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Celia's House

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About this listen

In name and by birth, Celia was a Dunne. She had inherited the beautiful old family home by the Rydd Water – but was she bound to live her life by the principles of her predecessors? Was there some hidden restraint that compelled her to heed the past? Celia’s house is a moving and poignant story of the struggle between old and young: the older generation anxious to preserve the values they have helped create while their children are determined at all costs to make lives of their own.

©1943 D. E. Stevenson (P)2011 Soundings
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It's hard to describe D.E. Stevenson's stories to anyone who hasn't read them themselves. If you find the Joan Hickson / Miss Marple episodes show a long-gone English village life, Ms Stevenson does the same for the borders of Scotland. My beloved Aunts and Great-aunts grew up around the turn of the 19/20th C. These books bring my childhood memories of them back to life. This particular book I discovered around the age of 12 and I still enjoy it. Both Celias, the original and her great-great niece, belong to the house of the title, Dunnian, far more than the house belongs to them. 'Family saga' is a phrase more often associated with descriptions like 'sprawling' and 'tumultuous'. This isn't either, it's a believable family and a gentle story as warm and comforting on a cold night as some of Mrs Drummond's baking fresh from the oven. As another reviewer has said, the story is an homage to Mansfield Park in parts, but that doesn't detract. There are all sorts of audiobooks available, and this is the one for when you want some gentle and comforting unashamed nostalgia.

A gentle reminder of the vanished world

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D E Stevenson is a completely new author for me. This title looked interesting so I took a chance. It was a delightful listen. I was completely caught up with the story. I will certainly look at other books by this author. Well narrated too.

An unexpected delight

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Disappointed as Miss Buncle's Book, by the same author, although not great literature, was entertaining and rattled along. I was looking for some easy listening in the style of Barbara Pym and thought this author might be the ticket, but this is so, so dull. The characters are lifeless and the story drags on …dreary endless chapters about some dull children playing in the garden and getting into trouble. I suppose it might suit someone who wants absolutely no stimulation, but this is heavy going for light entertainment.

Banal and badly written

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