Ellanor's Exchange

by Linda Hayner

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591664624
• ISBN13: 9781591664628
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Journeyforth
• Length: 195 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 12 to 15 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 10

Customer Reviews

Solid piece of historical fiction

Fourteen-year-old Ellanor Fitzhugh is travelling to London with her neighbor, Lady Wilthrop, for one main purpose: finding a nobleman to marry. Since she is the only surviving Fitzhugh child, her marriage choice has the potential to land her family among the English gentry. Ellanor, however, doesn't want to marry yet, and she fears being quickly drawn into an unwanted engagement. But while Ellanor's original worries prove to be groundless, she discovers that she has a very different reason to fear. The conniving and power-hungry Lord Wetherby, commander of King Charles I's guard, has his own reasons for wanting her in London. And one misstep in the world of political intrigue could cause her or those she cares about--including a particular friend named Lord Netherfield--to pay a high price. "Ellanor's Exchange" is a well-researched look at the turmoil surrounding the latter years of King Charles I's reign, as well as a glimpse into 17th century high society. (It is possibly a good companion for a world history textbook.) The plot is compelling and fast-paced, easily capable of reaching above and below its intended young adult audience. Linda Hayner's writing style tends toward brevity, which has both a positive and a negative side. One plus is that the plot never drags. The more unfortunate effect is that Hayner's characters are not as developed as they could (or should) be. Ellanor and Lord Netherfield are fairly well developed; however, Lady Wilthrop seems distant almost to the end, and we lack vital insights as to Lady Carlisle's true character. We never learn much about Ellanor's maid and close friend, Priscilla, or their young companion, Roland Stuart, despite how largely the two figure into the wild race to warm Mr. Pym of his impending arrest. The body of the book is so good that the failures in characterization are genuinely disappointing. However, "Ellanor's Exchange" is still a well-written novel and was definitely worth my time.

Romance with intrigue and suspense

The book Ellanor's Exchange by Linda Haynes follows the coming of age of a fifteen-year-old girl, Ellanor, who is sent to London by her father to mingle with upper class society and, in time, find a wealthy gentleman to marry. True to traditional love story patterns, she eventually does so. By the end of the book, Lord Netherfield finds Ellanor in the garden and tells her that he wants to wed a woman who is "loyal, puts the needs of her family and friends before her own, and is very beautiful as well."(193) Okay, so that's the expected element of this love story. However, between these two events there are a myriad of plot twists and unexpected challenges for Ellanor. As the story opens, Ellanor experiences several personal tragedies (ed. note: skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to read the storyline). First, her beloved brother Paul dies during the influenza epidemic. Second, her father announces that he is sending Ellanor to England to be taught manners, music, and proper courtship by his long time friend Lady Wilthrop. The goal is to have Ellanor ready to make her debut into high society by age 16. Third, once Ellanor arrives in England she is beset by people who act as though they are going to befriend her, but who, in reality, are her enemies. Competition among the young female ladies for the available handsome and rich bachelors is keen, and no outsider such as Ellanor is welcomed into the mix. Many other girls and their parents set out to sabotage the fate of Ellanor, but amidst it all, she has a feeling that Lord Netherfield is pure, chaste, kind, and trustworthy. Her belief in him is justified in the end when he declares his love and devotion to her. Author Linda Haynes is a good storyteller. Her chapter titles draw the reader into the pending action. The interaction of characters is intriguing, especially since the reader is never sure who is a friend and who is a foe of Ellanor. The book's pace is steady, never tedious, and although the end is predictable (hey, it is a love story, after all), the mini-plots and subplots provide for intrigue and suspense. - Jodi Kurht, Christian Book Previews.com