The Waynes of Wood Mount

Elizabeth Cadell

This is a three-book series by Elizabeth Cadell about the Wayne family and their friends, focusing on relationships, with light romance thrown in.  The publishes states that these books stand alone, but I feel that they should be read together, in order, to best appreciate the characters.

The Lark Shall Sing (1955) 4/5 stars
The Blue Sky of Spring (1956) 4/5 stars

Six Impossible Things (1961)  3/5 stars

In the first book, The Lark Shall Sing, the Wayne family of six siblings (aged 24 down to 7) is introduced.  They've been orphaned, and were scattered around the country for a year.  Lucille, the eldest, has decided to sell the family home, Wood Mount, and her two sisters and three brothers are horrified.  They descend on Lucille, to beg to stay at Wood Mount as a family.  What follows is a sweet tale of family relationships, lightly romantic, gently humorous, and fully enjoyable.  

The Blue Sky of Spring follows the oldest brother, Nicholas, the woman he loves, and an American stranger.  Again, it's a gentle book about relationships -- friendship, romance, family -- with an interesting and not fully predictable plot.  The Waynes are charming and their situations heart-touching, and the book is completely entertaining.

In Six Impossible Things, Julia, the youngest sister, returns from studying abroad, a local friend is getting married, and a stranger involves the Waynes in her attempt to break up from a controlling and vindictive fiancé.  The result is an appealing, mostly lighthearted story of romance, friendship, and connections, but one not as substantial and griping as the previous two in the series.