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A review by sonny
The Elusive Miss Ellison by Carolyn Miller
4.0
**oops!Forgot my note that this was Actually a 3.5-rating**
Okay, this was another that was heavy soaked in religious piety, almost to the detriment of its own heroine. But can you also be anti-pious to the point where you see being a devout religious person as a deterrent "flaw"? Yeah, THAT instance became what this couple generated at first glance...a Pious woman who is spending half the book, bringing food stuffs and offering tender care to her Father's [a Bishop to the Hero's village] followers. And a Hero who consistently breaks the heroine down by thinking she is TOO self-sacrificing, possibly bordering on martyrdom, which can be, uh...rather a conundrum, if you will.
A woman who has too much belief in God and a man who has none, not even an ounce of hopefulness. Commence headbutting...
Lord Hawkesbury [ugh, geez, another Nicholas!] is a wayward aristocrat returning to his home to seek out marriage. He has been "away" because he has had to live down the terrible reputation his older brother had put upon their family, through their village. And Lavinia, Miss Ellison, has this inability to see anything remotely viable in seeking a mate or even finding love. She finds her purpose in self-righteous do-gooding, and it wears her down to the point of near-death from small pox.
What's easy to spot is how this wants to be the Hate-to-Love or Enemies-to-Love of Austen's Pride & Prejudice... Lavinia is "Lizzie" to an extent in seeing the haughty Do-nothing, selfish Earl as nothing more than his title and a bag of money he can throw around as he sees fit. She is constantly ON Nicholas's case, like more times than is truly necessary for him to "get the point". She sledgehammers how his family--well, the manager he left in charge to take care of things, mainly, had let the villagers suffer, probably swindled monies, too. How the homes were allowed to become subpar living quarters that were instantly deathbeds as viral infections could and would run rampant. Even though Lavinia is a devout Christian woman, her intentions never had an ounce of true guidance, more of a, "look how better I am than you for being a God-loving person" and then she will go on to literally LIST certain things for each person she is visiting or on her way to visit that need to be reformed or rebuilt or just plain "fixed". Lavinia is very aware how her hands are tied as woman of her generation and having to LOOK UP to people of Nicholas's caliber who make false promises and give little hope and faith, yeah...it tends to sour the signs of deep affections either person could have for the other.
But I felt when Lavinia nagged and complained to Nicholas, he let it go through one ear and out the other. He found her piety too abhorrent and highly unattractive. It's a wonder he could even see past the "halo" she wore on her head, it shined so brightly sometimes on her way to carrying yet another basket of goodies and treats for parishioners.
There is a very odd undercurrent of their knowing of one another, and quite possibly why this can border on complete strangers hating-to-love or people who know one another as enemies-to-love. Lavinia witnessed her mother's very violent death by the feet of a horse at the very hands of Nicholas's older brother, who was purposefully [on a prankful dare/joke] sent on path along a road Lavinia and her mother were on. This has given Lavinia a life-long fear of horses, but will one day come to haunt her as her once quiet, devout Christian life will take a mad-cap wild turn into Nicholas's own world. It's simply weird because Lavinia talks a good talk about living for God, not using monies deplorably and/or making sure you're right with yourself and your people before you try thinking you are remotely a "good person". Check yourself before you wreck yourself...
Lavinia's mother's past life is shrouded in mystery--I guess it is a spoiler but we find out later on in the book, after Lavinia has recovered--miraculously from small pox/influenza [don't forget she "friends w.God"], so, yeah, along the way she learns her Father and Aunt have been lying to her for umpteen years. Auntie and Mother were from Aristocracy. Actually, Lavinia is pretty much the granddaughter to a Duchess--her maternal bio-gran'ma. Lavinia's Mother was kicked out of her house for loving a poor religious man [Lavinia's father] and this also caused Auntie to be kicked out of the family as well. The portion where Lavinia is being prepped and prodded in being the granddaughter of a Duchess is simply a terrible way to shine a brighter light on how much of hypocrite Lavinia was. Once she has access to money, she's suddenly able to widen her sight to bigger and better things...just like she thinks of Nicholas for merely being an Earl.
There an oddity to the portion of this book where Lavinia nearly drops dead, but is miraculously brought into the tender care and home of Nicholas, where he spends many nights...his staff spend many nights and his own family doctor is brought in as Lavinia hovers between living, barely, or dying. Once she does break her severe fever...there is this weird 2-3wk period where the Doctor keeps giving Lavinia a diagnosis that ties her to remaining at Nicholas's house...and this puts a major burden on the gossips as people use every means to speculate that Lavinia was compromised by Nicholas...so he must do the "right thing" and---but he keeps on keeping on this hardcore train of "SHE WAS DYING! I CARRIED HER IN MY ARMS TO A BED AND EXITED. A MAID AND THE DOCTOR HAVE BEEN CARING FOR HER!!" but still people who gossip into town kept thinking of ways to smear it to be...highly speculated they were actually having clandestine meetings as Lavinia lay, ya know...dying...literally, on her deathbed. Jeez, this was an annoying factor that wouldn't go away or lighten. I think readers understood once and maybe a second time under breath at a party...but it went on for too damn long and mainly because THE DOCTOR KEPT SAYING, "IF WE TRY TO MOVE HER RIGHT NOW, TO HOME, SHE MAY DIE". The Doctor was the one imprisoning Lavinia at Nicholas's house, not Nicholas or anyone else
Like I said, Nicholas's return home is shrouded in "purpose in marriage" so he is looked to find a rich wife. The family estate NEEDs a wife's dowry she can bring to the table. This truly erases Lavinia from Nicholas's realm of possibility, but then once she learns of her own "rich/money" connections...Nicholas is informed by his very own mother he is never going to be able to pursue Lavinia, even if she is the granddaughter of a Duchess, because Nicholas's mother and Lavinia's gran'ma have some major, undefinable "beef" between them and she decries he CANNOT marry her. Ever. So it's law. And Nicholas abides it, despite growing to care for Lavinia.
Ooo, I also forgot a weird dichotomy that happens that was just another dramatic twist piled-on, for reasons...and, well, Nicholas always seems a breath away from attempting to find ways to "say something" apologetic to Lavinia for how his brother was at fault for killing her mother. They both were so young at the time and it sent BOTH of them spiraling away from whomever they could've been--Nicholas left home to fight in a war [lost faith in God & fellow man], and Lavinia wanted to BE so good, like her Saintly mother that she forgot about her own self-care. When Lavinia does her visits, she had this mopey, rambunctious elder dog who follows her like a shadow but also was her unconditional guard dog [funnily, he would also clue Nicholas in where Lavinia was near for his daily NaggingFest]...anyway, Lavinia had often told Nicholas that he HAD TO cut down this bit of shrubbery that block people's visual path on a road in the village...and lo-and-behold, one day...Nicholas is on a horse...Lavinia and mopey dog are walking naively and uncaringly...and then, BAMMO! Nicholas instantly kills Lavinia's dog right before her eyes--just like his brother trampled over her own mother...
Worst is, I believe Lavinia had been given this dog as a puppy to alleviate the pain of her mother's untimely death, and then...yeah..
It was a highly oddball angsty dramatic moment, somehow meant to seriously drive home several points all at once. Lavinia had mention to Nicholas this piece of shrub that needed to be cut back because people cannot be seen along the path meeting the road...until BLAMMO!! your longtime dog companion is murderously flattened along your innocent walk to visit sickly, hungry villagers. It's a weirdly played scene because while Nicholas is still guilt-ridden by his brother's recklessness...he has just done much the same to an old dog who was Lavinia's ONLY "friend"...and he is simply plain exhausted from Lavinia's very pious nature, her vile hatred of him and her constant nagging for him to DO STUFF around the town for his villagers and such...This scene felt so misplaced and unneeded, simply to hammer-home several points already made several times, countless repeated times...and some innocent dog character is muddied in some stupid plot tool to create more and more angst and drama...but alas...there is also, a spark of redemption...
I believe towards the end when love is declared and things go hunky-dory, smooth-sailing, Goodw/God... Nicholas offers up Lavinia a brand spanking new puppy of the same or similar breed, So Nicholas is now a great man of God. yay...
Okay, this was another that was heavy soaked in religious piety, almost to the detriment of its own heroine. But can you also be anti-pious to the point where you see being a devout religious person as a deterrent "flaw"? Yeah, THAT instance became what this couple generated at first glance...a Pious woman who is spending half the book, bringing food stuffs and offering tender care to her Father's [a Bishop to the Hero's village] followers. And a Hero who consistently breaks the heroine down by thinking she is TOO self-sacrificing, possibly bordering on martyrdom, which can be, uh...rather a conundrum, if you will.
A woman who has too much belief in God and a man who has none, not even an ounce of hopefulness. Commence headbutting...
Lord Hawkesbury [ugh, geez, another Nicholas!] is a wayward aristocrat returning to his home to seek out marriage. He has been "away" because he has had to live down the terrible reputation his older brother had put upon their family, through their village. And Lavinia, Miss Ellison, has this inability to see anything remotely viable in seeking a mate or even finding love. She finds her purpose in self-righteous do-gooding, and it wears her down to the point of near-death from small pox.
What's easy to spot is how this wants to be the Hate-to-Love or Enemies-to-Love of Austen's Pride & Prejudice... Lavinia is "Lizzie" to an extent in seeing the haughty Do-nothing, selfish Earl as nothing more than his title and a bag of money he can throw around as he sees fit. She is constantly ON Nicholas's case, like more times than is truly necessary for him to "get the point". She sledgehammers how his family--well, the manager he left in charge to take care of things, mainly, had let the villagers suffer, probably swindled monies, too. How the homes were allowed to become subpar living quarters that were instantly deathbeds as viral infections could and would run rampant. Even though Lavinia is a devout Christian woman, her intentions never had an ounce of true guidance, more of a, "look how better I am than you for being a God-loving person" and then she will go on to literally LIST certain things for each person she is visiting or on her way to visit that need to be reformed or rebuilt or just plain "fixed". Lavinia is very aware how her hands are tied as woman of her generation and having to LOOK UP to people of Nicholas's caliber who make false promises and give little hope and faith, yeah...it tends to sour the signs of deep affections either person could have for the other.
But I felt when Lavinia nagged and complained to Nicholas, he let it go through one ear and out the other. He found her piety too abhorrent and highly unattractive. It's a wonder he could even see past the "halo" she wore on her head, it shined so brightly sometimes on her way to carrying yet another basket of goodies and treats for parishioners.
There is a very odd undercurrent of their knowing of one another, and quite possibly why this can border on complete strangers hating-to-love or people who know one another as enemies-to-love. Lavinia witnessed her mother's very violent death by the feet of a horse at the very hands of Nicholas's older brother, who was purposefully [on a prankful dare/joke] sent on path along a road Lavinia and her mother were on. This has given Lavinia a life-long fear of horses, but will one day come to haunt her as her once quiet, devout Christian life will take a mad-cap wild turn into Nicholas's own world. It's simply weird because Lavinia talks a good talk about living for God, not using monies deplorably and/or making sure you're right with yourself and your people before you try thinking you are remotely a "good person". Check yourself before you wreck yourself...
Lavinia's mother's past life is shrouded in mystery--I guess it is a spoiler but we find out later on in the book, after Lavinia has recovered--miraculously from small pox/influenza [don't forget she "friends w.God"], so, yeah, along the way she learns her Father and Aunt have been lying to her for umpteen years. Auntie and Mother were from Aristocracy. Actually, Lavinia is pretty much the granddaughter to a Duchess--her maternal bio-gran'ma. Lavinia's Mother was kicked out of her house for loving a poor religious man [Lavinia's father] and this also caused Auntie to be kicked out of the family as well. The portion where Lavinia is being prepped and prodded in being the granddaughter of a Duchess is simply a terrible way to shine a brighter light on how much of hypocrite Lavinia was. Once she has access to money, she's suddenly able to widen her sight to bigger and better things...just like she thinks of Nicholas for merely being an Earl.
There an oddity to the portion of this book where Lavinia nearly drops dead, but is miraculously brought into the tender care and home of Nicholas, where he spends many nights...his staff spend many nights and his own family doctor is brought in as Lavinia hovers between living, barely, or dying. Once she does break her severe fever...there is this weird 2-3wk period where the Doctor keeps giving Lavinia a diagnosis that ties her to remaining at Nicholas's house...and this puts a major burden on the gossips as people use every means to speculate that Lavinia was compromised by Nicholas...so he must do the "right thing" and---but he keeps on keeping on this hardcore train of "SHE WAS DYING! I CARRIED HER IN MY ARMS TO A BED AND EXITED. A MAID AND THE DOCTOR HAVE BEEN CARING FOR HER!!" but still people who gossip into town kept thinking of ways to smear it to be...highly speculated they were actually having clandestine meetings as Lavinia lay, ya know...dying...literally, on her deathbed. Jeez, this was an annoying factor that wouldn't go away or lighten. I think readers understood once and maybe a second time under breath at a party...but it went on for too damn long and mainly because THE DOCTOR KEPT SAYING, "IF WE TRY TO MOVE HER RIGHT NOW, TO HOME, SHE MAY DIE". The Doctor was the one imprisoning Lavinia at Nicholas's house, not Nicholas or anyone else
Like I said, Nicholas's return home is shrouded in "purpose in marriage" so he is looked to find a rich wife. The family estate NEEDs a wife's dowry she can bring to the table. This truly erases Lavinia from Nicholas's realm of possibility, but then once she learns of her own "rich/money" connections...Nicholas is informed by his very own mother he is never going to be able to pursue Lavinia, even if she is the granddaughter of a Duchess, because Nicholas's mother and Lavinia's gran'ma have some major, undefinable "beef" between them and she decries he CANNOT marry her. Ever. So it's law. And Nicholas abides it, despite growing to care for Lavinia.
Ooo, I also forgot a weird dichotomy that happens that was just another dramatic twist piled-on, for reasons...and, well, Nicholas always seems a breath away from attempting to find ways to "say something" apologetic to Lavinia for how his brother was at fault for killing her mother. They both were so young at the time and it sent BOTH of them spiraling away from whomever they could've been--Nicholas left home to fight in a war [lost faith in God & fellow man], and Lavinia wanted to BE so good, like her Saintly mother that she forgot about her own self-care. When Lavinia does her visits, she had this mopey, rambunctious elder dog who follows her like a shadow but also was her unconditional guard dog [funnily, he would also clue Nicholas in where Lavinia was near for his daily NaggingFest]...anyway, Lavinia had often told Nicholas that he HAD TO cut down this bit of shrubbery that block people's visual path on a road in the village...and lo-and-behold, one day...Nicholas is on a horse...Lavinia and mopey dog are walking naively and uncaringly...and then, BAMMO! Nicholas instantly kills Lavinia's dog right before her eyes--just like his brother trampled over her own mother...
Worst is, I believe Lavinia had been given this dog as a puppy to alleviate the pain of her mother's untimely death, and then...yeah..
It was a highly oddball angsty dramatic moment, somehow meant to seriously drive home several points all at once. Lavinia had mention to Nicholas this piece of shrub that needed to be cut back because people cannot be seen along the path meeting the road...until BLAMMO!! your longtime dog companion is murderously flattened along your innocent walk to visit sickly, hungry villagers. It's a weirdly played scene because while Nicholas is still guilt-ridden by his brother's recklessness...he has just done much the same to an old dog who was Lavinia's ONLY "friend"...and he is simply plain exhausted from Lavinia's very pious nature, her vile hatred of him and her constant nagging for him to DO STUFF around the town for his villagers and such...This scene felt so misplaced and unneeded, simply to hammer-home several points already made several times, countless repeated times...and some innocent dog character is muddied in some stupid plot tool to create more and more angst and drama...but alas...there is also, a spark of redemption...
I believe towards the end when love is declared and things go hunky-dory, smooth-sailing, Goodw/God... Nicholas offers up Lavinia a brand spanking new puppy of the same or similar breed, So Nicholas is now a great man of God. yay...