A modern-day fairy tale for the hero inside all of us. In a moment of real crisis, Clementine Hope, a thirtysomething music teacher who spends her time restoring a collection of fairy tales, sees the destructive quality of her constant worrying and resolves to change and make amends. To do this she must turn from Damsel in Distress to heroine, slay her personal dragons, and rescue her own Prince Charming .
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Clementine Hope is recently divorced, living in a cottage willed to her by her eccentric Great Aunt Elvira. Comparisons to Elvira do not please Clementine, but then nothing much does. Most of the time she is worrying about crime, death, disease, and her own and everyone else's behavior. Clementine lives with her selfish, carefree half-sister, Ophelia, and dates her alcoholic neighbor Nathaniel. Constantly on the alert, Clementine is trying to suppress her fears about these two. But when a real crisis finally occurs, Clementine is thrown into a tailspin as she tries to deal with it, and she must finally decide how she wants to live the rest of her life. Cobbold (Guppies for Tea, LJ 6/15/94) has woven her story around the fairy tales Clementine is editing, with Clementine and Nathaniel often mirroring the main characters. A funny, modern-day fairy tale; recommended for all fiction collections.?Kathy Ingels Helmond, Indianapolis-Marion Cty. P.L.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
In this light, endearing story of love and modern anxiety, second-novelist Cobbold (Guppies for Tea, 1994) peoples an English village with characters worth getting to know. Inadvertently trapped with Mr. Scott in his attic, Clementine is compelled to explain why she and his son parted company. Starting at the beginning, we learn of 36-year-old Clementine's inheritance of the house next door, once belonging to poor old Aunt Elvira. She moves into the house with her younger sister, Ophelia, and almost immediately proceeds to dither. Clementine is the champion of all worriers, a devoted reader of the newspaper's crime page, the queen of evasive action. Recently divorced from a Swedish painter, she plans on giving piano lessons by day and continuing on with Aunt Elvira's major work, the compilation of fairy tales, by night. Working from her aunt's notes, Clementine intends to polish and publish the fairy tales as a reminder to the hustling modern world of an older, gentler, better way of life. And how fortuitous to have Prince Charming living next door as a role model--namely, Nathaniel Scott, a successful photojournalist, who's temporarily staying with his father to dry out. Clementine falls head over heels, and Nathaniel warmly reciprocates the affection, until Clementine's worry and pessimism spike the growing romance. Heartbroken when sister Ophelia starts courting Nathaniel, Clementine vows to slay her dragons and face the myriad fears that engulf her. She walks around the town after midnight. She works hard to be less fussy. And she begins to speak her mind. Her newborn frankness provides the greatest shock; best friend Jessica and Ophelia can't understand why meek, fretting Clementine can no longer be pushed around. Clementine, an unlikely heroine, undergoes a believable, moving alteration as she acts to shake off the past and pursue the future. Full of fun and wit and keen insight--an ideal fireside read. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Moving, Sensational, The Best Book That I Have Ever Read!!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Purveyor of Enchantment (Hardcover)
I am younger than probably most of the people are that are going to be reading this, I'm still only a young teenager, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book to an extent that I can't even express it in words. This book is about a woman, around ehr 30s, and her name is Clementine, and she spends her worthless life worrying about everything else but herself, which is what makes it so worthless. I practically fell in love with Clementine's guy and this made me love the book even more. Everything in the book brings you into it and while I read it I felt like I was actually living there in Aldringham along with the rest in that house that once belonged to Aunt Elvira. I don't want to tell you everything about the book b/c I want you to read it yourself, but all I can say is that this is a must-read...it is almost a modern fairy tale in itself and I was so intrigued with it that I am looking for the rest of her books. I hope you actually do read this booka nd enjoy it while you do b/c in my opinion, this is the best book in the world that i have experienced and I certainly soaked it all up!!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A moving adult fairy tale,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Purveyor of Enchantment (Hardcover)
Thirty-something Clementine Hope inherits her recently deceased Aunt Elvira's cottage in Aldingham, England. Clementine, who recently divorced, is a classic worrier who wonders about the essence of people and things and is always concerned that her world may fall apart. Clementine will do anything not to upset the balance of nature, God, or even the shopkeepers because she simply worries about and for them. In Aldingham, Clementine, accompanied by her sister, finds their aunt's unfinished fairy tale collection. Clementine begins to work on completing the project. However, even as she falls in love (and worries about her future relationship), Clementine concludes that a new resident is the person responsible for a rash of robberies afflciting the town. When she acts on her compulsive anxieties, Clementine places herself in danger. She must come to grips on her dark impulses or lose everything because there is no hero waiting to save the "Pauline" from her perils. THE PURVEYOR OF ENCHANTMENT is the third novel by Marika Cobbold, who writes books so good, she seems like a ten year veteran. Her latest book mixes a well written fairy tale with some acute carnal humor. The characters are fun to read about, especially Clementine who sees the world as if Murphy was an optimist (think Mel Brooks in HIGH ANXIETY but enormously worse). The so-called hero is capricious in love and just not there to save his beloved. In fact, Clementine needs to be there for him. This fairy tale role reversal (more like real life) turns the story line into a brisk and spectacular reading occurrence. Harriet Klausner
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enchanting novel,
By
This review is from: The Purveyor of Enchantment (Hardcover)
I picked this novel up on a whim. I never have heard of Marika Gobbold ~~ and I thought perhaps it's time I try a new author. (I am surprised that my tiny library has this on their shelves!) It is a really enchanting little book ~~ one with a British wit and a true-to-life character ~~ a little annoying but not as annoying as her sister ~~ and one you began to wish for happy endings for.
Clementine Hope is newly divorced and inherited a lovely little house and moves in with her youngest sister, Ophelia. Ophelia is everything that Clementine isn't ~~ small, petite, and beautiful and engaged to be married. Clementine is a worry-wort and timid ~~ and a dreamer. She is planning to collect all of her aunt's fairy tales and rewrite them into a book. However, Clementine finds that sometimes life is just too interfering. Then she falls in love with her next-door neighbor's son. In between love and the fairy tales, Clementine decides to remake herself into the person she wants to be ~~ and it's a glorious and sometimes funny little book. It definitely has the British flavor to it and I love reading about the Brits. This is a great autumn book ~~ perfect to read on those nights when twilight begins too soon and the cool air is settling in. Be sure to drink a cup of tea with it ~~ it's a cosy read. 9-24-04
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