I came across this in one of the many bookstores that we visited in London (Foyles, Hatchards, Daunts, Waterstones). The cover appealed to me (yes the cover does influence my decision).
Here’s the blurb …
When her bohemian life in Paris falls flat at the beginning of the First World War, Sally Lunton returns to the care of her guardian in Little Crampton to find a husband. With some encouragement from the local busybody, she makes a play for Mr Bingley, the bank manager, although she has a rival in Mrs Dalton, a widow with a young daughter to raise. These two ladies form a quiet alliance, recognising that the prize isn’t really worth fighting over but respecting the other’s pursuit of financial security. Sally aims to win but is distracted by her unsettling emotions for a soldier tortured by his experience at the Front. This entertaining novel is full of acute and humorous observations of male and female attitudes to love and marriage. Sally is a spirited heroine, who is determined to settle into a comfortable life now that she is in her early thirties. But in securing her future, Sally must also face her past.
This is a fabulous novel. Sally is a charming, witty heroine, Miss Maggie Hopkyns is officious and evil, Mr Bingley pompous, but then unexpectedly sympathetic. This novel shines a light on the double-standard women faced – the man gets married and has a family, while the women is an outcast.
A review.