This one has numerous twists and turns. It's almost like three different yet related books in one volume, such is the diversity.

The opening is a typical domestic scene, featuring a young couple - Grace & Hugh - discussing their mutual love and intentions to marry.

Unlike many stories from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries where the whole world seems set against love's young dream, this pair of lovers' friends and relatives want them to marry.

Problem is, Grace's aunt wants to make a great showcase of the event, with as much pomp and ceremony as possible, preceded by a three-month build-up.

Grace and Hugh want a quiet affair. Although they don't need to elope, they decide to do so anyway. Yet they cannot marry till Grace's 23rd birthday, owing to an inheritance, meaning that they can't rush off immediately to marry.

Thus, to avoid the fuss from friends and family, they depart on a long elopement, deciding to fill the intermission by travelling to Milan to get married. Being the early 1900s, they can only travel via sea.

Much of the opening third of the novel focuses on the couple making their way to the ship, alternatively travelling separately and together, under the guise of brother and sister.

The author does a great job of building suspense and tension, yet often injecting humour into the mix, while the couple get into scrapes or are parted unexpectedly, being left alone to worry how to find each other again. In many ways this is the best part of the book, as it's forever on the move and engaging. That's not to say it goes downhill as such afterwards, but the opening chapters appealed to me the most.

The middle third of the story is set on the ship and its long voyage from America to Milan. They stop off at London along the way to pick up more passengers. Amongst them is Lady Huntingford, who becomes a prominent character, as does another passenger, namely Henry Veath from Indiana.

Much of what happens from this point is the interweaving of these four, plus the occasional appearance of Lady Huntingford's much older - and most disagreeable - husband.

The end of this section completely turns the novel around, changing genre in fact, as following a shipwreck the story becomes one of survival and adventure. At times one has to suspend belief, but on the whole it's clear that the author knows his craft and succeeds with his overall plotting and characterisation.

In some respects certain themes in this novel remind me of Mr McCutcheon's earlier work, "The Sherrods", though "Nedra" is not so dark or tragic, as there are many upbeat moments with a more positive outlook here. I think "The Sherrods" is a better read, but "Nedra" is also well worth checking out. ( )