| Title | : | The Buttonmaker’s Daughter |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 385 |
| Publication | : | Published January 12, 2017 |
May, 1914. Nestled in Sussex, the Summerhayes mansion seems the perfect country idyll. But with a long-running feud in the Summers family and tensions in Europe deepening, Summerhayes’ peaceful days are numbered.
For Elizabeth Summer, the lazy quiet of her home has become stifling. A chance meeting with Aiden Kellaway, an architect’s assistant, offers the secret promise of escape. But to secure her family’s future, Elizabeth must marry well. A man of trade falls far from her father’s uncompromising standards.
As the sweltering heat of 1914 builds to a storm, Elizabeth faces a choice between family loyalty and an uncertain future with the man she loves.
One thing is definite: this summer will change everything.
The Buttonmaker’s Daughter Reviews
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It is 1914 England and Elizabeth Summer’s father is bound and determined to create a beautiful summer garden at their home in Summerhayes. Elizabeth is 19 years old and her father wants her to marry and to marry well. Elizabeth can’t see herself marrying the man that her father thinks is perfect for her, in part because he is old enough to be her father. More than that Elizabeth is drawn to the architect working on the garden, Aiden Kellaway. Because he is a tradesmen and not of the peerage, any romance between Elizabeth and Aiden is very well doomed.
War is on the horizon in Europe and even with the darkness that is brewing, Elizabeth finds herself more and more drawn to Aiden. Will she choose a future that will make her happy or will she do what is best for her family? Also, what effect will the war have on Aiden and others in this wonderful story?
This first book in the Summerhayes series was very touching, especially when a girl who deserved all the best might’ve been forced to accept something that would make her very unhappy. There is conflict within the family, not with just Elizabeth and her perspective romance, but her father Joshua is dealing with friction when it comes to his brother-in-law Henry. This could possibly have a devastating effect on the beautiful project that Elizabeth’s father has set out for the estate.
Another touching feature to this book is that Elizabeth’s brother William is quite unwell, and his trials are there for the reader as well. More than that, William‘s best friend Oliver is spending the summer with the family and there are things about William that are really moving in the story. This story is a re-release of The Buttonmaker’s Daughter and I am quite pleased that I got the opportunity to read and review this often heartbreaking book. I also read the next book in the series, and it was equally enjoyable, The Secret of Summerhayes.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Please enjoy my YouTube video review -
https://youtu.be/OIlHaFIBkNM -
http://www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/2017/0...
Our first introduction to the Summer family is Elizabeth’s father, Joshua, in a towering rage. Summerhayes is adjoining the estate of Joshua’s brother-in-law, Henry, and he’s done something on purpose to sabotage a project Joshua is undertaking on his estate. This feud is a theme throughout The Buttonmaker’s Daughter with dire consequences. I enjoyed the suspense this gives to the story, often angry myself! and heavy hearted for a couple of our characters.
Elizabeth is quite a wilful character and identifies with the purpose of the Suffragettes. Disliking her London debut she prefers life on the Summerhayes estate… until she meets apprentice architect Aiden Kellaway who unsettles her and makes her acknowledge things she’s been burying. Their clandestine friendship is one that grows from being gentle into a force to reckon with (fitting for the time period The Buttonmaker’s Daughter is set). I’m looking forward to seeing the development of their relationship in the sequel.
William (Elizabeth’s brother and heir to the estate) and his friend Oliver really captured my heart. Both misfits at boarding school and not fitting in anywhere, they find a kindred spirit in each other. One scene in particular is on playback in my mind, showing just what loyalty means and how much stronger William is than I ever gave him credit for.
Their parent’s marriage of convenience overshadows them as people. Father Joshua comes across as a know-it-all and I think there’s more to him beneath that bluster. Mother Alice appears to surrender so much but I’m hoping to see a different side to her in The Secret of Summerhayes.
The settings, life on the estate and politics are skillfully brought to life. One thing that I hadn’t thought that much about before was the relationship between ’employer’ and ’employee’ and the trust that has often grown through years of service – making these relationships unique. Alice’s dinner party is only one example of how complicated those relationships can be.
The Buttonmaker’s Daughter ends on a climax. What happens to Summerhayes next? Will Henry recover his fighting spirit? Does William become the man I think it’s possible for him to be? Will Elizabeth prove her dad wrong? Will Alice find an inner core of steel? So many questions! I’m going with Elizabeth’s feelings about the wilderness and Italian garden – I’ve conjectured about what the secret may be but haven’t come up with an answer that fits!
If you enjoyed watching Downton Abbey you will definitely enjoy The Buttonmaker’s Daughter. A recommended read from me. -
Good Read
The book is comparable to Downton Abbey. The author's writing mechanics were excellent. The book is romance, mystery and historical fiction. The main characters, Aiden and Elizabeth, and their love, signals the change of the English class system beginning around 1914 and continuing from there. I liked the story of two young boys coming into their manhood and being confused about their sexuality. The book abruptly ended without a resolution to the several mysteries the author had going. So, if I want to know what happened to the characters, I have to buy the next book in the series.
Thank you, Ms. Allingham, for a good read. -
Merryn Allingham is a new author for me to begin my 2017 reading although looking on Amazon it seems she has already written a trilogy based around the life of a young girl called Daisy. This book The ButtonmMaker's Daughter is based in Sussex during the hot summer of 1914 just before the outbreak of World War One. The Summer's family live on the estate, Summerhayes, that patriarch Joshua has spent many years building to his exact specifications in order to see his dreams for house and gardens become a reality. Now the gardens are finally nearing completion with the building of a lake with an accompanying Italian garden and temple which will compliment the already stunning gardens and vegetables patches and greenhouses. One would think this is a family ideal and life is perfect and all the residents live in peace and harmony. But that is not the case in any sense of the word.
Joshua is a character who had times can show his softer side and offer brief glimpses of compassion yet for the majority of the novel I viewed him as a distasteful character who was never happy with his lot and who had a fierce temper which left his family and those near him often frightened and bewildered. The sole focus of this book is not based on Joshua but rather on his family members and how they are coping with a season of unrest and change both on the wider world scale events and on a personal level. It seems there is someone out to seek revenge and air their malice and resentment at every given opportunity. The restful Summer and indeed life some family members may have desired will not come to pass.
Alice is married to Joshua and we soon discover this is not a marriage of love but rather one of convenience as her true love could never come to pass as her family needed someone with money who could make the estate profitable. Joshua being a business man and owning a successful button factory fitted that criteria and Alice had to let her own true feelings become deeply buried. It is her two children Elizabeth aged 19 and William aged 14 who are her true loves. Yet Alice is bound by her husbands rules and must stand by him and think of the bigger picture. God how I hate that women at the time couldn't be who they wanted to be instead they were heavily bound by rules, regulations and expectations.
Even Elizabeth felt this in more ways than one. She loved the estate and all it had to offer and she really wanted to indulge in her passion for painting but Joshua had marriage plans for her and he wanted them fulfilled. Despite a season in London she had refused two offers so her father was taking things into his own hands even if that meant renewed contact with his brother in law Henry Fitzroy who lives at Amberley the neighbouring estate. He was a spiteful, malicious, evil character who I detested and I couldn't say much better about his wife Louisa. Revenge was at all times in the upper most of his mind and the ways in which we think he exacts it were cruel beyond belief and hit those innocent characters where it hurt the most and at their most vulnerable points. The connections between the Summerhayes' and the Fitzroy's were confusing at first as the background to everything had to be established but around the half way point it all started to make sense and an interesting story began to unfold even at times I didn't like what was happening.
When Elizabeth encounters architects assistant Aiden Kellaway in the gardens she realises this is a man she wants to get to know better. He is Irish and not from the class her parents would wish for but one must listen to what one's heart is saying. Throughout the summer stolen moments are grabbed at every opportunity and William and Oliver ( a Jewish school mate of Williams staying for the summer) pass notes between the pair and help in the collusion. But as I have mentioned Joshua has bigger plans for Elizabeth and she needs to be married off and here Henry again comes into play but I really just wished he had been kept out of everything as he had a more sinister plan up his sleeve for reasons that become clear nearer to the end of the book. My heart broke for Elizabeth at everything that unfolded and the position she was put in.I thought her mother could have been more loyal and understanding but when we read of her own personal situation and what society and family demanded it make more sense although I didn't necessarily agree with it at all.
I had thought the Buttonmaker's Daughter would be a story all about how one family cope with the terrors of World War One but it was very different kind of read. Although it may not have been what I expected it to be, the more I read and understood the tone and plot lines of the book the more I came to really enjoy the story. For the first half I did have mixed feelings as to whether this was a truly good read. I had found it until the half way point to be only OK but then things got going and I understood what direction the author was taking her characters in and I became engrossed in the story and was keen to discover how everything could resolve itself considering so much time had been put into setting everything up. The story focuses more on the summer months leading up to the declaration of war. It provides the reader with a detailed, fascinating insight into the dynamics of a family who on the outside seem to have it all but dig that little bit deeper and it's obvious there are various things ongoing with each character. Some of which are out in the open and other strands which are best kept secret to those in the know. For to be revealed would cause untold trouble and upset which would best be avoided at all costs.
The relationships between the characters are many and complex and I have to say I preferred Elizabeth and the younger characters who seemed more open and honest and more aware of the changing times and their personal situations and feelings. They appeared more down to earth and more willing to embrace change in all its forms and to go against society's conventions and the expectations and demands of their parents. All the characters are being forced to adapt and conform to the rules and regulations of society and their rank and position within this field. But I loved the rebel in Elizabeth who constantly attempts at any given opportunity to break out and stand up for herself and go against the wishes and more so demands of others. She was a young woman who would defy the rigours demanded of her in order to pursue her own personal happiness and ambition. As for William's storyline, initially I questioned was he too young? But then the further everything subtly played out and aptly developed the more I reconsidered my opinion and would praise the author for the inclusion of this storyline when at the time it would be quite a taboo.
There were a few lulls in the book in particular in the first half when I found things very slow to get going. The descriptions of the setting and time and place were all fabulous but there was an overwhelming feeling of a lull or a sluggishness and I suppose it was the calm before the storm in all senses of the word. The second half was far stronger than the first and made me realise all the setting up was more than worth it. I just hoped everything would work out the way I wanted it too. The ending to this story left the reader with lots of unanswered questions, there were lots of loose ends to major plot lines that weren't tied up instead they only created bigger knots within the wider scheme of things. This would normally prove very frustrating for me but I am surprised to say it really has set us up nicely for the sequel coming in August, The Secret of Summerhayes. In fact I see great potential here for a longer series with the possibility of further characters being introduced with new settings to be explored.
My earlier misgivings about the slow going of the book were all forgotten as I realised all the setting up and finer detail needed to be there to develop both the characters and the various sub-plots accompanying the main over riding storyline. The latter half of the book proved exciting as things started to bear fruition and the reader is left wondering with only a few pages to go how can everything be neatly tied up but this wasn't to be the case and I am glad we will read more of these characters and their lives against the back drop of WW1 this Summer when the next book will be published. Overall I enjoyed this book and it was a different historical fiction read from what I am used to or expected and I think fans of this genre will enjoy it too. Meanwhile I am looking forward to reading more from Merryn Allingham in 2017. -
In the notes somewhere it said that this was inspired by the Lost Gardens of Heligan. I live in Devon, and although I've not yet visited them, I know a little about them. This novel drew me in completely. It's set just before the First World War commences and the setting, pace, tone and language felt just right. I was absorbed straight in. Often authors struggle with dialect when setting a story both in history (even close history such as this) and rural areas, but to my ear, this sounded spot on.
A riveting tale, set in the microcosm of the time and place of a country house, back when everything was still done by hand or beast. This would have been a 3 star but for the elegance of the writing - I'll be buying another.
In case you are interested -
I give 5 stars to books I want to reread and often buy as gifts after reading AND want to buy the whole of the author's back catalogue, 4 to ones I immediately want to buy the entire back history and 3 to books I enjoy but don't quite meet those criteria. If something doesn't at least meet a 3 star, then I won't review it - I don't have the skill or the talent to write so who am I to criticise someone who does. -
With the action taking place in the months before WWI, the button-maker in question is Jacob Summers who has created the idyllic-sounding estate of Summerheyes in Sussex. His daughter is Elizabeth who has been strongly influenced by the ideals of the Pankhurst and wishes to pursue her own path in life. When escape beckons in the person of architect Aidan Kellaway, she is torn between her love for him and her love for her home, her parents and particularly her love for her sickly brother, William. During the course of the summer, events, particularly surrounding William, take a sinister turn and she is put under pressure to a man she doesn’t love. When Jacob’s beloved garden is deliberately destroyed and the estate menfolk stride off to war, Elizabeth knows she must make the only decision she can to save not only William but the estate from further harm. An enjoyable if slow-moving read.
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Slow slogging....Read 12 pages and so far heroine has walked through a garden, viewed a muddy stream and just now come across a man. Hopped through a couple of chapters in the hopes that a storyline would develop, but unfortunately not and the dialogue is boring. With so many books out there to read, I won't be finishing this one. Can't recommend it.
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The Buttonmaker’s Daughter is set in Sussex in the summer of 1914 just before the start of the First World War, a summer of weltering heat and of rising tension not only nationally and internationally but also personally for Elizabeth Summer and her family. The novel covers just a few months, but those few months contain so much tension and heartbreak as the feud in the Summers family comes to a climax over the question of who Elizabeth should marry and war on the continent becomes inevitable.
Alice, Elizabeth’s mother was brought up on the Amberley estate which her brother, Henry inherited. But she had made a ‘marriage of convenience’ with industrialist Joshua Summer which had brought the much needed money to save Amberley and at the same time had triggered Henry’s enmity. So when Elizabeth falls in love with Aiden Kellaway, an architect’s assistant working on the landscaping of the Summerhayes gardens both her parents and uncle appear united in finding her a ‘suitable’ husband, one with the proper connections.
The Buttonmaker’s Daughter is a beautiful book. I was completely immersed in the story as the relationship between the two families deteriorates and Elizabeth becomes increasingly aware of the danger both to herself and her younger brother William. The setting is idyllic, the characters are clearly drawn and the sense of life in the immediate pre-war period made me feel I was there in the midst of it all, experiencing the social conventions and class distinctions.
I hope Merryn Allingham will write a sequel as I would like to know more about what happened to them all during the war.
My copy is a review copy courtesy of the publishers via Midas Public Relations. -
The last halcyon days of summer 1914 are the focus for this well written historical saga which explores the stifling atmosphere of living and working in one of England's large country estates.
Elizabeth Summer, the eponymous button maker's daughter, finds that she is about to be the centre of a family conspiracy but her burgeoning relationship with one of her father's employees, ensures that Elizabeth's loyalty to her family will be tested to the limit.
Initially, the uncertainty of what is happening in Europe doesn't seem to be having much effect on Elizabeth or the people who live at Summerhayes, but as the story progresses there is a shift in the tension and a palpable dissent starts to appear. We watch as Elizabeth becomes more and more unsettled, not just because of her own romantic awakening, but also because of the declining relationships within her family as long buried secrets threaten to disturb the very fine balance between love and hate.
The story may seem a little slow at the start but I think that this was a deliberate ploy to echo the slowness and laziness of the long hot summer. Gradually as the story strands start to come together the plot becomes tighter and much more complicated. I enjoyed the imagery within the story and in particular the descriptions of the gardens at Summerhayes and of the work of the young architect, Aiden Kellaway, who features so strongly in Elizabeth's life.
The author has a gift for storytelling; she writes well with a fine eye for historical detail and I am sure that readers who enjoy this style of historical fiction will find much to enjoy in The Buttonmaker's Daughter. -
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed/ing Merryn Allingham's cosy series featuring Flora Steele and Jack Carrington, I was interested to delve into her historical fiction when the chance came up to read and review THE GIRL FROM SUMMERHAYES, set at the outset to the Great War in 1914. But don't let that backdrop influence your decision to read this absorbing tale because it barely features except in passing as dinner table conversation. This is not wartime fiction with saddened families waving tearful goodbyes to their loved ones going off to war. This is an historical contemporary story of primarily a forbidden romance...amongst other things.
Just the name Summerhayes conjures up delightful imaginings of a beautiful sprawling estate to aristocracy nestled in the Sussex countryside. And this tale of the last halcyon days of summer in 1914 before war is declared in Europe has a war raging somewhat closer to home and its own battles to fight.
Nineteen year old Elizabeth Summer was expected to have been betrothed (if not married) already, having been present at court during the London season. However the two suitors who had taken a shine to her and proposed she had then refused, infuriating her father Joshua Summer. But, strongly influenced by the ideals of the Pankhurst women and the suffragettes, Elizabeth wants more for her life than being tied to a man for the rest of it. Instead she desires to follow her own path and pursue her dreams, indulging in her passion for painting perhaps.
Her father Joshua was not born into money but rather built his way to the top as a buttonmaker. His dream to create beautiful gardens withing a beautiful estate began when he married Alice Fitzroy, thus saving her own family from ruin. Since then Summerhayes has been the thorn in the neighbouring (and now crumbling) Amberley's side, that being the estate of Alice's family which is now run by her spiteful and malicious brother Henry. Alice has not set foot in her old family home since her marriage as her brother and her husband do not get on. Their marriage of convenience produced Elizabeth and her brother William, now 14, but nothing more.
Fearing for the future of Summerhayes, Joshua insists on Elizabeth making a good marriage...that being someone with wealth, distinction and everything that their class requires...so that when the time comes Elizabeth and her husband be on hand to take over the running of the Summerhayes estate. But a chance meeting with Aiden Kellaway, and architect's assistant, working on the temple and gardens on the Summerhayes estate sees Elizabeth envisioning a different future for herself than the one her parents have in mind. But Aiden is Irish (at a time when the Irish were rising up in their quest for independence), a man of trade who works with his hands, and this is not an acceptable match in their eyes.
So they approach Henry Fitzroy and ask for his help in finding a suitable husband for Elizabeth. Little did they know the havoc they unleashed in doing so...
THE GIRL FROM SUMMERHAYES is a delightful tale during a time of change for both women and the aristocracy against the backdrop of unrest in Europe. While it features little and doesn't appear to have much effect on those at Summerhayes, its presence is soon felt once war is declared and with it the promise of change. Women, especially those in aristotic circles, were bound by rules and expectations for their kind particularly when it came to marriage and the uniting of families as though it were a business deal. Elizabeth decreed she would only marry for love, nothing less. But her father scoffs at the idea whilst her mother can only support her husband's decisions, whether she agrees with them or not. In those days, wives submitted to their husbands and the decisions he made were law. We may find that a ludicrous notion today but that's just how things were then. But Elizabeth had different ideas and she pushed against the boundaries that constrained her to duty and loyalty.
The story started off slow but that was soon forgotten as I became immersed within Summerhayes and all its intricacies. The feud that divided the Summers and the Fitzroys which was soon set aside when the families united to find a suitable husband for the wayward Elizabeth, who they believed needed to be brought in to heel; the boyhood friendship between William and Oliver that whispered something more; the problems arising on the estate that alluded to something more nefarious taking place; the sense of duty versus what the heart desires...and more. There was an air of "Downton Abbey" to it without as much focus on the servants as in the former, but the story was comparable to it nonetheless.
The characters are a mixed bunch. Some likeable, some...not so likeable. Hateful even. But they were all well developed in light of the parts they played. The relationships between most were fraught with as much dissension as there was an acceptance to duty. They were indeed a complicated bunch with many complexities which is only natural given the era. Elizabeth pushed against those boundaries in more ways than one, identifying with the suffragette movement giving a voice to the women who have been downtrodden for too long.
There is so much more to THE GIRL FROM SUMMERHAYES that you really need to experience it for yourself. It is a delightful read in another time that sweeps you up in the story and has you completely absorbed. Many hoped the sequel would give them the answers to the questions they felt lingered at the end of the book but I felt it sufficed nicely. It gave an essence of promise, a sense of possibility.
I look forward to reading the sequel "The Secret of Summerhayes" next which takes place some three decades later...and reading about what's become of the family.
I would like to thank #MerrynAllingham, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGirlFromSummerhayes in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at
https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/. -
In the warmth of May 1914, Elizabeth Summer is taking stock of her options. After the season in London and two proposals of marriage declined, she is happy to return to the family mansion. Here she can paint and wander in the gardens with her brother and his young friend from school.
With rumblings of war, a disgruntled uncle and parents who are determined to marry her off Elizabeth senses that change is coming then she meets Aiden a young architects assistant, who has dreams of heading to Canada.
With echoes if Downton Abbey, I still quite enjoyed the book as the character Elizabeth is likable and seems to want more for herself, a future as an artist and to be free to vote and to marry whoever she wants. It is hard to imagine how our own lives may have been so different living a century ago and how much for dom we take for granted. -
Not gripping me at the moment. Might come back to it.
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Good story. Looking forward to the sequel later on in 2017 The Summerhayes Secret.
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Readers with a Downton Abbey shaped hole in their lives will be mesmerized by Merryn Allingham’s evocative, enthralling and emotional wartime saga, The Girl from Summerhayes.
It’s 1914 and the world is on the precipice of great change. Summerhayes House, a seemingly idyllic paradise nestled in the Sussex countryside, is home to a family divided. The Summer family stand to lose everything and it is nineteen-year-old Elizabeth Summer who could save them from ruin – but at far too high a price. By marrying well, the family could keep their home, but Elizabeth cannot help her distress and anguish at having to surrender her freedom and her chance for love. Chafing at the shackles being imposed upon her, there is no escape from the future her family has planned for her – until Elizabeth meets architect Aiden Kellaway who can offer her the one thing a suitable marriage cannot: everlasting love…
With Aiden having shown her that she could have the world, Elizabeth is not about to let this chance at happiness slip through her fingers. But unbeknownst to her, the gathering clouds of war are fast approaching. Summerhayes is not impervious to all the changes happening around her and caught between her family, her love for Aiden and society’s expectations, Elizabeth is going to be forced to make a devastating choice.
Is Elizabeth about to lose everything she holds dear to her heart? Or will her actions have shocking consequences that will destroy her life and that of the people she cares most about?
Merryn Allingham’s The Girl from Summerhayes is an atmospheric and compelling historical saga about love, sacrifice and courage set against a vividly recreated backdrop that cannot fail to delight aficionados of the genre. A heart-breaking page-turner with a brilliantly layered heroine readers will find themselves drawn to, The Girl from Summerhayes is a captivating saga as addictive and entertaining as any TV drama.
Merryn Allingham is known for her delightful Flora Steele cosy crime series set in the 1950s, but having thoroughly enjoyed The Girl from Summerhayes, I do hope that she will make time to write more historical sagas in the future.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. -
1914, England. Will her decision unite her family or tear them apart?
Surrounded by beautiful gardens in the glorious Sussex countryside, Summerhayes House seems like a true hidden paradise, but behind its polished floors and perfect green lawns is a family divided. The Summer family’s beloved home is under threat, and 19yo Elizabeth Summer finds herself caught in the heart of the crisis.
Elizabeth’s father believes his daughter marrying well will save Summerhayes. But Elizabeth is distraught at the stifling future ahead of her. A chance meeting with green-eyed Aiden Kellaway, the handsome architect’s apprentice working on the estate’s prized gardens, changes everything. For the first time, Elizabeth pictures an entirely different life, and – despite her father’s wishes – she is determined to take hold of it.
But war is brewing in Europe, and when its long shadow touches Summerhayes, Elizabeth realises her rebellion will come at a price. Desperately torn between family loyalty, society’s expectations, and the bright chance at happiness she glimpsed in Aiden’s arms, she is forced to make an impossible choice.
As Elizabeth’s future – and her family’s – hangs in the balance, she must ask herself, is the price worth paying? And can she live with the consequences?
Buttons have been manufactured from almost every possible material, both natural and synthetic.
Buttons can be individually crafted by artisans, craftspeople, or artists from raw materials or found objects (for example fossils), or a combination of both.
Historically, fashions in buttons have also reflected trends in applied aesthetics and applied visual arts, with buttonmakers using techniques from jewellery making, ceramics, sculpture, painting, printmaking, metalworking, weaving etc.
Sociologically, nouveau riche are people who previously had belonged to a lower social class and economic stratum (rank) within that class; and that the new money, which constitutes their wealth, allowed upward social mobility and provided the means for conspicuous consumption, the buying of goods and services that signal membership in an upper class. -
The book is set in Sussex in the months right before and right after England entered into WWI. The genres are romance, history, and mystery. Most of the story revolves around Elizabeth, the main character of the title, a young woman who has been pampered and sheltered all of her life by her loving parents. But now it is time she marries, and they are determined that it be a good match, befitting her status in society. Unfortunately, Elizabeth's uncle Henry, who's help is sought for this match, is not a nice man. He is jealous of Elizabeth's father's success in business and in turning his estate around, and he is manipulative and not above harming people to get his way. All while he has turned the whole upper crust of the county against Joshua for being a man of commerce instead of a man born into high society.
And so Elizabeth, even as sheltered as she has been in Sussex on the family estate, is influenced by Mrs. Pankhurst and the suffragettes, and yearns for more than an appropriate match. When she becomes acquainted with Aiden, an aspiring Irish architect working on the estate, her notions of what is proper for a young lady of good family are challenged.
War, societal propriety, female rights, inheritance laws, and more are all topics of this novel. It is by no means a grand epic, but the story does cover some interesting themes appropriate for the time and place, when norms were changing and the war had an effect on everyone. -
Part of a series, this is the first book.
1914 england not an easy place for women. Still sadly very much second class citizens
and it seemed the more money you had, the restructions and controls on women were tighter.
Elizabeth is living at least from the outside an idyllic life. Her father particularly
dotes on her, but on one thing he is adamant. She must make a good marriage, and unlike
her mother who married for money and married into trade, very mucha downer, Elizabeth
must marry into a well established family.
Despite massive animosity between the two neighbouring houses of brother and sister,
Henry is persuaded to step in and find an alliance for his niece. The problem arises
because Elizabeth has set her sights elsewhere.
This was not just a family saga. Emotions of envy and jealousy and even murder and to
a lesser extent vandalism all played a part. The setting of rural England against
the backdrop of a looming World War, the beginning of the end of service to the great
houses and the strengthening of the suffragette movement all added historical interest
and a commentary on society as it was then.
Characterization was spot on. The husbands portrayed both bullies - one using his wealth
the other his background over their subservient wives, children cowering against threats,
the independent spirit amongst younger people both Aiden and Elizabeth being in point were
well portrayed in the story. -
I loved The Girl From Summerhayes by Merryn Allingham from the second I flipped open the cover. I was taken by what seemed to be an immediate connection to the family. The Summer family lives in an enormous estate in the beautiful Sussex countryside. With views of the sea and rolling hills as far as the eye can see, I saw the beauty of the land in my mind’s eye. Elizabeth Summer is just nineteen years old and with the war gearing up in Europe, her beautiful estate is being threatened. She has an enormous decision to make, does she stay true to her family home or to her country? Elizabeth’s father believes that if she marries a well-to-do gentleman, then it would save the estate. Elizabeth is saddened by the thought of what her future holds in marrying someone she doesn’t love. Elizabeth soon meets Aiden Kellaway, a landscape architect hired to work on the beautiful estates gardens. As the world around her begins to change drastically, she is forced to make some life changing decisions that will affect her home, her family and her future.
This story had me flying through the pages and I was reading faster and faster, desperate to get to the end. This story surpassed my expectations and I absolutely loved it. The author, Merryn Allingham, did a fantastic job pulling me into the story and keeping my attention throughout. I enjoyed it very much and I highly recommend it. -
Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.
Jacob Summers, is a self-made man, he is proud of his home, Summerhayes and is creating the most exquisite Italian garden to rival any other garden in the area. Mostly, Jacob wishes to outdo his brother-in-law Henry's adjoining property, as they have a bitter rivalry. Jacob's daughter, Elizabeth is one of the main characters in the book, she is of a marrying age and is being urged to marry, but Elizabeth swears she will marry for love, or not at all. That is until she meets Aiden Kelloway, one of the junior architects on the garden project, she is immediately drawn to him, even though she knows her family would never accept him as a suitable mate. As Elizbateh tries to figure out what to do, she is more and more aware of then accidents that her young brother, William, heir to the family home, seems to be having and Aiden makes her see that her uncle Henry may have something to do with it. Will Elizabeth sacrifice her love and marry the man her uncle has chosen for her or will she flout convention and run off to be woth the man she loves?
This was a good, but slow at times, start to a series that I hope will continue to eveolve into a great series. -
I remember enjoying a previous book by this author, which is why I took an interest in this.
The previous book that I read was a cosy mystery, whereas this was a historical romance.
From the start, I felt the author brought both the characters and the setting vividly to life. I liked the protagonist and was interested in her, and I was also interested in some of the other characters. There was one particular character who held some appeal for me, because he seemed enigmatic.
I felt an emotional connection with the protagonist because it seemed she was a person who knew her own mind and knew what she wanted, despite not being fully understood by those closest to her. I felt an emotional connection with some of the other characters too, so I became quite emotionally involved while I was reading.
I felt the ending was a pleasant one, but it left me wondering what might happen next to the two main characters. I believe there is a sequel to this book, so I intend to read it as soon as possible.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review. -
The Button Makers Daughter
By Merry Allingham
It is May 1914 and even though the storm clouds of war are gathering over Europe, Elizabeth Summer is living in a world that is far removed from the war brewing in Europe.
Conscious that he is ‘new money’ Joshua Summer is struggling even after 20 years to find his way in polite society. He sees is nineteen year old daughter Elizabeth as a passport to full acceptance in the society he has always dreamed of being a part of. The only hurdle he has to overcome his getting his headstrong daughter to agree to marry a man who has the ability to secure his social status and heal a long standing family rift.
As a warm spring turns into a stifling summer, tensions at Summerhayes reach boiling point.
This is not just another family saga but a skilfully written with just the amount of intrigue. I can’t wait to read the sequel. -
I listened to this on audiobook.
New author for me but as a fan of historical fiction, and liking the sound of the blurb I decided to give this a go, and I’m so glad that I did.
I really enjoyed this story, getting to know all of the characters within the family, some are likeable and some not so likeable, but the story was entertaining with plenty of drama. I truly felt for the character of Elizabeth and Alice, they certainly didn’t have it easy but then I guess women didn’t back in those days, 1914. It was great getting to follow each of the characters as they went about their daily lives, as a family and on their own.
It turns out that there is a follow on book to this book which is called The Secret at Summerhayes and so that will be my next audiobook, I’ve already downloaded it. -
These books gave me the Downton Abbey vibe that I did not know I was missing. Both are family sagas with long lasting consequences at stake. Book one sets the stage at Summerhayes and lays secrets leading up to WWI, while book two works to solve the mysteries from the first book.
These books are slow paced as they are descriptive. Exactly what you’d expect from a saga. There is a building of the family dynamic and includes the whole family. I liked the fun that William and Oliver had in the first book. Since life is so very different now, I never stop and ponder the struggle of a family to marry off their daughter and the resistance she might have.
Even though they are set 30 years apart, the story continues from the first to the second book. If you love historical fiction and love the journey of the story, these books are for you. -
The girl from summerhayes is my first novel by this author and I hope to read the next in the series, the secrets of summerhayes. Elizabeth finds herself being told she has to marry, not to the man she wishes but to someone her family chooses for her. Her brother, William, is weakened from his heart condition but buried on by his friend, Oliver. How can Elizabeth May the max she lives when her father forbid it and insists she marry a man of stature, twice her age and a widower - a man chosen by Elizabeth’s uncle Henry. Henry is a bitter man who believes everything should be his.
Elizabeth is a strong character, boosted by hearing stories of the Suffragettes and Mrs Pankhurst. I enjoyed reading The Girl from Summerhayes. -
The story had a slow start for me and I was wondering if I was going to like it. I actually did start getting into the story half way in so I’m glad I continued reading.
But…… I found I couldn’t connect with the characters. They all seemed unlikeable in so many ways.
Overall, a slow moving book but do read on to the end. This is where things start to get resolved and you understand where the author was taking the story.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
