Taking Men

by Anne Hepple

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

Anne Hepple Dickinson, née Batty, wrote romantic novels under the pseudonym Anne Hepple. She was born in Widdrington, Northumberland, England and lived most of her life in and around Berwick and Berwickshire. She was the first editor of The Woman's Magazine in London from 1931 to 1934. A number of her short stories appeared in the magazine, and some of her novels were serialized there before being published in book form.

It was after her children grew up and all her older relations had died, that Anne began to publish her novels, which often drew on incidents from her own experience.

She was the sister of Agnes Ancroft.

Reviews

[Louise Culmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Priscilla is nineteen and has been raised by her prim elderly Delainie aunts since her parents died when she was a baby. Her father married beneath him, a mere farmer’s daughter, and her aunts have never wanted her to have anything to do with her mother’s relations. But then Priscilla gets a letter telling her her Aunt Janet Purdy has died and left her a house and a shop. The aunts are horrified at the idea of Priscilla becoming a shopkeeper, but Priscilla is determined to at least see the place, so she slips away one day and goes off to visit her inheritance. She finds the shop very run down, her aunt was ill and unable to do much for the last months of her life. But Priscilla determines that she will make the shop pay again. The problem is old Mr Maitland, who owns a lot of shops in surrounding villages, wants to get his hands on hers, and isn’t too scrupulous about how he does it. Aunt Janet’s letter warns Priscilla to have nothing to do with the Maitlands, but then there is Old Mr Maitland’s nephew, Redd, who is strangely attractive . . .
I loved this one. Priscilla is a delightful heroine, and her efforts to set the shop to rights are very enjoyable to read about. I liked everyone in the village. I would move in there if I could.