysteriously generous ladies she had grown to revere. Meanwhile Alexa’s adoptive mother was a bitter and mean-spirited woman, bent on making Alexa’s life as miserable as possible without revealing the fact to the women who paid her handsomely for Alexa’s keep. Alexa’s adoptive father is kindly but lacks a backbone to counteract his wife’s behavior.
Add to the mix Alexa’s meeting with Rollo, a young man of Delia’s acquaintance who steals Alexa’s heart but holds himself aloof. Their first encounter, when Alexa was 10 years old, is one of the most humorous in the book and his personality reminds me much of Georgette Heyer’s characters. Here is a quote:
Alexa was stuck in a tree by her torn clothing and trying to rescue her cat:
“I have to get Tiger.” She glanced over to where Tiger was crouched, silent now and watching the new arrivals with interest.
“What! Is that Tiger?”
“Yes.”
“Pocket-size tiger, eh?”
“He’s only a kitten yet,” she said indignantly. “He’s very intelligent though.”
“Must be! To climb a tree he couldn’t descend.”
“He was driven up the tree.”
“Now I’m going to get you down first, then I’ll come up again for old Tiger.”
“I can get Tiger. All I wanted was someone to unhitch me.”
“Suppose you get hitched again! Torn frocks are very hitchable you know.”
They meet again when Alexa is 17, and the story evolves from there…
I found to my great pleasure that this book is every bit as detailed with character analysis as the author’s later works. The difference lies in the presentation: it is very verbose with dialogue in most parts of the book, and in this reminded me much of Heyer’s writing as well. There are parts that are very much “Plaidy” and some that remind me of Victoria Holt (such as the twisted, unexpected ending).
I would love to see all 30 Eleanor Burford titles reprinted. One can hope!
Displaying 1 of 1 review