This book covers about 40 years of one family's history. In 1905, old Celia Dunne is deciding who should inherit the family estate. She settles on her great-nephew, Humphrey Dunne, after she assures herself that he really loves the place like she does and would settle down there and raise his family. Her condition is that even though he already has 3 children, he must have another daughter and name her Celia, and that daughter must be the next heiress to the estate.
The Dunnes move in, years go by, two more children are born (including the aforementioned Celia), the kids grow up and get married, and two world wars are survived. This is another life-goes-on type of book, with distinct episodes but no one climax or plot thread. In the middle there is a lengthy and 99% exact Mansfield Park parallel story, with a "Henry and Mary Crawford" playing with the emotions of a "Fanny and Edmund." The details are, point-for-point, the same, in everything from putting on a play to the roles of "Edmund's" two sisters.
Enjoyable reading. A nice little loose thread is left at the end that is pretty fitting.

At the beginning, when old Celia Dunne is talking to her great-nephew, there are a couple of pretty amazing remarks she makes about things she has seen (she's nearing 100 years old) and stories that her grandparents had told her about things they had seen...these kind of conversations remind one that what we call "history" is not really all that long ago, when you start talking in terms of generations (albeit long-lived ones). ( )

I liked it, but then Mansfield Park is one of my favorite Austen novels. I always loved Fanny (except for her name and the fact that she married her cousin). She was insightful, observant, and uncompromising in the face of pressure. Thus I really liked the novel. It was much more tolerant and understanding of the characters that were difficult to like in Austen's tale.

I didn't, however, much care for the ending. It seemed like it needed one last chapter. No "love at first sight" was needed. Just something a bit more homey and involved... I mean, we had just met Courtney. I needed more than Humphrey's gut feeling to like the kid. ( )

A pure comfort read about a family in Scotland and the house they inhabit through the years between the two World Wars (mostly). When Miss Celia Dunne feels her time is running out, she makes a will that will surprise everyone, dismaying or enraging presumptive heirs while delighting and perplexing its actual beneficiaries. She knows precisely what she's doing, and cannot be reasoned out of it. Time will prove her right. A marvelous antidote to grim realities and fictional horrors, this story was warm, predictable and entirely satisfying. If this is the sort of thing you like, you'll like it a lot. ( )

Always a lovely re-read. ( )

This was a thoroughly enjoyable and gentle look at a family living on an old estate in Scotland in the early to mid 1900s. The characters are not shallow, but well developed, and I found myself getting involved in their trials, decisions, all the while wondering how the story would end. Recommended. ( )

Enjoyable, classic D. E. Stevenson, even if the plot is a little (okay, a lot) derivative. About halfway in you start to see the similarities. Mousy poor relation falls in love with the handsome son of the family, but he's in love with a scheming fortune-hunter. Said fortune-hunter's caddish brother unexpectedly falls for poor relation but she won't have him. There are two pretty daughters of the house who do not bother much with their poor relation. Their mother, the lady of the house, depends on the poor relation to run the household. An amateur theatrical also plays a big role (:P) in this tale. Yes, this is basically the plot and some of the characters of Austen's Mansfield Park, but oddly enough I'm okay with that. It's framed a little differently and some of the details are so precise that you know Stevenson is well aware of her borrowing and means it as homage, not robbery.

I will say, however, that the ghost of the original Celia visiting the pregnant Alice and the hints of her reincarnation in her great-niece were a bit weird. ( )

This was what I can only call a "pleasant" book. I liked the first third or so of this novel the most. I kept expecting bad or dreadful things to happen, some gothic tale set in the early to mid 20th century, but this isn't that sort of book at all. I realized that well before I had finished the book, but I still couldn't quite get that thought out of my mind. It reminds me most of something that Lucy Maud Montgomery might have written, only this is set on the English Scottish border. The novel covers the period 1905-1942, of a family estate that was unexpectedly inherited. For me the entire setting and descriptions of the land was the strongest draw and in some ways the strongest character. This is a light romance thing as well, and the middle part has a drama that I see described as a retelling of Mansfield Park. It has been way too long since I read that novel to give an opinion, but the happenings certainly have a familiar feel of a period drama retold.

Overall I liked this and it does have a happy ending which counts for something. In a way it is a near perfect read for the style of story that it is. A pleasant pastoral read like this actually was a very nice change of pace and makes me want to visit something like this a little more often. This is a bit like a comfort food. I have my daughter's Little House books which I have always wanted to sample and I think I will before too long. Or perhaps I'll find another D.E. Stevenson novel in my hands one day. ( )

Another lovely book from DE Stevenson. I really enjoy these old fashioned stories. The characters feel real, but nothing really terrible ever happens. A great escape from the political world of today. It is wonderful to see these coming back into print. Thank you to Sourcebooks, NetGalley and Edelweiss for giving me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This book is so comforting. D.E. Stevenson's greatest strength is in writing about people - people at their best and at their worst. She really had a remarkable sense of human motivations, strengths, and frailties. You can always count on a happy ending for the people who deserve it, but it is never overly sentimental. It is just as it should be. Perfect. ( )

I read this many, many years ago, probably as a teenager, and could only remember one event from the entire book. More recently, I thought that I would likely appreciate it more as a (relatively) mature adult, so joined in on a group read on the D. E. Stevenson Yahoo list. After completing my assigned chapters, I zoomed on to the end of the book, and definitely got more out of it than I did in my youth. It is the story of the Dunne family, and their home, Dunnian, in Scotland, between 1905 and 1942. The story begins with old Celia, and ends when young Celia is 32. The two Celia's don't have all that much page time, serving more as anchors for the rest of the story. I enjoyed watching the the family as the children grew up and fit into the changing world around them. I just had a couple of quibbles with the book: one confusing character arc; and an unsettling touch of the supernatural. There was also one character who was horribly unpleasant, but she does have her place in the plot. It is not as funny as many of Stevenson's books, but still has some humorous touches. While essentially a serious book, it is not at all dark. ( )

Celia’s House by D.E. Stevenson is a historical story set in Scotland starting in 1901. Celia Dunne is ninety years old in June 1901. Maurice Dunne and his wife, Nina have always thought that Dunnian House would go to them when Celia passed away. Celia has a different idea. She has decided to leave the house to Humphrey Dunne. Celia has certain conditions though. Humphrey could live in the house for his life and then the house would go to his daughter, Celia (Humphrey did not have a daughter named Celia). Miss Celia Dunne was certain he would have another child (a girl). Since Dunnian House was not entailed, Celia could leave to whom she wished. Humphrey was a navy man who spent most of time away from home. Humphrey was sure his wife, Alice would love have a permanent home for her and the children.

Celia Dunne lived until September of 1901. Maurice and Nina were livid when they found out that they were not getting Dunnian House (they had such awful plans for the beautiful home). Alice loved the home and staff. Humphrey’s oldest son, Mark loves Dunnian House. He was saddened when he found out that it would not go to him (Mark became a doctor instead). Humphrey and Celia did have another daughter whom they named Celia (and she happened to look a lot like the elder Miss Celia Dunne). The book follows the family (Humphrey and Alice as well as their children as well as their young cousin, Deb) as they grow up and live at Dunnian house through 1942.

Celia’s House is a charming and pleasant story. The book was written and published in 1943 (which you can tell from reading the book). I give Celia’s House 3.5 out of 5 stars. It is a sweet story that does not contain sex, foul language (maybe a word or two), or violence. I wish I had discovered this book when I was younger (it is the type of book that I would have read and appreciated when I was 12 or 13). The book has a nice flow, but it lacked something (hard to explain). The book needed something more that would grab the reader and hold them.

I received a complimentary copy of Celia's House from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own. ( )

First off you need to know that I'm a sucker for books about traditional English country houses, and then add in one of my favourite periods of time to read about, the years between the two World Wars, and it's a pretty fair assessment that I'm going to enjoy the book. Celia's House is just one more delightful book by the wonderful author D.E. Stevenson, the treasure who brought us Miss Buncle's Book and it's sequels. Celia's House is about the Dunne family. We are first introduced to an elderly, but much loved Celia Dunne, a spinster who has lived her whole life at Dunnian, the family home. She wants to pass Dunnian on to an heir that she knows will love the house as much as she has and pass it on to keep the family traditions and heritage. Enter her great-nephew Humphrey and we begin to sink into a warm, loving story of Humphrey, his wife, his children and yes, the downstairs people too. The story begins in 1905 and carries on through to 1942 with a most satisfactory ending. There are highs and lows, big dramas and little tempests all encompassed by a beautiful home and breathtaking scenery. Celia's House is a delightful read from start to finish. ( )

DE Stevenson’s books are quite hard to find, but I was able to buy a copy of Celia’s House a few years ago. The novel takes place over the course of about 40 years and focuses on the lives and fortune of the Dunne family and their family estate, Dinnian, in Scotland. Humphrey Dunne inherits the estate in 1905 from Celia Dunne, with the stipulation that Dunnian will be passed to Humphrey’s daughter, Celia, when she comes of age.

Some of the plot is a little predictable; for example, when the elder Celia states that Dunnian be passed on to the younger Celia, the younger Celia hasn’t even been born yet—so it’s pretty obvious that there will indeed be another Celia to carry on the family name. Because the book takes place over a larger period of time, there were also large gaps between events; for example, Stevenson doesn’t really describe what happens when Celia receives her inheritance or her reaction to it. In fact, the book isn’t so much about Celia as it is about the family in general.

Nonetheless, there are a few strong points to the book, including the romance—Steven describes perfectly the agony (and ecstasy) of young love. Still, I didn’t think this book was quite as strong as some of the other DE Stevenson novels I’ve read. ( )

Acquired via BookCrossing 18 Jul 2010

Published in 1943, this is the story of Dunnian House in the Scottish borders and its inhabitants, the Dunne family. It opens with old Celia looking back on 90 years in the house and then follows the fortunes of her inheritors and their relationships with the other local families. There's a poor relation, a faithful retainer and a wise gardener to enjoy reading about, as well as the children of the house and their suitors and loves. Reminds me a bit of Francis Brett Young (which is probably why Ali loved it too) in the marrying of lovely and loving descriptions of the countryside and of the inhabitants.

Utterly charming - they don't make books like this any more. It's the kind of thing the "House at Riverton" style writers are trying to do, but the originals are the best, I'm afraid. ( )

This is only the second D E Stevenson book I have read, most of her books are now out of print, and they are hugely sort after and very difficult to find. Therefore even though this is a registered bookcrossing book, I am keeping it for now - instead of passing it on ( bad bad bookcrosser!) and if I do come across another copy I will then let it travel on.

I absolutley loved this book. The book opens in 1905 with the first Ceila Dunne - 90 year old owner of Dunnian house. She informs her astonished younger nephew Humphrey that she will be leaving Dunnian house to him, and not to his elder cousin who is fully expectant of the bequest. The house and money is to be for his lifetime, and then should pass to the next Celia Dunne - someone as yet unborn, as Humphrey's 3 children are Mark, Joyce and Edith. The first Celia dies, and Humphrey, Alice and their children move into the house, they have two more children, and have a neice Deb come to live with them too. We then watch these children grow but as everybody grows older Dunnian remains unchanged. The books ends in 1942 in the middle of the second war.
D E stevenson has created characters you instantly love, Dunnian house almost a character in it's own right. This was the kind of book I feel sorry to finish, as I have loved spending time with the people in it. ( )

A light, tender story of a family and their home in the Scottish Border country in the first half of the twentieth century. Although there are several romances, this isn't really a romance novel as the term is commonly understood. This is a pleasant, undemanding read, with not much action but a great deal of charm. ( )