Friday, January 22, 2016

Anna and Her Daughters

Does anyone out there use the e-book lending services offered by Booklending.com, Lendle, or your local library? I use Booklending because it allows me to access books from Brazil and it's a great way to save money.  Sadly most of the available books on that site are steamy romances, but I've gotten a few books that were on my wish list. Now that several D.E. Stevenson books are in digital format, I hope to read them there, without buying them.

Recently, I "borrowed" Stevenson's Anna and Her Daughters. Like all of her books, it is a cozy read with just enough real life situations to keep it from being sappy. Anna's husband dies suddenly and she and her three teenage daughters are forced to move from their fashionable London apartment to a cottage in Scotland to adjust to their new financial circumstances. It is written from the youngest daughter's (Jane) perspective and recounts the joys and sorrows of the four women. I particularly enjoyed seeing how the mother comes alive as she returns to her provincial roots.

There is a bit of melodrama when all three girls fall for the same fellow, but it is resolved in the end (maybe too predictably). This is not my favorite Stevenson title since it is a bit choppy, but I always enjoy her lovely writing and her ability to create engaging characters.

3 comments:

Susanne said...

Sounds like an interesting premise. I like stories about women being able to rise above tough life circumstances.

Mary Hill said...

Hi, thanks for sharing about these reading services. I will have to check with my local library to see what they offer. I hope you will link up with us again at Literacy Musing Mondays;)

Carol in Oregon said...

I borrow books (audio and Kindle) from a library consortium that our local library belongs to.

It has saved me a lot of money, but it has also altered my reading patterns. I have shelves of books in my house that I want to read. But the "urgency" of my 21 day lending period for the borrowed books always propels them to the top of the list. (I can borrow print books at my local library for up to 9 weeks.)

I've also read more currently published books because of the lending. Which may not be such a good thing. (cf. CS Lewis and the reading of old books)

But then I read a post like this and I like DE Stevenson and off I go to add it to my wish list!