Rosa Nouchette Carey

Bereft after her twin brother's death, 25-year-old Ursula Garston studies nursing and takes her skills and her three hundred pounds a year to her young Uncle Max's parish, where she hopes to find meaning and purpose ministering to the poor. At Heathfield, Ursula finds herself quickly drawn into the lives and hearts of the wealthy Hamilton family -- and into their dangerous secrets.

[from review in The Guardian, Tue., Oct 3, 1899]

"My Lady Frivol" is an undisciplined young woman of fifteen, not the untutored savage, but a girl of gentle birth who has been allowed to run wild. She is the centre of things, round whom various groups of anxious elders revolve. Her uncle-guardian Alick Redford, her actress-mother, and her governess Eden Lloyd are nearest; then come the few families in the neighbourhood, with a vicar's wife, who forms a kind of Greek chorus; and an outermost ring of Eden Lloyd's relations, who are there to explain her taking the situation of governess to "Lady Frivol." The seemingly indifferent squire -- with a past -- who marries his ward's governess has been with us in weaker and weaker dilutions since "Jane Eyre" was written. Happily Miss Carey's dilution is not of the weakest, for Eden Lloyd is a san, healthy person, and the squire is quite human. The story runs on in accepted fashion to a pleasant ending, and contains some pretty scenes...

[from a review in the School Notes (byline, Maureen Krause) column, The Parsons Daily Sun, Parson Kansas, Thu 19 Apr 1928].

Miss Julia Farrar, high school English teacher, gave a very delightful book report to the girls on the book, "Merle's Crusade," a typical girls' book.

"It is just a girls' book in which the boys would have no interest at all. Now, when there is every type of reading material imaginable I'm afraid that the girl is missing one of the delights of my girlhood -- the purely girl book," Miss Farrar said.

"Another book by the same author is, "Not Like Other Girls." The story of "Merle's Crusade" had to deal with a modern English girl who believed that one should be useful as well as ornamental whether she was a girl or not. She had the right to choose her vocation, pick out her line of work and still retain her femininity and her place in society. Merle was 22 at the beginning of the story -- she was an orphan who had been taken to rear by her Aunt Agatha, who when young had been a governess, but who at the age of 45 had married Uncle Ezra Keith. Merle didn't care much for Uncle Ezra who was small, pale and had light brown eyes. One day she came to the realization that they were not in the good circumstances that they once had been and she asked herself the question, "What right have I to live as a parasite?"

So she decided to answer an advertisement for a nurse to take care of two small children. About the only requirements seemed to be that she be a good plain sewer and a responsible person. The only thing that Merle could never do was spell.

Of course Aunt Agatha was horrified at the idea. She threatened to tell Uncle Ezra who, after hearing the case and deciding that Merle was really in earnest, told her to do as she pleased.

So Merle answered the advertisement in London. The mistress of the house was Mrs. Violet Morton whose husband was a member of parliament. Mrs. Morton was surprised at such a gentlewoman applying but after consulting her husband she was employed.

The two children, Joyce, delicate, three, and Reggie, a sturdy 18-month's-old youngster, fell in love with her at once.

Time went on and Merle saved Reggie's life and did many noble things for the pair that bound her more closely to them.

A very little romance entered into the story but there was a little something about a squire whom Merle finally married.

Stories like this are really worth while reading, aren't they?