Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Mary Balogh: A Gift of Daisies

A Gift of Daisies was published by Signet in February 1989 and written by Mary Balogh. This story is unique in the fact that the hero is the Reverend David Gower, soon to be vicar. He is in London staying with a cousin while looking for a good woman to be his wife, but he is attracted to the young, lively Rachel Palmer. She, however, is searching London for a perfect match! Could these two unlikely people end up together? Allan Kass paints a cover that takes in both the title of the book and the profession of the hero with the heroine carrying daisies while the church is in the background. It's a beautiful scene in a garden. Maybe he was sitting on the bench reading when she walked up? I also love his vicar's garb while she wears a cheery striped spring dress! The differences in their outfits signify their differences in status. In upper class families, the oldest son inherited the estate, while any other sons went into vocations like the army, church, and law; sometimes whether they wanted this job or not! Our hero seems to have a sincere calling for the church, but most unmarried women didn't look for a vicar to marry because he would not have a large income. Some vicars would add to their income by taking on more than one parish or by having an independent income or inheritance.

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