Bird of Paradise

by Ada Leverson

In London, before the First World War, where in society love and money predominate, Bertha and Nigel had been inseparable. But then Nigel felt he had to focus on the economics of life, and after all Bertha's family were quite modestly off. Whereas the heiress Mary, also interested in him but not anywhere near so charming, was very well set up. His decision was made. Though initially heartbroken, Bertha realises quickly that she has escaped from a delusion. Equanimity returns, and she finds in Percy Kellynch a devoted lover, though one a little more sober and less racy. They marry, as do Nigel and Mary, and over time the two become friends again, though now with wise awareness on Bertha's side. Nigel begins to see his error, as Mary's jealousy and her wish to supervise his life take their toll. He finds comfort in simply seeing Bertha initially, but inevitably begins to wish for more. Bertha is not interested, having moved on, but, if noticed, Nigel's attentions could be misconstrued... In the meantime, Bertha is also looking out for the future of a young friend, Madeline Irwin, who is smitten with Rupert Denison, a young man with rather too much of a penchant for patronising and "educating" young women. Madeline is impulsive, a little inexperienced and quite needy. Her headlong qualities precipitate problems very readily. As Bertha negotiates several crises arising from Nigel's reviving attachment, she also tries to assist Madeline in avoiding her own self-created disasters. Much depends on Bertha's talent for good management and wise counsel in the perils of both their lives. She is determined to win over adversity, but it will be a strong test of her skills.... Bird of Paradise , Leverson's fifth novel, as radiant with wit and wisdom as those which preceded it, was first published in 1914.

Genres: Fiction

318 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1914

About the author

Ada Leverson (1862-1933), the devoted friend of Oscar Wilde (who called her the wittiest woman in the world), wrote six timeless novels, each a classic comedy of manners. Love’s Shadow, the first in the trilogy The Little Ottleys, is the perfect examples of her wit and style: no other English novelist has explored the world of marriage and married life with such feeling for its mysteries and absurdities.

Reviews

[Sketchbook · Rating 3 out of 5]

The studly, worldly Hamer Wildburn is asleep on his sleek yacht, anchored near the Antibes lighthouse, when a beautiful woman in evening dress with jewels around her neck, floating nearby, gives a cry for appeal. It's 3 a.m. "What's the matter?" he asks. "I must come aboard for a moment," she answers. Upsy-daisy she clambers, her wet chiffon gown clinging so tightly to her that Hamer can only stare while she begs for some brandy...What is she up to, he asks.

"Life is mysterious," she says evasively.
"You will have to be a little more definite," Hamer Wildburn suggests.

Thus begins another 30s romantic semi-spy caper by the Brit E Phillips Oppenheim (1866-1946) who turned out about 100 such novels, as if in his sleep -- all filled with the most stylish characters you'd find in the Ritz Bar, Paris, or driving to Monte Carlo. On the cover of TIME in 1927, EPO became a very rich, popular writer and lived his own stylish, hedonistic life with a wife and occasional beauty here and there on the Riviera. Indeed, why not ? His plots are somewhat similar, like his players, and altogether entertaining. There's gambling, champagne, bejewelled damsels, bouillabaisse, a perfect pate, murder, ambassadors, all adorned with w EPO witticisms. (I was introduced to his work by a pal who worked at the American embassy in Paris, which made the connecto an amusing "fit.")

Edouard Mermillon, Baron de Brett, Lucienne de Montelimar (you can't top those names!) and the Princess de Fantany...I mustnt leave her out of the resume...they can't leave Hamer Wildburn alone...because...they want his yacht and will kill to get it--. Aaah...unknown to Hamer, there's a state secret tucked aboard. Am I being a little enigmatic? As Mermillon protests, "Who speaks in plain words nowadays? The age of being natural is past." Anyway, you see what I mean.

[Sketchbook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beauty accessories: Hamer Wildburn (after shave); Montelimar (perfume); Mermillion (deodorant); Perissol (skin cream); Fantany (soap); and so on. These are the names E P O dreams up for his characters in what I call a "cuddly," rather than a "cosy." They are, respectively, our upstanding hero with a yacht anchored near Antibes (1935), his beautiful sweetie, a French pol and a military figure, and, lastly, the mistress of one who climbs aboard Wildburn's yacht at 4 a.m. in gown and diamonds to look for the McGuffin. I don't recall what the McGuffin is -- and does it really matter?
*
"They tell me," says Lucienne de Montelimar, "that American men do not know how to make love."
--"It's not a matter of nationality. You just have to feel what you say."
-"In France, we are not so direct as this."
--"If you wish, we will talk more seriously."

That's an E P O love scene and the banter is found in his suspense-espionage novels -- he wrote over 100. Like P G Wodehouse, EPO (1866-1946) couldnt stop writing....with several houses, including a villa in France, and a yacht, he became very rich while also working for the Ministry of Information in W1. His stories inspired movies: most famous is "The Great Impersonation." He had a wife and child and many "secretaries." At times I'm tempted to read the one bio ("Prince of Storytellers"), but it's an expensive item and not necessary. The luxuries he likes are reflected in his novels, along w the settings and always model-perfect players. It's all amusingly fantastical and civilized; sheer escapism when you're tired of Miss Marple, Poirot and Jeeves.

O, yes: the missing emerald belonged to Princess de Fantany. It looked like a soap bubble.

[Dharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peril at Sea from Guns and Women.

Mr Hamer Wildburn, a 25 year old American, graduate of Harvard, and sometime correspondant of a English Language Paris newspaper, is wintering on the Mediterranean coast of France in his newly purchased yacht "The Bird of Paradise." One night he is awoken at 3 am by the cries of a woman swimming alongside. Beautiful, dressed in an evening gown, and wearing priceless emeralds, she comes aboard his boat, undresses, and offers to buy the yacht for twice what he paid. The next day, the foreign minister of France drops anchor nearby and also makes an offer to buy the yacht at an outrageous price. Soon a known terrorist develops a bomb to utterly destroy the boat and all it's inhabitants.

Meanwhile, Wildburn is falling in love with the beautiful Lucienne de Montelimar whose parents own the chateau on the shore. Together they try to discover why the boat has such appeal to these competing groups. The wild and beautiful Russian Communist dancer Tanya will stop at nothing to claim the treasure.

One of the most interesting aspects of Oppenheim's work is the topicality and timeliness of his stories. He wrote four or five books a year so his material often reflected contemporary headlines. In this book, written in 1934, the economic and political condition of France is clearly reflected. France, due to canny dealing in the gold markets, was able to withstand the Great Depression much easier than the U.S., England, or the rest of Europe. This economic good fortune forms the basis for some of the events in the story. At the same time, France was also racked by political scandals and the absence of strong leadership. This creates the the strong secondary plot between General Perissol and M. Mermillon, the foreign minister.

The Bird of Paradise (aka Floating Peril)was serialised in The New York Post, 28 Jan-20 May, 1935, as The Story Without A Title* First US book edition: Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 1936 [The New York Post published this story in 50 installments within the framework of a competition in which readers were asked to determine the best title for each chapter and the best title for the novel as a whole. The prize for the winner of the competition was $15,000. The story was illustrated with photographs and drawings in several issues of the paper which can be seen in an internet search.]

[JimZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK. Not as good as The Little Ottleys in my esteemed opinion. A young man (Nigel Hillier) decides he should not marry Person X (Bertha Kellynch) but instead marries Person Y (Mary) because she is a rich heiress, and then discovers that money is not everything but by then it is too late. Person X is already married. So in most of the novel he tries to get Person X back but Person Y is insanely jealous. She made the novel semi-interesting because she reminded me of Alex Forrest, played by Glenn Close, in ‘Fatal Attraction’. Mary is crazy bonkers jealous and so attached to her husband it was creepy/scary. But everything turned out alright in the end.

Reviews:
• https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2...
• https://shinynewbooks.co.uk/bird-of-p...

Note:
• There is a first edition (1914) issue available on Abebooks for $3527...and seventy-eight cents (why would they tack on seventy-eight cents?).

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peril's got an uneasy plot that doesn't sit well with itself.