Rate this book

A Waltz At Midnight (2000)

by Crista McHugh(Favorite Author)

3.19 of 5 Votes: 2

languge

English

genre

review 1: This is a second eBook which I’ve got from NetGalley. It was a short romantic novel, another kind of Cinderella Story that take place at 1866 in New York.Susanna Parkwell and her brother Hank Parkwell are come from the South. Unfortunately, Hank loses his leg in Civil War. They have to live in a boarding house and work there for a place to stay. Both Susanna and Hank don’t like to live in that situation, but the circumstances make them have to. Susanna has to serve some rich girls which study at Vassar College.One of these girls, Charlotte, receives a letter from a man named Theodore Barkley. The letter explains about an arrangement made by their parents that set them in to a business marriage. Charlotte asks for Susanna to write back the rejection letter, since she do... moreesn’t want to marry Theodore. Susanna writes the letter behalf for Charlotte. Instead of feeling abandoned, Theodore is more curious for Charlotte and sends her many letters. He even sends Charlotte some sketch that made by him. Off course, it’s not Charlotte who reply all Teddy’s letters but Susanna. By their letters, they start to fall in live each others. Until one day, Teddy plans to meet Charlotte. Susanna gets upset about his plan, but Charlotte forced her to continue to play act. How will Susanna get out of this one without getting heartbroken?There was some section where Susanna being a maid, and the clock struck 12 times to separate them deeply felt like Cinderella story. But I love to read all the letters imagine me being in Susanna side. Not only because of the choice words used by Theodore and Susanna, but also their thoughts about the impact of war, freedom, rights of women, and off course love.Too bad the story is very short. I hope the character development of several villains like Annabelle, a rich girl who is always oppressive Susanna, or even from Hank and Charlotte. And although this is a romance story, you barely find a sexual scene but kiss :)
review 2: After the Civil War, a brother and sister from the south are forced to take refuge helping at their aunt’s boarding house in New York in exchange for a place to stay. Susanna Parkwell hates their circumstances, but does her best to carry out her duties and keep the rich northern girls who are boarding there happy. She goes above the call of duty when one of the boarders, Charlotte, begs Susanna to help her break it off with an unwelcome suitor by crafting a letter to him, but signing Charlotte’s name. Susanna’s cleverness in her reply backfires, though, and Theodore Blakely becomes more determined than ever to court “Charlotte.” How will Susanna get out of this one without upsetting Charlotte and keeping her own heart from getting broken?This premise of this novella sounded interesting to me from the beginning, but I never imagined how much I would love this story! While it was short, the history and the setting seem extremely realistic and the characters are well-developed and come alive through the telling of the story. It is a romantic story that while aimed at adults, would be interesting and suitable for young adults who enjoy historical romances.The turn of events that lead to a break-up letter becoming a true courtship through heartfelt letters is entertaining and romantic. It is ironic that Susanna only feels able to be herself and pour out her true feelings about marriage and the war when she is pretending to be someone else. This fact of course complicates things when Susanna feels she has met her soul mate in Teddy.I absolutely love the sweet ending of this story! My only criticism is the conclusion could have been drawn out a little more to allow the reader to savor the resolution. Because of the short length of the story, you don’t get to see the fallout of the decisions made by Susanna, Teddy, and Charlotte. However, based on what is said, I was left happy and satisfied with the book’s ending. I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Carina Press, in exchange for an honest review. less

Download links for: A Waltz at Midnight

Advertising