I was nine or ten when I stumbled upon Patricia Clapp’s Jane-Emily in the bookshop.
The story centers around nine-year-old Jane, who spends the summer at her grandmother’s with her young adult aunt, Louisa. There are paranormal elements, though we
didn’t use that term back then, and a very innocent romance, set in the early part of the 20th century, between Louisa and…another character.
Looking back on it, Clapp very cleverly told the story from Louisa’s viewpoint, which offered a window into Louisa’s more adult feelings, even as the story remained appropriate for pre-teens.
I can remember reading the parts between Louisa and her gentleman, stopping and reading them again. And I found I cared more about Louisa than I did Jane, though Jane’s character was closer to my own age.
Recently, I read the reviews of others who read this book years ago, and was surprised to see others comment about dark elements in this book. Honestly, I never thought of the book being dark – even as a kid.
I recommend this book, for anyone aged ten or older, as one of the books that haunted me over an entire summer. I read and finished it, read other books and pulled this one out again. Nice entry into romance that remains sweet – there might be one kiss in it, if I recall correctly. This was the book that began my love of reading historical romance.