Celia's House Paperback – July 7, 2015

I usually love DE Stevenson novels, but this one bothers me. As other reviewers have pointed out, one section (Part Three) is basically ripped right off the pages of Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. That's how I felt about it - it was a RIP-OFF, not an homage nor 'retelling', but a blatant ripping off of a central plot point in Mansfield Park. It's not like the way West Side Story is an updated telling of Romeo and Juliet, but as if the author had just picked up those chapters of Mansfield Park and dropped them down right in the middle of her novel. How Stevenson got away with it is beyond me, her readers would probably been well aware of Mansfield Park even more than readers today. I can only liken it to Julian Fellowes' rip-off of a plot point in Mrs Miniver that he inserted into Downton Abbey (the flower show). He thought he could get away with it, because the scene did suit his characters.Which is why, perhaps, DE Stevenson got away with it. It did suit the characters, it did fit quite nicely into the overall story, of which it was only one part of five, but yes, it still bugs me. I did go on to finish the book, and I did enjoy the story overall, which is why I still gave it four stars. BUT IT STILL BUGS ME. Stevenson could have chosen to change more about this section so that it wasn't so identical, but she didn't. Why why why?

This is yet another of the author's wonderful stories!Unfortunately marred by errors in the text as there are additional symbols wherever punctuation is used. This was very disappointing.

Such a pleasure following the Dunne family through the years. Loves and (minor) heartbreaks, and the best happily ever after for Celia's House. I love the beautiful and thoughtful descriptions. ...Sigh...

Ninety year old Celia Dunne has lived her entire life on Dunnian Estate in the house built by her Great Grandfather Humphrey Dunne. It is expected that Dunnian will, upon Celia's death, pass on to a nephew, Maurice, son of her elder brother. However, Celia has chosen another nephew, Humphrey, to inherit Dunnian. But she tells Humphrey of her explicit wish he must comply with IF he is to inherit the Estate. He must leave the estate on his passing to as yet unborn daughter, named Celia, instead of to his eldest son Robert as is custom. Humphrey is a Naval Captain and away from home months a sea. Wife Alice and three children move to Dunnian. Humphrey keeps all the original servents and workers. The lives of Humphrey's growing family as years pass become intertwined with the landed neighbors. Anna sets her eye on Robert as a potential husband thinking he will inherit Dunne. Robert, sworn to secrecy about not inheriting Dunnian, becomes a Doctor. The pairing of young people and their romances provide much of the story. However, it goes through WW-I with Humphrey away, and then Humphrety as an aged retiree during WW-II, with Robert and son Mark in service. Alice thrives on having a beautiful permanent place to live. This is a very interesting book which ends abruptly just when I think it should continue OR a sequel to pick up where it stops.

I had debated on whether to purchase this book since it was more expensive than most of D E Stevenson's other ebooks but decided to treat myself since I had read all the other ones. As others mentioned, it starts out great but then fades as characters aren't developed throughout. I expected Celia to be a main character but she wasn't. I enjoyed reading this but liked most of her other books much better.

I love really everything that D. E. Stevenson wrote - so I love this one too. It isn't one of the books that I reread constantly, but I do reread it. DES's books keep you reading. I think that is my favorite thing about her. From the first page, she catches me up into the story and keeps me reading. I don't have to try, or slog through a beginning or keep trying so that I then appreciate the book after 50 pages - it seems that so many authors and books are that way. I love just picking it up and going into that world where I care about these characters and what is going to happen to them - effortlessly. I am so grateful that DES is being republished so that a new generation will get to read and enjoy her writing, without having to pay $60.00 to find a used copy!

Be warned that this is NOT one of Stevenson's better books. It's a multigenerational family saga spanning about 40 years, from roughly 1903 to the midst of World War 2. Most members of the large Dunne family are kept at a distance from the narrative, and we never get to know them... which can be confusing. Also, this is the rare Stevenson novel that contains a supernatural element... the home of the Dunne family for hundreds of years has evidently developed a soul of its own... what the Romans called a genius loci. The house, Dunnian, insures that the spinster who has protected it for all her long life will be reincarnated under the same name, Celia, and the spinster writes a will that leaves the house free and clear to that Celia when she is finally born! The big problem with the novel, as such, is that the two main characters, an adopted girl named Debbie, and the new Celia, remain almost entirely in the background until nearly the end. The new Celia is pretty much a cipher, while Debbie is so self-effacing that she takes almost no part in anything that happens. I am guessing that Stevenson was trying to do something a bit different, but it really doesn't work.

It's not often that one finds a book that has charm but isn't cloyingly sweet or boringly simplistic. Celia's House fits this bill nicely. It's refreshing these days to find a book that has no cursing, violence, raw sex, intricate plot, or drugs, yet it still holds one's interest. It reminded me of Downton Abbey's first good years, but in this instance it is the family story of the Dunnes of Scotland. Was it enjoyable? Yes, it was. Was the story line predictable? Yes, probably. It is great literature? No, it's not. If you want a "feel-good" book, this is it.

The Kindle edition needs immediate updating. Most of the punctuation marks have been replaced with symbols such as the euro sign, making the text totally unreadable.

A story I know and was looking forward to rereading but the edition was scattered with random punctuation marks eg. €”# making it unpleasant to read.

I just love this author, even if it was written along time ago it is easy to read today. Lovely I just love it

beautiful book love old fashioned books with morals

Dies ist das 5. Buch von D.E. Stevenson, das ich gelesen habe, und sicher inhaltlich das schwächste. Bei kritischer Betrachtung kann man den Inhalt allenfalls mit 3 Punkten bewerten. Aber das wird weitgehend wettgemacht durch die liebevolle und herzliche Art der Erzählung, die Beobachtung auch von Kleinigkeiten, den guten Stil und das wunderschöne English.Hier geht es um ein Haus, das im Jahre 1905 einer jungen Familie vermacht wird, die in größeren Zeitabschnitten bis zum Jahr 1943 immer wieder aufgesucht und in der jeweiligen Situation geschildert wird. Entsprechend dem Titel rücken dabei ehemalige Bewohner des Hauses in den Hintergrund, so z. B. die Personen, die 1905 als Kinder dort eingezogen sind, aber später heirateten und woanders eigene Familien gründeten. Es gibt daher keine durchgängige Struktur oder gar einen Plott, sondern vieles gerät einfach nur aus dem Focus. Normalerweise sind die Erzählungen von D.E. Stevenson aber trotz aller menschlichen Nähe nicht kitschig, aber das gilt hier nicht für das Ende des Buches, das ist Kitsch hoch drei. Aber auch das ändert nichts daran, dass sich dieses Buch wieder sehr nett lesen lässt, es ist ein Wohlfühlbuch und man fühlt sich einfach gut nach der Lektüre.Natürlich kann man die Bücher von D.E.Stevenson und die herrlichen Komödien und Krimis von Georgette Heyer nicht mit einander vergleichen, aber sie haben auf mich die gleiche Wirkung: Egal, wie es mir geht, selbst wenn ich in einem "ganz schwarzen Loch sitze", geht es mir während und auch nach der Lektüre dieser Bücher besser als vorher.