Primrose Square

March 15, 2012
Douglas (The Warden's Daughters, 2011) has set her latest novel in Scotland before and during WWI and centered it on a love triangle between a young woman and two very different men. Elinor is a maid at a posh women's club who aims to better herself by taking secretarial courses. There she begins a secret relationship with her well-bred tutor, Stephen, which ends when she unexpectedly falls for the charming Barry, a childhood friend she believes is more suited to her humble background. When Barry enlists and ends their relationship, she throws herself into her new role as a nurse's assistant once the club is converted to a war hospital. Over the course of the war, both men are brought back into her life, and she has a second chance to choose the best man for her. Douglas once again writes about love during wartime and women's role in society with a sweet and sentimental touch.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)