Staying Put by Dorothy Lambert ☺️💖💙

Happy Furrowed Middlebrow Friday! 🥳🎉

This is my 4th out of 5 Dorothy Lambert books I've read in the past few months...yay! I can honestly say that I'm addicted.  

I feel the same way about DL's novels that I do about D.E. Stevenson, Molly Clavering and Susan Scarlett. Generally, they're light, clever, fun-to-read, and have the perfect amount of tenderness and a romance (along with some nature description which varies by author.)

Dorothy Lambert's stories also add a hint of wackiness and chaos that I find hilarious (and a little thrilling!) lol.

Remember that you can pre-order these titles (available in both paperback and ebook) right now on Amazon! (US link) (UK Link)

RATING: 4🌟  War-time Whirlwind and Possible Wedding!

Staying Put takes place in the early days of WW2 in the small English village of Swansford. The reader follows the Falcon family (mostly Lavinia) as they readjust their lives in a new location and try to figure out what they can do to help the village (and themselves) once war is announced. 

Woven into the themes of war preparation, finding jobs, village gossip and bickering, probability of bombings and possible spies, there is a thread (or two!) of romance between the inhabitants. (Whew—there's so much going on in this village-goes-to-war story!)

Here's a little bit about the characters and what I loved about this book:

MAIN CHARACTERS:

❊ Lavinia Falcon (widow, loves to garden, comes back to Swansford to live at Beech Hill after her husband dies, has three adult children...see below)
❊ Rowena Falcon (22, big, tall, blonde, efficient, know-it-all, looking for a wealthy husband, doing war work and acting superior)
❊ Richard Falcon (19, signed up to RAF, temporarily idle, a bit lazy, unmotivated, has a ravenous turtle named Peregrine who eats all of the garden lettuce)
❊ Felicity Falcon (17, youngest child, beautiful, flirty, curious, always ready for an adventure of any kind, has a family of teddy bear friends named the Blennerhassets)
❊ Lady Bulstrode (Lady of The Mallards, rich as anything, wants to control everyone...especially her son Ralph and strives to be seen as generous and supremely important in the little village)
❊ Ralph Thurston (runs the farm part of Mallards, deals with his mother Lady Bulstrode, desperately desires to fix Lavinia's lawn, reliable, practical and a good friend to all)
❊ Maureen Driscoll (Daughter of Mrs. Driscoll and sister to Michael. Went to school at the nearby convent and does exquisite embroidery work for them. Her mother makes her stay in a dark back room of the shop and discourages her from seeing anyone. She's lonely and anxious.)
❊ Michael Driscoll (Son of Mrs. Driscoll and brother to Maureen. Skillful, intelligent, cautious, courteous and private. He wants to do something more than fixing cars in the village. Frustrated and angry. Mother does not approve of him.)

WHAT I LOVED:

💖 Dear Lavinia (Smart, down-to-earth, clever, and a good mother. She reminds me a little of D.E. Stevenson's Mrs. Tim character.)
💖 Sweet Maureen and her lovely nature and beautiful embroidery
💖 How Ralph helps the entire Falcon family in small, but significant ways throughout the book
💖 A little bit of a mystery that needs to be solved (re: the Driscolls)
💖 The short Christmas scene with Christmas at The Mallards with Lady Bulstrode, Ralph, Lavinia and Felicity. Ralph's gifts to his guests were very sweet.

WHAT FRUSTRATED ME THE MOST:

❊ Why does Felicity act like she's 12 years old?? If I didn't know that she was at least 17 in this novel, I would have thought she was 12 or under by her words and actions. But, when you add in the flirting, it feels very confusing!
❊ Why does Lavinia have such a snobbish attitude towards Maureen and Michael Driscoll?
❊ Horrible, pig-headed, fanatic and mean-spirited Mrs. Driscoll (Irish owner of the corner shop and mother of Maureen and Michael)
❊ Mrs. Beckett (She's very similar to Miss Bates of Emma by Jane Austen (just not so gentle or kind) and is incredibly annoying in every way. Mother to Felicity's friend and co-worker, Julia. She's always going to visit Lavinia to vent (and not reciprocate.)
❊ Miss Dampier is so argumentative and makes things more difficult for all of the villagers, especially when it comes to Mrs. Beckett.
❊ A bit of an abrupt ending 

💙 FAVORITE PASSAGES: 

Felicity plunged in with a torch and looked round. "Heavens! What a mess! How absolutely thrilling! We've actually been bombed, Mummy! Isn't it marvelous? Absolutely!"

Rowena always knew about the right things and liked telling others.  

Felicity was seventeen, blithe, inconsequent, lovely to look at, and promised to be an anxiety.  

She was always good-tempered and easy to get on with, was clever and tactful in keeping the peace among the members of the various committees, and never asserted her own views too loudly. (Lavinia) 

Nothing happened, but one expected something all the time. Everything went on perfectly normally, but nothing felt normal. War was nowhere and yet everywhere. And all the time it went on raining, growing more and more depressing. 

After this particular introduction Bridget Twomey settled down at Beech Hill and became the prop and stay of the household.  

Ada and Elsie discussed the situation that evening. "I declare," said Ada, "it's like living in a newsreel with all this excitement. Fancy the girl from the Corner Shop having her mother blown up. Some people do have luck."  

Overall, I really enjoyed Staying Put. It's not quite as good as the other four Dorothy Lambert books I've read so far, but it's still pretty solid. I feel like this book might have too many unnecessary characters and a little less depth than the other titles. 

Always a huge thanks and big hug to Victoria at Dean Street Press for sending along this book (and three other new Dorothy Lambert books) for me to read and review! DSP Furrowed Middlebrow books are the BEST! 🥰❤️🌟

Stay tuned for another Dorothy Lambert book review (and post on Instagram) next Friday—woo-hoo! 🥳🎉 

Who is your favorite furrowed middlebrow author? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend, friends! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕 

Furrowed Middlebrow Friday—Double the Fun! 🤩📗💕

Hooray for Furrowed Middlebrow Friday! 🥳🎉✨📚

Today, I'm reviewing TWO Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow books...isn't that exciting?!? 

Before my reviews, I just wanted to say that I'm dying to buy and read the upcoming NEW Furrowed Middlebrow titles by Dean Street Press Ltd.! They include:

D.E. Stevenon Upcoming Book Cover Images from Dean Street Press website.

1. D.E. Stevenson's Bel Lamington and Fletcher's End (One of my favorite series!!) 
2. Dorothy Lambert's  All I Desire, Scotch Mist, Staying Put and Harvest Home (These are going to be sooo good!) 

Dorothy Lambert Upcoming Book Cover Images from Dean Street Press website.

REVIEW #1 - Kate Hardy by D.E. Stevenson

RATING: 4🌟

The first book in our Buncle And Beyond read-along for March! I was so excited to partner up with Niki (@nikilovestoread) and Sabine (@sabines.literary.world) to celebrate our love of D.E. Stevenson! (Use the #BuncleAndBeyond hashtag on Instagram if you share a post!) 🥳

WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THIS BOOK:
💚 Kate's confidence, talent and clear-headedness
💚 Walter's solid presence, stability, responsibility and thoughtfulness
💚 The lovely Dower House—I wish there were illustrations to show the inside! I want to live there!
💚 Crabby, but reliable and loyal Martha
💚 Charming and helpful Mrs. Stark

WHAT DROVE ME CRAZY:
❊ Kate's self-centered and manipulative sister, Milly 
❊ Her spoiled and selfish niece, Minty
❊ The slightly unsettling feeling of the country village of Old Quinings
❊ Two people who I wanted to end up together did not 😢

With the added bonus of Kate's career as a writer, lots of cozy descriptions of moving into the Dower House and some lovely (I wish they were my friends) characters, this D.E. Stevenson title was a fantastic read. It wasn't a 5 star for me, but I still really liked it. 

But, what I loved most was the small autobiographical section at the end in DES's own words! It was like reading a letter that she wrote to me and I absolutely fell even more into a fan-girl feeling for DES!! 😍❤️

Victoria from Dean Street Press Ltd. mentioned that fans of DES are called "Dessies" and I'm proud to give myself this label. Are you a "Dessie", too? 

P.S. This is my favorite excerpt written in the autobiographical sketch section: 

"I write all my books in longhand, lying on a sofa near the window in my drawing room. I begin by thinking it all out and then I take a pencil and jot it all down in a notebook. When that stage is over I begin at the beginning and go on like mad until I get to the end. After that I have a little rest and then polish it up and rewrite bits of it. When I can do no more to it I pack it up, smother the parcel with sealing wax, and despatch it to be typed. I am now free as air and somewhat dazed, so I ring up all my friends (who have been neglected for months) and say, "Come and have a party.'" 

REVIEW #2 - Much Dithering by Dorothy Lambert

RATING: 4.5🌟 Light, amusing and wonderfully fun!

Much Dithering is definitely one of those books that's perfect for when you're feeling down and just want a little story to perk you up. It's not overly sweet or filled with tension—Dorothy Lambert's book about the small English country village of Much Dithering (and its environs) is the perfect balance of both.  

WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THIS BOOK: 
💖 Similar writing style to D.E. Stevenson and Susan Scarlett
💖 Sweet, clever and also funny at the same time
💖 Memorable characters with a lot of spark (either you're rooting for them or they're so loathsome that you want to give them a good shake)
💖 Dear innocent Jocelyn Renshawe (I love the way her character evolves!)
💖 Absolute redemption at the very end of the book! (yes!!)
💖 A small mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end (you'll probably guess, but it's an awesome element all the same)
💖 Handsome and charming Gervase Blythe, a mysterious gentleman visitor to the village

DESPISED CHARACTERS:
❊ Jocelyn's mother (who pretends she's not her mother), Ermyntrude (ugh!)
❊ The wet blanket and blustering Colonel Tidmarsh (shiver!)

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to reading another Dorothy Lambert novel! Thank goodness that Dean Street Press is republishing 4 more of her titles this summer. Yipppee! If you haven't seen the covers yet, you must take a look at the DSP website/Instagram. They're absolutely beautiful!! They're going to look so lovely on my bookshelves 😍

If you love vintage stories with village scandal, gossiping/spying neighbors, young and unappreciated widows who are trying to find their way in the world and several small romances/intrigues, this is the book for you!! 

Highly recommended! 

If you haven't read either of these books, please consider giving them a try! They're both such enjoyable and light reads—I have a soft spot for both authors (one old favorite and one new favorite!)

Comment below if you've read/loved/didn't love or want to read either (or both!) of these DSP titles! 

**Join Niki, Sabine, Dean Street Press and I for #BuncleAndBeyond for April and May! We'll be reading The Musgraves in April and Five Windows in May. Hope you'll read along with us for the #BuncleAndBeyondReadalong! 😍❤️📕**

Happy April! Lots of love and springtime hugs!  💕🌷🤗🌷💕

P.S. I wanted to share a recent antique store find/gift from Ian—a gorgeous, mid-century, filigree sterling silver jewelry set with blue topaz stones. Isn't it amazing?? I cannot believe this dainty (size 5.5) little ring fit! I'm hoping to wear it when I visit Persephone Books in a few weeks!! Yay!

I was so lucky to have a gift card from my friend Heather! Ian paid the rest. What a treat!

I love blue topaz so much! The design is really floral and delicate. Definitely my style!

Turn Again Home by Ruby Ferguson ☺️🧡💚

10🌟! Beautiful, beautiful book! It's the BEST book I've read so far this year. 😍❤️

I literally just finished reading the last page of this lovely, touching, bittersweet and glorious novel. I wanted to write down my thoughts and feelings before they faded away—though, in this case, I doubt they will. 

The description on the flyleaf of my vintage edition: 

“𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘴...𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘙𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.“

I absolutely LOVED this book. I can't say it enough. Even though this Ruby Ferguson title didn't end quite the way I wanted it to, it was still a very satisfying ending. I'm still reeling, though! The last couple of chapters were a whirlwind of activity and I could not put the book down until I was done.

WHY I ADORED THIS NOVEL:

💚 Writing like a clear and sparkling crystal bell
🧡 Family reminisces expressed in the most touching way 
💚 Letting go of appearances and conceit
🧡 The small town of Hockworth and its people
💚 Clothing/woolen mill descriptions
🧡 Beautiful and wild nature of the Yorkshire country
💚 Separate chapters focusing on each of the family members and their thoughts about the past
🧡 The Bridmoor Family (𝘏𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩, 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘝𝘪𝘥𝘢, 𝘋𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦)
💚 The feelings, the descriptions, the inner thoughts!!

FAVORITE QUOTES & PASSAGES:

'All experience is an arch where through gleams that unraveled world.'

"She was already bustling about, utterly happy, in her element, spreading a white cloth on the table and laying out a knife and a fork, with a flower-patterned plate of fine china, a cup and saucer. Then she cut two rounds of white bread and toasted them to a delicate brown on the fire, buttering them generously and popping them into the oven to keep hot."

'Your mother used to come along to the kitchen about the end of November, and we would make out the list for the grocer. Not only the currants and raisins and candied peel, but all the things you never hear about now: the crystallized rose-petals and violets, the angelica and icing sugar and Chinese ginger and glace cherries and fruits, and the sherry and the brandy for the puddings, and the ground almonds and crackers, and the sugar biscuits and the cheese assorted, and the Garibaldis—those were your father's favorites—and the Bourbons. I never could keep you children away from the Bourbons.' 

"And then trimming the Christmas-tree. The lovely things you used to get for a penny! Silver angels, and blown glass mandolines with tinsel strings, and crystal birds with long blue feather tails. And for a few pennies we used to buy pressed concertina things made of coloured paper, and, when you pulled, it came out about a mile long and hung with enormous paper bells. And Father used to take us to town before Christmas just to see the shops full of wonderful things, all colour and gaity and charm." 

"How many of Daphne's memories were of sewing! Sewing in the garden on summer afternoons with Mother and Vida, folds of white silk billowing to the green grass, taking a pride in choosing the finest needle, so that Mother would cry, 'How can you see to thread that?—What it is to be young!' And the chink of tea-cups mingling with the hum of the lawn mower in the sultry afternoon.." 

"He wandered over to his bookcases to choose a book, something soothing, but at the same time gripping. This was an hour he loved, late and quiet, the room lamp-lit, the fire steadied to a rich glow He ran his fingers along the shelves, touching a cover here and there, remembering happy hours spent with this and that volume. He liked to keep his favorite books, and read them again and again, having provided that every time one re-read a book there is something to be discovered." 

"They were all picturing the dining-room as it had been, handsome with its broad table covered with a green velvet cloth when not in use, and its sideboard display of silver articles and old-fashioned spirit heater. The aroma of good food had hung every around those walls, the rich scent of golden Yorkshire pudding and beef gravy, of roast meas and buttered vegetables, of apple pies stuck with cloves and Wensleydale cheeses and warm peaches and grapes, and creamy tea and strong coffee, and plum cake and Christmas puddings."

"Mother would run out of the drawing-room to press the child's cold cheeks between her warm, soft hands. 'Bed for you, my duck.' Then Patty would be running upstairs with paper and sticks and coal, and Carrie with hot-water bottles wrapped in red flannel for Hope's bed, and Mother would take her up and undress her before the cheerful blaze and pop her into the soft inviting bed. Chest rubbed with nice-smelling lotion, blue dressing-gown on, Hope would sit up like a queen for her supper, a tray with the rose-embroidered cloth and the pink fluted china, poached egg, hot buttered toast, pears and cream, hot custard, and Pink Milk, which was ordinary milk with just a few drops of raspberry essence to make it pretty." 

Sadly, Turn Again Home is very hard to find. At the time of my review, there is one copy available on Abebooks.com. I was so incredibly lucky that my husband bought this HC/DJ edition for my 52nd birthday this year (it was in a bookstore in Australia!! 😱). But, if you are lucky enough to see a copy somewhere, please buy it. It will be worth every penny!! 

I'm hoping SO MUCH that Dean Street Press will be able to republish some of Ruby Ferguson's out-of-print books (like they did with Apricot Sky!) This one is definitely a must and I'm crossing my fingers that, one day, everyone who loves Ruby Ferguson's books will be able to read this heartfelt story 😍❤️

Once again, Ruby Ferguson did not let me down. I've read 6 of her books so far and they've all been 5 stars. 🤩🌟

Highest of recommendations possible!!

If you want to find out more about this fabulous author, check out these pages: Pony Mad Book Lovers and Jane Badger Books (and also HERE!)

Have the most awesome weekend, book friends! Much love and many hugs! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕 

A Pink Front Door by Stella Gibbons 😊💖🏡

Guess what day it is?? You guessed it!— Furrowed Middlebrow Friday! Yay! 🥳

Since the sun is finally shining (after two full months of almost constant rain 😱☔️), it's the perfect time to share my review of A Pink Front Door by Stella Gibbons republished by Dean Street Press! 😍🌸🚪

 Book Rating: 4🌟 

It's hard to describe how I felt about this book. I really liked it, but the story also had a strange mixture of lively, social sections and quiet, introspective parts. These inner thoughts were my least favorite—they confused me a bit, even though there was nothing actually to be confused about. I believe they were supposed to give you insight into the mind of a particular character and explain why they were acting they way they were. But, sadly, I didn't really find them all that helpful or interesting. 

For the most part, I enjoyed reading about the married life of Daisy (a martyr of unquenchable energy trying to help her down-and-out friends...or even strangers...at any time of day or night) and James Muir (her long-suffering husband who misses having a wife to pay attention to him). Each chapter delves into Daisy's next "case" while she tries her best to rope in both friends and family to help her find homes and jobs for people that "need help". Meanwhile, when not working or taking care of their baby son, James Too (which I thought was such a cute nickname!), James is losing patience with this crazy life and has just about had enough of being the last on Daisy's list.

Daisy's constant activity (flurrying here and there) is fun to read about, but also frustrating when it comes to the seemingly ungrateful people who are taking away all of the time and energy from her little family. Daisy's father, aunt and cousin all play a small part in the drama of her life—though, mostly, they try to avoid being a part of her next "scheme".

The final straw comes when Daisy tries to find a home in Mrs. Cavendish's icy, impoverished mansion for her old friend, Don ("the Hulk"), his dissatisfied wife and his quiet, hungry children. After that, things really ramp up in craziness.

If the more detailed, introspective sections could have been slightly reduced in length, I would have given this book an even better rating. (At times, it seemed like those sections were written by another author 😱)

Overall, I thought this was an entertaining, occassionally very funny, and (in the end) very satisfying novel. I believe I would read it again! 

Thank you so much, Victoria, for sending this book to me!! 🥰💓💓

The praise A Pink Front Door received (noted on the DSP website) is absolutely perfect:

‘As usual Stella Gibbons tells a good story, combining a sharp eye for absurdities with pity for poor humans’ —Birmingham Post 

**Have you read this book? What did you think? Let me know in the comments if you are a Stella Gibbons fan! If so, do you have a favorite title? I'd love to know!**

Many thanks to Michelle (@myelecticshelf on Instagram) for the adorable, handmade pink felted mouse and to Caro (@carosbookcase on Instagram) and her husband for the beautiful, hand carved tulip! I love them both!😊🐭💖🌷

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, friends! I'm hoping to share a birthday post very soon with all of the amazing book gifts I've received—May was so awesome! 😍💝✨

Tons of love and hugs!! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕

P.S. Even though I have a pale turquoise front door (not a pink one), I wanted to share a photo of our gorgeous rhododendron bushes! The rain seems to have had one benefit...TRIPLE the blooms this spring. Yipppee! 

Molly Clavering Book Collection (and Ratings!) 🤩🌟📚

It's my favorite day of the week— Furrowed Middlebrow Friday! Woo-hoo!

Today, I'm celebrating this awesome spring-time day with my Furrowed Middlebrow Molly Clavering book collection from Dean Street Press! Yay! 

The only reason I have this gorgeous collection of books is because my awesome husband, Ian, bought me all of the books the very day that they were published by Dean Street Press! (I'm so lucky!) 😍

I first heard of Molly Clavering through Emma's YouTube Channel, The Bookish Princess, where she mentioned Near Neighbors. At that time, you couldn't easily find a copy of this book (which was very sad). But, in July 2023,  I found a used, hardcover copy of Mrs. Lorimer's Quiet Summer on eBay, read it and really liked it.

Then, thank goodness, the amazing team at DSP republished EIGHT of her novels under the Furrowed Middlebrow collection. Yippee!

Besides reading the interesting and helpful introduction in the DSP Molly Clavering books, I also found tons of great information about this fabulous author in Scott's blog post. I highly encourage you to check it out! 

So, without further ado, here are my book ratings! Click on each title to read my full review on Goodreads 😁

 

MY BOOK RATINGS: 

5🌟 Because of Sam
5🌟 Susan Settles Down
5🌟 Near Neighbors
4.5🌟 Dear Hugo

4🌟 Touch Not the Nettle
4🌟 Love Comes Home
4🌟 Mrs. Lorimer’s Quiet Summer
3.5🌟 Yoked with a Lamb 

These three books are on my to-be-read/wish list—I hope to find more of her stories in the future!

 

MY TBR: 

• From the Border Hills (own, see pic below)
• Result of the Finals  
• Dr. Glasgow's Family
  

As you know, I love making lists of my thoughts instead of writing long, detailed descriptions for my reviews. So, I'm going to stick with my usual pattern 😂

WHY I LOVE MOLLY CLAVERING'S BOOKS:

💛  Beautiful, cozy settings in Scotland (usually in small villages)

💛  Female protagonists with common sense, intelligence and kindness

💛  Likable characters that have deep inner strength and help others generously

Keeping that in mind, here are some aspects that I struggled with while reading this author's novels:

❊ A level of written Scottish dialect that was unfamiliar to me and, sometimes, lasted for a whole page or more. I've never been to Scotland, so it took me a bit longer to try and understand what the character was trying to say. In the end, I understood it all...but those parts were not quick for me to read.

❊ Nature descriptions that I could picture in my head. Again, I'm absolutely sure this is because I have never visited this country and some terms are just unknown to me. Although Molly Clavering's words are wonderfully written, I did find that reading these sections to be slow going (especially if they were longer in length).

MOLLY CLAVERING vs. D.E. STEVENSON:

These talented (and favorite) authors were not only neighbors in Moffat, Scotland for a time, but they were also close friends. I know that some readers prefer one writer over the other, but I find that most usually love both!  While I definitely could not choose which author's work I like best, here are my general thoughts:

💙 Joy - DES' books bring me more joy overall than MC.

💙 Lovely Prose - MC's novels take the win for beautiful and thoughtful writing.

💙 Laughter - DES makes me laugh often and giggle uncontrollably.  

💙 Safety - For some reason, MC's writing gives me a sense of safety, protection and stability.

💙 Ratings - Overall (for me), MC writes books that are predictably steady and solidly VERY GOOD. While, DES writes stories that seem to be all over the place—either 5🌟 favorites or 1🌟 duds. There's a huge range of value in her finished writing.  

NOTE:

Keep in mind that DES has published at least 50 novels, while MC has around 38 (most of which were published in serialized/pocket novels and lost in the abyss somewhere 😭) .

Now that I have read these 8 Furrowed Middlebrow titles, I'm hoping that more will crop up in the future! Until then, I have her non-fiction book, From the Border Hills, and I can re-read the books I own as many times as I like (which is very cheering)!

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

Please comment below with your favorite Molly Clavering titles and any thoughts you have about her books vs. D.E. Stevenson's books! 😄

Some of my Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow Collection!

So many thanks to my dear friend Caro (@carosbookcase) for buddy reading three of these books with me (including Touch Not the Nettle,  Susan Settles Down and Yoked by a Lamb) and to the lovely Chelcy (@cbstutzman) for reading and discussing Love Comes Home last year!

By the way, if you love the lace shawl in the background of some of these photos, it's my own knitwear design—the Maitri Shawl! It's available for purchase here on Ravelry and I used the most beautiful Albireo organic cotton/bamboo yarn from VeganYarn.com 🥰❤️🧶

Happy Friday, Friends!!! Many hugs! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕