Land of Deborah Alone Again
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The story suffers for the lack of a
Another of Betty's rescue-the-waif stories, my least favorite plot by her, and this one was just okay. It has the usual latter-day Betty elements: the vile relatives; the orphaned, homeless heroine doing her best but not quite making it independently; the rich doctor coming to her rescue again and again before finally acknowledging his insta-love and sweeping the equally insta-in-love heroine off to an HEA ending. There's way too much tell and not enough show.The story suffers for the lack of a truly independent heroine, a staple of BN's earlier nurse-heroine stories, and it made for just a meh read. We pity the heroine, but it seems likely that so does the hero--and pity is a poor substitute for love. I just never buy the HEA in these--the balance between the hero's power and the heroine's is just too uneven. While I like BN's big, Dommy heroes, they only work for me when the heroine can give as good as she gets and I have the real sense that she could walk away and take care of herself if push came to shove (and they often do exactly that, at least temporarily). BN managed to pull that off even in some of her earlier stories-- Saturday's Child comes to mind--because the characters were so rich in comparison to those in WfD. Abigail in SC was far less helpless than Deborah (indeed, her resilience was remarkable), and there's a much greater sense that she is saving the hero--from loneliness and crusty bachelordom and a loveless life--even more than he is saving her. Deborah is flat-out being rescued. I never get the sense that James really needs her. For me, the imbalance is too much. A just okay read from TGB, with a heroine who's a little too unremarkable and helpless for my taste.
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Those who have read Neels before
I love Betty Neels' books and this particular novel will be like catnip for anyone who fancies a trip into Neels-land. Though written and ostensibly set in the 1990s, this book has something of a mid-20th century feel to it - down to a heroine in her early 20s who hasn't the faintest idea what one does with a computer. Indeed, even though Betty Neels wrote for Harlequin for several decades, her books all have something of a comfortably old-fashioned feel to them.Those who have read Neels before will recognize some familiar features in this story. We have a plucky heroine, a very competent and successful older doctor (though not a Dutch one this time) who of course has loyal retainers who dote on him, and a sweet if rather abrupt romance. In this case, our plucky heroine Deborah has spent years nursing first her mother and then her stepfather. Upon the latter's death, she finds that she has not been provided for at all and her boorish stepsiblings are bent on turning her out of the house.
Fortunately, Deborah finds a position as an aide/companion to an elderly lady who has suffered a stroke. There she meets Sir James Marlow, a consulting doctor called in to see the lady who starts to become Deborah's friend and ally in the house when he sees just how much she cares for her charge. Without giving away the whole plot, I'll just say that Deborah suffers a series of employment upsets but being brave and plucky, she just keeps dusting herself off and soldiering on - qualities that endear her to James. She's not the brightest bulb out there, but she's kind, determined and good. Oh, and she has lovely eyes. Those get remarked on all throughout the text, though I did wish folks would quit harping on Deborah's otherwise being plain.
So, if you're in the mood for a sweet, old-fashioned romance, sink into this one. It's a nice comfort read.
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Deborah goes from that job to another much more congenial, working for a friend of James's sister. When Walter
Deborah Everett is an Araminta with "carroty" hair but beautiful eyes, with a nasty step-brother and step-sister. Her step-father, whom she had cared for the past two years, has died and her step-brother, Walter, makes it clear she will be getting nothing. So she takes a job caring for an old lady recovering from a stroke. It is through this job that she meets her RBD, Sir James Marlow.Deborah goes from that job to another much more congenial, working for a friend of James's sister. When Walter and Barbara show up unexpectedly and try to force Deborah to go with them - presumably to serve as an unpaid maid or suchlike - James tells them that he and Deborah are to be married. Of course, Deborah has long since had her DR and James can't get her out of his thoughts.
James takes her to his old Nanny, Mrs. Trott, or Trotty. Deborah finds herself a job, but has to be rescued once more when she catches the measles from the children she was looking after (I'm going to ignore the fact that no one in the 1990s got the measles). Looking at her, James reflects that "it was no good -Deborah had come into his life and wasn't going to go again."
That line is reminiscent of Darcy's "in vain have I struggled" line. This was the high point of the book for me and honestly, I wish TGB hadn't wasted such a great line on such a mediocre book. Perhaps I'll pretend that Tiele thinks this about Becky (my absolute fav Neels book, The Promise of Happiness!).
Nevertheless, James thinks that Deborah deserves to make her own way, if that's what she wants. Of course, she only wants to be his wife, but it's a necessity for them to be at cross-purposes because word count.
So Deborah takes a 3-month course in shorthand (again, no one learned shorthand in the 90s - my high school stopped offering it in the late 70s), typing and word processing. She failed the course. And if that weren't bad enough, her landlady has a massive stroke and dies; her brother inherits the house and Deborah is homeless again. Sir James to the rescue once more - he takes her back to his home and then back to Trotty. He goes back to London, then rearranges his schedule and goes back to Deborah, this time for the D&P while she is still in her dressing gown. When Trotty comes in, they are kissing and Trotty tells Deborah to go get dressed! I did love that!
Meh. Middle of the pile for me. I got impatient with James's dithering and Deborah was a bit of a ninny. Seriously, she couldn't pass a typing course?
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http://bookshelfpicks.blogspot.com/20...
In her quest for independence, Deborah meets Dr. James Marlow at a job nursing an elderly woman recuperating from a stroke and is slowly taken in by his kindness and concern. As she moves from job to job, Dr. Marlow is always there, somehow in the background and picking her up when things go wrong. But as Deborah falls for the brooding doctor, she begins to wonder whether what he feels for her is a romantic passion or the concern for a lost puppy.http://bookshelfpicks.blogspot.com/20...
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While the romance portion of the book is quite satisfying, the other characters are an important part of the book, and, as usual, Ms. Neels does an excellent job of weaving them into the story.
I always love reading Betty Neels books. They are always romantic and a happy ending. Strong hero and heroine overcoming obstacles.
If you enjoy your romances clean, light, fluffy and vintage then you will enjoy the wonderful work of Betty Neels
Deborah spent the past few years nursing first her sick mother, and after her death, her unpleasant stepfather. When he died, which was when the story began, her stepbrother made he
This 1994 book was rather depressing for me. I am really not liking this trope where the poor and destitute heroine goes from one bad job to the next; sometimes it's from a bad job to a worse one with no end in sight. But it's Romanceland so we know the hero will marry her and give our heroine a good happy ever after!Deborah spent the past few years nursing first her sick mother, and after her death, her unpleasant stepfather. When he died, which was when the story began, her stepbrother made her stay alone in the big house as caretaker till he managed to sell it. Grudgingly giving her some money for the house, he left with his equally cold sister. It's a wonder people who were already so rich be so stingy and mean, to their stepsister who looked after their own father too.
After meeting Sir James, he was always rescuing her from ne bad job to the next.
It was funny how he found it irritating that he could not put her out of his mind, and him helping her with the job looking after Mr Oscar Trent. He turned out to be a dear, and the way Lottie teased Sir James was funny too! Though I was baffled by the sudden appearance of the step siblings here. What for do they want Deborah to return with them? Where to? Since each live show n their own posh flats, and there wasn't any elderly left for Deborah to nurse was there? It might be a weak plot device for Sir James to once again come to the rescue...
Anyway it was depressing and tedious to read what happened to Deborah.
SPOILERS
The death of the landlady was the ultimate...Must BN bring Deborah so low? And James's noble intentions to ket Deborah live a life of her choosing...so much time wasted and more anguish for her! To fail BOTH her exams!
We were never told what Sir James specialised in; neurosurgeon? Because he seemed to deal with stroke patients a lot!
I wish both Deborah and Sir James had had more time alone to "date". The time spent driving all over the places do not count!
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Love BEtty Neels, her stories always make me smile and say, "Well done, Betty." Love your characters and the happy endings.
Thank you...
A must read for anyone.
Lovely story I love Betty Neels books always a clean and living at other touches the Heart ❤ strong hero and loveable heroine.
Read it in one sitting. Delightful story. I am glad the steps were taken care of so nicely. All the short term jobs came in handy for Deborah to move forward.
NB - If you enjoy Neel's books join
I enjoyed this story, but it felt like several others I've read by Neels, with nothing to distinguish it. The heroine is kicked out of her home by nasty brother- and sister-in-law, gets a job helping to care for a woman suffering from a stroke, and eventually she comes to the attention of a rich doctor. (Not Dutch, though. lol) Still, for an evening when it's been too cold to go outside, I've a bit of a headache and just wanted a quiet read, this book was fine.NB - If you enjoy Neel's books join the conversation at the GR group Betty Neels Junkies. See you there!
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In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Holland did use h
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