2012; 281 pages. New Author? : No. Genre : Historical Romance. Overall Rating : 8*/10.
There is drama; there is intrigue; and there is subtle humor. Yet at its core, Darling Brenda is a love story. There’s not a lot of action, but Richard Herley laces the plotline with twists and gives you three characters that you will genuinely care for and worry about. Brenda is jaded; Grete is stoically world-wise; and Nigel has the cluelessness of a Bernie Wooster without a Jeeves to look after him. They’re all in love (although each defines it a bit differently), and you will find yourself pulling for each one.
The book is written in “British”, and
that’s always a literary treat. There
are some deep insights about same-sex relationships in the 1950’s. It was not a good time to be (forgive the anachronism) “gay”. You didn’t have a lot of options other than
the closet.
Some of the nuances of the intrigue eluded
me, but that’s neither here nor there. The
bad guys want money; Nigel doesn’t have it.
The rationale for why they think Nigel should pay is not important. The consequences of failing to pay are. The ending felt a little forced, yet it was
both logical and satisfying.
Kewlest New
Word...
Doolally : Feeble-minded or deranged (Britishism. Is that a kewl word or what?!)
Excerpts...
Brenda began to wonder if she had made a mistake. This would deflect her yet further from her ambition: to find and marry some pliable man with money. So far she had met plenty of men, but few had been pliable, and even fewer had any money. She liked going to bed with them, perhaps too well; but always there was something else, something better, out there, waiting for her, just as Grete had been waiting today. (loc. 38)"I can't sign this," Nigel said.
"Why not?"
"Apart from everything else, it's not even grammatical. Look. 'To sincerely apologise'. Unforced split infinitive. And why a capital letter for 'Client' or 'Purchasers' or 'Property'? And this is pleonastic. 'Very sorry when there's a regrettable lapse'. Besides all which, I'd rather hang myself than creep to a man like that." (loc.1296)
Kindle Details...
Darling Brenda is $3.99 at Amazon. Richard Herley's books range from that price all the way down to free (The Stone Arrow), and so far I've enjoyed them all.
"O Nigel, you are a chump." (loc. 3088)
I’ll be honest; reading Romance novels is
not my shtick. But this is not some
sappy Harlequin lust story (*) ; it is a powerful piece of historical
drama. And I confess that Darling Brenda was a page-turner for me. As much for the vivid scenes of England as
for finding out how both the business and the love tangles were going to be
resolved.8 Stars. Add another star if you actually like to read Romance.
(*) : That
genre is left to my wife. I read a line
from the book she’s currently reading last night. It went something like this : “His powerful
tongue split her lips like a knife.” Argh.
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