Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another winner from Seton, 19 May 2007
I am so pleased that this author's novels are being reprinted, I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them, especially Katherine. This is a fascinating tale, based upon the Radcliffs of Derentwater (Devil Water), staunch catholics and loyal to the Stuart cause, and descended from Charles II via the wrong side of the blanket. Charles Radcliff, the younger brother has a secret marriage to a lower born woman who gives birth to the love of his life, his daughter Jenny.
The story takes you from the moors of Northumberland to the Jacobite rebellion of '15 to the tobacco farms of Virginia, and back again to London for a nail biting finish after the final Jacobite rebellion and the battle at Culloden. Seton has a wonderful way of setting her scenes so that you can almost feel you are right there with it. I also enjoyed her way of writing different dialects (the Northumbrians, and the Virginia "twangs"), which definitely enhance the reading experience.
All in all a highly entertaining read, and one I will pick up again and again over the years. It's not quite up to the same par as Katherine (that's a 10 star book in my rating) or the Winthrop Woman but definitely worth the time, especially for any lover of historical fiction.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE IMPACT OF THE JACOBITE REBELLIONS ON A PROMINENT FAMILY., 26 May 2004
This best selling novel by Anya Seton showcases her at her best. A master storyteller, she weaves a spellbinding work of historical fiction about the Catholic Radcliffe family. It tells the tale of James, the Earl of Derwentwater, and his younger brother, Charles, first cousins on the wrong side of the blanket to exiled James Stuart, Catholic son of the deposed King James II of England, who had seen his crown usurped by his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William, the Prince of Orange. By right, James Stuart should have been King James III of England. He would see his crown usurped by Mary's sister, his own half-sister, the Protestant Anne. In aligning themselves with the cause of the Catholic Stuarts, James and Charles Radcliffe would become involved in a Jacobite rebellion that was to color and change their lives and the lives of those whom they loved. The book also focuses on an early misalliance that Charles would have in Northern England that would give him the love of his life, his daughter Jenny. The lives of Charles Radcliffe and Jenny are artfully drawn, taking the reader through two Jacobite rebellions and the political wheeling and dealing that such engendered. The impact that these political intrigues would have upon their lives is well drawn, as is life in early eighteenth century England with all of its grandeur, cruelty, and class distinctions. The author also takes the reader on a trip to the plantation wilderness of the early colony of Virginia in the New World. It was in Virginia that Jenny would seek refuge from the political quagmire that was England and search for Rob, the man whom she loved who had been transported for something he had done in service of her. It was in Virginia that Jenny would find great happiness, as well as great sorrow, only to discover that to show loyalty to her father she would have to make one final, heartbreaking journey to England. Based upon actual historical events, the book is a beautifully drawn portrait of early eighteenth century England, as well as the colony of Virginia. Vividly descriptive and replete with the politics and well-known personages of the day, it details the struggle of the Stuart Dynasty to try to regain the throne of England through a number of ill-fated uprisings that were to impact greatly on any number of families, including the prominent Radcliffes. It is a rip-roaring good read and historical fiction at its finest.
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deserves to be back in print, 17 Jan 2004
This is a really great novel. I hesitated before ordering it as I thought it would be just a historical romance. It is (with a difference) but it is also far better than that. Seton's book brings to life 18th century England, and the book could easily make a good film or TV drama. It's not often that I find a book that I can't put down, but this one was very addictive. A large part of the book focuses on a child he supposedly had with a common Northumbrian woman. I haven't seen any proper evidence to support this supposition, but it makes a good story. Leaving aside the story of Jenny and Rob, almost everything else in the book appears to be historically correct.
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