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Cold. Distant. Uninvolved. Odd words to use to describe a book that is largely set in the beautiful Tuscan region of Italy. Yet that is exactly how I felt as I read The Fifth Daughter. The story was engaging enough, the setting was unusual and different, and several of the Italian seconday characters were very likable. But I never ever warmed up to Marisa Fairweather, the heroine, and she and the hero Percy Bronwell spent large parts of the book separated.
The Viscount Strathmore married Maria Teresa, a beautiful Italian woman whom he loved deeply. They had four daughters, and when the Vicountess became pregnant again, a gypsy foretold that the baby would be the long-hoped for son. When complications occured and the doctor could save only the mother or the child the Viscount told him to save the son. But there was no son. Only a fifth daughter whose birth cost her mother her life.
The Viscount left the baby Marisa with a staff of servants and a governess and spent almost all his time in London with the older girls. Marisa grew up spoiled and wild. Any love or sense of family came from the neighbors, the Bronwells, who welcomed her and made her a part of their family. A special close relationship developed between youngest son Percy and Marisa.
Because Marisa is spoiled, she develops a reputation for being a flirt. She fancies herself in love and gets engaged to several men in the neighborhood, then breaks the engagments when she realizes she does not love them. Eventually her father brings her to London, where the beautiful Marisa is wooed by many men of Society. Yet she continues her flirtacious ways until her father tells her to marry or he will choose someone for her. He does agree that she may visit her Italian relatives for a year, but insistes upon a marriage at the end of that time.
Marisa’s Italian relatives are warm and hospitable, and she is happy with them. She is also happy to meet Percy again. He has joined the Royal Navy where he is a brave and capable officer. It is clear to Marisa’s family that she and Percy care for each other, but Marisa is not sure. Spoiled and coddled as she has been, she is not capable of the selflessness that love demands. When Marisa gets herself engaged to an Italian and later has second thoughts, Percy offers a marriage of convenience. Then subsequent events cause the scales to drop from Marisa’s eyes when she realizes that Percy’s love has always been true, and now he is in deep danger.
The Fifth Daughter is smoothly written and I especially enjoyed the passages set in Tuscany, but there were several problems that kept me from fully enjoying it. First: I did not like Marisa until very near the end. I’ve read books that had spoiled, prissy heroines who changed as the book progressed, but Marisa stayed self centered for far too long. Second: Marisa and Percy were not together very much. When I asked for this book, the premise looked like it would be one of my favorite kinds of stories, a friends-become-lovers story, but I didn’t get much of a sense of friendship between them, and when they did beome lovers, my first reaction was to tell Percy that he’d be sorry. Third: A lot of the action is from a distance. Marisa is supposed to be such a flirt, but we don’t see her do it. She gets semi-engaged to all these men, but we don’t see it happen. It’s not until Marisa goes to Italy that secondary characters actually take a prominent part in the story.
Finally, I read this in an ARC, and there were several errors in the use of titles. Marisa’s father begins as a Viscount, but toward the end he magically becomes a Marquis. At one point, Marissa is referred to as Miss Fairweather (correct) then later she is referred to as Lady Fairweather (incorrect). One can only assume these errors are corrected in the version that is for sale to the public.
I wish I had liked The Fifth Daughter more, but the beautiful Tuscan setting was wasted on characters whom I simply could not like or warm up to. If you are a fan of Italian settings, try Night Of Fire by Barbara Samuel which has a beautiful Italian setting, and also has passionate and vivid characters who are worthy of it.
Grade: D+
Book Type: Historical Romance
Sensuality: Subtle
Review Date: 03/11/01
Publication Date: 2001
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.