| Title | : | The Broken Wing (Warrender Saga #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 150 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1966 |
Tessa Morley has spent her entire life in the shadow of her beautiful and bewitching twin sister Tania.
Unlike Tania, whose vivacious beauty and outgoing personality have ensured that she is forever in the limelight, Tessa lacks her sister’s confidence and has always been exceedingly shy.
Although blessed with the voice of an angel, and musical talent that far surpasses that of her twin, Tessa has never been given the same kind of chances as her sister because she happened to be born lame.
With the dream of a stage career out of reach, Tessa has taken work as a secretary for Quentin Otway, the arrogant and temperamental artistic director for the Northern Counties Festival who, along with famous conductor Oscar Warrender, is responsible for the gathering of significant musical talent for the festival.
Tania, determined to be cast in the festival’s production of Cosi fan tutte, convinces Tessa to ask Otway for an audition — and without warning Tessa finds herself having to deny her one great talent…her voice.
As upsetting as the situation is, Tessa is willing to bear the hurt for the sake of her sister, whom she loves dearly, but then it seems Tania will even rob Tessa of the man she loves.
Her only consolation comes in the form of Oscar Warrender, whose keen ear identifies Tessa’s skill and who insists that for the first time in her life Tessa must take centre stage.
Will Otway see Tessa for who she really is? Or is she doomed forever to be overshadowed by her sister?
The Broken Wing (Warrender Saga #2) Reviews
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A re-read for me. The second in the Warrender Saga. This takes place six months after A Song Begins. The title refers to a wooden angel that sits on the concert promoter hero's desk. He keeps it even though it isn't perfect and he's a perfectionist. The secretary-with-an-amazing-voice heroine directly compares herself to the angel because she, too is "broken" since something is wrong with her foot making her "lame." If you can get past that antiquated notion of "crippled people" being less than, and if you love martyred heroines who eventually grow a backbone, you'll love this one.
Story opens when the heroine's twin sister insists she arrange an audition with the hero. There's going to be a summer festival at the new opera house up North and she wants in, even though her voice doesn't hold a candle to heroine's. Heroine does as her sister asks and hero is bowled over by sister. Oscar Warrender is not as impressed and is certain that he heard the heroine singing through a closed door and not the sister. Sister makes the heroine promise not to tell anyone she can sing until she (the sister) is firmly established in the line-up at the concert. And sister warns her she's going to go after the hero.
This is fun because all the OWs are awful - sister, soprano, Hero's first fiance and it's fun to see Oscar and Anthea again. Heroine *is* a martyr for at least a third of the story, but she comes around nicely. Hero is just a little clueless, but no crueler in his words than the heroine. They do have some good arguments for an "angelic" girl. -
3.5 stars / B-
Read for the "Kicking It Old School" prompt in the TBR Challenge, September 2019.
For this month’s Kicking it Old School prompt, I went back to Mary Burchell’s Warrender Saga, a series of thirteen novels set in the world of classical music that were originally published by Mills & Boon in the 1960s and 70s. I read the first book,
A Song Beginsfor a TBR Challenge prompt last year and haven’t yet got around to reading any more, although I own several of them, so this seemed like a good opportunity to play catch up. The events of book two, The Broken Wing (originally published in 1966), take place about six months after those of A Song Begins and are focused around a prestigious music festival. The principal characters are the festival’s director, Quentin Otway (who is, of course, both brilliant and demanding), and his super-efficient assistant/secretary, Tessa Morley, who – it’s obvious straight away - is infatuated with Quentin, just as it’s obvious that he has no idea of it.
Tessa and her twin sister, Tania, are like chalk and cheese. They’re not identical twins, in either looks or personality; Tania is a vibrant go-getter and their former actress mother’s favourite, while Tessa is quiet and shy, her reticence always making her an afterthought at home. Tessa isn’t jealous of Tania though, although she does get annoyed by her frequent self-absorbtion; the relationship between the sisters is well written and presented as something that has many different shades. Tania isn’t the evil twin and Tessa isn’t the put-upon doormat; there are elements of that in there, yes, but both are protective of each other in their own way and Tania does take pride in Tessa’s achievements, despite her tendency to steamroller her way through life. Both are talented singers, too, although Tessa - sure has no hope of a stage career on account of her being lame and walking with a limp – hides her light under a bushel while Tania is doing fairly well in the field of comic opera and operetta.
Not one to let the grass grow under her feet, Tania ‘persuades’ Tessa to get her an audition for the part of Despina in Mozart’s Così fan Tutte which is being mounted at the Northern Counties Festival with Oscar Warrender conducting. Tessa isn’t wild about the idea, especially when Tania insists that she – Tessa – must, under no circumstances, let on that she sings as well. Tania knows Tessa has the better voice, but is also sure that her vivacity and stage presence will carry her through; and sure enough, Tessa gets her the audition and Tania gets the part. It seems at this stage that Quentin is quite bowled over by her – although the more canny Oscar Warrender isn’t quite as impressed with Tania and already suspects that there is more to Tessa than meets the eye.
One of the things I always notice when I read much older books like this one is the way in which the hero is almost a secondary character; they’re very heroine-centric novels and we only get to see the object of her affections through her PoV. And viewed with modern eyes, those heroes can sometimes be unappealing; at best overbearing, at worst, dictatorial, and there’s no question that Quentin doesn’t always behave well to Tessa in this book. He says some hurtful things, usually without realising it (and I’m not sure if that doesn’t make it worse!), but at other times, he seems quite in tune with her, and he isn’t too proud to admit when he’s wrong and apologise for it. And although the parallels between ‘damaged’ Tessa (the way her disability is portrayed and spoken of is distasteful) and the little figurine of the angel with the broken wing that Quentin keeps on his desk is howlingly obvious, there’s something about the way they bond over it that is rather sweet and which also indicates a degree of affection on Quentin’s side that Tessa is unaware of. He can be thoughtless, but his ability to show vulnerability and to own up to his mistakes meant I liked him overall.
Tessa could easily have been something of a doormat, but she isn’t. Yes, she puts up with Quentin’s dickishness, but he’s paying her wages and she has a job she loves and she’s not quite ready to tell him where he can stick it. And she’s not afraid to call him on it when he’s being inconsiderate or let him know when he’s pissed her off; she’s one of those quiet heroines who can only be pushed so far, and I liked that about her. I didn’t, however, like the way she was so preoccupied with her ‘lameness’. She walks with a slight limp (she doesn’t appear to need a stick) but in spite of her vocal talent – which, according to Warrender (an expert) is worth cultivating – has ruled out any sort of musical career for herself on account of it. Um. I worked in the classical music biz for several years and met and worked with a number of opera singers, many of whom were hardly built to be rushing around a stage! And as Warrender says, a limp wouldn’t preclude Tessa having a concert career. I suppose there had to be some sort of reason for Tessa not to want to be a singer; it’s just that this one is, and pardon the pun, rather lame.
Compared to many of today’s romances, The Broken Wing is pretty sedate, but its richly realised setting - which is once again permeated by the author’s love for and knowledge of opera and classical music - and clear, precise prose, are definite points in favour. Even taking into account the reservations I’ve expressed, I enjoyed it and plan to continue with the series. -
I reread this one every few years and I don't know why. The h is seemingly sweet-natured but in her head seethes with resentment frequently. The selfish showbiz H calls her his angel for enabling him, but when she loses her temper she can be cruel and she shocks him a few times. He definitely thinks he has her figured out and views her as handmaiden, so these little shocks -- plus a big one -- are needed for this to be an acceptable relationship. The disability angle is going to be offensive, so prepare yourself now.
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It's kind of impossible to swallow some of these Mary Burchell books as a 21st century reader, particularly the ones that are about a girl falling for her employer. I can feel my eyebrows raising more and more and more until they practically disappear into the hairline. "Oh, that's not ok.... Oh, that either.... Oh... HR is going to have something to say about that." 😂 There's just no compartmentalizing at all between work relationships and personal relationships. And it sits weirdly. You can't really go backwards in time and inhabit a mindset where these things don't matter.
So why do I still read Mary Burchell? Well, she's amazing at plot and drama of the page-turning variety. It might be a strange comparison, but to me it's similar to how I felt as a kid reading Nancy Drew. As in, cliffhanger, cliffhanger, cliffhanger, TA-DA! A dramatically interesting episode that requires very little effort.
And that's what we get here. Tessa, secretary to a music director, is wrangled into asking for an audition for her prettier, sparklier sister Tania, who always manages to wrap people around her little finger. But it's Tessa who has the stronger voice, a fact of which her employer is completely unaware. However, Oscar Warrender, the music conductor featured in the preceding book, figures it out and concocts a plan to have Tessa save the day at a big music festival they are hosting. (Incidentally, Warrender is much nicer in this book than in the first one, where I had a lot of issues with him.) -
3.5 to 4 this one was cute.
Wont give details, St Margaret’s review has them all.
I liked that I saw a lot more of Anthea and Oscar (from the first book) but is that really a justification for rating a book that should stand on its own? 🤔
I found it cute that the young heroine had a crush on her boss, the Hero. She happily puts up with his inconsiderate demands, although he was charming with it and calls her his angel. Cant help feeling that he will be a loving if somewhat thoughtless husband 😐
I felt bad that the heroine thought she had to hide her talent in favor of her lively sister, Im actually glad that envy and resentment made her a stonger person, able to stand up for herself.
However, this is where it lost a star for me (some spoilers)
I felt so bad for the heroine when the nasty diva shows up at the last minute, and the heroine loses her chance to perform. I wanted everyone to be amazed by her singing talent.
In the end, the Hero tells the heroine he misses her quiet, self-effacing ways! WHAT!!! 😤 Although he was dazzled by her talent (that she had hidden up until then) I get a bad feeling that he will keep it all for himself.
Some spoilers and hanging threads I could not come to terms with:
In the end, the Hero says to the heroine, not to resent him for his flirtation with the sister at the start! What!! Had he really been initially attracted to the sister instead of the heroine? Was that why he moved the sister to the manor house, instead of the hotel where she was booked (the H and h even had a spat over this).
Also i think the ex-fiancée was really out to cause trouble. I didnt buy for a second that she supposedly made a mistake between the sister and the heroine!
So yes 3.5 only because of Mary Burchell’s amazing writing. -
Condescending about disability, and the hero's a jerk to the heroine for most of the book. I really, really, really loved the heroine Tessa's interactions with Oscar and Anthea, though, and would have loved this as a coming-of-age and opera-awesomeness tale, had the romance not been dreadful.
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Glad to see Oscar and Anthea again!
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Definitely didn't like this as much as I did the first Warrender book ages and ages ago, but I was still pretty into this despite it being deeply odd to read a heroine repeatedly refer to herself as "lame" in 2023. This book features a dumb misunderstanding that made complete sense for the characters so I didn't mind it as much, but I also could have done without it entirely. Will be checking out the rest of these before my KU sub ends.
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A wonderful read, but hugely disappointing both as a romance and as a rags-to-riches/stardom story.
There's no romantic tension between the hero and heroine Tessa. He's there from the start, so there's no "meet cute" (a term I hate, but still) and it's boss/secretary - which is never terribly sexy, frankly - and his name is Quentin Otway. He seems more like the gay Rupert Everett character than a romantic hero.
Then he says something so awful to her at the beginning that I don't see how she can come back from it. He's a "perfectionist" so he can't bear anything imperfect.
And heroine has a limp. Some sort of club foot or something (we're never told) and this has supposedly prevented her from having a proper career in singing because she can't skip around the stage like a spring lamb. I mean seriously, Montserrat Caballé, anyone? Pavarotti? There's a reason "when the fat lady sings" is such a cliché - opera stars are hardly known for being gamine.
Besides which as famed composer Oscar Warrender later points out, what's to stop her from singing in concerts? Quite how no one else, including her singing teacher, has ever considered this is stupid.
The scene with the supposedly Evil Sister Tania is wonderful, when she usurps Tessa's voice, but she never gets her comeuppance. And it's all rather sugary-sweet-sisterhood later on, in the same manner that ruined the later Charmed series.
And let's not forget that Quentin did have a "flirtation" with Tania at the start - after meeting Tessa - so the heroine feels really second best.
Then right at the end, what should be her star-making moment of utter glory doesn't happen. But hey! She has a proposal from Mr Wanker. Who confessed to being so threatened by her talent that it's likely she'll never have a career."And I will be whatever you want me to be. If you love me best without the stardust round me, I’ll be your quiet, retiring Tessa for the rest of my days. In any case, I don’t think I ever want to go on a platform again."
Bleurgh. -
While I adored A Song Begins, the first Warrender Saga romance, the second, The Broken Wing, didn't offer the same magic. The heroine is quite likeable, as is the hero, but the harping on her "lameness" really grated after a while, not a terribly long while either - like by the third chapter. What I cannot deny is what a fine prose writer Burchell was and how her capacity for subtlety, even in characterization, and her bringing to life of the opera-world setting, leave her without match in the genre. If you'd like to read an extensive review, please follow the link:
https://missbatesreadsromance.com/201...
Please note I received an e-ARC of The Broken Wing from Endeavour Press, via Netgalley. Endeavour is reissuing Burchell's books. The Broken Wing was originally published by Mills and Boons/Harlequin in 1966. -
3.5 stars
I have forgotten how manipulative Oscar could be! -
What a joy! I'm binge-reading this series and loving it. Just a sweet, gentle old fashioned love story.
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A sweet heroine and a jerky hero (he actually tells his ex-fiancee that he plans to marry the heroine before he gives her any idea he is serious about her), but well written. Somewhat condescending toward the "crippled" heroine, but it's a novel of its time (1966). If you are an Oscar and Anthea Warrender fan, they are in the book quite a bit.
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Cute, clean read
Ohhh, I liked this far better than the first book.
There was a little angst, a little misunderstanding and a far more sympathetic H. -
I really like the heroine, her character arc, and the musical background. The treatment of her disability (not sure exactly what her medical condition is, but she has a limp and pain in one of her legs) is not great though I do like that she moves toward accepting it as just a part of her that doesn't have to be a big issue. The platonic relationship between the heroine and Oscar and Anthea from A Song Begins is more satisfying than any of the romance in this book (aside from the continuing relationship between Oscar and Anthea). I really do not like the "hero," who never really redeems himself in my eyes. He's an ass in a sort of mundane way, he's unpleasant because he could be any jerk I know, and although I believe he loves the heroine I don't believe he would treat her particularly well after they're married. At one point the heroine calls him out on the way he treats her ("You—you take every advantage of being in the stronger position, and you restore your own pride by trying to make me feel small") and she's absolutely right. By the end he's impressed by her vocal talent and afraid that she'll leave him because of it so he isn't as nasty, but I honestly think he'll go back to his old attitude if she doesn't fall in with everything he wants in the future. So to make this a happy ending in my mind they break the engagement, her musical career blossoms, and she happily moves on with someone new.
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I was still thinking about this book after a couple days so I reread part of it, and on reflection I like the romance more. On a second reading with more distance from his harsh treatment of her earlier on, I think his worry that she would grow away from him is more understandable. It's natural for anyone to feel that way about someone they love -- and especially, I think, for a man of his time to feel that way about a woman -- and the important thing is how they act on those feelings. I appreciate that the hero was honest about his insecurity in that last conversation and realized that it was "ungenerous and unworthy," and the ending does leave open the possibility of a musical career for the heroine (which I think he would support, if she chose to pursue it). That said, I still think this is a better bargain for him than her. -
Have two copies, Kindle and paperback that I have kept for 40 years. I pruned a 2000 collection of Harlequins a long time ago but picked out favourites for keeping and have carried them with me all these years. They are as good as I remember and I am glad I kept them. This is book two of the Warrender series and I love how easy and fast the read is with pleasure at the ending.
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aka
The Broken Wing -
Sweet but a product of it’s time. Thank goodness attitudes towards women and disability have changed.
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How I felt for poor Tess - she suffers unrequited love to an arrogant and sometimes cruel man and at all turns her hopes and dreams are trampled underfoot by a selfish turbo-mega bitch of her twin sister. I loved how the H is transformed by his feelings for the h - he moves from a thoughtless and quite frankly unfeeling a-hole to being all out afraid of her power over him, and at the last he's shaky and uncertain and telling her he makes himself sick by how he can be at times and that he's utterly unworthy of her. Damn, it's so RARE that you get genuine, heartfelt introspection and grovels in Mills & Boon. This one delivers in spades. Truly the most satisfying feeling.
I wish that Tanya, the vile twin, got at least some comeuppance for her nastiness - but alas - she not gets away with it she also gets her own HEA.
I am blown away by Mary Burchell - these are the short Mills & Boon format books, but they pack in the drama and punch of full length novels. She's one of the best writers I've encountered in the romance genre. -
This was so promising - a great setup, and a heroine holding it together and only showing the strain in occasional terse comments, and a understandable misunderstanding - and yet the ending was so bad that I don’t think it could be called an ending.
There was something clever, even subversive, about But what happened after that was infuriating.
The only thing this non-ending resolved was the misunderstanding. Everything else in this story - by which I mean all the character development - went absolutely nowhere. -
Even more wish fulfillment than the first. The overlooked sister triumphs! But I also really appreciated that the "bright and shiny" sister was supportive and always knew her sister was the talented. I feel like that's rare.
The main character was born with a leg disability and be aware the book uses the l-word to describe her. She considers it a dealbreaker for a singing career, but several people challenge on her on that, which is cool.
The romance falls prey to a Big Misunderstanding, but . . . it felt fairly real? It made sense why they each thought what they did.
Anyway, these books might be just what I need for right now. -
Ugh. The heroine has all the will and personality of a wet dishrag, while the hero is an entitled ass who spends most of the book flirting with her sister before telling her he prefers her, his submissive and broken secretary.
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3.5 stars. I am thoroughly enjoying reading my way through this lovely vintage romance series.
