Lady Barbara's Dilemma

This appears to be the last of three stories featuring the Duke and Duchess of Sutton from "Miss Ware's Refusal". As such, if you liked the first and second stories (part two was "Autumn Rose"), then you will want to read this one too.This novel is a little shorter than the other two but still has the author's trademarks of grown ups dealing in an adult way with realistic problems, memorably sketched characters and tight plotting.Again we have a dual level story with two heroines: Lady Barbara Stanley, the close friend of Judith Ware Ballance, and Deborah Cohen, a Jewish resident of the old London East End. The heros are Lord Alexander MacLeod and Sir David Treves.The story is about how Lady Barbara, hoping for a marriage like that of the Suttons, makes a false start by becoming betrothed to the Marquess of Wardour. Through a lovely platonic friendship with Sir David, she comes to learn a lot about herself and her life views such that she breaks her engagement when she realises that Wardour does not come up to her most personal criteria as a life partner. Sir David accidentally meets Deborah Cohen and through her re-examines his Jewish faith and his role in both the Jewish and wider English community. He is loosely modelled on the Rothschilds who were so invaluable to Wellington's peninsular campaign.Alexander MacLeod is the grandson of a duke who wishes to make music his life's work in a time when being a working musician or composer was simply not acceptable to the higher echelons of the aristocracy and "polite" world of regency times. He has a critical impact on all of the main characters.The author writes about music, Judiaism, Tory-Whig politics and the class and social barriers of the times with authority and without "preaching" or "teaching". She wears her research lightly and makes such an unlikely topic come brilliantly alive in this story. Everything works out in the end but you realise that you have spent a few hours in the company of characters who have become very much alive. She particularly celebrates close friendship as demonstrated by some very touching scenes between Lady Barbara and the Duchess of Sutton. I could read a number of stories about the people we meet in these three novels if only the author provided them and I highly recommend this one as well as the other two in the trilogy.

If you are interested in discovering a new (even if out of print) Regency genre author I highly recommend Farrell - I was led to her by a terrific review of the first book in this group of connected stories "Miss Ware's Refusal" - it's top flight and I recommend reading that one first. This one is the third (I think, I'm still looking for others) after Autumn Rose. This is the story of Lady Barbara Stanley - best friend of Judith Ware - and her search for a husband. Her best friend and her brother have excellent loving marriages, so her standards for a future spouse are high. She thinks she has found him; he is titled, wealthy, NICE, and has a terrific and supporting mother. She even really likes his kisses. What more could a girl ask for? Well, someone who supports Lady Barbara's passion for music perhaps? Alec Gower is that violinist - however he is totally unsuitable from a social point of view. However, the real sticking point comes over Lady Barbara's platonic friend Sir David Treves whose own romance is not without problems. What is wrong with him? He's Jewish. Marjorie Farrell is to be congratulated on her well researched presentation of the Jewish "problem" in this time period in Britain. How all these problems are presented and then resloved makes for a highly enjoyable read, with thoughtful intelligent characters and no stereotypes- also no outside mystery and mayhem plot devices - just people trying to get their lives in order. Enjoy!!!