A Company of Swans

Rating:
Summary: Not her best
Review: I love Eva Ibbotson's books, so I was delighted to find this in the library. However, despite the fact that it is as beautifully written as ever, the story didn't hold my attention as long as others, and I didn't like the way Harriet totally dropped ballet at the end, after working so hard to be a dancer.

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting
Review: In 1912, Cambridge, Harriet Morton lives in an oppresive household with her dry, clutch-fist aunt and narrow-minded father. Like Anna (of A Countess Below Stairs by the same author), Harriet possesses the pure, luminescent quality that Ibbotson seems to favor in her leading females. Harriet's main joy in her life is her dancing lesson; she is offered a chance to become part of a troupe going to the Amazons. She meets at a neglected Yorkshire mansion an endearing, odd little boy named Henry that begs her to find The Boy; Henry is sure that The Boy is in the Amazons and that he will save the ruined household. Struck with this serendipitious sign, Harriet takes the chance to follow her dream to the far-away land. We meet the bumbling, insensitive suitor, and the tempermental, aging ballerina; we meet Harriet's roommate and friend, Marie-Claude, a beauty who wants to open an inn by the mountains. Sometimes, the secondary characters can "break-or-make" a story; in this case, they perform their roles to perfection.

Like all good books, the plot seems fairly simple until you explain it. I can't go into detail of who The Boy is (surely you must have guessed anyway!) but I will leave in mystery WHO he has become and WHY he is where he is. It wouldn't be fair to compare this book to A Countess Below Stairs, which is what I incline to do. This one is longer, and sometimes does drag on; the agonizing love of Anna and Rupert is not repeated because A Company of Swans is lighter, and more suited to convention (which you will recognize if you've been a long-time romance reader). There is a villain, but unlike the bloodthirstiness in "modern" historicals (is that an oxymoron?) she does not receive her comeuppance as one is used to. But the threads of the story weave together to form an effortless plot and a sweet, charming tale. Rather Dickens-ish in its range of "coincidences" that bring Harriet, the heroine, and Rom Verney, the hero, together, A Company of Swans is nonetheless beautifully written and an engaging read.

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting
Review: In 1912, Cambridge, Harriet Morton lives in an oppresive household with her dry, clutch-fist aunt and narrow-minded father. Like Anna (of A Countess Below Stairs by the same author), Harriet possesses the pure, luminescent quality that Ibbotson seems to favor in her leading females. Harriet's main joy in her life is her dancing lesson; she is offered a chance to become part of a troupe going to the Amazons. She meets at a neglected Yorkshire mansion an endearing, odd little boy named Henry that begs her to find The Boy; Henry is sure that The Boy is in the Amazons and that he will save the ruined household. Struck with this serendipitious sign, Harriet takes the chance to follow her dream to the far-away land. We meet the bumbling, insensitive suitor, and the tempermental, aging ballerina; we meet Harriet's roommate and friend, Marie-Claude, a beauty who wants to open an inn by the mountains. Sometimes, the secondary characters can "break-or-make" a story; in this case, they perform their roles to perfection.

Like all good books, the plot seems fairly simple until you explain it. I can't go into detail of who The Boy is (surely you must have guessed anyway!) but I will leave in mystery WHO he has become and WHY he is where he is. It wouldn't be fair to compare this book to A Countess Below Stairs, which is what I incline to do. This one is longer, and sometimes does drag on; the agonizing love of Anna and Rupert is not repeated because A Company of Swans is lighter, and more suited to convention (which you will recognize if you've been a long-time romance reader). There is a villain, but unlike the bloodthirstiness in "modern" historicals (is that an oxymoron?) she does not receive her comeuppance as one is used to. But the threads of the story weave together to form an effortless plot and a sweet, charming tale. Rather Dickens-ish in its range of "coincidences" that bring Harriet, the heroine, and Rom Verney, the hero, together, A Company of Swans is nonetheless beautifully written and an engaging read.

Rating:
Summary: A Well Thought Out and Beautifully Written Love Story
Review: Rummaging through a book sale I stumbled across this book. Never could I have foreseen the grip this wonderful story would hold me in until I turned the final page. It's the type of story that one hates to finish because now there is nothing even remotely interesting to read. Poor Harriet, a young woman with no hope in her desolate future except to become the wife of a droll man who is obsessed with bugs. A family so disinterested in her that she might as well not exist. And then her whole life changes in an instant and suddenly a world not even her imagination could produce is opened up to her, as well as the charms of Rom Verney. As I read this story I was caught in the twists and turns of each delectable moment, hoping that all would turn out right when Harriet's existance is hung in the balance of love and learning to let love go. A must read for the person who craves gentle and sincere romance. I can't wait to find other books by this talented author!

Rating:
Summary: A Favorite
Review: This book is not hard to find used or at a public library. Otherwise, I would hate to get anyone's hopes up. There is nothing worse than saying, "I just read a fabulous book and you will never be able to find it yourself." This novel is set in Europe and South America in the early 20th century before WWI, a time period I would like to see used more frequently. The heroine, Harriet, meets a little boy at an English estate who tells her she must somehow travel to South America and find his lost uncle to redeem his faltering estate. Harriet enters a touring ballet company of "Swan Lake" as a dancer in the corps by running away from the stifling home of her father-professor in Cambridge, England. The troupe travels to South America to perform and there she meets the hero, Rom, the lost uncle. There are some amazing coincidences in this book that you might not accept in a lesser work. There are also some big misunderstandings between Harriet and Rom. However, this novel is so well written by its Viennese author that those plot devices cause no annoyance whatsoever. The author's writing style is quite distinct from an American's or a UK writer's style which I found a refreshing change since those two writing groups tend to dominate the market. There are also many humorous moments and characters that will have you LOL as you read. The prima ballerina and the insect professor, to name two, are absolutely hilarious. I am now trying to find this author's other novels, all of which seem to be out of print and I can only hope that I beat you other auction aficionados to the punch! Thanks to EP and LLF for recommending this over on an online message board. You couldn't have been more right about this novel.

Rating:
Summary: Why Do The Best Books Go Out Of Print (OOP)?
Review: This book is not hard to find used or at a public library. Otherwise, I would hate to get anyone's hopes up. There is nothing worse than saying, "I just read a fabulous book and you will never be able to find it yourself." This novel is set in Europe and South America in the early 20th century before WWI, a time period I would like to see used more frequently. The heroine, Harriet, meets a little boy at an English estate who tells her she must somehow travel to South America and find his lost uncle to redeem his faltering estate. Harriet enters a touring ballet company of "Swan Lake" as a dancer in the corps by running away from the stifling home of her father-professor in Cambridge, England. The troupe travels to South America to perform and there she meets the hero, Rom, the lost uncle. There are some amazing coincidences in this book that you might not accept in a lesser work. There are also some big misunderstandings between Harriet and Rom. However, this novel is so well written by its Viennese author that those plot devices cause no annoyance whatsoever. The author's writing style is quite distinct from an American's or a UK writer's style which I found a refreshing change since those two writing groups tend to dominate the market. There are also many humorous moments and characters that will have you LOL as you read. The prima ballerina and the insect professor, to name two, are absolutely hilarious. I am now trying to find this author's other novels, all of which seem to be out of print and I can only hope that I beat you other auction aficionados to the punch! Thanks to EP and LLF for recommending this over on an online message board. You couldn't have been more right about this novel.

Rating:
Summary: A Favorite
Review: This book is one of my favorites. I picked it up not knowing the author at all and became lost in a touching romance. I now try to find her books wherever I can. This is usually in libraries, because most of her adult books at out of print.