"Fletcher's End" by D.E. Stevenson

"Fletchers End" is the next book my D.E. Stevenson fan group will be reading & discussing together (start date TBA). I'll count it as a re-read once we've finished, but I always like to try to read it through first myself, if I can! It's a sequel to "Bel Lamington," which we just finished reading as a group (my reviews here and here). 

As the book opens, Bel's wedding to her former boss, Ellis Brownlee, is drawing near -- and her good friend Louise Armstrong has found them the perfect house near her own home. Fletcher's End has been sadly neglected by its absentee owner, but it has loads of potential, the owner is anxious to get rid of it, and the price is right. Bel and Ellis are married and settle happily into domestic life and renovations -- but a visit from the previous owner, Lieutenant Commander Roy Lestrange, is a catalyst that threatens to upend their cozy life in more ways than one...  

This book is a favourite of many Stevenson fans. I understand the appeal. It contains many of the usual hallmarks of a DES novel:  perhaps a little thin on plot but, as compensation, lovely descriptions, sympathetic characters (with a few villainous types thrown in for good measure...!), colourful supporting players (the domestic help), a comfortable old country home that's like a character itself, a strong sense of morality and (surprise!  lol) a happy ending. There are bonus appearances from several characters we came to know in "Bel Lamington," as well as a few from "The Musgraves" (reviewed here).  

On the negative side of the scale, while it's nice to see Bel & Ellis happily wed, they do occasionally come off as "smug marrieds" (as Bridget Jones might say). For example, in Chapter 22, Bel reflects on her new friendship with Margaret (Musgrave) Warren, also married with a delightful baby son, and how in some ways it's easier to talk with Margaret than it is with her single friend, Louise: "Between the married and the unmarried, in the case of feminine friendships, there is always a slight barrier. There are things not to be talked about, things that cannot be understood..." (I find myself mentally substituting "mothers" and "childless women" for "married" and "unmarried" -- ugh...) 

And I STILL find Louise annoying!  ;)  

Content warning:  I was a little started by the casual use of a racist expression in Chapter 10. Stevenson's books are very much reflections of the time & place they were written in (this one was published in 1962), and occasionally, a word or phrase that would be unacceptable in the same context today pops up and jolts the modern reader. That said, one word is generally not enough to make me abandon a book. Others may feel differently... 

3 stars on Goodreads & StoryGraph. 

This was Book #15 read to date in 2024 (and Book #1 finished in May), bringing me to 33% of my 2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) on track to meet my goal. :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2024 tagged as "2024 books."