Sara Seale: The only Charity

THE ONLY CHARITY by Sara Seale is a romance from 1962. Well, I am not that sure that this is a romance - but that's something I will talk about later in this post. First:

In a nutshell:

UK. Christobel "Christy" Tavener is a financially independent young lady. Not till she marries the man her grandfather Sir Harry has chosen for her the family estate Fairmile will be passed on to her. So Christy - in a panic reaction - declares that she is already married - to Joss, a man she had met in an inn. But Miss Brown, the caretaker of her grandfather has her own plans and Christy (of course!) falls for Joss.

I picked this book because I wanted to read an easy book with a bit of romance in it - and I was disappointed:

Although I liked Christy (who paints though she knows she is completely free of any talent), I catched myself wishing that the book's personal would start to kill each other - only this way I could get rid of an awful cast! (And maybe it would have been a good mystery..)

Joss is just arrogant (as are all other "grown up" people in this book) he wants to make Christy laugh about herself - by ridiculing her. (arrgh!) At first she is annoyed by him but kind of Stockholm syndrome-relationship she thinks that he (and the other people around her are/) is right about her being not grown up enough and starts loving this ... this ... this ... - I just can't think of a name for him. Well, I think you get the point.

Maybe it is too the German translation but the way everybody was restricting Christy made my quite angry. The German title means: Luck does not pass. (I wish that I had passed this book.)

I was (and am) happy that I finished this book. Maybe I'll read it again in some years and think that it is quite cute but right now I do not like it. And maybe it is exactely the kind of book which makes you happy..

Anyhow it fits in one of my challenges:

The Forgotten Treasures Challenge 2011

(if you aks for my opinion it could have stayed forgotten.)

See my progress in this challenge here.

The ole hootie owl hootie-hoo's...

THE MOONFLOWER VINE by Jetta Carleton (1962) is a rereleased best-seller.

The story beginns in the 1950ies in rural Missouri when Leonie, Mary Jo and Jessica are again spending the summer at the farm of their parents. It devolps to a retrospect from different views of the parent's youth to the adolescence of the girls in the 1930ies.

A delightfully easeful book with a plot that drags unagitated - I really enjoyed that! Just a relaxed reading - maybe you have to work a bit in the beginning till you finaly can relax - but that will happen really fast.

My grandmother and my grandaunt (and me) loved that book. My mother was bored to death. You may decide for yourself - but do I have to mention that? ;")

Schmooze:

THE MOONFLOWER VINE was a bestseller in Germany in 1964 (No.1 actually!) - then it was named WENN DIE MONDWINDEN BLÜHEN. The German rerelease is called WENN DIE MONDBLUMEN BLÜHEN - both means "When the moonflowers bloom" ("Mondwinden" is the biological correct translation of moonflowers "Mondblumen" is the verbatim correct version.)

Side-effect:

If you read this book in the bath tub (guess who did that..) you may risk that your feet start to shrivel. No, I WON'T post photographic proof. You just have to believe me. :")

Drinks anyone?

Drink something really mild and unperilous like lemonade. I don't know about you, but when I was child mineral water with fruit sirup was heaven for us (when we had ice cubes too it was really glamourous) and this book made me feel nostalgic so my perfect drink for this reading is squeaking gaudy and sickly sweet.

When I was a child Tammy was broadcasted in TV again. The German title of the series was "Tammy - Das Mädchen vom Hausboot" (= the girl of the houseboat). I loved that song - and I do love it today. Then I was determinend to live on a houseboat like Tammy did. I was totally in love with that girl. Even her name was the prettiest I ever heard.. And in november the TV series will be released as a DVD box in Germany!!! *yay* Gee - do I hope it is as lovely as I have it in my memory.. ;")