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The Rake Mary Jo Putney 9780451406866 Books

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The Rake Mary Jo Putney 9780451406866 Books

Reginald Davenport is an alcoholic. Alys Weston is a gifted businesswoman and estate manager living a life of lies layered on one another like an onion. What an unlikely pairing - but it works! Reginald's cousin opens the door to his transformation by restoring an estate to him which had been unlawfully withheld; however, it is up to Reginald to walk through that door. The book traces Reginald's journey, as Alys becomes a reluctant companion along the path. That the two fall in love is not surprising; what makes it interesting, is that in the end, it is Alys's flaws that threaten to destroy their relationship, and not Reginald's addiction.
Reginald's character is written so well - it's as if MJP was able to get inside the head of an addicted person and those around him who either collaborate with the addiction, or try to neutralize it. This story has credibility and depth, and is one that I'll be recommending to my friends. Excellent job.


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The Rake Mary Jo Putney 9780451406866 Books Reviews

Alys Weston is running from her past, and Reggie Davenport is fleeing his future. Fate brings them together on Reggie's Dorset estate, Strickland.

It's uncommon, to say the least, for a woman to be an estate steward, yet Alys has been able to pull off that job for four years, communicating with the absentee owner in writing. When Reggie's cousin, the new owner, gives the estate over to Reggie, Alys sees her idyll coming to an end. Yet, when Reggie arrives at Strickland, he proves to be surprisingly open-minded; impressed with Alys's success, and keeps her on as steward.

Reggie is a rake of the first order, but more than that, he's a drunkard who, at age thirty-seven, has begun to suffer blackouts. Even he has become convinced that his life is on a dangerous trajectory; a voice in his head keeps telling him, "This way of life is killing you." He believes that Strickland may be his salvation.

Alys and Reggie gradually become friends, and though they are attracted to one another, nothing more than a few kisses are exchanged. When fire destroys the steward's house, Alys and her three young wards move into the estate house, and Reggie begins to know the joys of a family for the first time in his life.

But Reggie's real problem is his drinking, and a great deal of this story revolves around his efforts to first get it under control and later to stop altogether. It's heartbreaking to watch him try and fail and try again.

Mary Jo Putney does an excellent job portraying the inner demons that plague Reggie. At the same time, she doesn't succumb to the temptation that some writers might feel to make Reggie's recovery all about his love for Alys. Reggie is getting sober for himself, not for someone else. And while Putney does lapse into a bit of AA one-day-at-a-time-speak occasionally, she is able to keep the story from sounding too modern.

There's an engaging cast of secondary characters and a couple of other romances. And I particularly enjoyed the epilogue after Reggie and Alys marry, the other characters are shown reacting to the news, wrapping the whole story up quite nicely.

I picked out this book because of its high goodreads.com ratings, its having won the RITA in 1990, and its ranking in AAR's Top 100 romances of all time. All these accolades are well and truly deserved.

I don't know what else to say other than this is a really good book, and I highly recommend it.
You know what they say, "Reformed rakes make the best of husbands." Reggie makes a great rake, but even better is his struggle to reform. The way the author writes this book adds realism and credibility. While most romance books prefer to not broach serious topics like alchoholism (usually they get a bit dark and depressing), Ms. Putney does an excellent job at entwining it with the romance. I liked this book very much.
The heroine isn't bad, but the hero is delightfully complex, and just this side of delectable. The whole book was utterly realistic until the end, which I thought was a bit stretching reality, but that's really the most I can find to complain about. This book was absoloutly wonderful.
I'd recommend this to someone that wants a romance with realistic characters and a good plot. This author's writing is very good.
Thanks Mrs. Giggles for recommending this book. It was as wonderful as you said it was. I really liked the fact that the hero was flawed (like real men), and the heroine was tough and resilient (like real women). What can I say that many others haven't already said about this marvelous book? It's inspired me to try my hand at a historical novel. Great writing, Mary Jo Putney!
worth reading, even for its educational value--which is unexpected but fit with the plot. Fully developed characters
I read this one out of order. It was very nice to get his history. I love her storytelling style. I have read it a couple times now and just love the story. I also like how he progresses in his life throughout the series. I have read all of the books so far at least twice and am now listening to them on CD. It's amazing how you pick up things different by listening to them!
The Rake

Mary Jo Putney is another author I respect and admire so much, that she's the only other author (among a very few) that I can read after Judith Mcnaught and not loose my momentum.

The Rake was not one of her books that I particularly liked immediately after reading it for a few very personal reasons. I have to be completely enamored of my Hero, in this case I was not. I wasn't convinced he was Rake enough and he came across as weak on a few occasions when he could not control his drinking.

Not being an addict myself, I cannot begin to imagine how difficult it was for him and because of that reason, I'm willing to set aside my childish personal reason to dislike this hero.

Other than that, as usual, this is a brilliantly written novel, with brilliantly written plots (real issues) by a brilliant novelist.

She is one of the few authors I can enjoy without consciously looking for historical inaccuracies.

Her books have repeatedly been both entertaining and educational.

If you are a true fan of the Georgian/Regency/Napoleonic Era, you will not be disappointed in her work.
Reginald Davenport is an alcoholic. Alys Weston is a gifted businesswoman and estate manager living a life of lies layered on one another like an onion. What an unlikely pairing - but it works! Reginald's cousin opens the door to his transformation by restoring an estate to him which had been unlawfully withheld; however, it is up to Reginald to walk through that door. The book traces Reginald's journey, as Alys becomes a reluctant companion along the path. That the two fall in love is not surprising; what makes it interesting, is that in the end, it is Alys's flaws that threaten to destroy their relationship, and not Reginald's addiction.
Reginald's character is written so well - it's as if MJP was able to get inside the head of an addicted person and those around him who either collaborate with the addiction, or try to neutralize it. This story has credibility and depth, and is one that I'll be recommending to my friends. Excellent job.