Narrated by Rosalyn Landor
This seventh and final instalment in Mary Balogh’s Survivor’s Club series has rather an autumnal feel about it, telling as it does the story of two mature people who come together in order to gain a friend and companion but find so much more. George Crabbe, Duke of Stanbrook, has been a strong background presence in all the other books, as a support and sounding-board for the other characters. He could, in fact, be termed the club’s founder given that it was his generosity in opening his home to wounded soldiers that created the conditions which enabled the six ‘survivors’ – five men and one woman – to forge the strong bonds of friendship to which readers and listeners have been witness over the past six novels.
In the years since they left the hospital, all six of the survivors have married and found happiness, and it’s following the last of the weddings – of the club’s single female member, Imogen – that George starts to think that perhaps there is something missing from his life. He’s forty-eight years old and has been a widower for the past twelve years. His history, or as much as we know of it so far, is also a tragic one; his only son was killed in battle and his wife was so distraught that she took her own life. This is also as much as his fellow survivors know, for George has never shared the entirety of his story with them, partly out of a wish not to burden them, but mostly because he feels that there are secrets contained within it that are not his to tell.
For the first time in the twelve years of his widowerhood, George thinks that perhaps he would like to marry again. He doesn’t want or expect love or passion, but the idea of finding companionship and affection, of having someone to talk to and laugh with, and – hopefully – to share his bed is one that is beginning to appeal to him.
The odd thing is, that with the idea of marriage comes the image of a certain woman, and George realises that the two are inextricably bound. It’s not marriage in the abstract that interests him, it’s marriage to this particular woman, so almost as soon as he has waved off the last of his houseguests, he heads to Gloucestershire to propose to the lady in question.
When the Duke of Stanbrook – whom she had met briefly a year before – turns up on her doorstep and promptly asks her to marry him, Dora Debbins is stunned. She’s thirty-nine and never thought to marry; but like George, can’t deny that she is a little lonely, or that the idea of sharing her life with someone is an attractive one. There’s also the fact that she is more than a little smitten with this handsome, distinguished and kind man – and she accepts.
Only Beloved is a truly lovely, gently moving story about two people making a life together and discovering that age is no bar to love, passion or romance. It’s very much a character-driven story, and the slower pace allows the author to thoroughly explore the characters and develop the romance, which is really quite beautiful. Through the things they say and do, the small gestures and considerations they show one another, George and Dora clearly show the depth of their respect, affection and, eventually, love for each other.
But even as George and Dora are falling in love, life is not perfect. Dora is still coming to terms with the fact that her mother abandoned her and her much younger sister (as told in Only Enchanting) and needs some sort of closure regarding their relationship. There is the malicious gossip of some of her neighbours to contend with, and a very real threat from someone who was once close to the Crabbe family. Dora also comes to realise that while George is kind, considerate and attentive, he is also deeply troubled by his past. He is the man to whom people bring their troubles; he is giving and unselfish, putting the welfare of others above his own time and again… and yet, who has done the same for him? He has decided to bear the truth of his situation alone, and it’s only when his past intrudes most painfully – and dangerously – upon the present, that he is finally able to share the pain and grief that have haunted him for so long.
Rosalyn Landor returns to narrate this final book in the series, and as with all the other entries she has narrated, does sterling work, bringing the characters vividly to life in the mind’s eye with her wonderfully apt vocal interpretations. In a long-running series like this there are always lots of recurring characters, in this case the six other survivors and their spouses, and while I can’t swear that every single one of them sounds exactly as they did in their own book, they are all well-differentiated so that it’s easy to distinguish between them in the various scenes in which they appear. Ms. Landor’s portrays the two central characters perfectly, however, and both of them sound exactly as they should. Dora is softly spoken, demure and pragmatic, yet shows herself possessed of a steely determination when necessary. And George sounds every bit the duke, his deep, rounded tones speaking to his age and his authority while a softer note creeps in when he when he speaks to or of Dora. As always, Ms. Landor’s pacing is excellent and her affinity and understanding of the material really shine through as she captures every emotional nuance, large or small. I have to mention specifically her performance in the scene towards the end when George finally reveals the truth about his son and his first marriage to Dora. It’s heart-breaking to read, but listening to it infused with such depth of feeling makes it even moreso and I may have had a lump in my throat more than once.
The Survivor’s Club has been an enjoyable and emotionally satisfying series and one I’m sorry to see come to an end. Rosalyn Landor was the perfect choice to narrate as she really does ‘get’ these characters and their world on an instinctive level in a way that not many other narrators do. Thank you, ladies, for many hours of audio enjoyment, and long may your collaboration continue.
Caz
Narration: A+
Book Content: B+
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in (but at the very tame end)
Violence Rating: Minimal
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Recorded Books
Only Beloved was provided to AudioGals by Recorded Books for a review.
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Thank you, Caz! You had me at “mature people”.
Wonderful review, Thanks. I too, loved this series.
Thanks, ladies. :). This has been a really good series both in print and audio.