A Charming Mills & Boone tale set in the UK of the 1970's, in which a young couple marry too fast and must work on their marriage at leisure, and eventually succeed. Philippa is in her early twenties, fresh out of college and not sure what to do with her life. She is the unglamorous daughter of a wealthy socialite couple, who don't know what to do with their untalented tomboy of a daughter and are desperate to marry her off to the first suitable man who will have her - because he MUST be suitable, after all. This one of the novel's light-hearted jabs at the class snobbery in England at the time. Philippa's parents are self-centered narcissists who don't care about their daughter as a person. But as a reflection of themselves, she must uphold the family name by marrying a young man of suitably high birth and with an income to support Philippa in luxury.
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These plans are derailed when the famous author Kern McCabe - rugged, red-haired, authoritative, manly and everything that Philippa's "suitable" suitors are not - is invited to a dinner party at Philippa's parents' home. There is an instant attraction between Philippa and Kern, and while her parents are away in France on holiday, a whirlwind courtship begins. Kern whisks Philippa away to the races, to dinners, to cozy conversations at his apartment - though he never lays a hand on her or does anything slightly improper or sexual, to show that he has a serious interest in Philippa. Philippa, meanwhile, is young and naive and has never been in love, and allows herself to be swept up in the romance. Gossip begins to spread - and it reaches Philippa's parents in France. When they call Kern in a fury to demand exactly what he means to do with their daughter, he decides that he is going to marry Philippa. Delighted, she accepts.
They have a fairytale wedding, but almost immediately things are off to an unusual start. The terrible weather delays their honeymoon plans, and they make an impulsive, off-the-cuff decision to travel to Kern's cottage in the remote mountains of Wales instead for their honeymoon. This Welsh cottage becomes a symbol of their love. It's a rough place in the mountains with no electricity, but it's a cozy romantic nest and their marriage seems perfect up there. But when they return to the city and resume their normal lives, it's back to routine and daily work. At first all is well. But slowly, cracks appear. Kern becomes absorbed in his work and never has time for his wife.
Meanwhile, gossip circulates that Kern's old flame, Lillian Storr, has her sights set on him and is determined to win him back from Philippa. Suddenly Lillian starts appearing at parties everywhere, flirting with Kern and ignoring Philippa. Philippa, noticing Kern's increasing coolness towards her, grows worried and insecure. In order to distract herself and make herself feel more useful, she gets a secretarial position at the law office of Kern's friend, who begins to have a crush on Philippa. Kern and Philippa stop having sex eventually, due to Philippa sulking and Kern not being willing to explain his grumpy, cold, distant behavior.
Eventually one day, Lillian greets Philippa on the stairwell as she leaves Kern and Philippa's apartment, promising her that she has lost Kern. Devastates, Philippa packs her bags and runs to the first place she could think of - the Welsh cottage. Mysteriously, a few hours later Kern arrives with a look of rage on his face, and insists he only came to the cottage to get some peace and quiet to work. He neither confirms nor denies what Lillian has said. For a few days Philippa and Kern live like polite strangers, until Philippa slips and falls while on the way down the mountain, and needs to be in bedrest while the snow piles up outside in a storm. Kern begins to nurse her, and one night after she almost burns up his story with a misplaced candle. They are weary and cold and sick, and the truth comes out from both ends. Kern never cared for Lillian and never intended to run away with her - he thought Philippa had started an affair with her employer and brought him to the cottage, which was why he had followed her there. Kern insists that he has always loved Philippa, but was terrible at communicating and allowed the stress of his work to overcome everything, and forgot to see to her needs. Philippa, overwhelmed with love and tenderness, soothes Kern to sleep, and all is well between them again. The rest of their stormy sojourn in the Welsh cottage is happy, and when they return to the city afterwards, they are as good as new again, a truly committed couple.
Best part of story, including ending:
I liked that Philippa wasn't an extraordinary beauty or anything, she was just an ordinary, cute, smart, nice girl with a good sense of humor.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene is when Kern looks tired and haggard by the firelight in the Welsh cottage, and Philippa comforts him. It's so intimate.
Opinion about the main character:
Philippa and Kern are both very immature and have poor communication skills.
