The Elopement by Tracy Rees

 

                                       

Hardback: 417 pages

Genre: Historical Romantic Fiction 

Publisher: Macmillan 2022

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: Thursday, the middle of February. It was cold and dark, the wind and rain battering the attic roof. A most begrudging sort of day.

Setting: London 1897

Review Quote: A beautiful book. Powerful and captivating, the story will transport you to another time and place, plunging you headlong into the lives of its characters' - Hazel Prior, author of Away with the Penguins

Favourite Quote: Brown bread ice cream is wonderful but it is simply not enough.

My Opinion:  Until I started reading ‘The Elopement’ I had no idea it was a sequel to ‘The Rose Garden’ with some familiar characters making a reappearance. The story stands alone though as Tracy Rees makes sure the reader is filled in on the back story where necessary.

The story is narrated from the viewpoints of the three female protagonists in alternating chapters. Olive Westallen, a wealthy spinster running a successful charitable foundation and as an adoptive single parent, a very independent woman. Rowena Blythe is a young lady, approaching twenty-four whose place in society means her parents are anxious for her to marry well and soon. Finally Pansy Tilney a housemaid in service, for the last seven years to the Blythe family. There is so much more to this novel than the historical romance I was expecting and was taken by surprise, in a good way, in the direction the storyline took. These young women were rebelling against the constraints of a females role in society in Victorian England. The introduction of two real life women of the period, Eliza Orme and Cornelia Sorabji into the novel added an excellent historical reference. Hence enabling the author to share with the reader the positive changes of the period for women wanting to work in the legal profession. 

This was an engaging read highlighting the social differences of the era and how Olive, Rowena and Pansy despite everything came together as friends. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction. 

Including 'The Elopement' I have so far read four of Tracy Rees's novels.  In 2016 I read Florence Grace, it was a further five years before I picked up  The Rose Garden  to read, then last autumn I read The Little House by The Sea on My Kindle during a long flight. 

Previous Reviews: Florence Grace   The Rose Garden    The Little House By The Sea

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

A wealthy heiress . . .

1897. Rowena Blythe is wealthy, entitled and beautiful. As her twenty-fourth birthday approaches, she’s expected to marry – and to marry well.

An unsuitable match . . .
Her parents commission a portrait of Rowena to help cement her reputation as a great society beauty. However, Bartek, the artist’s young assistant, is unlike any man Rowena has met before – wild, romantic and Bohemian. While society at large awaits the announcement of Rowena’s engagement, it is Bartek who captures Rowena’s heart along with her likeness.

A scandal in society . . .
Rowena knows her parents would never approve of Bartek, who in their eyes is nothing but a penniless foreigner. As her feelings grow, she has no-one to turn to. Dare she risk everything for love?

Author Profile:         

                                                                                        

                                                           Courtesy of Goodreads

Tracy Rees was the winner of the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller competition and the Love Stories Best Historical Read award and was shortlisted for the RNA Epic Romantic Novel of the Year. 

Tracy was born in Swansea. She studied languages at Jesus College, Cambridge, then moved to London where she worked in medical publishing for years. She then did a second degree, in psychology, at London Metropolitan University before training and working as a counsellor for people with cancer and their families. She has also been a waitress, bartender, shop assistant, estate agent, classroom assistant, university lecturer and workshop leader.

Tracy and her partner divide their time between the Gower Peninsula of Wales and London.

Photographs, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

 Amazon Author Page    Twitter - Tracy Rees  Goodreads Author Page