Saturday, February 20, 2021

"The Young Clementina" by D.E. Stevenson (re-read)

My online D.E. Stevenson group just finished our chapter-by-chapter reading & discussion of "The Young Clementina," one of Stevenson's early published novels (1935). I read the book for the first time in December (before Christmas), before our group read began, and reviewed it here

I reviewed the plot, its shortcomings and strong points in my previous review, so I won't repeat myself here. I did note then that our group discussions usually added to my appreciation of the book, and that was certainly the case here. My feelings about the book's flaws remain (and I was glad to learn my concerns are shared by others in the group) -- but overall, it was not without merits, and my fellow group members helped me to see those more clearly too. 

That said, my original rating -- 3 stars on Goodreads -- still stands. It's not my favourite DES novel (the highly predictable ending will have anyone who's ever dealt with infertility rolling their eyes...!), but I am glad I read it.  

Our group's next Stevenson novel will be "Katherine's Marriage," a sequel to "Katherine Wentworth," which we read together last summer (reviewed here and here). 

This was Book #10 read to date in 2021 (and Book #5 finished in February so far), bringing me to 28% of my 2021 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 36 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 6 books ahead of schedule. :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2021 tagged as "2021 books." 

1 comment:

  1. Such a fun cover, bummer that it probably has some sort of surprise pregnancy nonsense in it. Pffffttttt. So fun that you are in so many book groups!

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