Brock, Lilyan. Queer Patterns. Eton, 1935, 1953.

"A delicate theme treated honestly and candidly."

"She deliberately let herself and her lovely new friend slip into a half-world of--queer patterns."--Quote from the original hardback.

SUMMARY: New York actress Sheila Case finally agrees to marry her leading man who has been VERY in love with her for a long time. In truth, however, she is not in love with him, and even wishes that they could be 'pals' (for any of you who ever tried to be straight you know how painful this can be). She goes to interview with the famous director who has only one name "Nicoli' and is hired on the spot. Turns out Nicoli has seen Shelia act before and felt that certain something. Turns out Shelia feels it too, although she doesn't totally understand it. But not to worry, as they are unable to deny their feelings and begin an affair (Shelia does at least tell her husband that she cannot be with anymore). Shelia and Nicoli are actually very happy together until the gossip starts to get to them. Shelia decides she cannot bear to see Nicoli lose her career and leaves. The only way she can stay away is to get involved with a wealthy head case who gets so sick that he has to be institutionalized - and whose care has drained Shelia to a point of total exhaustion. Thankfully, her home nurse has fallen in love with her and hears her calling Nicoli's name. Even though it means losing Shelia forever, the nurse contacts Nicoli and tells her she must come to Shelia. Nicoli does and they reunite (the nurse then commits suicide). Shelia and Nicoli are going to do one last play together and then retire from show biz and go live away from the prying eyes of the public, but just as they are going to do so, the crazy ex-lover shows up and strangles Shelia.

OPINION: Written in 1935, this novel has a very similiar voice as "The Loveliest of Friends." The resemblence, however, stops there, for even though the author kills Shelia in the end, there really isn't any negative judgement about the relationship between Shelia and Nicoli - I kept expecting there to be, but there wasn't. It was nice that the author allowed them to get back together before she killed Shelia off LOL.

This book has one of my favorite covers - the cover, however, suggests a hostility that was not actually in the book. And my father-in-law tells me that the painter of this cover also used to paint Nancy Drew covers!!

c2007 melodie morgan frances