I am becoming more convinced that two people wrote Elswyth Thane's books. One wrote the Williamsburg novels, The Tudor Wench and Queen's Folly. Someone else wrote Tryst, The Lost General, Remember the Day,Cloth of Gold etc.The first set of books are characterized by believable characters, good dialogue, a strong sense of place, and interesting plots. Their "romance" builds from the ground up. The second set are basically trite and silly, full of breathless melodrama. I just finished The Lost General, hoping to find a book in her first "set." It was OK but at about the level of the romance stories I used to read in Good Housekeeping magazine as a teenager. Cloth of Gold is truly one of the most annoying books I've tried to read this year--I stopped after 100 pages or so.

If Tryst is your idea of a 5 star book, The Lost General will be at least a 3 star book. If you far preferred Cabot in Yankee Stranger to Julian in Dawn's Early Light, then The Lost General might be disappointing.

The Lost General is a triumphant of the beta male. The alpha male is not for everyone, particularly reticent women who are easily overwhelmed. The Lost General himself barely appears. This is not a ghost story. This is a story of blooming, a World War II war vet coming to himself for the love of his woman, and a sweet, sheltered girl who stands up for herself and their love. These are characters that could have been played by actor Leslie Howard and actresses Joan Fontaine or Jean Simmons.

If you enjoy Thane's sentimental view of love and characters of commitment and devotion, then The Lost General will be an enjoyable evening. Like Tryst, it is the length of a short romance. Try to read it before you buy it. If you collect Thane's books, this is better than several of the non-Williamsburg books (better than Melody, and I liked it better than Queen's Folly, too-which I found slow).

I found Queen's Folly dull. The beginning was interesting...when he helps the Queen and is rewarded...but after that it went downhill.

I can not understand his descendant's all-consuming love of the house. The third part of the book, early 20th century, was really stupid. I do not see what they saw in the owner (I've forgotten his name-which shows how boring he was). He said little and did less.

All the characters after the first third of the book were underdeveloped and flat and there is nothing riveting about the book. Elswyth Thane's Williamsburg series is wonderful, this book isn't even good.

Memorable story of a young man who meets and is forever bonded to Queen Elizabeth I. As thanks for a service provided she gives him an estate - Queen's Folly. The story follows the estate and the family through multiple generations, all effected by his passion for his queen. If you enjoy historical novels and especially those written without a modern crudity and need for explicit accuracy you will enjoy this book. I love it and I have hunted down and now own all of Ms. Thane's work.

Letter to a Stranger was published in 1954 and is completely contemporary to that time. To me, Elswyth Thane's non-Williamsburg books read like screenplays, and this one more than any other.

Story: a young woman (the gentle, unfurled bud, Joanna) writes to a famous author, Eve Endicott (is that name 1950's or what?!), and bemoans the rigid, confined existence imposed upon her by her autocratic, irrational father. Eve Endicott writes back and is quickly drawn into Joanna's life.

There are three possible heroes to Eve's heroine (no spoilers here :) ). The story flits from mid-Manhattan to moneyed Connecticut neighborhoods, replete with cocktails, supernatural speculation, and smooth cars. There are a few comic, touching, and romantic moments laced through the plot. Picture Cary Grant, Ray Milland, Gary Cooper, Loretta Young, and any ingénue type. That's the time period. Tryst, this book is not. The profound commitment, the passion, the sustained devotion that are Thane trademarks are not here, but Letter to a Stranger is an interesting rounding out of the Thane collection.

I thought this book was the weakest of the series, probably because the main female character was not as likeable. The setting in Britain in World War II was very well done, and the book does make a nice transition for Homing. If you have read all the others, you need to read this one.

Thane's non-Williamsburg novels show a troubling pattern of starting strong, with a compelling heroine, and then insisting that she choose between a satisfying career and the man of her dreams. Poor Sierra's singing success makes her long-time love feel less of a man and thus unwilling to marry her. The novel's tension derives from how long it takes her to Sacrifice All for True Love to a hero who hardly seems worth the bother.

Modern day fans of Debbie Macomber's romances will see what might have been their inspiration in this obscure Thane novel. The heroine, Sierra, and hero are from different backgrounds but become childhood friends and the bond never lessens despite years of separation. It takes their guardian angels to bring them back together when both need it most.

Given Elswyth Thane's involvement with theater, it may not be utterly unfair to suspect that this novel started life as a one-set farce and was hastily novelized. The plot makes up for its originality in featuring characters no longer dewy with youth by putting them through the paces of endless misunderstandings that could have been quickly revolved had the hero or heroine any gumption. While this novella is not the worst of Thane's literary output, it will disappoint anyone who hopes for her best.

Boring. The heroine is a colorless, weak, and rather pathetic character. The hero just seems to drift through life and has no backbone except when it came to rather trivial issues. The plot is dull and fairly predictable and the characters (with the exception of the bossy woman) are flat. How could the same person who wrote the entertaining Williamsburg series write this book?

I'm a lifelong Thane fan and love the gentleness of her books and characters. But in this book, the hero and heroine--really, those terms are too strong--were barely in existence. Why would anyone love either of them? What was so special about them? Both seemed passive and cringing, and it was difficult to see why each found the other transcendant. But at least it was short. Thane's strength was in history--even in her magnificent Williamsburg series, the earlier books were better and more vivid than the contemporary volumes. This novel further illustrates that difference. And _what_ is the significance of the title?

Thane fans expecting a biography with the drama and character development of her Williamsburg novels, or the inside scoop on her life with ornithologist William Beebe, will be disappointed. This book is, alas, for the birds -- literally, as by far the most verbiage relates to Thane's pet finch and canaries. We learn far more (and care far more) about the inner life of Petey, a canary murdered by a field mouse after a few days on the farm, than we do about Thane or her family. Readers seeking insight into rural Vermont life in the 1940s would do better to try _Mrs. Appleyard's Year_.