Another great book by Tracy Rees exploring the historical value of women in terms of beauty, the consequences of their relations to men and the restrictions placed on them my patriarchal society. Well written and well paced, this was really engaging and showcased characters with great development arcs.

I loved this book - sweeping back in time for the historical drama. The characters were believable, and I wanted the best for them. A real pageturner.

Thanks for the opportunity to review this book.

The Elopement is a beautifully written novel that can be read on its own but is a sequel to The Rose Garden. Rowena Blythe is expected to marry a man befitting her high social standing but when she falls in love with an unsuitable man, her life comes crashing down. When those she loves turn her away, support comes from the most surprising people.
I always enjoy Tracy Rees’s novels and the characters she creates. Highly recommended. .

When society beauty Rowena Blythe elopes with an unsuitable artist’s assistant, the repercussions ripple throughout the household and the local community. ‘The Elopement,’ like other novels by Tracy Rees, is packed with social comment. She shows that while society in 1897 was lived under strict class differences, people were more similar than they realised.
Rees tells the story of three women who live in close proximity to each other in Highgate, North London. Housemaid Pansy Tilney works six days a week at Garrowgate Hall, home to the Blythe family and run with a rod of iron by the mistress, Maud Blythe. Rowena, the only daughter of the house, is intended for a suitable marriage if only Maud can find a suitable husband that Rowena will deem to accept. Rowena and her best friend Verity love nothing more than to gossip, especially about those they see as unfashionable, plain, weak or boring. One of their targets is single mother Olive Westfallan. The Westfallen family lives at the opposite side of Hampstead Heath to the Blythes. There is history between the two families as the patriarchs – Rowena and Olive’s fathers – fell out long ago. Olive, who is as rich if not richer than Rowena, pays no notice to gossip about her unusual circumstances. As a single unmarried woman, she adopted a daughter Clover and gave home to a ward, Angeline. She is a working mother, as head of her own charitable foundation she helps less fortunate people take a step up in life, through education, employment or financial aid. There are not two people more different than Rowena and Olive.
Rees brings the three women together in the most unusual of circumstances. Each is facing a life-changing decision and each is prevaricating. Rowena must choose a husband. Pansy must leave Garrowgate Hall and find new employment as the man she loves holds a secret unfulfilled passion for Rowena. Olive must consider whether to accept a marriage proposal from a man she likes, perhaps loves, but isn’t sure if she loves him enough or whether his attitude to life fits hers. These are dilemmas of the time, England on the cusp of the twentieth-century saw the cause of women evolving rapidly. Rees presents opportunities to her three characters, each must be brave in making their decision.
A novel about the solidarity, and also bitchiness, of women. Not all are as they seem. Some get what they want, others don’t know what they want. As the constraints of society’s expectations are loosened, new chances become available, to rich and poor alike. Rowena, who had it all, falls in love with an unsuitable man – an artist, foreign and poor ¬– and pays the price for her impetuous decision.
I’ve loved every Tracy Rees novel I’ve read so far. ‘The Elopement’ didn’t disappoint. It is in fact a sequel to Rees’s ‘The Rose Garden’ but it isn’t necessary to read the first to enjoy ‘The Elopement.’ Each woman must find a way to break free of the limitations of their sex and find a brighter future. So much more than a historical romance.
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This was my first time reading a book from the author but I am delighted to say I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading more books from the writer in the future!

If you like historical fiction I’m sure you will enjoy this book. It follows three very different Victorian women and the struggles that they faced living in that time. It was certainly a man’s world back then. My favourite characters were Olive, who was way beyond her time in my opinion, and Rowena, who you really couldn’t help feeling sorry for. This is my second book by this author and I’m looking forward to reading more by her. Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for letting me read and review this book.

Rowena Blythe is a pampered and cosseted young woman from an aristocratic family. When she meets and falls in love with a poor artist, she makes a decision that will have far-reaching ramifications for her future life.

Pansy Tilney is in service to the Blythe family and detests her life there. In love with the senior footman, she dreams of a better life and is encouraged by her mother to find fulfilment elsewhere.

Olive Westallen is a wealthy young woman who is a benefactress to the poor and less deserving of society. She believes women should take their rightful place in society, a view that does not always meet with approbation in late Victorian England.

The lives of these three young women become entwined in ways that even they cannot imagine.

I enjoyed this story and particularly the way in which Tracy Rees draws her characters. There is much to be said for the lack of grace of the Blythe family, who are only concerned about their money and entitlement, and the simple honesty and kindness of those who have far less in monetary terms.

Rowena's journey is one of self-discovery and it is gratifying to see how she grows through the course of the story.

I also enjoyed the way in which women were depicted generally. It was much harder for women in this time to assert their independence and Olive and Pansy in particular showed real determination to make their mark on society.

I received a digital ARC of this book from Pan Macmillan, in return for an honest appraisal.

Wonderful immersive read. Certainly unpredictable in places but thoroughly enjoyable. The characters are divine (with exception). Engrossing and entertaining! I struggled to put this down.

Thank you Netgalley

Rees weaves an interesting story of three Victorian women all questioning their place and situations. The main character, Rowena, is very difficult to stomach at the beginning, but does grow on you by the end. The other two leads, Olive is a modern heroine stuck within the confines of society and rises above not caring about how she is perceived. She is fabulous. Pansy takes a while to figure herself out and advocates and helps people along the way. It is ironic that in helping her enemy, she receives the greatest satisfaction and starts on a path to personal fulfillment.

The Elopement brings us back to the society, period and characters of the previous book by Tracy Rees The Rose Garden.
It is set in England, in 1897. The rich heiress Rowena Blythe falls in love with someone regarded unsuitable and decides to elope. Her life changes forever from that point. She gets back on her own two feet thanks to one of the family maid, Pansy, and to Olivia Westallen. All three women are unusual for their time and they make life choices that are very different to most women then. The different storylines in the book illustrate how rigid the social code was in that period and how brutal the consequences could be for those who did not conform. Again, Tracy Rees gives a voice to women who did not have one in that period of history. The book is superbly written, with interesting characters, a great story and many details of historical background.
I enjoyed the book very much and I cannot wait for Tracy Rees’s next novel.

I dnf'd this book at around 50%. I just really struggled to read this book as its told from the perspective of 3 very different women.

I found it hard to root for Pansy being with the man she has a crush on as she just seems really judgy and hates her boss cause the man she likes likes him.

I enjoyed Rowena's story arc but I found it to be quite dragging and therefore gave up.

I didn't really care for Olive's plot.

I'm not sure why we were given three point of views when from the blurb it seemed like it would be just about Rowena. I am not a fan of when authors say one thing on the blurb but provide a different experience in the story of the book.

Another Tracy Rees stunner of a book with a core political message at its centre and strong heroines.

Although I have read a couple of books by Tracy Rees (her feel-good romantic modern village stories), I had not yet read her historical fiction until now. And I am so glad I did! Elopement, set in the year of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, is an incredibly fascinating story that reflects the times and trials women endured in the late 1800s. And what a delightful cast of memorable characters! I felt Tracy provided ample opportunity for the reader to get to know Rowena, Pansy and Olive, the voices of the narrative. These three strong, determined women from various backgrounds come together in the most unusual of circumstances but the events that occur provide some fascinating opportunities in how they are able to help each other.

Rowena Blythe is born into a very wealthy family. Her greatest virtue in their eyes is her beauty and her parents have big plans to marry her off by her twenty-fourth birthday to someone of great monetary value and position. She has been an obedient daughter but not necessarily the nicest lady to her servants. Yet, all that will change for she is heading toward a lofty fall, due to her limited experience with the greater evils of the normal world. She is bewitched through misguided passion. This encounter will change her and her life forever. It all begins when her parents commission a famous artist to paint her but he is unable to attend initially and sends his apprentice to make the preparations. Rowena becomes mesmerised by this ‘golden boy’ and embarks on a journey that will radically alter her known world.

Olive Westallen is an admirable character: a woman who carves out her own destiny and helps others who want to do the same. She is a gentle persuasion; never pushy but available to help any in need. She possesses a grace and kindness that are authentic and shine from her heart. Olive is featured in The Rose Garden which I own now but not read yet. I did not find it a hindrance that I had not read the previous book, as we still get a clear picture of her character and purpose in Elopement. The good deeds she has done for others and the brilliant work she provides in her foundation are magnificent. Olive is a shining light for women from all walks of life. She is fortunate in that she has had support from her family to be herself—to follow her own calling. Such a rare and wonderful blessing for the day. Olive is one lady I would have wanted to know, if I had lived in her time. Her lines of wisdom ring out in so many areas of the story and even give Rowena strength when she needs it to endure and overcome her unexpected hardship.

Pansy, the third viewpoint, is a dedicated hard working servant in the Blythe residence. In the past, she has been subject to Rowena’s whims and less kind behaviour. She has no reason to like the spoiled daughter but when the time comes to make a difference, she will play a major role in Rowena’s ascension or journey into becoming a better person. The turning tide reveals Pansy’s glowing humanity and how she will step outside her justified anger to help others less deserving and fight against injustice. Her own rise is an intriguing one—for she is the smallest voice with the biggest part.

These three women affect each other in so many amazing ways. Olive examines her own life in the light of these other two women and the men that surround them and her own suitor. And she comes to some clear conclusions about her own path. Pansy learns about what her true passion is and follows it with a new determination, thanks to Olive (and to a small part Rowena). And Rowena, finds what pure happiness is and is surprised by her own once hidden abilities. She also receives an unexpected gift that comes at the right time. Pansy and Olive play a huge part in her restoration—along with other dear friends she comes to know--including those in the foundation. And she will leave behind those who choose to remain blind.

One of the great messages in this book is that women are more than the men they are associated with: their value should not be tied in with how well they marry or if they marry or choose not to. And their outward physical beauty is not a measure of their real worth. Women have talents and abilities that they should be free to explore in any field of study.

I have not said too much about the men in this novel. They come off as a challenge with their backward thinking of the day but this, you might say, is realistic with each representing (in my mind) various degrees of good to bad. I found Rowena’s brothers quite a delightful surprise. There are others we expect to be better people but, as is often the case in real life, hide their true faces until something happens. Often the appearing golden apples are rotten ones: controlling male figures that place themselves above others, particularly women. These sorts will always come off negative. But in Elopement some of the male characters progress beyond their stubborn pride, while others who appear to possess understanding, do not. I loved that Tracy has added quite a mix of men in varying shades from the staunch supporters of the age’s social norms, to those who strayed a little from that thinking, to those who moved a lot. This is a wise approach as it is a realistic view of the way it may have been. Everything is not just black and white. There are grey areas and there would have been those who would have reflected it.

The novel shows so much of the extremes in the class structure of the day, the huge gap between rich and poor, the horrible things women had to endure—even the scathing treatment that occurred between the same sexes. Many privileged women were among the worst and did not treat their servants well. There were those who used their money for selfish gain and others for the betterment of many. These elements of the story lift it from being just a regular historical romance to something special. And Rowena’s journey proved she had a lot ‘more-good’ in her than originally expected. Real transformation occurs in this novel and it has come through the trial of hardship. These were some of the elements I loved. Also, to learn about women’s positions of the day and how they sought to elevate their status through true giftings and callings. I particularly found one character to be a wonderful viewer of seeing the gifts women possessed and how they could be used to help others.

I received a review copy of Elopement from the publisher, author (thank you!) and Netgalley. I sincerely appreciated this opportunity to explore Elopement. I am keen now to read Olive’s story in The Rose Garden and more of Tracy’s books. I am a newish fan but one that is here to stay. 5 Stars for this enlightening historical romantic tale. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was an unusual story, told by the viewpoint of three very different women. Pansy was a maid in a wealthy household but she hated her work and despised her employers. Rowena was a known beauty and lived a pampered life, if somewhat restricted by her parents. Olive was an unconventional lady, very wealthy but had a very caring nature. She did what she could for those in need. This story illustrates how limited life was for women, the hardship of some of the work available to women and the lack of women’s rights. I enjoyed the way that the lives of these three women connected with each other. I found this to be a fascinating read and found the author’s notes very interesting. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

You know you’re reading great historical fiction when an author transports you so completely to a time and place that all your senses are alive to it. Rees did it with The Rose Garden and has done it again with The Elopement, whose vivid evocation of late-Victorian London forms the perfect setting for an engrossing tale of reckless love, abandonment, and the class-busting bonds of sisterhood.

The Elopement is the story of an unlikely alliance between three women; 24 year-old heiress Rowena Blythe, who risks her family and inheritance by running away with her bohemian lover; Pansy, the Blythe’s spunky young housemaid; and wealthy spinster and philanthropist Olive Westallen.

Told from these three contrasting perspectives, the story is compelling in its exposition of a patriarchal society, divided by class, wealth and gender. A society where status trumps everything, including love. And where breaking the rules comes with harsh, life-changing consequences.

Yet still, Rowena, Pansy and Olive come together; their lives intersecting in a friendship that ultimately transcends all differences and leads to new beginnings for the two younger women.

I love that this book is not just an absorbing, often thrilling, story but also a social and political commentary; a feminist tract, if you will, but softened by its wholly engaging protagonists: three bold, ambitious, norm-busting women, who want more from life than the expectations of their birth.

I warmed to all of them. To gracious, kind-hearted Olive, resigned to spinsterhood but with a burning desire to use her wealth and influence for the greater good. To spirited, determined Pansy, who rails against her lot in life and the injustices she sees around her. And perhaps most of all to Rowena, whose brutal experience outside the safety of her privileged upbringing transforms her from an entitled, stuck-up little madam into a woman as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

I was swept into their world and loved every moment I spent with them. A hugely enjoyable, deliciously satisfying, joy of a book.

I’ve read a couple of books by Tracy Rees which I read with pleasure, so I was happy to find that she also writes historical fiction!
I like stories set in the Victorian era and enjoyed reading about women’s rights (or lack of) during that time. I didn’t expect that the book would make me grateful for all the things women have achieved until today, nor how it would make me think about the way we still have to go.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t realise when I started reading this that it was a follow up to The Rose Garden until the characters seemed very familiar. It reads well as a stand-alone but I definitely recommend reading the previous book for additional context (and it’s good!). The story is set in London in 1897, the year of Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee and is told from the POV of three very different, but very strong women. Rowena Blythe is the spoilt only daughter of the wealthy Blythe family, renowned for her beauty and expected to marry well but with, occasionally, a cruel tongue. Olive Westallen is also a wealthy heiress but she is single, with an adopted child, and spends her time helping those less fortunate than her. Pansy is a maid in the Blythe household but she hates it, the family ignore their servants and don’t treat them well, but she has aspirations.

Briefly, when Rowena falls for a penniless artist she doesn’t realise how far reaching her actions will be and how they will ultimately bring her back in contact with Pansy and Olive.

This is a great historical read that not only covers the lives of these fictional woman but raises social comment on the deprivation and horrific work conditions of many in the Victorian era, particularly women. It also showcases the positive changes coming in with factual references to women like Cornelia Sorabji and Eliza Orme who paved the way for women in the legal profession. A very enjoyable read, well written with good historical reference, a fair old smattering of romance and a good storyline. I enjoyed it and was left feeling that there may be more to come from some of these characters.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I was hooked in the story from the start, this is a brilliant historical drama.

It follows three women, and their position in society in the nineteenth century, how they all fought against the obstructions that were imposed on them to have meaningful and fulfilling lives.

The story makes you think of how far far society has changed and the freedom that the women have today, to that of the past.

I highly recommend this book.

I was thrilled to read and review the latest historical fiction from Tracy Rees who is one of of the authors I really must read as I know I am going to get such a wonderful story. The Elopement did not disappoint.

It is the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, the nation is all of a flutter as are the residents of the Blythe Household. However amongst all this preparation a secret is trying to be kept. Rowena Blythe, beautiful, spoilt and full of her own self importance with no thought of anyone else is about to do something that will see her shunned from her own society.

Pansy is a servant in the Blythe Household and is treated with disdain by the likes of Rowena and her sister in law, Verity. Pansy knows she wants to do something more with her life, but the opportunities are not always there. That is until her own mother challenges her to do something to make her happy.

Olive Westallen who is known to readers if they have read The Rose Garden, is something of an enigma. She is part of the society that Rowena frequents but she has forged her own path without obeying convention. Unmarried, with two adopted young children, working for the greater good for those who are less unfortunate than her. Olive for me is a woman before her time, a woman that has characteristics that resonate now in the 21st Century as it does for the character at the cusp of the 20th.

As these three woman, cross paths at different points throughout the story, each telling their own version of what they see. the story moves forward and shows the lives that could be led, shows the lives that are led and the ones that almost snubbed out because of their position in society.

This book is a wealth of social history, not just the jubilee celebrations reminiscent of what we have seen this year and in years previous. But also the workers that toil in the hat factories in appalling working conditions in contrast to one woman Miss Orme, working in law, “devilling” the only way she could without being qualified – because what was against her was the fact she was a woman.

The Elopement and The Rose Garden are books which are rich in strong (and weak) female characters who reflect how much has changed for the better to enable readers like me to forge my own path in life. However it is worth noting, that whilst time has moved on, there are still some battles still to be won or won again. So much resonated with me in this book and I simply want to know more about where these characters are going to go and what they are about to discover about the world that they have ultimately been sheltered from by the fact that they are women.

Perfect historical fiction for any women, or anyone who wants to champion forging your own path in life and whilst fulfilling your own happiness, helping others along the way. Thank you Tracy Rees you are doing that for me with these novels. Long may they continue.

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy. This is a really good book, kept me entertained throughout and I would thoroughly recommend to all.