The Man Who Lost Himself by Henry De Vere Stacpoole

4.5 Stars

This is a wonderful story about a penniless American man who accidently meets his double in a crowded Hotel lounge. His lookalike "liquors him up" and the next thing he knows he is waking up in a posh bedroom and being called the Earl of Rochester.

At first he thinks its a practical joke and he plays along. But when the morning newspaper arrives, it all becomes clear: 'Mr Jones, the American' (the real Mr. Rochester) has commited suicide...

You have to love Vincent Jones. A down to earth, honest, plucky businessman, he sorts out the messes Mr. Rochester left behind him one by one, some with truly funny climaxes. All could have carried on smoothly but then the new Mr Rochester meets the lovely woman who he is "married" to and falls in love...

What follows is a confession, a lunatic asylum and a great escape.

So this was really good. There is no part of the story that lagged at all and I really felt invested in the characters. I'll definitely be checking out more books by this author.

CONTENT: G

The Woman At The Door by Warwick Deeping

3.5 Stars

Which is the greater of two evils...a man who abuses his wife over the course of many years, or a woman who kills such a man in self defense? Laws being what they were in 1930s England, such a woman would either hang or spend the rest of her life in prison.

But what if someone.... (theoretically speaking), spirits such a woman away, hides her, creates a new identity for her, a new life somewhere far away...on the continent perhaps, is that man an even greater sinner? Should he be held with even greater responsibility or is it perhaps true that "the law is an ass", afterall? 

Such is the conundrum for Mr. Luce, a widower, who leases an old signal tower in the country for peace and quiet and then one stormy night hears a tapping at his door...

So I enjoyed this book, Deeping always delivers a well told story, but it wasn't my favorite of his. I thought there was a lot of room to spare for richer and more authentic character development, especially on the part of the woman. I felt that Rachel (the abused wife) realistically would have had a lot more baggage/ trust issues than she was shown with and probably wouldn't have fallen so quickly into another man's protection (or his arms). Just an observation. But Deeping likes his docile heroines :)

CONTENT: 
PROFANITY: Mild, a few D's
VIOLENCE: Mostly offscreen domestic violence. One brief attack shown.
SEX: None shown to reader

MY RATING: PG

Mother by Kathleen Thompson Norris

This is a very light but pleasant read about a young woman who is disillusioned with her lot in life (one of seven children in a small rundown house in a small rundown town) and longs for the "real life" of pleasure and ease.

By coincidence she meets a high society lady who offers her a job as a private secretary in the woman's NY family mansion. She finally experiences life as she imagined it. But is it all it's chalked up to be? And what happens when your beau finds out your true origins? Will all be lost?

And at the crux of the story is Margaret's mother, the true hero of the story...

Its a sweet read but it didn't thrill me. I found it rather syrupy to be honest. Its the kind of book where you know just where the author is going with it, there's really no surprises, but its still a pleasant diversion.

But here's something to note: while I applaud motherhood and its many joys, there is a fairly heavy 'moralizing' tone throughout the book extolling the virtues of a woman's place (childrearing) and I felt bad for any woman reading this in years past who simply couldnt have children or maybe just wasn't "that type of woman" and therefore not up to scratch. You're either a self-sacrificing mother of a tribe of children or you're selfish. I didn't see a balance there.

If you can get past that, its a cute story. 

CONTENT: G

It Happened In Egypt by C.N Williamson

This book is roughly 70% travelogue, 20% mystery and 10% romance.(and the romance is split between four couples)

It felt almost as though the author kept a diary while on an extensive trip to Egypt and decided to use it as a base for a novel. The descriptions are vivid but I admit I got a little impatient after a while because the story was kept waiting while we admired the scenery. (And anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy a leisurely-paced, descriptive book so go figure...)

I think if it had been edited by about 100 pages the story would have been "tightened up " improving it. But it was an ok read and quite interesting. There are one or two exciting bits but overall not very suspenseful. 

Aside from the scenic descriptions and history of Egyptian gods, we have a story of hidden treasure, escape from a harem and espionage. 

I would recommend it to those who enjoy a more rambling mystery and exotic vacation thrown in.

MY RATING: G

The Secret Sanctuary by Warwick Deeping

Such a good story. Wow. 

A shellshocked WW1 soldier returns from the battlefields with brain storms, mental lesions , or simply put, moments of provoked insanity. After spending some time in prison for almost killing a man, he returns home but cannot settle into normal society. So at the advice of the doctor and John's own wishes, a lonely cottage/ farm is purchased so John can live in peace and quiet, hopefully banishing his demons with meaningful work.

This starts off well and John makes friends with a nearby farmer and his wife. But when a red haired vixen appears on the scene apparently with no other object but to antagonize and seduce, a trigger is set off and history comes close to repeating itself.

Will John ever be able to live as a normal man again? And will he ever feel free to enjoy the love of one good woman, the farmer's daughter, Jess, finding sanctuary from the storms? 

This was a wonderful read. For large chunks of it my heart felt squeezed with emotion. The characters rang true, their struggles were honest and their aspirations worthy of fighting for. A happy (though realisticly imperfect) ending. 5 stars.

CONTENT:

SEX: None
PROFANITY: A few Ds
VIOLENCE: Mild
PARANORMAL ELEMENTS: None

MY RATING: G

NOTE: This is a very hard to find book and not available on many (if any) open domain sites. Scour your libraries and grab it if you can. I found my used copy on Amazon.

The Usurper by William Locke

2.5 Stars

When a down-on-his-luck man comes across a dead acquaintance in the wilds of Australia, it doesn't seem such a big deal to go through his possessions and see what might be of use. One item is a deed to a piece of land. To claim it: pretend to be the owner.

At first the land is a disappointment. Nothing will grow in the black dust and the man is becoming desperate, only to find he is sitting on...a tin mine. 

'Jasper Vellacot' is now a millionaire philanthropist and his "Midas Touch" has accelerated. Everything he touches seems to turn to gold in his hands. And while he is accomplishing much good with his wealth, his secret is eating away at him and keeping him from making close friendships, especially a friendship with a certain beautiful woman who claims cousinship with him.

Then one day a man arrives on his doorstep. A ne'er do well, rough looking, heavy drinking man who looks an awful lot like the acquaintance he left for dead....

So it sounds good but this is probably my least favorite WJL. He got a little sidetracked with the main theme and I found some of the secondary characters more interesting than the primary ones, especially the poet "Bon Ami" and his passionate love for an Italian peasant girl (and subsequent action in WW1) 

In this story his main character, Jasper, becomes a politician (as several of his characters in previous books have done) and I felt a sort of dejavu while reading. 

An ok read but only for WJL fans.

CONTENT: G

Simon the Jester by William Locke

When Simon de Gex, wealthy and successful MP, finds he has six months to live, he embarks on a quest for "eumoiriety".

In the words of Marcus Aurelius, " Let death surprise me when or where it will, I may be eumoiros, or a happy man, nevertheless. For he is a happy man who in his lifetime dealeth unto himself a happy lot and portion...in good desires, good actions."

So in the matter of a few months, Simon disposes of his wealth in handouts, charities, in hefty tips etc. After all, what good is money when you're six feet under? If Simon can "fix " the universal woes by dipping into his pockets then by all means live, laugh and be eumoirous!

But doctors can be wrong, one can meddle where one is not desired, and what does one do when there is a return from the grave but its a return to a bleak world? No money. No society friends. No real skills. No desire? It is a quest for eumoiriety all over again. But this time, perhaps this time, Simon returns a wiser man...

I really liked this. What Ive summarized seems pretty straightforward and tame, but there are a lot of twists and turns along the way and interesting characters to spice things up. There's Lola the lion tamer, an eccentric dwarf "Mr. Anastasius Papadopoulos"; Simon's young friend Dale, and Eleanor Faversham, Simon's finance, about whom he admits:

"There seemed a whimsical attraction in the idea of marrying a girl with a thousand virtues. Before me lay the pleasant prospect of reducing them, say, ten at a time, until I reached the limit at which life was possible, and then one by one until life became entertaining."

CONTENT: G
PROFANITY : A few D's