Peggy Grahame is orphaned at seventeen, and heads with ambivalence and perhaps a little apprehension to the family New England mansion to live with her withdrawn Uncle Enos, who is obsessed with keeping Rest-and-be-thankful as close to its condition during the Revolutionary War as possible. But before she even arrives at the house, she gets lost in the woods and is given directions by a girl in a red cloak on horseback, who disappears before she can thank her. Peggy quickly discovers that the girl is the ghost of Barbara Grahame, the daughter of the house during the war. As Peggy becomes friends with Pat, a visiting scholar from England who is researching the history of guerrilla warfare in the area during the revolution, she is visited by more ghosts and begins to discover that their story holds the secret to the current mysteries of the house. And all the mysteries seem to center around the figure of Peaceable Drummond Sherwood, a mysterious and brilliant English officer who led a band of renegades on raids that plague the Continental army. This story is a humorous and touching love story, with just the right amount of star-crossed escapades and a dash of mystery. Peggy’s story takes a back seat to the story of the ghosts, as they take turns telling their story. These ghosts are not grim at all, but as enjoyably kind, clever, and sardonic as the best character in a regency romance who ever quirked an eyebrow. The reader is carried away by the exasperation of Barbara’s brother Dick, as he tried to capture Peaceable, and deal with the troublesome Eleanor Shipley who has captured his heart but taunts him mercilessly, and Eleanor, who has been trying for years to get him to notice her. But the story we care about most is the unfolding sparring and love between Barbara and Peaceable himself. . . It’s a short, quick book (with illustrations!) that make it seem like an elementary-level title, but the story and age of the characters make it fit better in a young adult collection (though there is no mature content). I first read it in my mid-teens and adored it, and this re-reading was still very satisfying, as it has one of my favorite romantic scenes of all time. I wouldn’t call it a mystery, the way it is billed, but rather as a cozy romance with a little light adventure on the side.
For years I was convinced I had read this book. Then I saw the plot description of an orphaned girl sent to live with her eccentric uncle -- not what I was remembering at all! Eventually I tracked down a copy and began to read it. Soon I began to suspect that I had indeed read it before, and two thirds of the way through -- Barbara's story -- it was confirmed. This was the book I had been thinking I had read! Only it consists of 5 interlinked stories, only the third of which was memorable to me.Peggy, the unfortunate lass of the frame narrative, was an unwanted daughter and niece. Her docility and inertness are realistic for someone who has spent her childhood trying to be as inconspicuous and obedient as possible. However, this didn't make her very interesting as a character and I forgot her. Anyway, as she droops alone and neglected in the family library, the ghosts of four of her ancestors show up and tell her stories about their exploits during the Revolutionary war.My favorite story still is the one I remembered for so many years. Barbara Grahame's father and brother join the independence efforts and send her to stay with her awful, hypochondriac old aunt, who does nothing but bully and abuse her. Her brother is stationed nearby for Christmas but the aunt forbids her to leave. Fed up, she sneaks out and makes her way through the woods. Instead of her brother, she encounters a band of loyalists led by a British officer. Rather than merely escaping, she is determined to capture the man her brother has been after for months. I think one reason I liked Barbara's story best is that she is the only woman who does anything other than pine and get married. This book was written in the 1950s and is not exactly avant garde in its gender sensibilities. Did women ever really think it was romantic for men to remark on their eventual marriage as a given, without asking? Well, I've seen that in later romance novels as well, so guess some must. I was most bothered in regards to Peggy, because isn't she a teen here? And she's been so crushed and unloved all her life it seemed unhealthy...But anyway, happily ever after for all concerned, as far as we know.
Do You like book The Sherwood Ring (2015)?
Whoever it was who highly recommended this book on Amazon's Listmania, THANK YOU! I loved this book and immediately went out and specially ordered my own copy after I'd finished the library's, because I knew I'd be reading it again and again. This book would probably be billed as a YA fantasy because of the 'ghosts' in it, but it's really more like historical fiction - with a twist. Three of Peggy's ancestors appear to her at various times and tell her their stories, all of which take place during the American War of Independence, and all intertwine. Interspersed with these is Peggy's own story and romance whilst she tries, with the information provided by the ancestor's stories, to uncover a mystery in her family's past that concerns the uncle she is now living with.Three great romances and the unbelievably drool-worthy character of the witty, ingenious and clever Peaceable Sherwood make this overlooked novel from the fifties a must-read!
—Josie
Another randomly-discovered in my teens and well loved book. The good thing about the internet is I can now actually discover something about the author and any other books she may have written, I can't believe I didn't think about it years ago. But I digress. Peaceable <3This is a story of matchmaking ghosts for a girl who needs them. The characters are lively and funny, and each contribute their part to telling Peggy, our heroine, about how their lives intertwined back in the day, and in doing so, help Peggy in her present day. Y'know, for a book published in 1958, the heroine, indeed all the female characters, are represented so positively; smart, active and more than a match for their male counterparts.Can't recommend this enough.
—M. Keedwell
I didn't expect to like it-- being historical fiction and all-- but I thoroughly fell in love with Peaceable Drummond Sherwood. I wasn't even that into the modern part of the story, or really any of the others from the past, for that matter, but I find it impossible to express how many times I would've died to be the clever Barbara Grahame, just for Sherwood. Picture him like Robin Hood, only more evil, self-serving, clever, romantic, and with more flair. <33333 Friends, before you start beating me over the head with anti-love potions and rolling your eyes, I suggest you read it. Just don't steal my Sherwood.
—Jenna
