Clothes-pegs [Paperback]

Susan Scarlett (Author), Noel Streatfeild (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2009

Promoted from humble seamstress to glamorous model in a top London fashion store, Annabel is transported to a world of cocktails, luxurious cars, Elizabethan mansions - and back-biting jealousy. Miss Streatfeild, who did her own stint as a mannequin, presents a convincing behind-the-scenes picture of exhaustion, boredom, enforced camaraderie and wonderfully acerbic bitchiness. Sustained by glasses of port and bromo-seltzers, the girls are on the edge of Society; still regarded as the equivalent of chorus-girls, they are good for a dinner-date or weekend rendezvous but not for marriage. Annabel comes from a happy down-to-earth and hard-working family, brought up by the eminently wise Ethel to know right from wrong. So can her romance with a Lord really be doomed?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

'Susan Scarlett' was the pseudonym Noel Streatfeild used for her light romances written in the 1930s and 40s, to distinguish them from the literary novels she wrote under her own name and considered her most important work.

Product Details

• Paperback: 223 pages
• Publisher: Greyladies (May 1, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 0955941369
• ISBN-13: 978-0955941368
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,819,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Noel Streatfield's grownup novel about a sweet girl's entry into the modeling world, September 26, 2010

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Gen of North Coast Gardening (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Clothes-pegs (Paperback)

I was a huge fan of Noel Streatfield when I was young, because her characters were always easy to relate to, yet led fantastic lives that were fun to imagine living myself. So when I heard that Greyladies was republishing some of her work for adults (done under a different pen name), I was thrilled and excited to be able to have that magic back.

Clothes Pegs follows Annabel, a young woman who goes from being a seamstress to a model in one surprising day. Her family is down to earth and sensible, and nobody entirely approves of this change, except Annabel's younger sister Lorna who loves anything glamorous. Annabel begins to get introduced to a new world and new people, some of whom are spoiled and shallow, but many of whom use their wealth with kindness and good-heartedness.

When Annabel meets David, a wealthy lord, she falls in love right away. He too is taken with Annabel - her innocense and sweetness is in stark contrast to his girlfriend's nasty personality. But their worlds seem too different for them to be able to really be together.

I was enchanted by the story. It was easy to imagine all the characters, and while some of the events were far too predictable, Streatfield's storytelling made it a joy to read anyway. I simply didn't want to set the book down.

I had read that Streatfield was embarrassed about writing romance novels like this one. I can see why a bit, because there were parts of the story that did not flow smoothly and it was obvious that she was rushing to just get the story on paper. In one section, the family is laughing and Annabel and David get up and somehow leave the room without anyone noticing. When the laughter dies down, they see that Annabel and David have left. There were a few other awkward points like that, which just seemed like they could have used a better transition, and there were also many places where obvious punctuation mistakes and typos could have been fixed before reprinting. But none of those things ruined my enjoyment of the characters and the story, which were simple, engaging and sweet.

I do certainly see myself getting more of Streatfield's work under the pen name Susan Scarlett. It's feel-good, escapist reading and I really enjoyed it.