When I first read The Talisman Ring, I was a teenager. I didn't fully appreciate it as I didn't really relate to the older couple, and found both Eustacie and Ludovic tiresome. Of course, the older I got the more I loved Tristram and Sarah and their dry wit and mature romance. I still find the younger couple uninteresting. Ludovic is a dunderhead: Loaded with Brawn and Bravery but stiffed in the common sense department. Eustacie was a bit easier to take this time because I listened to this book on audible, rather than reading it. Phylida Nash, the reader, made her sound exactly like Leslie Caron, whom I adore. It's still not my favorite, because of the lack of a London or Bath setting and thus, no glittering society for our couple to observe and interact with, but I certainly understand why it is many people's favorite and considered one of her most accessible works.