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As a huge fan of Jane Austen and other authors in the Regency and Victorian eras, I am always interested in books set during this time period. I'm glad that Julie Klassen and others are bringing this into vogue on the Christian fiction market, a task that cannot be easy since everyone must measure them by Austen, the Bronte sisters, Elizabeth Gaskell and others. They are giving it a try, though, and "The Girl in the Gatehouse" was a delightful read that kept me turning the pages and looking forward to the full revelation of the plot.
What charmed me most about "The Girl in the Gatehouse" was that it is a story in layers. We open with Miss Mariah Aubrey being sent away from her home because her reputation has become tainted. We don't know the nature of the scandal nor any of the circumstances surrounding it. Mariah and her former nanny remove to the home of Mrs. Prin-Hallsey, an aunt whom Mariah has not seen in some years. Making a new home in the deserted gatehouse, Mariah soon observes that all is not as it seems at the great house itself.
The estate is soon leased out to a naval captain just returned to land after successful years on the sea. It is easy to see that Matthew Bryant is based on Austen's Frederick Wentworth, a trait highly in his favor. ;-) Longing to prove himself to the woman who turned down his marriage proposal four year ago, he hopes Windrush Court will be impressive enough to convince her and her family he is a worthy suitor.
The colorful cast of characters is a strong point in this book. Klassen develops each one nicely: the publisher who agrees to release Mariah's novels anonymously, the one-armed manservant who has surprising talents, the residents of the poorhouse just down the road, and others are drawn out and brought to life in such a way that you genuinely care about them. Almost every one has a small aura of mystery about them and that adds greatly to suspense as you try to figure out how everything plays together.
This was the best book by Klassen that I have read. It will never be Austen, but if you read it for what it is, it stands up nicely on its own.
What charmed me most about "The Girl in the Gatehouse" was that it is a story in layers. We open with Miss Mariah Aubrey being sent away from her home because her reputation has become tainted. We don't know the nature of the scandal nor any of the circumstances surrounding it. Mariah and her former nanny remove to the home of Mrs. Prin-Hallsey, an aunt whom Mariah has not seen in some years. Making a new home in the deserted gatehouse, Mariah soon observes that all is not as it seems at the great house itself.
The estate is soon leased out to a naval captain just returned to land after successful years on the sea. It is easy to see that Matthew Bryant is based on Austen's Frederick Wentworth, a trait highly in his favor. ;-) Longing to prove himself to the woman who turned down his marriage proposal four year ago, he hopes Windrush Court will be impressive enough to convince her and her family he is a worthy suitor.
The colorful cast of characters is a strong point in this book. Klassen develops each one nicely: the publisher who agrees to release Mariah's novels anonymously, the one-armed manservant who has surprising talents, the residents of the poorhouse just down the road, and others are drawn out and brought to life in such a way that you genuinely care about them. Almost every one has a small aura of mystery about them and that adds greatly to suspense as you try to figure out how everything plays together.
This was the best book by Klassen that I have read. It will never be Austen, but if you read it for what it is, it stands up nicely on its own.
