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Dering Family #1
Vittoria Cottage
Since being widowed, Caroline Dering has been content to live her life solely for her children. Then the mysterious Robert Shepperton arrives in the village. At first, Caroline's gentle heart is simply touched by his obvious unhappiness; until gradually she finds her sympathy turning into love. But the visit of her lovely younger sister, Harriet, to Vittoria Cottage, throws Caroline into a turmoil - because Harriet also falls for Mr Shepperton...It was not until now, when she thought she had lost Robert, that Caroline discovered how much he meant to her...But with her beloved, glamorous sister Harriet evidently winning his friendship and admiration, what can be done...?
250 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1949
About the author
D.E. Stevenson
61 books570 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Dorothy Emily Stevenson was a best-selling Scottish author. She published more than 40 romantic novels over a period of more than 40 years. Her father was a cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson.
D.E. Stevenson had an enormously successful writing career: between 1923 and 1970, four million copies of her books were sold in Britain and three million in the States. Like E.F. Benson, Ann Bridge, O. Douglas or Dorothy L. Sayers (to name but a few) her books are funny, intensely readable, engaging and dependable.
Dorothy Emily Stevenson was a best-selling Scottish author. She published more than 40 romantic novels over a period of more than 40 years. Her father was a cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson.
D.E. Stevenson had an enormously successful writing career: between 1923 and 1970, four million copies of her books were sold in Britain and three million in the States. Like E.F. Benson, Ann Bridge, O. Douglas or Dorothy L. Sayers (to name but a few) her books are funny, intensely readable, engaging and dependable.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
August 4, 2020
3.5 stars, more if you're a fan of cozy, old-timey family dramas with a little romance. If you've read any other D.E. Stevensen novels, this is fairly typical of her work: small English town life in the mid-20th century, often with WWII as a backdrop.
Caroline Dering is a charming, rather quiet widow, about 40 years old, who's juggling the lives of her three children, tight finances, and village life in Ashbridge in the post-WWII years, where everyone knows everyone else's business. Her son James is still far away with the British military; she also has two teenage daughters, one of whom (Leda, age 19) is in love with Derek, the rather aimless son of the local squire. Derek is in law school but isn't doing well and doesn't like it (not that he likes much of anything involving hard work).
Caroline meets a kind, attractive widower, Robert Shepperton, who's moved to the town to recuperate from his war experiences and the loss of his wife in the London bombings. Just when Caroline is starting to get emotionally involved with Robert, her younger sister Harriet, a beautiful and vivacious actress, comes into town and hits it off with Robert as well. Additional drama is supplied by Leda's troubled relationship with Derek.
Stevenson frequently used the "sisters fall in love with the same guy" trope but I appreciated that it played out differently here than in a couple of her other books, where it annoyed me a lot more. Harriet is a goodhearted person, not a wench trying to steal the affections of her sister's guy. The story and plot are very straightforward, but occasionally Stevenson hits you with a bit of humorous writing ("Joss [their dog] was an enigma. This was a breed unknown to the villagers, of course.") or an insight that makes you stop and think.
Vittoria Cottage isn't one of my favorites of Stevenson's books (that would be Miss Buncle's Book, with honorable mentions to Amberwell and Celia's House) but it was an enjoyable read that kept me engaged and turning the pages quickly to find out what happened.
Group read with the Retro Reads group!
Caroline Dering is a charming, rather quiet widow, about 40 years old, who's juggling the lives of her three children, tight finances, and village life in Ashbridge in the post-WWII years, where everyone knows everyone else's business. Her son James is still far away with the British military; she also has two teenage daughters, one of whom (Leda, age 19) is in love with Derek, the rather aimless son of the local squire. Derek is in law school but isn't doing well and doesn't like it (not that he likes much of anything involving hard work).
Caroline meets a kind, attractive widower, Robert Shepperton, who's moved to the town to recuperate from his war experiences and the loss of his wife in the London bombings. Just when Caroline is starting to get emotionally involved with Robert, her younger sister Harriet, a beautiful and vivacious actress, comes into town and hits it off with Robert as well. Additional drama is supplied by Leda's troubled relationship with Derek.
Stevenson frequently used the "sisters fall in love with the same guy" trope but I appreciated that it played out differently here than in a couple of her other books, where it annoyed me a lot more. Harriet is a goodhearted person, not a wench trying to steal the affections of her sister's guy. The story and plot are very straightforward, but occasionally Stevenson hits you with a bit of humorous writing ("Joss [their dog] was an enigma. This was a breed unknown to the villagers, of course.") or an insight that makes you stop and think.
"Selfish people are nearly always unhappy," explained Harriet, taking a brown silk frock out of the wardrobe and examining it carefully before laying it over a chair. "Sometimes they go on for quite a long time before Nemesis descends upon them and knocks them flat, but Nemesis always gets them in the end. I'm sorry for you, Leda."The ending was too abrupt - that's another frequent thing with Stevenson - but there's always the sequels to assuage my curiosity, if I decide to pursue this series further. (I'm open to it, but it's not super-high on my priority list.)
Vittoria Cottage isn't one of my favorites of Stevenson's books (that would be Miss Buncle's Book, with honorable mentions to Amberwell and Celia's House) but it was an enjoyable read that kept me engaged and turning the pages quickly to find out what happened.
Group read with the Retro Reads group!
June 10, 2022
¡Qué historia tan encantadora! Creo que es la palabra que mejor la define. Una novela de esas de "señoras inglesas en pueblecillo" que para mi son un lugar feliz.
En este caso aunque es una historia plagada de humor y buenas intenciones (empezando por su estupenda y adorable protagonista) también tiene un tono algo melancólico por estar tan reciente la Segunda Guerra Mundial y las secuelas que se muestran en uno de los personajes principales, pero tampoco trata de crear demasiado drama, porque D. E. Stevenson escribe historias para acurrucarse en el sofá con una sonrisa.
Y qué gusto da leerlas...
En este caso aunque es una historia plagada de humor y buenas intenciones (empezando por su estupenda y adorable protagonista) también tiene un tono algo melancólico por estar tan reciente la Segunda Guerra Mundial y las secuelas que se muestran en uno de los personajes principales, pero tampoco trata de crear demasiado drama, porque D. E. Stevenson escribe historias para acurrucarse en el sofá con una sonrisa.
Y qué gusto da leerlas...
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October 20, 2022The thing about DE Stevenson is, her books are incredibly safe and kind places while always being aware that the world is not safe and kind at all. People can be rather awful, and we don't discount how much harm even petty cruelties and unpleasantness can do. There is horror out there--this book is set post WW2 and people are badly scarred.
But there is also kindness and love, and people being awfully sensible and determined to get on and do their best, and those small efforts somehow form a bulwark against the world. It's a nice thought; maybe it could even be true, if enough people tried it.
Anyway, these books are warm-bath comfort and escape where you absolutely know everything will be fine, and I think I'm about to binge six.
But there is also kindness and love, and people being awfully sensible and determined to get on and do their best, and those small efforts somehow form a bulwark against the world. It's a nice thought; maybe it could even be true, if enough people tried it.
Anyway, these books are warm-bath comfort and escape where you absolutely know everything will be fine, and I think I'm about to binge six.
December 20, 2012
This is the kind of book that to me best exemplifies D.E. Stevenson's talent. A quiet domestic novel.
Caroline is a widow with two daughters and one son. They live in a cozy house in a small village. Caroline is a type of character that D.E. Stevenson does particularly well--one that somehow manages to be both naive and intelligent at the same time.
One day while she's out picking berries she meets Robert Shepperton, a fairly new lodger in town. No one really knows his history. He and Caroline hit it off pretty well and he enjoys stopping by the cottage often.
Besides their burgeoning friendship, the book also focuses on Caroline's children. One daughter is spoiled and demanding, and one daughter is clever and self-sufficient. But her son James is the only one of her offspring that's really after her own heart. He arrives home from a war midway through the book and it's easy to see why his mother holds him specially dear. (He, along with his eventual wife and some other relatives, also appear in Music in the Hills, Shoulder the Sky, and Bel Lamington.)
Caroline's younger sister Harriet, who is a famous actress, arrives for a prolonged visit and introduces some variety into their lives and a little bit of complication.
The book has a nice, fitting ending.
The only reason I don't give it (and some of D.E. Stevenson's other books) a higher rating is that, to be frank, there's a lack of excitement or plot climax. But when one wants a relaxing book with some good solid prose and almost all likeable characters, she is definitely an author to have at hand.
Caroline is a widow with two daughters and one son. They live in a cozy house in a small village. Caroline is a type of character that D.E. Stevenson does particularly well--one that somehow manages to be both naive and intelligent at the same time.
One day while she's out picking berries she meets Robert Shepperton, a fairly new lodger in town. No one really knows his history. He and Caroline hit it off pretty well and he enjoys stopping by the cottage often.
Besides their burgeoning friendship, the book also focuses on Caroline's children. One daughter is spoiled and demanding, and one daughter is clever and self-sufficient. But her son James is the only one of her offspring that's really after her own heart. He arrives home from a war midway through the book and it's easy to see why his mother holds him specially dear. (He, along with his eventual wife and some other relatives, also appear in Music in the Hills, Shoulder the Sky, and Bel Lamington.)
Caroline's younger sister Harriet, who is a famous actress, arrives for a prolonged visit and introduces some variety into their lives and a little bit of complication.
The book has a nice, fitting ending.
The only reason I don't give it (and some of D.E. Stevenson's other books) a higher rating is that, to be frank, there's a lack of excitement or plot climax. But when one wants a relaxing book with some good solid prose and almost all likeable characters, she is definitely an author to have at hand.
August 6, 2020
In times of stress one could do worse than turn to a D. E. Stevenson novel. Set for the most part in English country villages, they are full of decent people (plus a sprinkling of rotters to move the plot along) muddling their way through life's ups and downs. Her books are comfy and undemanding but contain enough human wisdom to keep you engaged. They are a bit simplistic but always touching.
I liked Vittoria Cottage more than some of her others because the heroine is older (in her forties); sometimes her youthful heroines are just too simple for me, bordering on shallow. Caroline Dering is a young widow in her early forties with three children; the year is 1949 and England is still in the throes of austerity, still reeling from World War II though people are trying to keep calm and carry on. Caroline's marriage was not a happy one and she has settled contentedly into the rhythms of village life, volunteering in the community and taking care of her children. She worries about her eldest, James, in the service in Malaysia, and about her next, Leda, who is spoiled and self-centered and attached to the wrong boy; her youngest, Bobbie, seems to require little thought.
Into this quiet life comes a stranger, Mr. Shepperton, who has arrived in the village to lick his war wounds. When they meet they immediately just fit together, and quickly a mutual attraction grows. But of course, things can't be that simple, and Stevenson has devised a fiendish way to make their road a rocky one. It's hard to know whom to root for and the story keeps you guessing to the end.
My main gripe is that this plot snag is so good that I couldn't be entirely happy about the ending--whichever way it resolved, someone I cared about would suffer. That's life, I suppose, but in this moment I hoped for a more straightforward resolution. But the story is a lovely one, set in a world I am anglophile enough to sentimentalize.
I liked Vittoria Cottage more than some of her others because the heroine is older (in her forties); sometimes her youthful heroines are just too simple for me, bordering on shallow. Caroline Dering is a young widow in her early forties with three children; the year is 1949 and England is still in the throes of austerity, still reeling from World War II though people are trying to keep calm and carry on. Caroline's marriage was not a happy one and she has settled contentedly into the rhythms of village life, volunteering in the community and taking care of her children. She worries about her eldest, James, in the service in Malaysia, and about her next, Leda, who is spoiled and self-centered and attached to the wrong boy; her youngest, Bobbie, seems to require little thought.
Into this quiet life comes a stranger, Mr. Shepperton, who has arrived in the village to lick his war wounds. When they meet they immediately just fit together, and quickly a mutual attraction grows. But of course, things can't be that simple, and Stevenson has devised a fiendish way to make their road a rocky one. It's hard to know whom to root for and the story keeps you guessing to the end.
My main gripe is that this plot snag is so good that I couldn't be entirely happy about the ending--whichever way it resolved, someone I cared about would suffer. That's life, I suppose, but in this moment I hoped for a more straightforward resolution. But the story is a lovely one, set in a world I am anglophile enough to sentimentalize.
September 3, 2015
A charming slice of cottage life with Caroline and her family and villagers-oh so sweet!
February 20, 2021
My cup of tea. Absolutamente delicioso.
February 17, 2016
I will rate this 4 stars because it is so beautifully written and provides a very relaxing read, but it would be 3.5 for the plot, because there are not many surprises to be had. Alisha calls it a "quiet domestic novel", and I think that describes it perfectly: quietly entertaining, and so soothing. A book you can put down and come back to with no hassle. D. E. Stevenson was a fantastic author, so skilled at creating endearing characters, and even if this is not one of her best works, I certainly enjoyed it and shall go on to read the other 2 novels in the trilogy.
August 8, 2020
Enjoyable book about life in a small English village post-World War II. Read with the Retro Reads group, a delightful escape from pandemic worries.
Wonderful characters - my kindle version had a lovely introduction by Alexander McCall Smith, who pointed out that D.E. Stevenson’s books were unique to the time, because they were just normal - regular people living everyday lives, generally in small villages. No psychoses or neuroses, not a lot happens, but he points out that’s why people enjoyed them! And that’s why they deserve to be read today.
I really enjoyed Caroline, our widowed heroine, who’d married a much-older, generally dissatisfied, blaming sort of husband (a lot of interesting discussion on him, even though he’s gone by the time of the book!). Caroline has three children, her beloved James, outspoken and funny Bobbie, and a second daughter, Leda, who is selfish and whiny and takes after her father. Caroline enjoys village life, even though she doesn’t have a lot of money, and post-war rations and austerity make things difficult. Robert, recovering from his wartime work and staying at the local inn, may provide a second chance at love for kind, loving Caroline, but her charming, funny actress sister Harriet comes to visit, and there may be complications...there are romances among the young people, too, but no spoilers!
I accidentally read too many spoilers, so I knew how this would end so skimmed to the end, but that’s okay; no real shockers or surprises, and that’s fine with me, it’s not that kind of book, and I’ve got the Kindle version, so I can revisit the many charming, touching scenes in future! I never get that worked up about spoilers, anyway, it’s about the reading journey for me, and this was a very pleasant, predictable one, just what was needed for now.
Wonderful characters - my kindle version had a lovely introduction by Alexander McCall Smith, who pointed out that D.E. Stevenson’s books were unique to the time, because they were just normal - regular people living everyday lives, generally in small villages. No psychoses or neuroses, not a lot happens, but he points out that’s why people enjoyed them! And that’s why they deserve to be read today.
I really enjoyed Caroline, our widowed heroine, who’d married a much-older, generally dissatisfied, blaming sort of husband (a lot of interesting discussion on him, even though he’s gone by the time of the book!). Caroline has three children, her beloved James, outspoken and funny Bobbie, and a second daughter, Leda, who is selfish and whiny and takes after her father. Caroline enjoys village life, even though she doesn’t have a lot of money, and post-war rations and austerity make things difficult. Robert, recovering from his wartime work and staying at the local inn, may provide a second chance at love for kind, loving Caroline, but her charming, funny actress sister Harriet comes to visit, and there may be complications...there are romances among the young people, too, but no spoilers!
I accidentally read too many spoilers, so I knew how this would end so skimmed to the end, but that’s okay; no real shockers or surprises, and that’s fine with me, it’s not that kind of book, and I’ve got the Kindle version, so I can revisit the many charming, touching scenes in future! I never get that worked up about spoilers, anyway, it’s about the reading journey for me, and this was a very pleasant, predictable one, just what was needed for now.
February 4, 2024
I loved this book! So cozy and satisfying. If you like Rosamunde Pilcher and Miss Read, I think you’ll like D.E. Stevenson.
November 6, 2022
It isn't what happens to you that matters, it's how you take it.
I call it a nice story. I have no complaints. [Perhaps one, Robert's war past was a bit out of the blue to me.]
I liked characters, the setting, but many times I couldn't stop thinking about Angela Thirkell's novels. "Victtoria Cottage" was a younger sister of Thirkell's stories. D.E. Stevenson lacked a bit of Thirkell's fineness, her satirical wit, that perhaps made Thirkell's books less realistic but more enjoyable and wise.
On the other hand, I have found here a few very thoughtful sentences.
When you are young you are too busy with yourself - so Caroline thought - you haven't time for ordinary little things...
Nobody can laugh at you if you laugh first; the laugh with you.
Nothing in this world is permanent-neither sorrow nor joy-and only a foolish person would ask for permanence. We don't stand still, thought Robert. We are travellers upon the path of life.
As Alisha said, it was a quiet domestic novel and a relaxing book with some good solid prose .
March 4, 2016
Esta novela destila un inconfundible tufillo british por los cuatro costados. Y me encanta. D.E. Stevenson recrea de forma sobresaliente la atmósfera hospitalaria y acogedora de un pueblecito inglés en el período de posguerra que es más bien un apasionante microcosmos donde todos los habitantes parecen conocerse muy bien entre sí. Sin embargo, la llegada a la localidad de un misterioso refugiado que ha perdido su casa tras los bombardeos altera el ambiente de calma y cotidianidad que suele regir las vidas de estos pueblerinos. Así pues, D.E. Stevenson nos conduce por la puerta de Villa Vitoria al interior de un relato pintoresco, nada ambicioso y muy ameno que describe las pequeñas inquietudes de estos grandes personajes como en una novela de Jane Austen a la que le quitaras toda la paja.
August 21, 2020
I immensely enjoyed this one. I would have to say it takes a spot as one of my favorite D.E. Stevenson novels. Quiet and simple but very enjoyable. What really made this book for me was the character of Caroline. She now holds a spot with Miss Buncle and Mrs. Tim as my very favorite Stevenson characters. Her kindness, levelheadedness and optimism just made this book enjoyable to read.
The ending was abrupt and left much to be desired. Hopefully, all that was left undone in this book will be further expounded upon in the next book in the series.
The ending was abrupt and left much to be desired. Hopefully, all that was left undone in this book will be further expounded upon in the next book in the series.
January 19, 2016
A sweet, old-fashioned tale of life in a village, and love found late. Small things happen, and good manners and self-sacrifice impede understanding. It's all very English, and just what I needed to comfort me at the end of the day.
February 17, 2021
Enorme coup de coeur por este libro...♥
January 9, 2023
Such a simple little tale, yet it has so many facets to ponder that I can see this story appealing to book clubs. I would like to sit down and have a good gab with others about the two sisters -- the widowed homemaker Caroline and the glamorous actress Harriet -- and their tangled love lives. And Caroline's spoiled adult daughter, and the romantic hero's mysterious past, and the other quirky characters who live in their village. I'm not surprised that D. E. Stevenson was not admired by the critics, yet loved by the reading public. And I'm happy that this is only the first in a trilogy, because I want to know more about the Dering family!
October 10, 2016
The kind of enjoyable reread where you say, "Yes, I will read one chapter before I turn out the light," and then you say, "I remember reading the book that comes *after* this one better than I recall this, so perhaps I will read two chapters," and then you read the whole book when you should have gone to sleep at midnight...
4 1/2 stars - nothing extraordinary but extremely pleasant.
4 1/2 stars - nothing extraordinary but extremely pleasant.
July 11, 2020
4 Stars.
Charming domestic drama.
Charming domestic drama.
April 17, 2022
This one is a cozy English village story of the Dering family. Each member has something fairly dramatic happening in their lives, but even so, it is an easy story to read. The feeling of the people living in the little village, and how they interact, is always entertaining. It is not a funny book but it does have its humorous parts. And it ends with enough of a question mark/cliffhanger that I think I'm going to have to read book #2 (Music in the Hills) very soon!
Will Caroline and Robert get together? Will actress Harriet go on the American Tour? Will James and Rhoda become more romantically involved? What will Leda do with her life? Will Comfort lose weight?! So many questions!! I can't wait for more ;)
Will Caroline and Robert get together? Will actress Harriet go on the American Tour? Will James and Rhoda become more romantically involved? What will Leda do with her life? Will Comfort lose weight?! So many questions!! I can't wait for more ;)
September 16, 2014
Caroline Dering has three children: a son James, who is in Malaya for the British Foreign Service, and two daughters. Her husband has passed on, and Caroline is now responsible for the family. She seems a happy and content soul in this cosy read of D.E. Stevenson's, set in a small English village, but like all characters in a well-written novel, she has a few problems of her own...her identity has been first swallowed up by a selfish and demanding husband, and secondly by her own children.
“Caroline’s daughters did not know her of course. They loved her but they had no idea what she was like. She was their mother. She had always been the same and always would be. They accepted the fact that she was interested in their affairs, but it had never occurred to them that she might be interested in herself or that they might be interested in her. They had grown up from babyhood with her image before them so they never looked at it.”
Caroline married young, partly for security, and partly to please her parents.
"She was grateful to him...so Caroline had said "yes" to Arnold Dering and had done her level best to make him a good wife. She had sunk her whole personality to be Arnold's wife but even that was not enough, he was still unsatisfied.... he took everything and still wanted more. Sometimes Caroline had felt that a woman of stronger, tougher fibre might have made a better wife for Arnold, a woman who could have stood up to him and remained a whole person...."
However, Caroline is well liked and admired by almost all of her friends and finds time to reach out to those who are needier than herself.
"It was important to Caroline to do things right, to do whatever she did to the best of her ability. She saw beauty in ordinary little things and took pleasure in it (and this was just as well because she had had very little pleasure in her life). She took pleasure in a well-made cake, a smoothly ironed napkin, a pretty blouse, laundered and pressed; she liked to see the garden well dug, the rich soil brown and gravid; she loved her flowers.
When you are young you are too busy with yourself - so Caroline thought - you haven't time for ordinary little things but, when you leave youth behind, your eyes open and you see magic and mystery all around you: magic in the flight of a bird, the shape of a leaf, the bold arch of a bridge against the sky, footsteps at night and a voice calling in the darkness, the moment in a theatre before the curtain rises, the wind in the trees, or (in winter) and apple-branch clothed with pure white snow and icicles hanging from a stone and sparkling with rainbow colors."
(You can see from the above descriptions why I have found a new favorite character in D.E. Stevenson's novels!) Like all of us, Caroline Dering certainly has her faults; one of them being, she seems wishy washy at times! She is unable to stand up for herself or to make her children toe the line...but she is nonetheless, she is a very appealing character!
One day a stranger finds Caroline picking blackberries. Robert is recovering from the shock of losing his own family due to wartime bombing in London. He is in need of healing, some good friends, and time to recover. He finds it all in Ashbridge, and in Caroline's circle of friends and family.
"One morning when Caroline got up and looked out of her window she felt a distinct nip in the air...the sun was rising from behind Cock Hill amongst banks of golden-lined clouds but the rest of the sky was a clear pale blue. Winter was coming but Caroline did not mind winter now. She had dreaded it when Arnold was alive.
"There's gorgeous sunshine in Egypt," Arnold would say. "Do you realise that, Caroline? Now, at this very moment when this wretched country is shrouded in fog there are places where the sun is shining." He would shiver ostentatiously and add, "If it were not for the children and this ridiculous little house, hanging round our necks like a millstone, you and I could be basking in gorgeous sunshine."
These complaints and others of the same kind used to distress Caroline - in fact they frightened her - for she felt it was wrong to complain of the children and the house. Supposing they were taken away! Supposing some awful fate befell the children and the house went on fire and was burnt to the ground! Fortunately the Powers that Be were kind and had not listened to Arnold."
For someone who married as young and innocently as Caroline Dering had, it is surprising to see how mature she is and how well she handles adversity. However, she cannot prevent it from occurring in the lives of her children... but luckily, Caroline has a sister, Harriet.
Harriet, Caroline's sister, is a successful actress who isn't afraid to make her opinions known. Harriet helps Caroline to escape from her demanding household by almost forcing Caroline to visit her in London; Harriet talks some sense into Leda, and Harriet begins to strike up a friendship with Robert. But, wait! Caroline likes Robert too. Can two very different, but mutually admiring sisters, survive the competition of a love interest? Will their relationship survive or will jealousy and envy rule the day?
“I’ve thought a lot about happiness,” Caroline continued. “Perhaps because I saw what unhappiness did to Arnold. I’ve sometimes thought, supposing everybody – every single person – decided to do their level best to make one small corner of the world happier. Would that help?” She spread out a wrinkled pillow-slip as she spoke and smoothed it skilfully.
“Like that,” he said.
She smiled. “You mean ironing out the wrinkles. That’s easy.”
“If you know how.”
“I know how to iron out wrinkles,” she admitted, folding the linen carefully. “If everybody did what they could...made a little happiness here and there, just to start with....and then the circles would spread until they touched and merged.”
Caroline helps her housekeeper, Comfort, 'iron out the wrinkles' in her own life. Caroline is not like some who can afford to have a housekeeper; she is not too snobby to care about the trials in the lives of those whom she employs. Comfort is devoted to Caroline, but she doesn't get along with Caroline's daughter, Leda.
Leda does not seem to possess the redeeming qualities that her mother has; Leda has no time to appreciate the lesser things in life. She seems to live for her own comfort; she likes attention, and especially, her own way. The one good thing that happens to Leda is that she becomes engaged to someone who is just as selfish as she herself is....but can two selfish people make a successful marraige?
Vittoria Cottage has become one of my most favorite of Stevenson's novels!
"One moment it was a cold grey afternoon and the next moment it was gloaming. The lights sprang up in the village, first one and then another – then three – four – seven – ten – until nearly every little cottage boasted a square of faint amber light and the village was no longer a bleak, deserted, cowering village but a whole encampment of little homes...warm comfortable homes with tea laid out upon their kitchen tables and a friendly kettle singing on the hob. Caroline’s own lights were especially welcoming. She saw them from afar off and hastened her steps.
Tea was ready in the drawing room, the fire was burning brightly and the curtains were drawn...”
“Caroline’s daughters did not know her of course. They loved her but they had no idea what she was like. She was their mother. She had always been the same and always would be. They accepted the fact that she was interested in their affairs, but it had never occurred to them that she might be interested in herself or that they might be interested in her. They had grown up from babyhood with her image before them so they never looked at it.”
Caroline married young, partly for security, and partly to please her parents.
"She was grateful to him...so Caroline had said "yes" to Arnold Dering and had done her level best to make him a good wife. She had sunk her whole personality to be Arnold's wife but even that was not enough, he was still unsatisfied.... he took everything and still wanted more. Sometimes Caroline had felt that a woman of stronger, tougher fibre might have made a better wife for Arnold, a woman who could have stood up to him and remained a whole person...."
However, Caroline is well liked and admired by almost all of her friends and finds time to reach out to those who are needier than herself.
"It was important to Caroline to do things right, to do whatever she did to the best of her ability. She saw beauty in ordinary little things and took pleasure in it (and this was just as well because she had had very little pleasure in her life). She took pleasure in a well-made cake, a smoothly ironed napkin, a pretty blouse, laundered and pressed; she liked to see the garden well dug, the rich soil brown and gravid; she loved her flowers.
When you are young you are too busy with yourself - so Caroline thought - you haven't time for ordinary little things but, when you leave youth behind, your eyes open and you see magic and mystery all around you: magic in the flight of a bird, the shape of a leaf, the bold arch of a bridge against the sky, footsteps at night and a voice calling in the darkness, the moment in a theatre before the curtain rises, the wind in the trees, or (in winter) and apple-branch clothed with pure white snow and icicles hanging from a stone and sparkling with rainbow colors."
(You can see from the above descriptions why I have found a new favorite character in D.E. Stevenson's novels!) Like all of us, Caroline Dering certainly has her faults; one of them being, she seems wishy washy at times! She is unable to stand up for herself or to make her children toe the line...but she is nonetheless, she is a very appealing character!
One day a stranger finds Caroline picking blackberries. Robert is recovering from the shock of losing his own family due to wartime bombing in London. He is in need of healing, some good friends, and time to recover. He finds it all in Ashbridge, and in Caroline's circle of friends and family.
"One morning when Caroline got up and looked out of her window she felt a distinct nip in the air...the sun was rising from behind Cock Hill amongst banks of golden-lined clouds but the rest of the sky was a clear pale blue. Winter was coming but Caroline did not mind winter now. She had dreaded it when Arnold was alive.
"There's gorgeous sunshine in Egypt," Arnold would say. "Do you realise that, Caroline? Now, at this very moment when this wretched country is shrouded in fog there are places where the sun is shining." He would shiver ostentatiously and add, "If it were not for the children and this ridiculous little house, hanging round our necks like a millstone, you and I could be basking in gorgeous sunshine."
These complaints and others of the same kind used to distress Caroline - in fact they frightened her - for she felt it was wrong to complain of the children and the house. Supposing they were taken away! Supposing some awful fate befell the children and the house went on fire and was burnt to the ground! Fortunately the Powers that Be were kind and had not listened to Arnold."
For someone who married as young and innocently as Caroline Dering had, it is surprising to see how mature she is and how well she handles adversity. However, she cannot prevent it from occurring in the lives of her children... but luckily, Caroline has a sister, Harriet.
Harriet, Caroline's sister, is a successful actress who isn't afraid to make her opinions known. Harriet helps Caroline to escape from her demanding household by almost forcing Caroline to visit her in London; Harriet talks some sense into Leda, and Harriet begins to strike up a friendship with Robert. But, wait! Caroline likes Robert too. Can two very different, but mutually admiring sisters, survive the competition of a love interest? Will their relationship survive or will jealousy and envy rule the day?
“I’ve thought a lot about happiness,” Caroline continued. “Perhaps because I saw what unhappiness did to Arnold. I’ve sometimes thought, supposing everybody – every single person – decided to do their level best to make one small corner of the world happier. Would that help?” She spread out a wrinkled pillow-slip as she spoke and smoothed it skilfully.
“Like that,” he said.
She smiled. “You mean ironing out the wrinkles. That’s easy.”
“If you know how.”
“I know how to iron out wrinkles,” she admitted, folding the linen carefully. “If everybody did what they could...made a little happiness here and there, just to start with....and then the circles would spread until they touched and merged.”
Caroline helps her housekeeper, Comfort, 'iron out the wrinkles' in her own life. Caroline is not like some who can afford to have a housekeeper; she is not too snobby to care about the trials in the lives of those whom she employs. Comfort is devoted to Caroline, but she doesn't get along with Caroline's daughter, Leda.
Leda does not seem to possess the redeeming qualities that her mother has; Leda has no time to appreciate the lesser things in life. She seems to live for her own comfort; she likes attention, and especially, her own way. The one good thing that happens to Leda is that she becomes engaged to someone who is just as selfish as she herself is....but can two selfish people make a successful marraige?
Vittoria Cottage has become one of my most favorite of Stevenson's novels!
"One moment it was a cold grey afternoon and the next moment it was gloaming. The lights sprang up in the village, first one and then another – then three – four – seven – ten – until nearly every little cottage boasted a square of faint amber light and the village was no longer a bleak, deserted, cowering village but a whole encampment of little homes...warm comfortable homes with tea laid out upon their kitchen tables and a friendly kettle singing on the hob. Caroline’s own lights were especially welcoming. She saw them from afar off and hastened her steps.
Tea was ready in the drawing room, the fire was burning brightly and the curtains were drawn...”
September 14, 2020
4.5 stars
This cosy domestic saga, published in 1949, takes place in the shadows of World War II. Although the war doesn't intrude upon the story in an overt way, it remains a felt presence in all of the characters' lives. Food shortages, rules and regulations and the newly formed National Health Service all play a role in the plot, but these are secondary to the sense of emotional loss - particularly for the main characters of Caroline Dering and Robert Shepperton. Both Caroline and Robert have been widowed in the war, although the sort of wounds they carry are different in nature.
I suppose this novel would be categorised as a romance, but it's far more about village and family life and really the romantic bit just brackets the main meat of the plot. For me, the charm of the book - and I was definitely charmed by it -is in Stevenson's down-to-earth observations, her graceful and gently humorous writing style and the sympathetic character of Caroline Dering.
Caroline is described as 'humble-hearted', and I'm always attracted to that quality - both in fiction and in real-life. She is one of those generous and loving people whom you can't help but root for, or at least I can't, and I feel that she probably embodies many of the qualities that Stevenson likes best as well.
This is a 'second chance at happiness' sort of romance, just to give you a flavour. It is unapologetically aimed at those readers (probably middle-aged women) who love heartwarming stories set in English villages. 'Middlebrow', perhaps, but written by a a very knowledgable and wise mistress of the genre.
Caroline and Vittoria Cottage seemed to possess the graciousness of life that he remembered. The house was not really run on pre-war lines, for its mistress did far more work, but the atmosphere was a survival from that other life, it was an atmosphere of peace and kindness and simple gaiety.
Caroline's daughters did not know her of course. They loved her but they had no idea what she was like. She was their mother. She had always been the same and always would be. They accepted the fact that she was interested in their affairs, but it had never occurred to them that she might be interested in herself or that they might be interested in her.
This cosy domestic saga, published in 1949, takes place in the shadows of World War II. Although the war doesn't intrude upon the story in an overt way, it remains a felt presence in all of the characters' lives. Food shortages, rules and regulations and the newly formed National Health Service all play a role in the plot, but these are secondary to the sense of emotional loss - particularly for the main characters of Caroline Dering and Robert Shepperton. Both Caroline and Robert have been widowed in the war, although the sort of wounds they carry are different in nature.
I suppose this novel would be categorised as a romance, but it's far more about village and family life and really the romantic bit just brackets the main meat of the plot. For me, the charm of the book - and I was definitely charmed by it -is in Stevenson's down-to-earth observations, her graceful and gently humorous writing style and the sympathetic character of Caroline Dering.
Caroline is described as 'humble-hearted', and I'm always attracted to that quality - both in fiction and in real-life. She is one of those generous and loving people whom you can't help but root for, or at least I can't, and I feel that she probably embodies many of the qualities that Stevenson likes best as well.
This is a 'second chance at happiness' sort of romance, just to give you a flavour. It is unapologetically aimed at those readers (probably middle-aged women) who love heartwarming stories set in English villages. 'Middlebrow', perhaps, but written by a a very knowledgable and wise mistress of the genre.
February 16, 2021
“Villa Vitoria”, de D.E. Stevenson, es uno de esos libros en los que parece que no pasa nada pero pasa todo. Aunque está lleno de muy buenas descripciones, Stevenson se centra en sus personajes, a los que sitúa en el pueblecito inglés de Ashbury inmediatamente después de la II Guerra Mundial. La vida en esa época fue muy dura: los últimos coletazos de la guerra, la incertidumbre por los que aún no han regresado a casa, los racionamientos, las pérdidas…. Pero a pesar de ello, la autora no se recrea en el drama. Es cierto que tampoco hace mucho uso de su fino sentido del humor y de su ironía, porque tampoco procede. Sí que tiene personajes entrañables y caricaturescos, pero no se burla de ellos. La intención real de Stevenson en este libro es mostrar su fe en la resiliencia del ser humano como especie: el instinto de seguir adelante pase lo que pase y llorar cuando hayamos terminado de reconstruirnos.
February 26, 2020
I feel as though I haven’t yet completed this novel for the characters and their lives continue into two more novels.
Stevenson creates her characters beautifully. The casual self importance of one egocentric character in a conversation over tea sets up his later behaviour perfectly. You would expect nothing less of him. It surprised me that one of the daughters was allowed to treat her mother so callously, but again, it was in keeping with her father’s character whom she was said to resemble and with her earlier behaviour towards a lowly servant. And the self-effacing mother was so keen to put everyone else’s needs before her own that she very nearly missed out on her own well deserved happiness. Part 1 flows well as each character is shown in his or her natural milieu, though Part 2 feels a little contrived when people are thrown together at various social events in small vignettes.
This novel sets up various star-crossed lovers and in the sequels I look forward to seeing the selfish and the churlish brought to heel while the honest, good and true characters enjoy their lives and live comfortably with their fellow men. Stevenson is sure to set the world to rights.
Stevenson creates her characters beautifully. The casual self importance of one egocentric character in a conversation over tea sets up his later behaviour perfectly. You would expect nothing less of him. It surprised me that one of the daughters was allowed to treat her mother so callously, but again, it was in keeping with her father’s character whom she was said to resemble and with her earlier behaviour towards a lowly servant. And the self-effacing mother was so keen to put everyone else’s needs before her own that she very nearly missed out on her own well deserved happiness. Part 1 flows well as each character is shown in his or her natural milieu, though Part 2 feels a little contrived when people are thrown together at various social events in small vignettes.
This novel sets up various star-crossed lovers and in the sequels I look forward to seeing the selfish and the churlish brought to heel while the honest, good and true characters enjoy their lives and live comfortably with their fellow men. Stevenson is sure to set the world to rights.
August 5, 2020
I really enjoyed this quiet novel of English village life c.1949.
I found Caroline, our heroine, to be warm, loving, and absolutely charming. All of the older, adult characters are well nicely fleshed out and recognizable as real people, with quirks of their own. The young adults (Caroline's daughters, Derek) tend to be a bit more one-note in presentation.
I really like the author's mix of day to day life as it is lived and the philosophical musings about life, happiness, and so on. DES is quite skilled at going from the small, intimate picture to the bigger, societal picture and back again. All of which meant that while I sped through the book, totally engrossed with finding out what would happen next, I also slowed down to savor a calm moment, presented with a lovely turn of phrase.
What keeps me from rating it higher is the shockingly abrupt ending. We get an implied resolution to Caroline's story arc, but other threads are just left dangling. (and I fear that the two sequels will not answer my question--'What happens to Harriet?' Harriet--Caroline's sister and my second-favorite character.)
I found Caroline, our heroine, to be warm, loving, and absolutely charming. All of the older, adult characters are well nicely fleshed out and recognizable as real people, with quirks of their own. The young adults (Caroline's daughters, Derek) tend to be a bit more one-note in presentation.
I really like the author's mix of day to day life as it is lived and the philosophical musings about life, happiness, and so on. DES is quite skilled at going from the small, intimate picture to the bigger, societal picture and back again. All of which meant that while I sped through the book, totally engrossed with finding out what would happen next, I also slowed down to savor a calm moment, presented with a lovely turn of phrase.
What keeps me from rating it higher is the shockingly abrupt ending. We get an implied resolution to Caroline's story arc, but other threads are just left dangling. (and I fear that the two sequels will not answer my question--'What happens to Harriet?' Harriet--Caroline's sister and my second-favorite character.)
December 20, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this charming family and the village where they lived.
July 31, 2019
A peaceful, serene story of a middle aged woman raising her children in the rural English countryside after WW2. I love Stevenson's talent with characters that are as human as the readers themselves. Ecstatic that this is part of a series!
August 7, 2020
I did not love this book at the beginning, its style verging on the over-simple for me, but by the end it had certainly won me over with its message. An enjoyable, gentle read, with a great deal of wisdom. I think I'm beginning to see the great appeal of this author.
March 26, 2021
El cielo estaba gris, el viento era muy frío, el pueblo parecía encogido bajo su hálito cruel... y de repente, al bajar por el camino que pasaba por la cantera, la oscuridad se tragó la luz gris. Hacía un momento, la tarde estaba fría y gris y de pronto era casi de noche. Se encendieron luces en el pueblo, primero una, después otra, y tres, cuatro, siete, diez... hasta que en cada casa brilló un cuadrado de débil luz ambarina y el pueblo dejó de parecer gris, abandonado, encogido y se convirtió en un campamento completo de casitas... hogares cálidos y confortables con el té preparado en la mesa de la cocina y un simpático hervidor borboteando en el fuego. Las luces de su casa le parecieron especialmente acogedoras.
En algún momento de la vida llegó a mí la que sería mi primera lectura costumbrista. ¡Y cuánto me alegro de ello! Detrás de ella vino alguna que otra más y hasta hoy. Hasta Villa Vitoria y mi primer contacto con D.E. Stevenson. Todas ellas son novelitas detallistas, agradables y acogedoras. Una muy buena y reconfortante compañía para días grises. Novelitas para dejar el corazón calentito y que dejan más poso en ti del que podrías imaginar incluso tras finalizar la lectura en sí. Son novelitas de las que te hacen ir con gusto de la mano de sus personajes por el paseo de su cotidianidad con un pequeño y acertado punto cómico. Y donde los más pequeños detalles o acontecimientos son los más bonitos y especiales. Los que componen una buena parte de la felicidad y el bienestar. La importancia y el valor de las pequeñas cosas que nos rodean. Y creo que el fragmento que escogí para acompañar esta pequeña opinión en su inicio da buena muestra de todo lo que os acabo de comentar.
Quiero pensar que todo el mundo puede disfrutar de historias de este tipo. No es así. Y lo entiendo. Villa Vitoria no es una historia en la que sucedan un sinfín de acontecimientos con sus giros argumentales y tensión. No. Sencillamente su trama se centra en la vida de los habitantes del pueblecito de Ashbridge. Más concretamente en las aventurillas y desventuras de los propietarios (la familia Dering) de Villa Vitoria y de un misterioso hombre que un buen día aparece en este encantador rinconcito de la Inglaterra rural y que con el tiempo dejará de ser un forastero al que tener siempre en el punto de mira para terminar siendo un querido e involucrado habitante más de Ashbridge. Un misterioso hombre que también se irá dejando caer cada vez más por la vida de nuestra encantadora protagonista: Caroline. Pero ay, Villa Vitoria... Un lugar que se podría definir como idílico para los que somos amantes de la tranquilidad de un ambiente rural. De las flores con su agradable fragancia y su gran gama de colores. De las pequeñas cosas del día a día. Y es aquí cuando soy consciente de que siempre recordaré con especial cariño la imagen de Caroline regalando pequeños ramos de flores a cada persona que durante un paseo pasa por delante de su jardín mientras ella trabaja en él. Y sí. Las aventurillas que nos encontramos son entrañables y divertidas. Pero las desventuras (sin ir más lejos todo está situado tras La IIGM con los coletazos de las diferentes penurias como resultado final) son bastante agridulces. Y Caroline parece ser el blanco perfecto para muchas de ellas. Y si encima todo se acompaña de una narración sencilla e íntima como la de D.E. Stevenson... Cualquier sentimiento que la lectura pueda provocar en el lector será doblemente sentido. Y eso es maravilloso. Y magnífica ha demostrado ser la autora puesto que no hace falta abusar del sentimentalismo, del drama o de florituras innecesarias para emocionar o conquistar a un lector.
En este mundo, nada dura para siempre, ni la pena ni la alegría.
En fin... Es mejor que descubráis por vosotros mismos todo lo bueno y bonito que nos da Stevenson con este primer libro de La familia Dering. Por mi parte y desde este momento sólo me queda que cruzar los dedos para que la editorial que ha publicado esta preciosa, pequeña y valiosa joya se anime a publicar más pronto que tarde sus continuaciones. Servidora necesita saber qué les deparará la vida a los Dering. Sobre todo a mi querida Harriet.
August 6, 2024
Caroline es esa mujer, madre, hermana o amiga que toda persona querría tener. Stevenson sigue maravillandome con su bonita escritura.
March 19, 2022
This is such a strange book. If it wasn’t for the talk about cars and telephones and World Wars, I could’ve thought it was set in the late Victorian era, which I guess is kinda the point. This is actually set just after WW2.
Caroline Dering is a pretty interesting protagonist. I frowned at her submissiveness and she often comes off as lacking agency or the will to make any decisions on her own, but then when you actually take a step back and look at the big picture - she does do a lot of things on her own successfully. She does take charge of her family and her household, and she does put her foot down when necessary. Leda is annoying and spoiled and selfish as shit, but she also displays an unexpected common sense when she encourages Derek Ware to keep at his degree. Derek is still irredeemably annoying.
The book has a surprising number of touching insights about life, especially seen from the eyes of middle-aged people, who are the protagonists of this book after all. One such example is when Mr Shepperton ruminates about how everything is transient in life, both joy and sorrow, and no matter what ordeal or what immense happiness one is going through, one eventually moves through it into a placid neutrality in the end.
Some complaints I have that I could perhaps close one eye to because of the time period it was written in, but which still rubbed me the wrong way. There are some casual racist comments in this one, although somewhat to be expected of books in this era. Luckily, they were only very brief and rare fleeting mentions and wasn’t expounded into. What I wasn’t a fan of was how much everyone kept fat-shaming Comfort Podbury, the Dering’s help. It was already mentioned that Comfort possibly had some medical issues with her thyroid causing her weight gain and perhaps that is a call for compassion, but we are still treated to some truly awful and uncomfortable statements made by the characters about her size. At least there were those who were more compassionate towards Comfort, like Caroline and Bobbie Dering, who tried to encourage Comfort to seek medical attention for her thyroid issue instead of sweeping things under the carpet. Even so, there were still moments when even they were tempted to laugh at Comfort or talk about how slow she is. All in all, she’s depicted as good-natured, dependable, but a bit of a comedic figure and the comedy is all based on her size. While I suppose I’m not too surprised about the treatment of Comfort’s character given the time period this was written, it’s still a little uncomfortable to read in this moment.
The ending was also so abrupt!
Caroline Dering is a pretty interesting protagonist. I frowned at her submissiveness and she often comes off as lacking agency or the will to make any decisions on her own, but then when you actually take a step back and look at the big picture - she does do a lot of things on her own successfully. She does take charge of her family and her household, and she does put her foot down when necessary. Leda is annoying and spoiled and selfish as shit, but she also displays an unexpected common sense when she encourages Derek Ware to keep at his degree. Derek is still irredeemably annoying.
The book has a surprising number of touching insights about life, especially seen from the eyes of middle-aged people, who are the protagonists of this book after all. One such example is when Mr Shepperton ruminates about how everything is transient in life, both joy and sorrow, and no matter what ordeal or what immense happiness one is going through, one eventually moves through it into a placid neutrality in the end.
Some complaints I have that I could perhaps close one eye to because of the time period it was written in, but which still rubbed me the wrong way. There are some casual racist comments in this one, although somewhat to be expected of books in this era. Luckily, they were only very brief and rare fleeting mentions and wasn’t expounded into. What I wasn’t a fan of was how much everyone kept fat-shaming Comfort Podbury, the Dering’s help. It was already mentioned that Comfort possibly had some medical issues with her thyroid causing her weight gain and perhaps that is a call for compassion, but we are still treated to some truly awful and uncomfortable statements made by the characters about her size. At least there were those who were more compassionate towards Comfort, like Caroline and Bobbie Dering, who tried to encourage Comfort to seek medical attention for her thyroid issue instead of sweeping things under the carpet. Even so, there were still moments when even they were tempted to laugh at Comfort or talk about how slow she is. All in all, she’s depicted as good-natured, dependable, but a bit of a comedic figure and the comedy is all based on her size. While I suppose I’m not too surprised about the treatment of Comfort’s character given the time period this was written, it’s still a little uncomfortable to read in this moment.
The ending was also so abrupt!
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