Customer Reviews

The Longest Journey

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a fascinating tale of bravery, courage, adversity, romance, and love with a well flowing plot and interesting characters. The author begins the tale when Elspeth was a young lady and parlor maid for the Governor of Australia. At the time, it was where England's law breakers were banished to pay for their crimes. The Sir Rossmore Hollyford, the Governor over heard Elspeth secretly playing his piano and invited her to the library where in privacy he had her explain how a well educated and gentle woman as herself ended up being a prisoner sent to a penal colony ...

The book is told from the first person, as Lady Elspeth describes when she was adopted by Lord Reginald Westerna. He cared for her, as his own family member, after her father his groundskeeper, died defending the Lord's property from a poacher. Unfortunately, Warwick the Lord's natural son, took a dislike to her, which turned into outright hatred after his bad habits further deteriorated his relationship with his father. Lord Westera educated Elspeth as his own daughter and relied on her for duties which should have fallen onto his son. After the Lord's death, she learned he had adopted her and left her quite a fortune to be used as a dowry which would become hers by the age of 30 if she remained unmarried. He also allowed her to live at the Manor for as long as she needed. Warwick plotted against her as he continued to drink, gamble and associate with low lifes. One night he did an unspeakable act and afterwards had her arrested on false charges of stealing a very expensive gold locket encrusted with emeralds. It was in fact a gift from Lord Reginald Westerla to her but she had no proof or defense against the charges. She was found guilty and deported to Australia ...

The authors does an outstanding job of describing the budding romance between Elspeth and Sir Rossmore and how it grew into a full blown love for each other. The Governor recognizes Elspeth's fine qualities and takes a risky step by elevating her status to governess for his five year old daughter Emma. To keep her reputation pure, he hires Mrs. Spencer-Brown, a widow as a chaperone and escort for Elspeth. Sir Rossmore gradually includes Elspeth in his social life as a companion under the widow's watchful eye. He comes to rely on her good taste and social graces as he lets her plan and execute a dinner for local dignataries and friends. Elspeth is unsure of her standing among this elite group as she faces prejudice and social snubs. The author weaves a fascinating plot in which Elspeth proves her courage and bravery under adverse conditions. She saves someone's life and consequently this deed allows her to receive her freedom. It boosts her social standing in the community and thaws the icey responsiveness of many of the elite. Especially satsifying is how the author provides a unique twist which draws Sir Rossmore unexpectedly back to live in England. Naturally, Elspeth as governess and her companion Mrs. Spencer-Brown, accompany him along with his family and servant entourage. Sir Rossmore becomes the heir to a fortune and to Elpeth's chagrin, a sought after widower and a great catch as a marriage partner for someone's daughter. However, Sir Rossmore's heart belongs solely to the governess of his daughter. The authors deftly tie together Elspeth's past and future by clearing her of all the false charges. Also, in a superb twist in the plot, readers will be enormously pleased how revenge is exacted on Warwick. This is a wonderfully written romance novel filled with intrigue and unexpected creative turns. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

The Longest Journey by Diana Patterson and Rita Turner settles comfortably into the historical romance niche. For aficionados of the genre, the story of Elspeth, a young woman of genteel upbringing who is falsely accused of a crime by her devious step-brother and deported to an Australian penal colony, has all the requisite ingredients of a successful bodice-ripper. Elspeth is resourceful, beautiful and accomplished in every art form from music to couture dressmaking, the man of her dreams is a handsome, wealthy and powerful widower, and together they are the Angelina and Brad of their day.

This offering from the Patterson/Turner duo is similar to the works of Rosemary Rogers, Lauren Willig and Barbara Cartland. Each of these authors offer their devoted fans predictable, feel good love stories involving a determined woman and her handsome suitor overcoming some obstacle (whether it be separation, incarceration, social injustice, or class prejudice) to find true love and live happily ever after (usually on a vast estate, cared for by a bevy of servants).

This is not to say that The Longest Journey is a bad book, it just is what it is......a standard formulaic saga that won't place excessive strain on your grey matter but is up to the task of keeping you occupied for a few hours on a boring summer afternoon. 2 ½ stars.

Elspeth was adopted into a rich family, much to the dismay of the son, Lord Reginald. When her adoptive father dies, Lord Reginald is not happy that she is an heir and does what he can to stop her from getting the money, eventually falsely accusing her of a crime that causes her to be deported to Australia. Things seem bleak, but look better when she is picked to work for Sir Rossmore, a widowed Governor. The two soon fall in love, but can never really be together until her name is cleared.

"The Longest Journey" has some interesting moments, although it could have been better. The story is told in the first person, narrated by Elspeth, and she is indeed the richest, most fully developed character in the novel. Interestingly, while the first part of the book, which had Elspeth telling her back story to the Governor, should have been compelling, especially with Elspeth's hard labor, I felt it to be a bit slow. The book didn't really pick up until the middle part of the book as Elspeth and the Governor fall in love. During those parts, I didn't want to put the book down. However, as much as I enjoyed that part of the book, the governor never registered that much with me as a character and I do think the romance could have been better written. Perhaps if there had been more dialogue that would have made him a deeper character - too often the authors explain what is going on instead of letting dialogue and action carry the story. This is especially true in a scene involving a brush fire, which could have been much more suspenseful with some dialogue between the characters caught in the fire. I was also confused as to what period of time the novel was set in. Finally, the ending felt a bit too rushed.

While "The Longest Journey" does have some flaws, I found Elspeth's character to be so interesting, I couldn't wait to see what happened to her next. It wasn't the best romance novel I've read, but it features a good, strong heroine with an interesting story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were portrayed really well. I really appreciated the research that had gone into historical events and the costuming etc, you could see the people and their clothing in your minds eye. Can definitely recommend it. Great for the upcoming Christmas holidays!!!

Sometimes when life keeps shoving you down, you have to stop rolling with the punches and start getting even. "The Longest Journey" follows Elspeth as she rises above a hateful step family who wrongfully accuse her and get her deported to Australia, then a penal colony of England. She finds hope and love when she gets there - only to have society condemn it and take away the one thing giving her happiness. A story of the long journey to overcoming life's troubles, "The Longest Journey" is a top pick for community library historical fiction collections.