A sensible life (by Mary Wesley)

(Amazon UK link)

I'm not sure why I keep picking up novels by Mary Wesley. Probably it's because the covers do look appealing, and I know she is a good writer. But I always find I have mixed feelings about her books. They tend to contain more bad language than I'm comfortable with, and have rather darkly bizarre characters at times.

'A sensible life' opens with a little girl called Flora, whose parents neglect her. She makes friends with holiday-makers, and finds herself falling in love with three different boys.

When Flora is old enough to join her parents in India, after several tedious years of boarding school, she sets out - but then changes her mind. One at a time, she meets her past acquaintances, and learns about life. Then - in rather an odd coincidence - she finds, again, the one who will bring her lasting happiness.

I thought this a pleasant novel, on the whole, with a reassuring conclusion.