Impulsiva, apasionada e inteligente, Ruth Berger ha vivido sin preocupaciones en su adorada Viena natal hasta la anexión de Austria por parte de Hitler. Toda su familia, de origen judío, se ha visto obligada a huir a Inglaterra y sólo ella ha quedado atrapada en una ciudad donde la sombra del terror comienza alargarse. En su ayuda acude Quin Somerville, un brillante paleontólogo inglés, discípulo y amigo de su padre.

When Quin Somerville discovers Ruth Berger, daughter of an old friend, stranded in Vienna days after the Anschluss, there's only one way he can find to get her out: as his wife. He promises to start working toward a divorce or annulment immediately, so Ruth can go ahead with her plan to marry Heini, her childhood sweetheart. However, circumstances conspire to throw them together, and eventually, they begin to wonder if the marriage needs to be dissolved, after all...

This book is a mixed bag, for me. The characters are on point, especially the refugee community in London where Ruth's family ends up. They're all adorable. And Ruth's university friends are likewise charming. The romance kind of stutters along, and then the last eighth of the book is melodrama that could easily have been avoided if the characters had talked to each other instead of jumping to conclusions. As in most of these romances, Ibbotson pairs an ingenue with an experienced older man, which can start to feel a little icky, especially in this case, where he knew her briefly as a child. I actually like this book a little better than A Company of Swans, but it's not among my favorites. Read it for the characterization, and for Ibbotson's writing, which continues to delight. ( )

I've been reading a lot of good books lately, but Eva Ibbotson's great gift is that you can completely lose yourself in her stories. This one -- such delight! Such despair (there for a bit, anyway). And such funny lines unexpectedly sprinkled throughout. ( )

My goodness, that was a fine read. ( )

https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2021/01/2021009-morning-gift-eva-ibbotson.html ( )