The Musgraves

Written by D.E. Stevenson

Narrated by Anne Dover

The tangled destinies of an unusual family are played out against the backdrop of the English countryside where two pretty sisters and a beautiful widow take center stage in a drama of dangerous flirtation and backstairs gossip. Esther Musgrave, an attractive widow, has her hands full trying to keep her energetic family together – and on speaking terms! Her three daughters, prickly Delia, sensible Meg and carefree Rose, mean everything to her, especially since the death of her husband, Charles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Soundings
• Release date: Apr 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781407988603

D.E. Stevenson

D.E. Stevenson (1892-1973) had an enormously successful writing career; between 1923 and 1970, four million copies of her books were sold in Britain and three million in the United States.

Reviews for The Musgraves

[Davina Ramirez · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked the book well enough, and the reader is great —BUT — Ugh, the language needs to be updated! Seriously! Just a few chapters in I was hit with the N-word, spoken quite casually. That sentence could’ve been changed to “working like a navvy” and kept the exact same meaning. Later on there’s a gratuitous reference to “pickaninnies.” Different times, different manners, yes, but this just should have been changed. It’s alienating, upsetting, and left me queasy- unnecessarily.

[Cynthia Cook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not Stevenson's best but still better than most books out there?