Daisy

I just bought and paid for this used book. Had I bought it new when it was first published almost 30 years ago, I would have paid a fraction of what I paid this month. And there's a good reason why I and other fans of Cheney are willing to pay. Book seller's have caught on that we fans of "Marion Chesney" novels are devoted followers of her work and will also buy her other books she penned under other names: Sarah Chester, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, Jeannie Tremaine and later as M.C. Beaton to pen her mysteries. The basic story line is similar to Georgette Heyer's much earlier classic "The Convenient Marriage." But this is where the similarities end. The rest is pure Chesney/Tremaine story telling at it's best. (Some of Heyer's novels have put me to sleep but none of Chesney's and variously penned novels have) The fact that it's setting is Edwardian is just a different flavored icing to me. I am more concerned with the characters and good writing. Daisy delivers on both. If you're a fan, this thin stand-alone novel will not disappoint.

After graduating from school, Daisy's life is changed dramatically. She was the ward of a moralistic woman, but the woman dies and Daisy finds herself thrust into "society" by the fact that her profligate father, forced to live in France, had a title. Daisy is fooled by one man after another, including her father, before she discovers the meaning of life. You guessed it: real love, not the bed hopping that seems to pervade Daisy's new-found companions--except for one man. And the reader will know who he is all along. There is a great deal of wry humor and social criticism of the unemployed wealthy who look down upon people who have honest employment, i.e., who are "in trade." As for the poor, the so-called upper class believe they are poor because they are simply lazy--which some still believe in America. Quirky characters abound in the book, too many to describe, but readers who are Wodehouse readers will recognize the types. In fact, if this book were republished with Wodehouse as the author, few would question the change. In short, this is an enjoyable brief diversion, not great but not bad.