The Elopement

By: Tracy Rees

Narrated by: Sophie Roberts

Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Tracy Rees's latest novel The Elopement is an elaborately imagined historical novel full of delight and temptation, spanning the luxury and poverty of late Victorian England.

A wealthy heiress . . .

1897. Rowena Blythe is wealthy, entitled and beautiful. As her twenty-fourth birthday approaches, she’s expected to marry – and to marry well.

An unsuitable match . . .

Her parents commission a portrait of Rowena to help cement her reputation as a great society beauty. However, Bartek, the artist’s young assistant, is unlike any man Rowena has met before – wild, romantic and Bohemian. While society at large awaits the announcement of Rowena’s engagement, it is Bartek who captures Rowena’s heart along with her likeness.

A scandal in society . . .

Rowena knows her parents would never approve of Bartek, who in their eyes is nothing but a penniless foreigner. As her feelings grow, she has no-one to turn to. Dare she risk everything for love?

©2022 Tracy Rees (P)2022 Macmillan Publishers International Limited

Critic reviews

I absolutely loved The Elopement. I can't praise it enough. The characters are warm and engaging and the story is wise and wonderful. Tracy has woven a rich tapestry of colourful characters so full of heart, against the fascinating and thought-provoking backdrop of late Victorian England. It was an absolute joy. (Rosanna Ley, author of The Forever Garden)

The Elopement is a beautiful novel about taking wrong turnings on the path to love and happiness. The characters step from the pages in all their wilfulness and folly and make us care desperately what happens to them. Tracy Rees is a brilliant, immersive storyteller who truly understands the human heart. I adore all her novels, but this is my favourite so far. (Gill Paul, Author of The Manhattan Girls)

I've long been a huge fan of Tracy's sumptuous, immersive storytelling . . . The Elopement is another absolute beauty. (Jenny Ashcroft, author of Beneath a Burning Sky)

Hang in there

I almost gave up on this story. It begins a bit shallow. Hang in there! The story takes off and the characters feel like friends. I love Tracy Rees, if you haven’t read Amy Snow and Florence Grace…do not pass go, start downloading. Enjoy

Good Story

Another enjoyable story from this author! Good pace of storytelling so you never lose interest.

A lot of ups and downs with this book but overall a good listen

I had a tough time listening to this book in the beginning. It wasn’t overly engaging initially but as time went on I was drawn in by the story. The narrator selection was odd and at some points detracted from the story especially when Sam’s POV was included. Given his age it would have been better performed by a female. I did appreciate the tough subject the author tackled (amazingly well).
One final growing pet peeve—must Paris be in the title of a WWII story? That and Code Name — fill in the blank seem to be used as a sales gimmick and it’s getting old.

Loved it

I thought this book had great characters and an enjoyable storyline. Olive is my favorite though, by far. 👏

Robotic narrator and not like the author’s other books!

I don’t know how much more I can take! I LOVED other books by this author and can hardly abide by this one- narrator sounds artificial, and the story line is terribly boring. I’ll give one more hour and then I quit :/ sorry for the negative feedback but if it helps another…