"The House on the Cliff" by D.E. Stevenson

"The House on the Cliff" by D.E. Stevenson, first published in 1966,  is the next book my DES online group will begin reading & discussing together shortly, chapter by chapter. (I like to read the book all the way through myself before we start.  Once we're finished, I'll count it as a re-read.)  

(Unfortunately for me, many DES titles -- including this one -- are currently only available in Kindle format -- and, as I've recently written, my Amazon account, including Kindle app, are currently suspended as Amazon & my credit card company wrangle over the matter of payment after I was recently scammed. Fortunately, however, my tech-savvy sister was able to source a free epub copy I could read on my Kobo in the meantime!  :)  )  

I'm pretty sure this is one of the DES books that I read and loved as a teenager, almost (gulp) 50 years ago now (and there may possibly be a yellowed paperback copy gathering dust somewhere in the depths of my parents' crawl space...) -- the title & cover art are so familiar -- but I had absolutely no recollection of what it was all about. 

Although it wasn't hard to guess. "The House on the Cliff" is typical DES fare: young Elfrida Jane Ware is struggling. Her father disappeared years ago and is presumed dead, her mother recently died, her fledgling career as an actress is floundering, and Glen Siddons, the handsome co-star she secretly loves, takes little notice of her.  

Then she learns that the grandmother she never knew has also recently died and she's now the heir to Mountain Cross, the big old house by the sea in Devonshire where her mother grew up (albeit not a lot of cash to fund the upkeep). Curious to at least see the house before deciding to sell it, and encouraged by her eccentric landlady (who makes a brief but memorable appearance), she quits her current job and heads to Devon in the company of her young lawyer, Ronald Leighton. She's just nicely settled into her new home and new life when someone from her past pays her an unexpected visit... 

This was short book, quick and easy to zip through.  I've often said Stevenson's books are the literary equivalent of comfort food. They're a little old-fashioned -- often short on plot (and, too often, end a little too abruptly for my liking, albeit always happily!), highly predictable -- but the simplicity can be deceptive. She has a keen eye for the foibles of human behaviour as well as the beauty of the natural world, and has a knack for creating memorable characters, both major & minor. All these things are evident here.  

ALI alert/content warning:  Plot elements include a child in jeopardy and a de facto adoption. 

3.5 stars on StoryGraph, rounded down to 3 stars on Goodreads. 

This was Book #31 read to date in 2023 (and Book #4 finished in August), bringing me to 69% of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 3 books ahead of schedule. :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2023 tagged as "2023 books."