Stevie‘s review of Celia’s House by D.E. Stevenson
Classic Family Saga published by Sourcebooks Landmark 07 Jul 15
I’m really appreciating the number of lesser known classic books that are being rereleased as e-books at the moment; while a fair few are also available in limited edition from specialist British publishers, those books are pricey as well as pretty, so it’s good to be able to sample new-to-me authors in a less expensive way first. I’ve reviewed D.E Stevenson here before, but this was quite a different sort of book from The Young Clementina, especially as it has a more conventional narrative style.
Dunnian House has always belonged to members of the Dunne family, and in 1905 it is home to the elderly spinster Celia Dunne. Everyone expects her to leave the house and its lands to her nephew Maurice and his wife Nina, but when her great-nephew Humphrey returns to England after several years of being stationed overseas, she calls him up to Scotland and announces that she plans to change her will in his favour – with a few unusual stipulations. Humphrey and his wife Alice already have three children and are not particularly well-off, although they are happy with their position in life. Celia informs them that she wants the house to eventually pass to their as-yet-unconceived second daughter, whom they are to call name after her. Fortunately Alice has always wanted a large family, while Humphrey loves Dunnian and the family history that goes with it, so he agrees with the plan, and also promises to look after various long-serving members of Celia’s staff and the more wayward members of her extended family.
Celia dies soon after this meeting, and there is great consternation at the terms of her new will from Maurice and Nina, but also great joy from the staff at Dunnian – none of whom wanted to work for them. Humphrey, Alice, and their growing family settle on the estate and breathe new life into the house, taking in as their ward a young cousin from the wayward branch of the family when her mother abandons her for a new man.
The book follows the young people in the house from babyhood through to adulthood and on into the Second World War. Along the way, they encounter a vast array of friends and adversaries – sometimes a friend to one causes problems for another – and various of them settle down in homes of their own. However, they always return to Dunnian in times of need. This is a very sweet family saga, let down only slightly by the large number of points of view that are packed into not quite enough chapters. At times, events are glossed over, whereas some other chapters seem to spend too many words covering an event I find less interesting. Overall, this is an enjoyable read, and one I’d like to go back to at some point to reread with more idea of where the story will eventually take me.
Definitely an author I shall continue to look out for as more of her work is republished or turns up in first editions in my favourite secondhand bookshops.
Grade: B
Summary:
There’s no place like home
Celia Dunne may be an old spinster, but she’s no fool. She knows that changing her will to leave the grand family estate, Dunnian, to her grand-nephew will ruffle feathers within the family. But Celia also knows that Dunnian has stood solemn and empty for far too long, and she intends for that to change after she’s gone. Humphrey’s children will turn the creaky old house back into a family home-just the way it was meant to be.
As Humphrey’s young family grows and expands within the walls of Dunnian, the house seems to welcome them with warmth and a wonderful feeling of belonging. Following the Dunnes through youthful antics, merry parties, heartbreaks, love, and marriages, Celia’s House is an enchanting family novel that begs to be read and savored over and over again.
Read an excerpt.
