Polly by M.C. Beaton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The blurb: Polly was a bewitching young girl, that pretty Polly Marsh, and she knew it…
Polly also knew that beauty could be her passport into the castles where she had always known she belonged. So she set her sights for a duke and joined the firm of Westerman’s as a stenographer. Surely one of that noble family would notice her and then all of her dreams would come true! The trouble with Pretty Polly Marsh was that she just didn’t know her place. But others did, and were only too happy to remind her that dashing Lord Peter was merely playing at love when he appeared to be paying her court.
My review: This is the first book I’ve read by the author, and I believe she goes by several names and I haven’t read any books by any of the them. I do, however, have a couple of cozy mysteries by M.C. Beaton on my bookshelf, so I thought I was reading a cozy mystery when I started this book. I soon realised that this was not a mystery, it is an historical romance. But that wasn’t a problem.
Polly is a social climber. She is ashamed of her cockney family. She wants more, better. And she believes she deserves it. She falls in love with a duke and sets her sights on marrying him, but is it real love. That’s the real question.
The character’s are humorous. And I must say at this point that the narrator, Emma Powell, certainly played a part in bringing them to life. She did an excellent job of narrating the story. I could picture this book as a romantic comedy movie, to be honest. You know the type I mean, the ones you sit and watch on a cold, rainy afternoon to cheer yourself up.
In all honesty, I didn’t find anything about the book fabulous or unforgettable, as the plot was quite simple really. Nothing spectacular there. I’m not even sure the historical parts were accurate. But all that aside, I did find the characters and storyline entertaining. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who wants a light read that will bring a smile to their face.