Her Heart for a Compass by Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York, introduces us to Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott.
Lady Margaret struggles with trying to keep her parents happy but also keeping herself happy. She knows that marrying the man that her parents chose will leave her miserable.
Lady Margaret wants to marry for love, she does not want to marry simply to unite family fortunes, and to keep society happy.
In the end, she throws caution to the wind and refuses the union, much to the disgust of her father who wipes his hands of her. The local society has formed major judgments on not only their daughter but on them as her parents.
Lady Margaret’s dear friend Princess Lousie, who is the daughter of Queen Victoria, warns her of what a foolish mistake she has made.
Lady Margaret decides to follow her passion for helping the less privileged in London’s slums. This is where she meets Reverend Sebastian and his sister, who teach her what the lower-income families need and how to help them best.
Years later she will use this information when she decides to move to New York, where she discovers the 5 Points district which is much like the Lambeth district of London. Again she does what she can to help the low income families of the district.
This 500+ page book was one that I found so very easy to read. The book is broken up into 44 chapters, which makes it very easy to find a point to stop when it’s bedtime. But I promise you that you will be very tempted to keep reading.
Lady Margaret is easy to feel connected to, and someone that I found I was hoping for the best for.
This is Sarah Ferguson’s first adult novel and I certainly hope it won’t be her last.
Author: Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York
ISBN: 9780008383619
Copy courtesy of Harper Collins
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading Her Heart for a Compass by Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
Im a Mum of 3 beautiful girls.
An avid reader that loves to travel but lacks the funds to venture far and wide constantly. A perfumeaholic with an addiction to beauty and skincare.
If not found with my head in a book or on a plane I can be found spending hours upon hour in Doctors and Hospital waiting rooms as part of my job as a Carer
Thankyou Beauty and Lace Bookclub and Harper Collins Publishers for the opportunity to read “Her Heart for a Compass” by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.
To be honest I found this novel hard to immerse myself into to begin with. Maybe I presumed that even though Lady Margaret Montagu Douglass Scott appeared rebellious to societies norms at that time I found I could not relate well to her character and situation.
But as I persevered and the author slowly but meticulously built on this main character, I grew to admire and respect her character traits and the struggles that she encountered in her attempts to believe in herself and follow her heart. I enjoyed the fact that the novel was also not as predictable as I assumed it would be.
A well written historical novel based on research and characters from the author’s own family tree as well as fictional characters and events which I enjoying reading and reviewing.
Thank you for the opportunity to read Her Heart for a Compass.
I found the size of the book (over 500 pages) a little daunting to begin with and while the start of the book was slow, it definitely built up to a lovely ending.
The story’s focus on the aristocracy was definitely outside of my normal reading selections but I find the insight into their lives really interesting. I also really enjoyed reading about the choices Lady Margaret made, as I’m sure these were less than favourable in that time.
The authors note at the end was great as I learnt that a lot of the story and characters had factual bases.
This is a great slow burning historical romance that is so much more, definitely recommended.
I loved this historical romance book. It was hard to read about how she was treated by her father for standing up for herself and wanting to marry for love and be happy . Such a courageous lady following her dreams and finding her own happiness by going against the norm. Loved her character, the strength and drive she had us something to be admired . Thankyou for the chance to read this book
I quite enjoyed reading Her Heart for a Compass. Set in the late 1800’s it is a fictionalized account of Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch.
I enjoy reading historical fiction and it’s not historical fact that I’m after it’s more the atmosphere of the era that I want a feeling for and Her Heart for a Compass is full of atmosphere.
Margaret is a fun character and I easily warmed to her and wanted her to achieve her goals. She is rebellious and outspoken, two traits positively frowned open by elite society of the time.
I liked the addition of letters and newspaper articles which broke up the narrative.
This is a big book and a slow-paced read. Perfect for readers who enjoy character driven stories.