For some reason I’m having trouble putting my thoughts about this book into words today … so bear with me!
The Daughter of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky
Edwardian Brides #2
Eighteen-year-old Katherine Ramsey travels to London with her family to make her debut into society and hopefully find her future husband. Her overbearing aunt insists she must secure a proposal from a wealthy young man who is in line to inherit his father’s title and estate.
But Katherine questions her aunt’s plans when she gets to know Jonathan Foster, a handsome medical student and strong Christian who is determined to protect the poor and vulnerable in London’s East End.
When a family scandal puts a damper on Katherine’s hopes for the season, she has time to volunteer with Jonathan, caring for children in one of London’s poorest areas, and romance blossoms.
Katherine’s faith grows and she begins to envision a different future with Jonathan. But when Katherine’s work in the East End puts her in danger, Jonathan distances himself from Katherine to protect her. A wealthy suitor reappears, and Katherine must choose which path to follow.
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This book was as good as – if not better than – The Governess of Highland Hall. I couldn’t put it down, and was once-again delighted by the inspirational Christian content and squeaky-cleanness.
The characters were marvelous. Katherine was interesting, to say the least. I enjoyed her realistic transformation from one way of thinking to another. She was loveable, humorous, and brave. I love stubborn characters, and so Kate and I got along just fine.
Jonathon was nice, but I feel like I didn’t know much about them except that he was kind, generous, etc. The character development there could have been a little better.
It was nice to see the characters from The Governess of Highland Hall again, and to briefly get inside their heads. I can’t wait to get to The Refuge of Highland Hall and read more about them!
Oh, and I still HATE David Ramsey. Try to convert him if you will! David … *traces line in air from my eyes to David’s* … I’m watching you.
The plot was interesting. I especially loved the setting – London during the all-important Season. I’ve been researching debutantes and coming-out and all that for a while now, and it was great to my research in novel form, if you know what I mean.
I did find the ending of the novel a little rushed, as with The Governess of Highland Hall. It just all seemed to come together too quickly, too easily. I suppose that might happen in real life. XD
As with The Governess of Highland Hall, there were several subplots which added beautifully to the story. It was also nice to seamlessly slip into one person’s mind after another. I get sick of hanging around in the mind of one character for a whole book. 😉
Content (may contain some spoilers)
In the book, the nefarious David Ramsey was having an affair with a married woman [no details]. It was treated as something very wrong, and David ends up marrying the woman after her husband death. Also, a girl ran away from home with a boy, but they didn’t get married … they just lived together … and there was a baby [no details]. Again, this was treated as a sin, and though she was forgiven, she has to live the rest of her life with the baby and no husband (that we know of, that is … I’m still hoping for something good to happen!). Other than that, it was perfectly innocent, great for any age!
Rating
4/5 stars. Although this was an amazing novel, there were a few things (a bit of character development, a rushed ending) that could have been improved upon.
Thanks for reading,
~Kellyn Roth
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