Books by Helen Girvan

This is a list of books written by Helen Girvan.

Blue Treasure, 1937
Phantom On Skis, 1939
The House at 231, 1940
Felicity Way, 1942
The White Tulip, 1944
The Light in the Mill, 1946
The Seventh Step, 1949
Hidden Pond, 1951
End of a Golden String, 1952
Patty and the Spoonbill, 1953
Down Bayberry Lane, 1955
The Clue in the Antique Clock, 1957
Disappearance At Lake House, 1959
Mystery of the Unwelcome Visitor, 1959
The Frightened Whisper, 1963
The Missing Masterpiece, 1965
The Hidden Treasure, 1968
Shadow in the Greenhouse, 1970

I read some of these books a year ago.  I read or tried to read through most of the rest of them recently.  I was not able to finish all of them.

Helen Girvan's books tend to be slow-paced.  I would say that all of her books are good or better, but the pace of many of them is too slow for my taste.  I struggled to read a number of them.

Here are brief thoughts on some of the books.

Phantom on Skis - I liked the book at first.  I then didn't read for four days.  I couldn't get back into the story and skimmed to the end.

The House at 231 - As I read this book, I had to wonder if someone from the Stratemeyer Syndicate read it and got story ideas for the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books.  This book features a jewel box, a woman named Mrs. Egan, and a Chinese junk.  I found it very strange.  As with most books by Girvan, the story is a bit slow, but it is very good.

Felicity Way  - This story depicts a simple lifestyle in which herbs are homegrown and are very important.  Sachets of herbs are made to place in clothing drawers.  Pomander balls are created to use as Christmas presents.  The writing style is confusing at times.  Still, this is a very good book and a very good period story.

The Light in the Mill - I found this story intriguing.  The protagonist and her cousin look very similar, so they switch places for the summer, each pretending to be the other.  The book has a mystery and is a coming of age story.  I like what the protagonist figured out about herself.  This is a very good book.

Hidden Pond - This book has too many characters.  The story is good, but I found it hard to read due to constant confusion.  I couldn't keep the characters straight, and some sets of names begin with the same letter (Claire, Clem, Jarret, Jeanpierre, Joulin), which added to my confusion.  I feel like the story reads in a disjointed fashion due to information overload.

Down Bayberry Lane - I enjoyed this book at first, but I lost interest halfway through.

The Clue of the Antique Clock - I enjoyed this book but not as much as Mystery of the Unwelcome Visitor, which I read right before it.

Mystery of the Unwelcome Visitor - This book is very good to excellent.  The story is engaging all the way through, and the ending does not drag.

The Missing Masterpiece - This book has a lot of interesting plot points including an art heist, Communist sympathizers, a bratty kid, an annoying woman, and a play that isn't going well.  I found this book to be really interesting.  The story moves somewhat slowly, but the plot elements are interesting, so I greatly enjoyed it.  This book is very good to excellent.

The Hidden Treasure - I enjoyed this book, for the most part.  I feel that the story moves a bit slow at times, and I skimmed a little bit.