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Lavender and Old Lace
1905. Myrtle Reed came from a religious and literary family, where she was encouraged to be a writer. She became a freelance journalist after graduating from high school. Her poems, sketches, and stories began appearing regularly in such periodicals as the Bookman, Munsey's Magazine, and the National Magazine. Her first novel, Love Letters of a Musician, was widely popular and led to other works. The book begins: A rickety carriage was slowly ascending the hill, and from the place of honor on the back seat, the single passenger surveyed the country with interest and admiration. The driver of that ancient chariot was an awkward young fellow, possibly twenty-five years of age, with sharp knees, large, red hands, high cheekbones, and abundant hair of a shade verging upon orange. He was not unpleasant to look upon, however, for he had a certain evident honesty, and he was disposed to be friendly to every one. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.
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First published January 1, 1902
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About the author
Myrtle Reed
58books29followersMyrtle Reed/Mrs McCullough (1874-1911) was an American author, the daughter of Elizabeth Armstrong Reed and the preacher Hiram von Reed. She sometimes wrote under the pseudonym of Olive Green. She was born in Chicago, where she graduated from the West Division High School. In 1906 she was married to James Sydney McCullough.
She wrote under her own name, but also published a series of cook books under the pseudonym of Olive Green, including What to Have for Breakfast (1905), One Thousand Simple Soups (1907) and How to Cook Fish (1908).
Myrtle was a diagnosed insomniac with prescribed sleeping drafts. She died August 17, 1911 of an overdose of sleeping powder taken with suicidal intent in her flat, called "Paradise Flat" at 5120 Kenmore Ave., Chicago, Illinois. The following day, her suicide letter, written to her maid, Annie Larsen, was published.
She wrote under her own name, but also published a series of cook books under the pseudonym of Olive Green, including What to Have for Breakfast (1905), One Thousand Simple Soups (1907) and How to Cook Fish (1908).
Myrtle was a diagnosed insomniac with prescribed sleeping drafts. She died August 17, 1911 of an overdose of sleeping powder taken with suicidal intent in her flat, called "Paradise Flat" at 5120 Kenmore Ave., Chicago, Illinois. The following day, her suicide letter, written to her maid, Annie Larsen, was published.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
October 4, 2012
This is a book the adult Anne of Green Gables would have loved. A rather prickly heroine, Ruth Thorne, comes to stay at her aunt's seaside house while her aunt travels to Europe for 6 months. There she finds her aunt already gone, leaving a mysterious letter asking her to light a lamp in an upstairs window every night without fail. And, Ruth finds some mysterious newspaper clippings while rummaging through the attic. Of course, romance ensues, and the mystery of a long ago romance unfolds.
Most inexplicably to the modern reader, Ruth travels by train and horse-drawn carriage with a chafing dish in her luggage. Naturally she whips out her chafing dish to woo her hero with a meal of canned food! It's this sort of period detail that makes nostalgia fiction so much fun.
Most inexplicably to the modern reader, Ruth travels by train and horse-drawn carriage with a chafing dish in her luggage. Naturally she whips out her chafing dish to woo her hero with a meal of canned food! It's this sort of period detail that makes nostalgia fiction so much fun.
July 13, 2017
A bit like salty caramel ice cream- mostly sugar sweet but tinged with salt and all melts away in the end.
No doubt advanced for its time (1905) with the lead female character, Ruth, a working journalist, but she does allow herself to be persuaded by her dearly beloved that she should not go out to work once they are married and that he will provide for them both. A bit too syrupy for my taste.
But then I did think I had picked up Arsenic and Old Lace from the book stall, and that is much more lively.
No doubt advanced for its time (1905) with the lead female character, Ruth, a working journalist, but she does allow herself to be persuaded by her dearly beloved that she should not go out to work once they are married and that he will provide for them both. A bit too syrupy for my taste.
But then I did think I had picked up Arsenic and Old Lace from the book stall, and that is much more lively.
January 2, 2017
I was a little confused at times about why the main character was so rude and emotional towards the maid, Hepsey. Aside from the unexplained mood swings, this was an interesting story for its glimpse of life in the late 1800's.
April 5, 2014
Well written, wonderful imagery, but the end as not as strong as the beginning of the book, which started out very promising. Still, it was a nice book and I would recommend it for anyone who loves language, Ms. Reed appears to have quite the mastery of it.
April 16, 2016
The auther was only in her mid 20s when she wrote this, so of course the writing reflects her age as well as the times. I was surprised (and disappointed) however, when her heroine changed so quickly from a strong young woman into a "wife."
December 30, 2013
3 1/2 stars. I always love Myrtle Reed's books. I underline passages for future reference and pondering. I enjoy the stories. I enjoyed this book too although I found it a little too sweet at times. I was happy that the end left me feeling that there was more depth to the characters than we see throughout the body of the book. More generosity of spirit and friendship. More understanding of another's needs. Lovely.
"And up in the attic window the light still shone, like unfounded hope in a woman's soul, harking across distant seas of misunderstanding and gloom, with its pitiful "All Hail!" p.38
"Sorrows that would crush some are lightly borne by others, and some have the gift of finding great happiness in little things.
Then, too, we never have any more than we can bear--nothing that has not been borne before, and bravely at that. There isn't a new sorrow in the world-they're all sold ones-but we can all find new happiness if we look in the right way." p.83
"I learned long ago that we may be happy or not, just as we choose. Happiness is not a circumstance, nor a set of circumstances; it's only a light, and we may keep it burning if we will." p.146-7
"And up in the attic window the light still shone, like unfounded hope in a woman's soul, harking across distant seas of misunderstanding and gloom, with its pitiful "All Hail!" p.38
"Sorrows that would crush some are lightly borne by others, and some have the gift of finding great happiness in little things.
Then, too, we never have any more than we can bear--nothing that has not been borne before, and bravely at that. There isn't a new sorrow in the world-they're all sold ones-but we can all find new happiness if we look in the right way." p.83
"I learned long ago that we may be happy or not, just as we choose. Happiness is not a circumstance, nor a set of circumstances; it's only a light, and we may keep it burning if we will." p.146-7
July 11, 2016
My first book by Myrtle Reed, written in 1902. It is a simple, romantic, Victorian, small-town plot about women disappointed (or not) in love. It reminded me a lot of L.M. Montgomery's stories. I liked the wittiness of it--the banter between the main characters was enjoyable, and I was really enjoying it until the main character's aunt made an appearance. I expected to like her to be somewhat classy, and I was disappointed that she was a bumpkin. The ending had me rolling my eyes a bit, too, as it descended into sentimentalism.
January 29, 2013
I read my grandmother's copy of this book 50 years ago, and loved it as a child. I re-read it this year, and it is still a very sweet love story.
December 7, 2020
This book was such a disappointment.
It sets up nicely with a central mystery: just why is Ruth instructed by her absent aunt, who she's never met, to light a lamp in the attic window each night?
It feels like the novel you'd write if you had one idea, but didn't actually know how to construct tension. So we have romances without any conflict, mysteries that aren't actually mysteries and characters who are completely one-sided.
Probably my reaction to the whole book can be summed up in the risible scene where
The whole book has far too much about furniture, including a tedious section where the engaged hero and heroine negotiate for some mahogany furniture in the attic. Why? Perhaps the author couldn't think of any other storyline. I was mildly amused by a journalist buying a farmhand they hardly know a 101 piece set of china for a wedding gift. Just how much money did journalists get in those days? Was this truly realistic? I'd love to know.
I feel like there was some comedy written in there, including passages written in dialect, but I just didn't find it funny.
It sets up nicely with a central mystery: just why is Ruth instructed by her absent aunt, who she's never met, to light a lamp in the attic window each night?
It feels like the novel you'd write if you had one idea, but didn't actually know how to construct tension. So we have romances without any conflict, mysteries that aren't actually mysteries and characters who are completely one-sided.
Probably my reaction to the whole book can be summed up in the risible scene where
The whole book has far too much about furniture, including a tedious section where the engaged hero and heroine negotiate for some mahogany furniture in the attic. Why? Perhaps the author couldn't think of any other storyline. I was mildly amused by a journalist buying a farmhand they hardly know a 101 piece set of china for a wedding gift. Just how much money did journalists get in those days? Was this truly realistic? I'd love to know.
I feel like there was some comedy written in there, including passages written in dialect, but I just didn't find it funny.
November 23, 2015
I liked it at first, but was so disappointed when . One of the reasons I liked it at first, was because it was an early story about a woman with a job.
June 22, 2009
Well written and with relatable characters. There wasn't really any huge plot twists though it felt like it was leading up to something, but it's a pleasant, short, and heartwarming read.
September 21, 2012
The most charming captivating romance mystery I have ever read! Beautifully written!
March 9, 2013
A very well written, extremely foolish story...
May 6, 2017
Lavender and Old Lace by Myrtle Reed, written in 1902, opens with 34-year-old Ruth Thorne coming to occupy her aunt’s cottage while her aunt is away. She’s never met her aunt, Miss Jane Hathaway. Miss Jane has never forgiven her sister for running away to elope, but for whatever reason, she decides to establish relationships with her niece. However, she ends up having to leave before her niece arrives, so Ruth finds only Hepsey, the farm-girl working as the maid, at the house. Her aunt left a letter with various instructions, the most mysterious and inexplicable of which was to leave a light burning in the attic window every night.
Ruth worked for a newspaper in the city, but has six months off to house-sit for her aunt. Bored and restless, she explores her aunt’s attic, the first “real attic� she’s ever been in, until she comes across her aunt’s unused wedding dress and some newspaper clippings about a couple’s wedding and the wife’s death. At first Ruth thinks the couple had been friends of her aunt’s, but then surmises that the man was Aunt Jane’s lost love who married someone else. Feeling she’s intruding into her aunt’s privacy, she leaves the attic and vows to stifle her growing curiosity.
She visits her aunt’s best friend and neighbor, Mary Ainslie, who is thought a little odd by the community because she never leaves her home. But Miss Ainslie has a reputation for being kind and sending things to people who need help. Ruth finds her gracious and beautiful, and they soon become friends. Miss Ainslie also leaves a lamp burning in her window at night for unknown reasons.
Soon Ruth has unexpected company: a young man named Carl Winfield looks her up at the recommendation of his editor. Carl works for the same newspaper as Ruth but has developed a problem with his eyes and is ordered not to read or write for several months. He’s staying in town, and their excursions eventually blossom into romance.
In fact, there’s a lot of romance happening in the book:
Ruth and Carl
Hepsey and a young man, Joe
a long lost love recovered
a long lost love forever gone
Ruth comes across as somewhat prickly at first, easily offended and angered. Carl is laid-back and merry-hearted, and once they got to the point where they expressed their feelings for each other, I enjoyed their banter and their relationship.
There is a bit of a mystery with one of the characters having an unknown connection with another that, to me, was pretty easy to put together, but no one in the book did until they came across evidence of it. The one person who did know of it, for some reason, never tells anyone else. There’s also the mystery of the lights in the windows and why Miss Ainslie never leaves her home. There’s one odd section where two people have the same dream of an old man saying the same thing to them.
The title comes from Miss Ainslie, who has dark violet eyes, always wears some shade of purple or lavender, and scents all her things with lavender. She often, if not always, wears lace as well. Various types of lace are mentioned often in the book: “Ruth was gathering up great quantities of lace—Brussels, Point d’Alencon, Cluny, Mechlin, Valenciennes, Duchesse and Venetian point.� I think in those days it was a precious commodity, possibly made by hand.
The emotions in the book seem a bit overwrought sometimes:
That may be due to the author’s being twenty when she wrote the book, or it may be due to the times.
But quite a lot of the writing reminded me of Lucy Maud Montgomery, though her first book, Anne of Green Gables, was published six years after this book. The relationships and romances and quarrels are similar to hers, as are some of the descriptive passages:
One of my favorite lines occurred after Ruth and Carl profess their love, but he has to return to the city for a doctor’s visit: “She had little time to miss him, however, for, at the end of the week, and in accordance with immemorial custom, the Unexpected happened.�
The ending was bittersweet � in fact, one character’s whole story was mostly shaded that way � but overall the book was a sweet, clean read.
Ruth worked for a newspaper in the city, but has six months off to house-sit for her aunt. Bored and restless, she explores her aunt’s attic, the first “real attic� she’s ever been in, until she comes across her aunt’s unused wedding dress and some newspaper clippings about a couple’s wedding and the wife’s death. At first Ruth thinks the couple had been friends of her aunt’s, but then surmises that the man was Aunt Jane’s lost love who married someone else. Feeling she’s intruding into her aunt’s privacy, she leaves the attic and vows to stifle her growing curiosity.
She visits her aunt’s best friend and neighbor, Mary Ainslie, who is thought a little odd by the community because she never leaves her home. But Miss Ainslie has a reputation for being kind and sending things to people who need help. Ruth finds her gracious and beautiful, and they soon become friends. Miss Ainslie also leaves a lamp burning in her window at night for unknown reasons.
Soon Ruth has unexpected company: a young man named Carl Winfield looks her up at the recommendation of his editor. Carl works for the same newspaper as Ruth but has developed a problem with his eyes and is ordered not to read or write for several months. He’s staying in town, and their excursions eventually blossom into romance.
In fact, there’s a lot of romance happening in the book:
Ruth and Carl
Hepsey and a young man, Joe
a long lost love recovered
a long lost love forever gone
Ruth comes across as somewhat prickly at first, easily offended and angered. Carl is laid-back and merry-hearted, and once they got to the point where they expressed their feelings for each other, I enjoyed their banter and their relationship.
There is a bit of a mystery with one of the characters having an unknown connection with another that, to me, was pretty easy to put together, but no one in the book did until they came across evidence of it. The one person who did know of it, for some reason, never tells anyone else. There’s also the mystery of the lights in the windows and why Miss Ainslie never leaves her home. There’s one odd section where two people have the same dream of an old man saying the same thing to them.
The title comes from Miss Ainslie, who has dark violet eyes, always wears some shade of purple or lavender, and scents all her things with lavender. She often, if not always, wears lace as well. Various types of lace are mentioned often in the book: “Ruth was gathering up great quantities of lace—Brussels, Point d’Alencon, Cluny, Mechlin, Valenciennes, Duchesse and Venetian point.� I think in those days it was a precious commodity, possibly made by hand.
The emotions in the book seem a bit overwrought sometimes:
Ruth was cold from head to foot, and her senses reeled. Every word that Winfield had said in the morning sounded again in her ears. What was it that went on around her, of which she had no ken? It seemed as though she stood absolutely alone, in endless space, while planets swept past, out of their orbits, with all the laws of force set suddenly aside.
The earth trembled beneath Ruth’s feet for a moment, then, all at once, she understood.
That may be due to the author’s being twenty when she wrote the book, or it may be due to the times.
But quite a lot of the writing reminded me of Lucy Maud Montgomery, though her first book, Anne of Green Gables, was published six years after this book. The relationships and romances and quarrels are similar to hers, as are some of the descriptive passages:
Have not our houses, mute as they are, their own way of conveying an impression? One may go into a house which has been empty for a long time, and yet feel, instinctively, what sort of people were last sheltered there. The silent walls breathe a message to each visitor, and as the footfalls echo in the bare cheerless rooms, one discovers where Sorrow and Trouble had their abode, and where the light, careless laughter of gay Bohemia lingered until dawn. At night, who has not heard ghostly steps upon the stairs, the soft closing of unseen doors, the tapping on a window, and, perchance, a sigh or the sound of tears? Timid souls may shudder and be afraid, but wiser folk smile, with reminiscent tenderness, when the old house dreams.
The rain had ceased, and two or three stars, like timid children, were peeping at the world from behind the threatening cloud. It was that mystical moment which no one may place—the turning of night to day. Far down the hill, ghostly, but not forbidding, was Miss Ainslie’s house, the garden around it lying whitely beneath the dews of dawn, and up in the attic window the light still shone, like unfounded hope in a woman’s soul, harking across distant seas of misunderstanding and gloom, with its pitiful “All Hail!�
That night, the gates of Youth turned on their silent hinges for Miss Ainslie. Forgetting the hoary frost that the years had laid upon her hair, she walked, hand in hand with them, through the clover fields which lay fair before them and by the silvered reaches of the River of Dreams. Into their love came something sweet that they had not found before—the absolute need of sharing life together, whether it should be joy or pain. Unknowingly, they rose to that height which makes sacrifice the soul’s dearest offering, as the chrysalis, brown and unbeautiful, gives the radiant creature within to the light and freedom of day.
One of my favorite lines occurred after Ruth and Carl profess their love, but he has to return to the city for a doctor’s visit: “She had little time to miss him, however, for, at the end of the week, and in accordance with immemorial custom, the Unexpected happened.�
The ending was bittersweet � in fact, one character’s whole story was mostly shaded that way � but overall the book was a sweet, clean read.
January 10, 2023
I grew up reading antique books about young women going on adventures, but this one wasn't my cup of tea. It had a lovely mysterious element throughout (my favorite part), but I felt like too much of the romance between the main characters went unsaid-in-the-name-of-Victorian-mores...such that this modern reader couldn't follow what was going on!
October 24, 2019
Enjoyable Edwinian romance. My copy has a copywrite date of 1903.
June 30, 2018
Sweet little book that was a delight to read on a summer's day. Kind of far fetched premise (young woman is invited, practically summoned to the seaside home of an Aunt she's never met to watch her house for the summer and the Aunt is gone when she arrives) with lots of unexplained holes in the story (the writer never tells us about how, when or why our heroine's mother died, why she never met her mother's sister who lives fairly close by), but I enjoyed the writer's prose and vocabulary, certainly that of a bygone time.
The heart of this story, of course, is a tale of unrequited love and what that can do to a very loyal heart. For all you romantics out there, this may speak to you as it did me. Then, there are at least 3 other romances in which the lovers do marry but with varying degrees of happiness. Still, I liked the author's ability to distinguish between 4 very different women, of different ages and social class and how they navigate their marital prospects, for that time.
I enjoyed the detailed description of the characters, their dress, their homes, their speech. The fact that Reed is never really specific about the exact location of this seaside village didn't bother me; it gave me great latitude of imagination. It could easily have been set in the English countryside if not for the fact that our main character is a writer for an early New York newspaper.
Indeed, it has an English feeling flair to it because of the American writer's excellent use of language, long out of date but oh so nice to read.
The heart of this story, of course, is a tale of unrequited love and what that can do to a very loyal heart. For all you romantics out there, this may speak to you as it did me. Then, there are at least 3 other romances in which the lovers do marry but with varying degrees of happiness. Still, I liked the author's ability to distinguish between 4 very different women, of different ages and social class and how they navigate their marital prospects, for that time.
I enjoyed the detailed description of the characters, their dress, their homes, their speech. The fact that Reed is never really specific about the exact location of this seaside village didn't bother me; it gave me great latitude of imagination. It could easily have been set in the English countryside if not for the fact that our main character is a writer for an early New York newspaper.
Indeed, it has an English feeling flair to it because of the American writer's excellent use of language, long out of date but oh so nice to read.
June 15, 2023
I really liked the beginning of this book. I especially liked the main character, an unmarried “newspaper woman� who works to support herself and is self-reliant and reserved. I enjoyed the love story and the relationships of the characters and it was interesting to see the life of a person in her situation at the turn of the century.
Unfortunately the “mystery� element of the book was not well-developed. It was easy to figure out as a reader early on, but it didn’t go anywhere and felt hastily wrapped up and unsatisfying at the end. Also the maid character was great, but the classism written into her character and interactions was kind of hard to read at times.
Unfortunately the “mystery� element of the book was not well-developed. It was easy to figure out as a reader early on, but it didn’t go anywhere and felt hastily wrapped up and unsatisfying at the end. Also the maid character was great, but the classism written into her character and interactions was kind of hard to read at times.
February 5, 2014
Lavender and Old Lace is truly an old classic --- that should and will be enjoyed by people of all ages both young and old. Speaks of a time that was much more romantic then now but a time of old morals and ethics. It's a lovely love story with a mystery that all comes out in the end! Would recommend to almost anyone!
January 5, 2010
read this while hung over on new year's day. predictable in an entirely pleasant and comforting way... the perfect read for when you just want a good story to pass the time without having to work too hard at it.
June 3, 2016
Sweet old-fashioned story with a bit of mystery and romance. A line that I particularly liked : "It was as if Memory sat at the spinning-wheel, idly twisting the thread, and bringing visions of years gone by."
January 15, 2009
Easy and predictable read for when I was sick.
May 1, 2013
Read all her books in the 1960. They were very fun period pieces.
September 1, 2013
I bought this book for $00.50 for the gorgeous cover....read it and was extremely surprised to find an adorable little romance between the pages.
November 5, 2013
Delicious - and full of sincere longing - genuine artwork with the words of feeling.
December 6, 2014
Interesting, mainly because of its language and just the printing of the contractions.
December 30, 2014
Fairly tame old-fashioned story...nice for when I was sick.
January 19, 2015
Not thrilling but not unpleasant.
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August 8, 2016Beautifully written, charming and entertaining book. Definitely a favorite. Would highly recommend this to anyone who loves old romance novels with a dash of mystery.
July 16, 2017
A very cozy read, but the ending felt just a little undone.
I wish it had ended with the wedding of Ruth & Carl and that they named their daughter after Miss Ainslie♥️
I wish it had ended with the wedding of Ruth & Carl and that they named their daughter after Miss Ainslie♥️
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