Menfreya in the Morning (1966 original; edició 1966)

Cornwall, ca 1870
Harriett Delvaney er vokset op ved sin far, sir Edvard Delvaney, fordi hendes mor døde under fødslen. Han bebrejder hende moderens død og køn er hun heller ikke.

???

En slags gotisk romance? Sir dit og Lady dat. Store kasser af huse med bunker af tjenestefolk. ( )

I like the eerie tone featured throughout this book, set in the latter half of the nineteenth century, but the pace runs too slow for my tastes. Although the plot itself is fine enough it lacks sparkle.

Characters are well-drawn, but like with the storyline, they don’t have enough shine.

Overall, this isn’t the best novel I’ve read by Victoria Holt, but it was still worth checking out. ( )

Harriett Delvaney is somewhat of a misfit in the eyes of her family. Raised by her father, who is resentful towards Harriett because of her mother’s death in childbirth, he makes no qualms of displaying his intolerance of her. Faced with fear, loneliness, and disapproval, she runs away from her London home to an abandoned property owned by the Menfreys, a wealthy Cornish family with a dark past. Opportunely, Harriett is united with the residents of the Menfreya estate and eventually goes to live at her father’s rented home near the property giving her more time with the heir to Menfreya. Although she is no beauty and awkward, she marries the handsome Bevil and is introduced to the family’s secrets which include murder, infidelity, and other trickery. Are her insecurities valid or just her paranoia? As she sleuths her way through life at Menfreya, her character takes shape and the reader discovers it’s hard to put this book down.

The mysterious mansion located by the Cornish sea is entrancing, hence the opening line “To see Menfreya at its best was to see it in the morning”. If you are as enchanted with gothic romance as I am, add this title to your “must read” list. While Holt can be predictable, she never fails to entertain. I read this book in one afternoon and will definately pick it up for a reread sometime in the future. Menfreya in the Morning is one of two books ever that I remember the opening line. Coincidently, I read that this story was inspired by the other title I love so dearly… Rebecca. If you are a Du Maurier fan then you won’t be disappointed by Victoria Holt’s works.

I may have grown up some since I last read Victoria Holt. I still liked it though especially the ending and the fact that the heroine is not beautiful. ( )

A rich politician's daughter is entranced by a grand Cornish home and the family that owns it. Her relationship with them brings her joy and danger as the book comes to a somewhat surprising conclusion. ( )