Rachel's life was changed for ever when she entered the charmed circle of the Rossiters, a wonderful Bohemian family who lived next door. Best friends with Allana, always closest to Barney, ignored by Diana, it was her love for Gavin which started as a schoolgirl crush and went on to so much more.
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From Publishers Weekly
The author of Loveday offers few surprises and fewer appealing characters in her tale of an English schoolgirl's neurotic friendship with selfish neighbors. Rachel Bond is packed off to boarding school as Britain slides toward WW II. While spending holidays with her doughty grandparents in a small town in the countryside, she falls in with the Rossiters, a privileged family who lead a noisy, colorful life next door. Lofty Diana snubs the newcomer, and her sister Alannah is a whiner, but Barney is solid and likable, while the vague charm of eldest son Gavin makes Rachel swoon. Over the years, everything the tight-knit clan does reinforces Rachel's sense of inferiority. The author semaphores so wildly that all is not right with this pack of narcissists that the sordid secrets she finally reveals fall flat, and she never satisfactorily answers the question of why Rachel would suffer for so long in the awful Rossiters' shadow. Readers who revel in stiff upper lips and romantic endings after much tribulation may enjoy this portrait of a very British circle, bounded though it is by cliches and stilted dialogue.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
As a little girl staying summers with her grandmother, Rachel Bond is captivated by the ebullient and charming Rossiter clan, a wealthy English family. The four Rossiter children soon include Rachel in many of their activities, and she immediately becomes hopelessly infatuated with the oldest son, Gavin. When he decides to enlist in the army and join the fighting in Spain, his parents blame Rachel and banish her from the family circle. The years pass, and as Rachel struggles to cope with the consequences of Gavin's father's improper affection, she meets some of the family again and resumes her relationship with them. She is drawn to Gavin once again, and they decide to marry. Mrs. Rossiter voices strong objections, but it is Rachel's discovery of Gavin's secret love that finally allows her to see the Rossiters as they really are. This is a worthwhile addition to popular fiction collections, especially those with patrons who enjoy stories of families with deep, dark secrets.
- Margaret Hanes, Sterling Heights P.L., Mich.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Margaret Hanes, Sterling Heights P.L., Mich.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
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By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Trite and boring, this book offers two dimensional characters at best. I couldn't wait to finish and be done with it. Simplistic plot leads to a not so shocking ending (process of elimination anyone?) This one gets used to line the bird cage!
Format:Mass Market Paperback
you're faint of heart, perhaps this wouldn't be for you. However, I believed R.Pilcher's recommendation was good enough for me, especially (considering) her sense of reality in each of her novels. Real life isn't always rosey, and bizarre occurrences happen to the best families. I'm not usually stumped, but Ms. Whitnell had me rapidly tearing through this book in order to find out... "who-done-it"... ! If you like stories about young people growing up in England and accept there are some harsh realities to contend with, you'll enjoy this interesting story!
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I love all books set in England, and this one was no exception, except for the shocker at the end of this book which I really found rather..sick. I usually re-read my favorites, but after I read this one, even though I liked it a lot, I was never able to pick it up and read it again. I identified with the main character, Rachel, because growing up I always felt like she did, on the outside of things looking in. I enjoyed this book a lot but if you are the very prim type, I wouldn't recommend it because this book's shocking ending will offend you. I'm not even the prim type, and I couldn't stomach it! Otherwise, it is a well-written and interesting book.
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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Like a cozy cup of tea!
This is the first book of Ms. Whitnell's that I've read, but it won't be the last. I took it with me on vacation and absolutely devoured it. Read more
Published on Oct 26 2000 by Patricia Kay
5.0 out of 5 stars
A page turner
Even though I read this book a few years ago I have never forgotten the story or the characters. A gentle book and yet a real page turner with a shocking surprise at the end!! Read more
Published on Sep 24 2000
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for your summer reading list!
Barbara Whitnell's writing style is a combination of Rosamunde Pilcher and Mary Higgins Clark. Charmed Circle, set in England offers a bit of a mystery, or a question to be... Read more
Published on April 29 2000
4.0 out of 5 stars
This book was very well written....
I reallly enjoyed the main character Rachel and reading about her years growing up and being very much alone and wanting so desperately to be a part of her neighbors family. Read more
Published on Jun 2 1999
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