The Morning Gift Paperback – 26 Mar 2015

I recently bought a set of four titles by Eva Ibbotson as a present for my niece, but was a little dismayed when they arrived and were described inside as adult novels - I thought Ms Ibbotson only wrote for children or young adults. Therefore I decided to read them myself and despite romantic fiction not being my ideal reading genre, I was very pleasantly surprised. ‘The Morning Gift’ was the first book I chose to read and focuses on the very intelligent, golden-haired Ruth Berger, an independently-minded part-Jewish girl who lives in Austria with her family. She is in love with Heini, a talented, but very self-centred pianist, who puts his own needs far above those around him, but Ruth is so adoring that she fails to see that Heini is more in love with his art than he is with her. When Austria is annexed by Hitler and it becomes necessary for Ruth to leave her homeland, she agrees to marry English professor, Quin Somerville, in what is intended to be purely a marriage of convenience. However, when the pair arrive in London and attempt to dissolve the marriage, they find that an annulment is not as straightforward as they’d hoped and when they are both thrown together as student and professor at Thameside University, things become even more difficult, especially as their marriage is to be kept a secret. And then along comes Verena Plackett, the confident and very determined daughter of the Vice Chancellor of Thameside, who firmly decides that Quin is the prospective husband she has been saving herself for….With its very engaging heroine this is an unashamedly romantic novel and although I shouldn’t think that anyone reading it would have any real difficulty in predicting how it all will end, it’s also a lovely, comforting story filled with sympathetic characters, apart from the dreadfully superior Verena and her snobbish mother, Lady Plackett - whose scheming machinations to persuade Quin into marriage were very amusing to read. And, although there is the terrible plight of the Jews who were unable to escape Austria and Germany in the background of this story, there are no harrowing details to upset more sensitive readers - which makes me wonder, along with other aspects of the book, whether this wasn’t actually originally intended for older children/young adults. Either way I still enjoy reading well-written children’s and YA fiction and overall I found this novel an effortless and entertaining bedtime read.4 Stars.

I can't believe I haven't found this book before now. It's a gripping love story mainly set in 1938 from Vienna to London. The heroine, Ruth, might be rather typically beautiful but she's utterly likeable and interesting and smart. The hero, Quin, is wildly likeable too and that right side of brave and kind and memorable.My favourite part of this story is the sly wit throughout, those careful observations of people and their peculiarities which sets the story-telling on a par with Edith Wharton - and I can give no higher praise than that.If you're looking for smart leads in a tangled love story under the backdrop of a terrifying history, look no further. I honestly can't imagine who wouldn't love this story.

I can't remember how many times I've read this book. I just ordered it again because I can't find my old copy and I want to read it again. A wonderful book, Eva Ibbotson has a very fine sense of humour, her characters are described in a way that you can easily picture them and the story is a feel good story (spoiler, it has a happy ending), despite the horrors of the early days of WWII. Go for it, read it.

Vienna, 1938, and the Nazis have invaded, persecuting and driving out the Jewish population. Due to unforeseen circumstances Ruth Berger is left behind when her family flees to England, and now she can't leave.Until Quin Somerville, a former student of Ruth's father and in Vienna to receive an honorary degree, finds her and promises to get her out. Even if their only choice is marriage. It doesn't mean anything, and they'll dissolve it as soon as they reach England, leaving Ruth free to marry her beloved Heini, and Quin just free.At least that's the plan. Except such marriages aren't easily put aside - and the longer it takes to break, the more they're left to wonder whether they still want to.Once again Ibbotson presents a beautiful love story set amidst the melancholy, forgotten world of interwar Europe. Ruth is a glorious heroine, filled with an infectious zest for life, and consuming passion for both music and zoology. And she's likeable. Quin is a level-headed hero with a clear sense of duty, desperately in need of Ruth's bright love of life.In true Ibbotson style there's a cast of wonderful characters - from the displaced refugees, to Ruth's fellow students - and a smattering of selfish and nastily intentioned others helping to sow confusion and misery. The path to true love is never smooth, and this is one of Ibbotson's darker tales, but the light spots are even brighter for it. The first time Ruth truly sees the North Sea is just one of them.Amongst the academics and brooding troubles of the approaching war, this is a story not only of romantic love, but passion for life and the importance of all levels of acceptance. My favourite of Eva Ibbotson's romances - it's just gorgeous.

I very much enjoyed reading this and particularly in relation to the artworks it described as well as it being especially important this year in view of the anniversary of not only world ward I but in relation to world war 2. As always with this author I love the whimsical use of words; that she writes exceptionally well - I know these are supposedly children's books but I thoroughly enjoy them as a mature and well-read adult - and I look forward to reading many more.

I only recently discovered the adult novels of Eva Ibbotson. They are a pleasure. We know what will happen in them - the novels are truly romantic, not "romance" novels. Although her heroines are unashamedly lovely, there is often sharp dialogue, a point of acerbity and a wealth of detail. She said herself that she wanted to write the kind of book which she would enjoy if she were tucked up in bed with the flu. It isn't easy to write pleasurable novels but this book is simply lovely. A good yarn, in the Ruritanian tradition of John Buchan but with a feminine perspective.