- Mass Market Paperback: 1184 pages
- Publisher: Fawcett Books; Reissue edition (12 April 1985)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0449206246
- ISBN-13: 978-0449206249
- Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 4.1 x 17.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,705,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I don't know what it is about Howatch's books - I have never really been able to exactly define the pull she has for me - maybe it is the meticulous attention to every detail (she cannot be faulted in the very convoluted relationships of her characters woven into her books)and the way different characters are seen from others' points of view and in other eras; on the other hand it could be just that she is a superlative storyteller!
There is always an air of mysticism in all her books (particularly in the Church of England series) and it is very evident in this one with the fateful relationship between two gifted cousins.
There is also, a very strong sense of evocation of times past in this book and you really do feel that you are with these characters in all their various crises and triumphs. I have read this book on at least five occasions, but I can still return to it after a few months and be enthralled all over again. It is the sort of book that you do not want to leave until you have read it all (and this is a long book!)but, there is a sense of loss when you have finished it.
In any event, if you have never read any of Howatch's books, you really must and this one is great. They all are actually, but this would be a good place to start!
There is always an air of mysticism in all her books (particularly in the Church of England series) and it is very evident in this one with the fateful relationship between two gifted cousins.
There is also, a very strong sense of evocation of times past in this book and you really do feel that you are with these characters in all their various crises and triumphs. I have read this book on at least five occasions, but I can still return to it after a few months and be enthralled all over again. It is the sort of book that you do not want to leave until you have read it all (and this is a long book!)but, there is a sense of loss when you have finished it.
In any event, if you have never read any of Howatch's books, you really must and this one is great. They all are actually, but this would be a good place to start!
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have read this book several times and will probably read it several times more! It follows the pattern of many of Susan Howatch's earlier books by having each section of the book narrated by a different person, so you get the same situations from very different viewpoints. I found this a fascinating book, so much so that I have been two or three times to the area where it was set to see for myself what happened there! What better recommendation could there be!
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I approached this novel with some trepidation - as a huge fan of Susan Howatch's Starbridge series and the three St Benet's novels, I was prepared to be disappointed by the lack of ecclesiastical background that works so well in her more recent work. However, this book had me hooked from start to finish - seeing events from the perspective of different characters was enthralling, and the intricate psychological portrait of each one was deftly woven into the plot. Many times I settled down in bed to read just one chapter ... and found myself struggling to put the book down over two hours later! Finding out at the end that it was loosely based on historical characters was extremely interesting, and made me want to go back and read it all again!
2010 postscript: I am just rereading this novel, and it has struck me this time around what a lot of blasphemy there is in it - which, for a Christian author, is quite surprising. I suppose that Ms Howatch might justify this by claiming that this is how her characters would express themselves, but it still jars if that sort of thing bothers you.
2010 postscript: I am just rereading this novel, and it has struck me this time around what a lot of blasphemy there is in it - which, for a Christian author, is quite surprising. I suppose that Ms Howatch might justify this by claiming that this is how her characters would express themselves, but it still jars if that sort of thing bothers you.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
It is no Penmaric!
I read Susan Howatch's Penmaric and enjoyed it so much that I have re-read it a couple of times, and have tried a couple of her other books, this one being the more recent. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Katie
A fascinating but flawed saga
If you like losing yourself in a vast family saga then you've hit the jackpot with this one. And there's double the enjoyment: not only is it a compelling tale in its own right,... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Bookwoman
Fabulous sweeping family saga
This book was a great read as good as penmarric with great living breathing characters that you really feel you can reach out and touch. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Ladyg
The Wheel of Fortune - totally absorbing and hard to put down.
I read most of Susan Howatch's novels many years ago and having recently discovered and re-read Penmarric, which I loved, I decided to work my way through them once again. Read more
Published on 24 April 2010 by Sally Trembath
good read
Was recommended to this book by a friend and at first had trouble getting into it as I didn't find the characters particularly sympathetic - then suddenly it clicked and I couldn't... Read more
Published on 29 Jan 2010 by Mrs. Jean Staines
Murder, madness and mayhem - oh my
The Godwins have lived at Oxmoon for generations and when the story begins in 1913 and is narrated by Robert the younger (all the first born sons of the first born sons are named... Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2010 by Misfit
Rollercoaster read
Susan Howatch uses the same formula as for her previous works Penmarric and Cashelmara - family saga set over several generations, inspired by medieval royalty, viewpoint divided... Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2010 by Miss Moppet
A family saga based on Edward III's descendants
When you read a family saga by Susan Howatch, you know she'll give you a story based on a historical precedent. Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2009 by Devaki Khanna
The Plantagenets reincarnated...
This is a sprawling family saga, following a Welsh family from the Gower Peninsua from the late 19th century through to the 1970s. Read more
Published on 18 Jun 2009 by C. Ball
Superb novel !
I have read this book many times over the years, and it never fails to enthrall me from start to finish. Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2007 by G. Vintner
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