ENGLISH IVY BY CATHERINE PALMER

ENGLISH IVY by CATHERINE PALMER is a charming novel which takes place in 19th century England and is highly reminiscent of the writings of Jane Austen.
Ivy Bowden lives with her parents and her three sisters, Caroline, Madeline and Clementine in Brooking house, near Otley. She is happy living with her family, but when her father arranges a marriage for her with Mr Creeve, she agrees out of obedience to her father, although she is not looking forward to spending the rest of her life with such an unpleasant man.
When Mr Colin Richmond comes to his country house, Longley, with a message for Ivy, she learns that those who she had always thought were her parents are in actual fact her uncle and aunt, and her sisters are actually her cousins. She is badly shaken by the news and further shaken by the fact that her marriage to Mr Creeve was arranged by her father in order to benefit her adoptive family financially. Ivy is caught in a difficult situation when she learns of her birth father's stipulation that In order to access her vast fortune she must marry Mr John Frith, who is the son of his best friend. Neither man is at all appealing and she knows that both men are after her money. There are legal arguments and an attempted murder which are caused by her fortune and the conditions attached to her receiving it. In fact this fortune is threatening to ruin Ivy's life and make it impossible for her to marry for love.
Mr Bowden is a well read man who,delights in having the right quotation for every occasion. Ivy loves him dearly and knows that he loves her. She also knows that God loves her even more than Mr Bowden does. Ivy is a godly young woman and is determined to please her Heavenly Father and to use her vast inheritance in order to help those in need. She is already known as an "angel" amongst the poor who she visits and helps in the area, and they are expecting more from her once she comes into her inheritance. She feels that an awful lot is expected of her!
Colin Richmond is a man of the world who is to take over his father's shipping company which is based in India. His father gave him the commission to find Ivy and give her the news of her inheritance which she will obtain on her twenty-first birthday, if she complies with the conditions laid down by her birth father, Mr Kingston. He is obeying his father, Ivy is trying to obey both her dead father and her adoptive father, but above all she wants to obey her Heavenly Father. Colin and Ivy are drawn to each other, but Ivy is duty bound to marry either Frith or Creeve, and Colin feels totally unworthy of someone as pure and lovely as Ivy.
Ivy and her sisters first meet Colin Richmond when they are attacked on their way to Otley. Ivy is hit on the head by one of the ruffians and is taken to Longley Park where she stays until the doctor sees fit to let her go home.
Ivy feels there is something familiar about Mr Richmond and there are smells and sounds that keep coming back to her, which she realizes are memories of the first years of her life when she lived in India.
There has been a lot of speculation about the young Mr Richmond, and rumours abound. Some even say that he is a pirate and a vagabond who has a different woman in every port!
Ivy is pleased to hear that Colin has changed his ways and has made a commitment to follow Christ.
The plot has many twists and is very exciting, the characters are well portrayed, and there is a strong Christian message. It is a delightful book and I can highly recommend it.





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