Mariana by Monica Dickens

I began reading Mariana by Monica Dickens this week. Unfortunately, not in the beautiful Persephone edition as pictured, but a rather bedraggled 1970s Penguin edition, which I picked up in a charity shop about a month ago. This was another book and indeed author that I had not heard of until I began exploring the wonderful world of book blogs. It sounded like exactly the sort of book I would love and was given rave reviews from many book bloggers whose tastes seem to be in line with mine. The opening chapter made me wonder if I had been misled, but it soon became the book I had imagined it being. The story is idyllic and makes me nostalgic for a lifestyle I was born two decades late to have ever enjoyed! I'll review more fully when I have finished it, but the first couple of days' reading have assured me that I am going to enjoy every minute of this story. I can't help thinking there may be tears before the end...