Clover

POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT!!! I wasn’t sure how this book would be without so much Katy in it. However, the transition was good because of the time the whole family put into the preparations for her ‘simple’ wedding. And then, marrying a Naval man also meant that for long periods of time, Katy was home while Ned was obliged to be at sea. So, Phil becomes rather weak and is in need of a change where the air is better. Katy really cannot go, so becomes Clover’s responsibility to go with him to the mountains 'out west', meaning the Denver area. Their Doctor father is concerned that there will be someone to act as matron, and it is arranged that they will meet up with a relative of someone they know. However, a better plan comes for Katy to go meet Ned in California. Some other family friends are also heading there, so they will have a better send off since they will have companionship all the way to Denver. The ‘matron’ turns out to be an elderly, fumbly, fussy lady who is expecting Clover and Phil to look after her! Clover feels even more daunted at her task ahead. It is a relief that the Doctor there, who knows their father, is a lovely man. He and his wife help Clover deal with initial settling in, and reassures Clover she does not need to be nurse to the lady. And eventually, a routine develops that is satisfactory. The West is much more civilized than most people from the East had imagined, as well as having such a strange beauty in the landscape. So rather than being lonely, the siblings soon make acquaintances near their own age, going on excursions and spending time in one another’s company. It is not long before they find themselves very at home in St. Helen’s, the town where they have settled. I must say I started listening to this audio recording, but had such a hard time comprehending the reader, then I downloaded the book to my Kindle and have read it that way.