The Saturday Morning Post (No. 204)

 

THE SATURDAY MORNING BOOK REPORT

Another O Douglas story. At the time I was reading these stories, it was summer, and a hot week of summer at that, and so I had nothing better to do then move on to the next story in the omnibus ebook version that I have of O Douglas stories.

My reviewer criteria. I like light, entertaining novels. I like smaller scale stories rather than epics. I like character focused novels featuring pleasant characters, with a minimum number of unpleasant ones. I greatly value clever and witty writing. I like first person, or close third person narratives. I dislike a lot of "head jumping" between POVs and flashbacks. I want a story, not a puzzle. While I am not opposed to violence, I dislike gore for the sake of gore. I find long and elaborate fight, action, and battle sequences tedious. Plot holes and things that happen for the convenience of the author annoy me. And I fear I'm a born critic in that I don't mind pointing out what I don't like in a story. However, I lay no claim to be the final arbitrator of style and taste, you need to decide for yourself what you like or dislike in a book.

Your opinions are always welcome. Comment below.

The Proper Place by O Douglas  C

Another book of character studies. This time, the plot, such as it was, was meandering, actually disjointed, or perhaps, it might be described as a collection of plots. I don't know why this cover has this old lady on it. There are old ladies on it, but they're hardly key to the story, such as it is.

Our main character is Nicole Rutherfurd. age 24. She is a free spirit, loves everyone and everyone loves her. She lives with her widowed mother and her cousin Barbara, who is far more aloof and concerned with social status. They are of an old family, fallen on to hard times, so that they had to sell their country home and live on modest means in a house far enough away so that they don't run into their old circle of upper class friends. While Nicole readily accepts their fate and finds a new life, Barbara keenly feels their fall from their aristocratic stature. 

Throughout the story we get to know various people, like the people who purchase the Rutherfurd's country house, and the various residents of their new village, including a young boy, again. The story, such as it is, meanders through lots of meeting and mundane events, typical of O Douglas stories. What his story lacks is a sense of direction to drive the reader though all these character study moments, and the reflections on life and whatever, they generate. And what plot(s) there are are pretty predictable. 

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of these novels is the effect of World War One on England, as most every family lost young men in the conflict.