The Ladies of Ivy Cottage

Klassen’s sweet and gentle second Tales from Ivy Hill novel (after The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill) returns readers to the bucolic Regency-era small English town. The story follows several women as they become accustomed to their changing circumstances: Rachel, a gentlewoman who has fallen on difficult times; Mercy, the headmistress of the girls’ school at Ivy Cottage dealing with a new group of unruly students; and Jane, a recently widowed woman working hard to keep her inn afloat. Each woman faces her new challenges with grace and faith. Rachel is the primary focus of this installment: her family has fallen on difficult times after the death of her father led to a distant cousin inheriting her childhood home, and she is forced to rely on the assistance of the ladies of Ivy Cottage. When Rachel flounders at Ivy Cottage after Mercy hires her to teach, the three women hit upon the idea of Rachel opening the town’s first circulating library, using the books left to her by her father. While meandering in places, this story will please fans who like happy endings. However, it doesn’t stand well alone, and readers will be best served reading the first book first. [em]Agent: Wendy Lawton, Books & Such. (Dec.) [/em]