Barbara in Brittany

When Barbara, the responsible eldest daughter of a widowed English mother, is whisked away to France by her intimidating Aunt Anne, she discovers that responsibility can be shared and adventures await. Paris dazzles her, but it's quiet Brittany where she stays to master French that transforms her life: she makes friends, finds her voice, and stumbles into the kind of romance that makes grown-ups act strangely. Aunt Anne, far from the formidable dragon Barbara expected, proves to have secrets of her own. Set in the early twentieth century, these linked stories hum with gentle humor and the particular joy of discovering that the world is larger than home. Gillie writes with warmth about a girl learning to want things for herself, not just to serve others, and the journey from caretaker to lover has never been more charmingly told.