Yoked with a Lamb by Molly Clavering

It has been a while since I reviewed a book that wasn’t a mystery. I realise that probably makes it appear that mysteries are the only things I read, which could not be further from the truth. Generally, they only make up a third of the books I read. The rest is mainly vintage children’s books, historical fiction, classics, and middlebrow fiction from the first half of the twentieth century, mainly from the interwar period. Originally published in 1938, Molly Clavering’s Yoked with a Lamb falls under the last category. 

After having now read four of Molly Clavering’s books, Touch Not the Nettle, Susan Settles Down, and Dear Hugo, I have spotted a few things they have in common. Evocative descriptions of the Scottish countryside, a dependable woman who has the makings of a fine spinster, an unfriendly or rough man who makes a bad first impression with said woman, (conversely she might make a bad first impression with him,) small community dynamics where the gossips mill never stops, and a scandal or two to keep things interesting. All that said, these books might be starting to sound a bit formulaic. Read one and you’ve read them all. Perhaps you would not be too far wrong if it was not for Molly Clavering’s impeccable writing. Her characters never diminish into caricatures. While we do tend to have a spinster-ish woman at the forefront of these books, I have never felt like I was reading the same character again and again in her books.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you about Yoked with a Lamb…

Andrew and Lucy Lockhart and their children are returning to the town of Haystoun after leaving in a blaze of scandal several years ago when Andrew ran off with another woman. Andrew’s cousin, Kate Heron, has been enlisted to get the house in order in advance of the family returning and generally smooth things over between the couple. But as Andrew and Lucy haven’t seen each other since Andrew left, Kate certainly has her work cut out for her. Between drunken painters, locking people in closets, and unexpected—and very much unwanted—guests popping in, Kate seems to have a talent for getting into the funniest of scrapes. This book is full of misunderstandings, gossip, and the promise of romance, just like the other Clavering books I have read.

Molly Clavering has just the loveliest sense of humour, which she passes on to her leading female and male characters. They aren’t afraid to laugh at themselves or at a situation. 

Kate, after making a rather unsuccessful attempt to remove the grime of her journey, groaned and sprang out on to the almost empty platform. ‘It’s a great pity, she thought ruefully, ‘that I am such an untidy traveller. In books there’s always a tiresome heroine whose most salient feature is her band-box smartness even after a trip across the Sahara. I wonder how those fragile young women do it? I know what I'd look like if I had crossed even a small desert. A dilapidated sand-bag!’ (24)

I am with you Kate! 

There is plenty of situational humour to be found in this book too. On one occasion, Kate takes Andrew’s son, Henry, and his dog, Virginia, to the cattle show, which the characters simply refer to as “the Show”. Virginia, being an excitable puppy runs off, to wreak havoc with the ladies outside of the refreshment tent doing the washing up. She snatches a dishcloth “so well-used that Kate felt faintly sick at the sight of it”.

She gave her treasure a last regretful shake before dropping it, and toddled back with a careworn expression to her master.

“Naughty girl,” said Henry in loving tones. “Isn’t she sweet, Kate?” But Kate’s horrified gaze was riveted on the fat woman, who, without an instant’s hesitation, had seized the dish-cloth from the grass where Virginia had left it, and begun to dry glasses with it at top speed.

“Henry,” said Kate faintly, “do let’s have lunch quickly, before they start using the washed-up plates and things. With luck we may get ones that haven’t seen those tubs and towels.”

“I expect,” said Henry, hastening his steps obligingly.

“That they’re every bit as dirty in hotels and restaurants.”

“Very likely,” retorted Kate. “But at least I don’t see them doing it there!” (113-14)

This book is full of funny moments like this one, accompanied by clever dialogue. But Yoked with a Lamb is more than just a humorous bit of fluff. Molly Clavering tackles the subject of how a marriage can survive infidelity and shows that it takes more than simply loyalty to one’s partner to make a marriage work. A happy ending is a given in Molly Clavering’s books, but it’s the ever entertaining journey that will keep me coming back to these books again and again. This book makes for cosy, safe, feel-good reading. And while it is not a book that is going to stretch your brain too much, it is smart, fast, and terrifically well written. Who wants their brain stretched, anyway? It sounds most painful.

I have been reading this book along with my friend Gina House, who blogs over at babsbelovedbooks.blogspot.com. We’ve read a couple of Molly Clavering’s books together and we always have such a lovely time discussing them. I inevitably share my favourite description of nature and Gina always focuses on the domestic scenes. It’s great fun!

I have to give a word of appreciation to Elizabeth Crawford’s insightful introduction. It is always a treat to read get to know the author of a book that I have just enjoyed. It gave me a little tickle to discover that Molly Clavering was born on the same day as me, 23 October, be it 82 years earlier. 

You might be able to tell from some of the photos that my copy of Yoked with a Lamb has a little white sticker on the bottom left corner of the cover. That is because it is a library book. I am lucky enough to have a library close by that allows each patron five book requests per month. Five per month! That is 60 books per year! I get to request books for them to buy and if it has been published in the last three years and is available from one of the distributors they use, they buy it. Just like that. It’s a bit nuts. I am ever so grateful for all of the Dean Street Press books they have added to their shelves at my request. All forty books, and counting! I would love to one day own all of the Furrowed Middlebrow books. I am working on it! But in the meantime, it is beyond wonderful to have a library willing to supplement my supply.

As a couple of issues of The Scribbler are shown in my photos, I want to say how sad I was to hear that the March 2025 edition is to be their last. I was late to the party on this fabulous magazine that reviews vintage books, but I can tell you my wishlist has grown exponentially since acquiring my first issue. The editor, Shirley Neilson, is also behind the independent publisher Greyladies, who republish out of print books mainly by authors who are better known as writers for children. You can still order back issues of The Scribbler from their website. Wishing Shirley and her husband all the best in the days ahead. 

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