Katherine Wentworth

By: D. E. Stevenson

Narrated by: Lesley Mackie

Married at 19, Katherine had four years of happiness with her beloved Gerald. When he dies, she is left on her own to bring up a stepson, Simon, and her own little twins. She has known what it is to be loved and cherished, and without Gerald, all she wants is independence, and the freedom to bring up his children as he would have liked.

When an unexpected letter arrives for Simon, offering him a very different life, Katherine is concerned that he makes the right choice. She is worn out with worries and difficulties; but a restful holiday in the Scottish Highlands restores her zest for living. And it is only then that she begins that independence is not as important as love.

©1964 D. E. Stevenson (P)2013 Soundings

Another DE Stevenson Classic

Heart warming story with perfect narration. I read this many years ago and the story has improved with age and enhanced by listening to it. More Stevenson Please!

a favorite author!!!

Would you listen to Katherine Wentworth again? Why?

I will never get tired of reading, and in this case, listening to this book. I was first introduced to D E Stevenson over 40 years ago by a little sweet older librarian in the inner city of Pittsburgh PA.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Katherine, of course, is my favorite character. She suffered grief, loss, and still came out on top. I felt like I knew her as a friend.

Which character – as performed by Lesley Mackie – was your favorite?

I liked her Zilla, especially...she made her sound real.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Katherine explained to Alec that she was alone and didn't have a cleaning lady to clean her kitchen cabinets...I understood that totally...

Any additional comments?

I always loved to sit by the window and read these books by D E Stevenson. They calmed me down and took me to another land. Better than modern junk.

My all time favorite read!

Another D E Stevenson that isn't dramatic in the usual style but full of warmth, and living. The characters are like friends I visit every time I read it.
Kathryn is a widow with a teen step son and a pair of school age twins. She happens to meet a school friend when she is out shopping and is invited to tea to catch up and the story begins. Events move along for Kathryn and her family from one event to another...some are pretty funny. Choices are made that change their lives. I won't ruin the ending by any big reveals but you will love the ending.

Love grows in Edinburgh!

Those of you who have already listened to the audiobook of Katherine's Marriage, also read by Lesley Mackie, will know how this book will turn out. For some reason, Audible released the sequel years before the first book in the set! If you are new to the delightful works of D. E. Stevenson, or to this series, please listen to this one first.

Lesley Mackie's soft Scottish accent is perfect for this book, set almost completely in Scotland. The book opens with Katherine enjoying a beautiful early spring day in Edinburgh. The descriptions of Edinburgh at the beginning and of other portions of Scotland later in the book are so delightful that they inspired me to travel there in real life, and see them for myself. The streets and landscapes mentioned are still there, and D. E. Stevenson, with Lesley Mackie's help can transport you there.

Katherine soon meets with her former school friend, Zilla and through her meets Alec. Zilla doesn't value her brother, but soon Alec is becoming a firm friend to Katherine and her children, especially step-son Simon. A summer holiday at a cottage in the Highlands serves as a catalyst that changes the friendship between Katherine and Alec to something more romantic.

But this book is more than a simple "romance". Other plot points are plentiful. This family story is full of characters with real personalities. And, when these delightful people are added to the evocative descriptions of locations, which can transport the listener to Edinburgh, a loch in the Highlands of Scotland or an English estate, the sum total is a wonderful listening experience.

I wait impatiently for more unabridged recordings of the works of D. E. Stevenson.

Charming & beguiling, more complex than you think

Initially, I did not think I would like it as much as other DES novels, but how wrong I was. I went through the same emotions when I picked it up again after many years. Something about the opening puts me off for a moment. Despite a novel of charm and honorable, fully detailed characters, the novel has some extremely unpleasant cast members, who, of course, contribute greatly to the plot. DES is beguilingly sophisticated at character and plot, despite the overall deception that these are cozy, comfort reading. Highly recommended.