THE BACKWARD REVIEWER
William F. Deeck


VIOLET TWEEDALE – The Beautiful Mrs. Davenant. Frederick A. Stokes, US, hardcover, 1920. First published in the UK by Herbert Jenkins, hardcover, 1920. Currently available from many sources as a Print On Demand book.

   Why did the beautiful and mysterious widow Hilda Davenant choose to live outside Great Glentworth near a Thorpe, with whom she had done for all time but whose seal is indelibly imprinted on her life?

   Why did Geoffrey Thorpe, who was extravagant and indebted when poor and penurious when he achieved wealth, allow the lovely Lake House to deteriorate around him?

   Why when the presumed dead Mark Thorpe is mentioned does Geoffrey turn pale and cast “an affrighted glance” over his shoulder? Why is Geoffrey dominated by his housekeeper? Is there a ghost who wanders the halls of Lake House in the early a.m.?

   Surely some reader with more forbearance than I possess got farther into the book, subtitled” A Novel of Love and Mystery,” than I did.

   If so, I would be willing to chuckle at the answers as long as I don’t have to discover them for myself.

— From The MYSTERY FANcier, Vol. 12, No. 3, Summer 1990.


Biographical Notes:   Mrs. Tweedale has her own page on Wikipedia, which is where I’ll direct you if you wish more information about her. I’ll be concise here and excerpt only the following:

    “Violet Tweedale, née Chambers (1862 – 19 December 1936), was a Scottish author, poet, and spiritualist.”

    “[She] was born in Edinburgh, the eldest daughter of Robert Chambers, editor of Chambers’ Journal, and the granddaughter of Robert Chambers, the publisher and founder of W & R Chambers.”

    “She was a prolific writer of short stories, published as anthologies, and novels, often with a romantic or supernatural theme.”

    Googling on the Internet will reveal much more about the author. In her day, she was quite a personality.