More than you might expect

The Young Clementina ( 1938) by D.E. Stevenson, at least in its 2013 edition, is an easy book to misjudge by its cover. I expected something light and breezy, rather on the order of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson, also first published in 1938 and made into an equally delightful film 70 years later. Stevenson's novel, while of comparable quality, is composed of more serious stuff.

We might also misjudge this book by its title. Charlotte Dean, the novel's narrator, has a younger sister named Clementina, though this pretty, manipulative woman calls herself Kitty. Kitty's daughter is also named Clementina. To which does the title refer? Neither, it turns out, lies at the center of the plot, although both are vital to it.

The key character, if not Charlotte herself, is Garth Wisdon, heir to an estate, whom she has loved since childhood. They plan to marry but the Great War interrupts those plans. When Charlotte first sees him after the war is over he is dramatically changed and shows no affection for her at all. He marries not her but Kitty and they soon have a daughter, while Charlotte settles into spinsterhood.

The marriage proves a stormy one, and Charlotte becomes a reluctant witness at their divorce trial. She discovers that her sister expects her to lie under oath on her behalf. Much else happens, best left for readers to discover on their own. These discoveries will be pleasurable and, for the most part, surprising.

Stevenson's novel turns into melodrama by the end, and that ending may be predictable. Still, on the whole, this is fine stuff, not the book we might expect but one we can enjoy.