 Alethea K. Helbig and Agnes Regan Perkins wrote that story's exploration of familial greed was "in the style of a Victorian melodrama" and Connie Tyrrell Burns, in "School Library Journal", described the story as "a British farce without the off-color humor".In their review of young adult literature that had received recognition by major literary publications between 1997 and 2001, Helbig and Perkins described "Love Among the Walnuts" as one of few recognized titles with humorous elements.They described the central theme of the novel as "the value to personal and group well-being of loving-kindness and caring".