Second Best

by Denise Robins

When Barry Elderton comes back from Ceylon to marry Virginia Brame, it is to find her the wife of the wealthy Sir Ian Kingleigh. So Barry turns to Virginia's cousin Joan for consolation. But she, loving Barry as much as he loved Virginia, knows that for him she is only 'second best'. Can she ever be first in his affections?

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1931

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

[Martha B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old gem. The story was full of angst and heartache. I didn’t give five stars because the H’s change of heart didn’t convince me. He knew the OW was selfish and spoiled and he still felt strongly about her so his epiphany was not realistic IMO.
There also was some time inconsistencies. Everyone smoked a lot and I felt that two years separation was too long.
The story was about unrequited love so it may not be for everyone. The H was in love with OW and she promised to wait for him. He worked in the East and was abroad two whole years. In the meantime the OW and her mother found themselves in financial mess due to excessive spending. She married and older nice man who gave her financial security. The H wasn’t well off but would inherit some money in an indefinite future.
The OW didn’t have the courage to inform the H about her marriage. He came to England full of hope only to be crushed by the news. His uncle died and he inherited his money. He hoped to marry the OW at last. The heroine was OW’s cousin and in love with the H for years. She jumped at the chance to spend some time with him and tried to cheer him up. He married her on rebound. She had her eyes wide open yet she couldn’t help herself. They were good together and the heroine was hopeful but the H still carried a torch for OW.
When they came back from their honeymoon they soon learn that the OW became a widow. Her husband had a heart attack. She still felt possessive about the H and he started to regret his hasty marriage.

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joana, my shylala… how my heart breaks for her and still does. An old gem for sure and I’m glad that I’ve read it and sometimes life is like this.
Barry is completely in love with Virgina, he has been at least for 4 years and completely idealized/idealizes her. Virginia I don’t think she understands what love is or maybe her love is different than his love for her. Her first priority is her and herself, she marries for money even if she doesn’t love Ian, the man she marries. She marries him without breaking the news to Barry, not having the courage to tell him the truth, that she chose comfort and stability over her feelings for him. Of course, Barry is heartbroken upon notice that she married and didn’t even ‘care’ to inform him personally. Joana is her cousin, who happens to be completely in love with Barry, she is around trying to cheer him up and he settles with her in the first part of the story. He knows and she knows too, that Barry doesn’t love her and only cares for her as a dear person, friend but not lover… . She accepted because at first she thought that maybe, he will come around.
But then, Ian dies of a heart attack and Virgina is a widow in less a month since she married now everyone is miserable. Barry is miserable with Joana and is dying to be with Virginia but his conscience doesn’t let him to, Joana is miserable because she understands the situation all too well. Now she’s really faced with the fact that Barry doesn’t love her and more, he hates that he’d to marry her and didn’t wait a little more, well, Virgina is just standing around waiting for Barry, but she in my opinion, is not heartbroken but more like Barry was hers and she wants her ‘things’ back. Joana is fed up with him being so confused and disappointed and disturbed, so she makes up her mine and sends Barry to Virgina. He does so but when he confronts her about the way the would spend their life together if he divorces, he sees that Virginia is a selfish girl and her relationship with him is second place. In that moment Barry steps
Back and realizes what a selfish person she is and the fact that all those years he idealized her and put in on a pedestal. He fells out of love, he kinda gets the “ick” I believe and is over with Virgina. Goes back to Joana who also happens to be pregnant with their baby, and wants a second, this time he promises that’ll make it better, because he now sees Joana in the real light, the veil is off and he’s real about everything and wanna make it work.
It’s a heartbreaking story, my heart hurt for Joana all time and sometimes you really don’t have to be the round bound. Better to have self respect and put yourself and your feelings first and understand that you cannot force your way in a heart, even if, in the end something good can happen, it’s not worth the heartbreak.

[Teaspoon Stories · Rating 3 out of 5]

The name Denise Robins looked familiar to me when I saw it on the spine of an old book in a bargain box. Then I realised that this was the name of a colleague in a department store where I worked as a student during Christmas and summer vacations. The lovely Denise Robins worked in china and crystalware and I sold power tools on the DIY counter.

My Denise Robins had captured my student heart. But she wasn’t the “Queen of Romance” and hadn’t sold a 100 million copies of her novels - starting with “Sealed Lips” in 1924 and ending with “Masquerade of Love” in 1985, the year she died.

My copy of “Second Best” was published in 1931 by Mills & Boon. Sadly it was lacking the original dust jacket which had doubtless had a suitably racy picture on it.

I’d never read a vintage Mills & Boon before and my expectations were low. But my snooty prejudices turned out to be unfair and unfounded. I’d expected the novel to be trashy - and this one certainly wasn’t.

Denise Robins was no Jacqui Collins. Yes, there are cliches and stereotypes in her writing - but to a large extent that’s the whole point of this particular genre. Within the strictures of the formulaic Mills & Boon romance, I found she wrote with sensitivity and nuance, especially when describing the soul-sapping disappointments of being second best in a relationship. How (in)appropriate for a book read on Valentine’s Day!

I especially loved the period detail - the cars, the cocktails, the clothes and the descriptions of London High Society in the jazz age. It’s not Virginia Woolf - but I found the mannerisms and small talk, the attitudes and morals, intriguing and deeply nostalgic.

[Charlene Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is well written in that you felt all the emotions and angst of the characters. However, the heroine was such a pitiful little thing. She was sadder than a muddy doormat. The hero was an arrogant self centered idiot who was cruel in his lack of care for his wife. The hero never made any atonement for the many hurts his selfishness caused the girl he married. He really didn't even give the marriage a chance until his real love didn't want him. He should have had much more groveling to justify her taking a chance on him not treating her as second best again and again. He should have brought her jewels, flowers, a house and a contract of fidelity when he came crawling back on his bloody knee stumps.

[Diedre · Rating 4 out of 5]

If for nothing else to read a story that was written in the 1930's was absolutely delightful. The dialogue, the syntax, the culture. More than that, the story was a good, solid unrequited love/OW from hell genre. The fantasy, the obtuseness of the man and the sheer delight of a woman who knows her worth but is hopelessly in love with the guy. What to me is truly cringe worthy are the reviews that can't tolerate reading something from another era. It wasn't as conservative as I thought it would be! A true gem!

[AnnieMarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book doesn’t really deserve a two star…I liked the idea the author had and would have liked it if the H wasn’t so annoying! The h was wearing her feelings to openly which is okay to a degree but please have a little backbone!

[Eliana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Forgot i had already read it

[anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

que livro tenebroso… ela é realmente a segunda opção ate o fim e ele não tem uma redenção, inacreditável que eles tenham ficado juntos no fim

[More Books Than Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is good and even though the setting is dated - it's from the 1930s - the characters are timeless.