Review: “The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady: Jewels of the Air” by Edith Holden, Ravensburger – 8.25/10

Publisher: Ravensburger (Germany), 2016

Title: “The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady: Jewels of the Air” 1000 pieces

Based on Edith Holden’s illustrations from her famous “Country Diary”

Review by Jane

OUR RATING: 8.25/10

Box Quality: (8/10)
The box is shown above and below. Like all Ravensburger boxes, the rectangular box is sturdy and nicely designed.

Back:

The back of the box has a generic “Ravensburger quality” image.

The sides:

You can see two of the sides in the image above. The sides show the Ravensburger logo, a close-up detail from the image, the piece count and the name of the image. The artist name is small on one side in the copyright info.

Inside the box:

The box contains the bag of puzzle pieces (in excellent condition) and a warranty sheet. The back of the box is the generic Ravensburger back. Compared to many Ravensburger boxes, this is pretty thin treatment. Many Ravenburger puzzles have a box back or inside sheet that gives the customer background information about the artist, image, or series. It would have been nice to learn something about the original “Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady”, since this is a well-known historic book (in the UK at least). But there is nothing like that provided.

The Image: 8/10

Over the years, Ravensburger has put out several “softer” nature scene puzzles, often done by Roy Trower. I have some other examples at the end of this review. “The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady” puzzles are very much in this same family, even though they are by a different artist. The art is based on illustrations from Edith Holden’s “Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady” which was written and illustrated in 1906.

I’m very drawn to these softer nature scenes. They’re pretty and have a nice tranquil feeling. This one depicts red poppies in a field with other colorful flowers and various species of butterflies. It’s a pretty image but not an easy one for a puzzle! There is a faint outline of a building in the background and it would have been nice if that had a little more definition and clarity as it was very difficult to make out.

Above: The completed puzzle. Click for closer view.

Puzzle Quality: 9/10

Ravensburger is one of our highest ranking brands for quality and this puzzle is no exception. It features solid, sturdy pieces, great image reproduction, and a nice variety of piece shapes for a grid-shaped puzzle. I love the way the pieces interlock. You can lift small groups of pieces without them falling apart.

Assembly: 8/10

This is a fairly difficult puzzle to assemble. The border is white with lettering that repeats, but it wasn’t too hard to put together. The red poppies were next and they were not too hard. By studying the box, you could figure out which assembled red poppy went where. The butterflies all have similar colors but were not too difficult either. However, the mass of grass-and-flowers that is in the background in the bottom 2/3rds of the puzzle was definitely time consuming to put together since there are not a lot of clues and prominent features. It’s more of a random pattern. The stronger colors, like the purple and yellow, appear here and there throughout the image.

Conclusion

If you like a challenge, and you appreciate lovely nature scenes, this puzzle will be one you’ll really enjoy. Another very solid puzzle from Ravensburger. Recommended!