The Elopement | Tracy Rees

By My Weekly book reviewer Linda Hill

If you’ve read Tracy Rees’s The Rose Garden (reviewed by My Weekly here) then some of the characters’ names will be familiar.

However alongside Olive, Jem and others, in The Elopement we are given an insight into very different people and meeting them is sheer pleasure.

What is so fascinating about Tracy Rees’ characters is that, regardless of their social status, they are completely convincing, layered and realistic.

Be careful what you wish for

I confess I loathed Rowena at the start, finding her shallow, easily manipulated and vain. As The Elopement progressed I loved the way her character changed and developed.

She learns a lesson that is valuable to us all, that while perhaps we should be careful what we wish for, the person mainly responsible for our happiness is ourselves.

There’s also a universal message that extreme wealth does not represent happiness, but that pleasure can be found in the simplest of lives.

A perfect eye for historical accuracy

The Elopement is clearly, atmospherically and effectively set at the end of the 19th century. The vivid insight into life in the wealthy Blythe household that would make for a fabulous television series.

Tracy Rees has a perfect eye for historical accuracy that enhances her plot in a captivating but unobtrusive fashion.

Equally impressive is the insight into the lives of ordinary people so that all life is presented here. The story romps along with twists and turns making for a thoroughly engaging tale.

However, The Elopement is very much more; it’s a feminist and socialist story, with Tracy Rees exploring the role of women, and the expectations placed upon them by status and family, society and convention. At times the reader is infuriated and angered even while being thoroughly entertained.

An unexpected side effect…

Through Felix and John who are at either ends of the social spectrum, we find that the world has its constraints for men as well as women, making the story insightful and so well balanced.

I thought the themes made the plot compelling, affecting and actually very galvanising. Reading The Elopement made me reassess my own life, which was a rather surprising side effect!

The outcomes for the multi-faceted Pansy in particular made me rejoice. I very much hope we might hear more about her in a future book.

The Elopement is historical fiction at its best. Through a skilfully crafted plot and wonderful characters, the reader is plunged into a world that feels authentic, fascinating and totally entertaining.