Spring Magic

I thought that I didn't like Stevenson's books during the war years, but I may need to revise that opinion. Published in 1942, it incorporates all the uncertainty of its time. And the war does have an oppressive presence that is omnipresent, not least because the main story includes an army camp bei......more

One of D.E Stevenson's good ones... she's not always consistent in the quality of her books, and I'd hit a few I wasn't thrilled with, but this is a rather nice return to form. Frances Field has been living with her uncle and aunt for most of her life, and she is an invisible, colorless sort of perso......more

The first third drew me in with its description of coastal Scotland and the story of a young woman venturing out of her sheltered (and somewhat stifling) life. I found the middle third less enjoyable since it focused on misunderstandings and messes caused by the selfish behavior of a couple side cha......more

3.5 stars ”It was odd that she had reached the age of twenty-five without having decided what sort of person she was - or wanted to be. It was because she had never had a chance to follow her own inclinations nor to develop her personality. Her nature was gentle and yielding and she had a horror of “......more

Frances Field has never really lived in all her 25 years. She's been a slave to her hypchonriach aunt since childhood. When her aunt's doctor reveals the truth, Frances decides to take a holiday to Cairn, Scotland. Why Cairn? She saw it in a painting at the Academy and it looked like a place she wou......more