“The Girl from the Candle-Lit Bath”, by Dodie Smith

Smith, Dodie. The Girl from the Candle-lit Bath. London: W.H. Allen, 1978. Print.

Smith’s most famous book might be her 1956 The One Hundred and One Dalmations, thanks to the Disney movie adaptation.  Her best book, though, must certainly be I Capture the Castle.  I love it so much that I am trying to find the rest of her books and check to see if I’m right.

I read The Town in Bloom last year, according to my notes, but my mind is totally blank on it (more motivation for writing these records).  The Girl from the Candle-Lit Bath turned out, much to my surprise, to be a mystery novel originally published in 1978.  I would say that it’s set in a slightly earlier England, with a young wife mystified by the machinations of her new husband.  It’s not really a thriller and not exactly a murder mystery, but there is certainly suspense and believable action.  I liked the main character and sympathized with her.  I’m not sure I’d recommend the book, but I enjoyed it.

The title, incidentally, comes from the main character’s fifteen minutes of fame as the young woman seen tastefully naked in a soap commercial.  Somewhat to her dismay, she is continually recognized in public, although that doesn’t seem to be related to the rest of the story much.