Joan Esley

Independent, intelligent, and none-too-tolerant of the more fashion-conscious of her sex, orphaned teenager Barbara Wyeth comes to stay with her Aunt Kate in New York City after a childhood spent in the country with her Uncle Mait, finding that her indifference to proper etiquette and grooming creates tension between herself and her new guardian. When financial setbacks hit the entire Wyeth clan, and Aunt Kate must retrench, Barbara settles with her Great-Aunt Candace at the Homestead, the Wyeth family home at Lowry's Corners, in the Catskill Mountains. Here she faces many challenges, from learning to appreciate the true value of Kathy Wyatt, the hard-working daughter of the village's poorest and least respectable family, to discovering the secret of "Lowry's Luck," a ruby necklace said to be worth a fortune, that was lost generations ago.

There are really two stories here: the tale of Barbara's development as a person, and the mystery involving the "Luck of Lowry." The former was immensely engaging, and although I was able to predict a number of developments, particularly the conclusion of Barbara's relationship with Kathy, was a pleasant read. The latter, unfortunately, was less appealing, featuring a convoluted story-line that I found difficult to follow - the ins and outs of the Wyeth/Lowry family, both in America and England, also felt more complicated than it needed to be - and a cast of villains as ludicrous as it was offensive. From the thieving gypsies to the dastardly butler and lady's maid - not to mention the generations of Chinese 'servants' who, in shades of Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone, seemed determined to recover the necklace - there was plenty here to make the contemporary reader wince. I settled on three stars for my rating - four stars for the parts I liked, two for those I didn't - but I'm not sure to whom I would recommend Luck of Lowry, unless it were to determined readers of vintage girls' fiction. For my part, I read it primarily because I am interested in the sequel, Kathy, which I still intend to pick up, despite my mixed reaction to this first volume.… (plus d'informations)