I liked it, but then Mansfield Park is one of my favorite Austen novels. I always loved Fanny (except for her name and the fact that she married her cousin). She was insightful, observant, and uncompromising in the face of pressure. Thus I really liked the novel. It was much more tolerant and understanding of the characters that were difficult to like in Austen's tale.

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I didn't, however, much care for the ending. It seemed like it needed one last chapter. No "love at first sight" was needed. Just something a bit more homey and involved... I mean, we had just met Courtney. I needed more than Humphrey's gut feeling to like the kid.

A slow, charming comfort read in which practically nothing happens. It gave major “Mansfield Park” vibes in the middle, and the whole thing reads like if you sucked almost all the social commentary and wit out of Austen…but not in a bad way? I don’t mind an airy book, and I have a lot of patience if the setting is lovely (an old manor house in the Scottish countryside!), so this worked out just fine for me.

Not my favorite Stevenson, but contains enough of her usual charm and characterization to make a cozy afternoon of reading.

A very gentle read, just right for when you need to clear your head after a stretch of heavy reading.

This book covers about 40 years of one family's history. In 1905, old Celia Dunne is deciding who should inherit the family estate. She settles on her great-nephew, Humphrey Dunne, after she assures herself that he really loves the place like she does and would settle down there and raise his family. Her condition is that even though he already has 3 children, he must have another daughter and name her Celia, and that daughter must be the next heiress to the estate.
The Dunnes move in, years go by, two more children are born (including the aforementioned Celia), the kids grow up and get married, and two world wars are survived. This is another life-goes-on type of book, with distinct episodes but no one climax or plot thread. In the middle there is a lengthy and 99% exact Mansfield Park parallel story, with a "Henry and Mary Crawford" playing with the emotions of a "Fanny and Edmund." The details are, point-for-point, the same, in everything from putting on a play to the roles of "Edmund's" two sisters.
Enjoyable reading. A nice little loose thread is left at the end that is pretty fitting.

At the beginning, when old Celia Dunne is talking to her great-nephew, there are a couple of pretty amazing remarks she makes about things she has seen (she's nearing 100 years old) and stories that her grandparents had told her about things they had seen...these kind of conversations remind one that what we call "history" is not really all that long ago, when you start talking in terms of generations (albeit long-lived ones).

Celia’s House by D.E. Stevenson is a historical story set in Scotland starting in 1901. Celia Dunne is ninety years old in June 1901. Maurice Dunne and his wife, Nina have always thought that Dunnian House would go to them when Celia passed away. Celia has a different idea. She has decided to leave the house to Humphrey Dunne. Celia has certain conditions though. Humphrey could live in the house for his life and then the house would go to his daughter, Celia (Humphrey did not have a daughter named Celia). Miss Celia Dunne was certain he would have another child (a girl). Since Dunnian House was not entailed, Celia could leave to whom she wished. Humphrey was a navy man who spent most of time away from home. Humphrey was sure his wife, Alice would love have a permanent home for her and the children.

Celia Dunne lived until September of 1901. Maurice and Nina were livid when they found out that they were not getting Dunnian House (they had such awful plans for the beautiful home). Alice loved the home and staff. Humphrey’s oldest son, Mark loves Dunnian House. He was saddened when he found out that it would not go to him (Mark became a doctor instead). Humphrey and Celia did have another daughter whom they named Celia (and she happened to look a lot like the elder Miss Celia Dunne). The book follows the family (Humphrey and Alice as well as their children as well as their young cousin, Deb) as they grow up and live at Dunnian house through 1942.

Celia’s House is a charming and pleasant story. The book was written and published in 1943 (which you can tell from reading the book). I give Celia’s House 3.5 out of 5 stars. It is a sweet story that does not contain sex, foul language (maybe a word or two), or violence. I wish I had discovered this book when I was younger (it is the type of book that I would have read and appreciated when I was 12 or 13). The book has a nice flow, but it lacked something (hard to explain). The book needed something more that would grab the reader and hold them.

I received a complimentary copy of Celia's House from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.

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