Publisher: St. Martin's PressRelease Date: April 2014
Pages: 416
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Book Description:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an epic saga of intrigue and mystique set in Edwardian England. Cavendon Hall is home to two families, the aristocratic Inghams and the Swanns who serve them. Charles Ingham, the sixth Earl of Mowbray, lives there with his wife Felicity and their six children. Walter Swann, the premier male of the Swann family, is valet to the earl. His wife Alice, a clever seamstress who is in charge of the countess's wardrobe, also makes clothes for the four daughters. For centuries, these two families have lived side-by-side, beneath the backdrop of the imposing Yorkshire manor. Lady Daphne, the most beautiful of the Earl's daughters, is about to be presented at court when a devastating event changes her life and threatens the Ingham name. With World War I looming, both families will find themselves tested in ways they never thought possible. Loyalties will be challenged and betrayals will be set into motion. In this time of uncertainty, one thing is sure: these two families will never be the same again.
Cavendon Hall is Barbara Taylor Bradford at her very best, and its sweeping story of secrets, love, honor, and betrayal will have readers riveted up to the very last page.
Wanda's Thoughts:
1913- Cavendon was one of the greatest stately homes in England. The Swanns of Little Skell Village had been working at Cavendon Hall for over 160 years, ever since the days of the first earl in the 18th century. The Inghams, an aristocratic family, and the Swanns, the loyal servants, were closely intertwined and bound together by respect. The Swanns knew everything about Charles Ingham – the sixth Earl of Mowbray, and his family.
Early on in the story line a horrifying tragedy occurs to a family member of the Ingham family, creating much drama. This terrifying act could have destroyed the family, but the Swanns take control and do everything in their power to protect the Inghams. And the story unfolds ---
This book brings you into the world of British style drama with similarities to Downton Abbey. I loved the diverse characters - finding them to be appealing, and there were many, but I was able to connect to them as the relationships are explained easily.
As many of the reviews have indicated, the story line is a bit implausible, dialogue repetitive, and the major problems are too easily resolved. None of the above deterred me from reading this novel, and I plan on reading the next in the series, The Cavendon Women. I really enjoyed this book! Barbara Taylor Bradford has been a favorite of mine since the Woman of Substance series. She has a natural talent for writing about strong, sensitive, and vulnerable women. My rating - 4 stars.
About the Author: Barbara Taylor Bradford is the author of 30 bestselling novels, including The Cavendon Women, Cavendon Hall, and The Ravenscar Dynasty. She was born in Leeds, England, and from an early age, she was a voracious reader: at age 12, she had already read all of Dickens and the Brontë sisters. By the age of twenty, she was an editor and columnist on Fleet Street. She published her first novel, A Woman of Substance, in 1979, and it has become an enduring bestseller.
Barbara Taylor Bradford’s books are published in over 90 countries in 40 languages, with sales figures in excess of 88 million. Ten of her novels have been adapted into television mini-series starring actors including Sir Anthony Hopkins, Liam Nelson, Deborah Kerr and Elizabeth Hurley. She has been inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America, and in June of 2007, Barbara was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to Literature.
She lives in New York City with her husband, television producer Robert Bradford, to whom all her novels are dedicated.
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