The Disturbing Charm

In a war-time hotel in Western France, Berta Ruck sets a witty, bittersweet romance in motion with a daring idea: a mysterious "Love-germ," or Disturbing Charm, that might steer affection toward the right person—or the wrong one. When elderly Professor Howel-Jones receives an anonymous letter claiming to explain why people fall disastrously in love, the suggestion awakens old memories, family regrets, and a vivid vision of the many mismatched unions that shape human life. Love here is comic, painful, and deeply human, tangled with class, temperament, vanity, and bad judgment. Against this backdrop, young Olwen Howel-Jones finds herself torn between duty and desire. In the hotel's lively world of soldiers, travelers, widows, and sharp-eyed observers like Mrs. Cartwright, she is suddenly stirred by Captain Ross and then captivated by the possibility that the strange charm might change her fate. Half skeptical, half enchanted, Olwen decides to test the powder herself, hoping it may bring happiness not only to her own heart but to others as well. As war, romance, and mistaken attraction collide, the novel promises comedy, heartbreak, and the thrilling possibility of love rewritten. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.