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Cashelmara by Susan Howatch

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Miss Moppet
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Cashelmara by Susan Howatch

Post by Miss Moppet » Thu August 27th, 2009, 10:53 pm

No good at summaries so this is what's on the back of the book:

There were two subjects that lonely widower Edward de Salis never discussed: his dead wife and his family home in Ireland, 'matchless Cashelmara'. So when he meets Marguerite, a bright young American with whom he can talk freely about both, he is able to love again and takes her back to Ireland as his wife. But Marguerite soon discovers that married life is not what she expected, and that she has married into a troubled family bitterly divided by love and hatred. Cashelmara becomes the curse of three generations as they play out their fates in a spellbinding drama, which moves inexorably towards murder and retribution.

Any more details would be spoilers really. Suffice it to say the book is a bubbling cauldron of love, hate, sex, violence, lawsuits and murder. SH is particularly good at describing marriages which go off the rails. The characters are living in C19 Ireland but based on Edward I, his family and descendants and the viewpoint shifts between six of them. I thought this worked very well as it did in Penmarric. I didn't find Cashelmara quite as compelling as Penmarric but that's really because I preferred the Cornish setting of Penmarric and also, I liked the characters in Penmarric better. So very subjective and shouldn't put anyone off.

SH's books have a soap opera quality (not a criticism) and tend to stop rather than end - it always feels as if they could go on, although they are very long books. Next on my list to read is The Wheel of Fortune which is super long, over 900 pages of small print, may take a break before I plunge in!

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Fri August 28th, 2009, 12:07 am

Glad you enjoyed this Miss M. I might get to Wheel soon. Waiting to get my hands on a hardback. I do not relish reading 900 + pages in mass market paperback.
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Carla
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Post by Carla » Fri August 28th, 2009, 11:30 am

I really liked Cashelmara. I think it's my favourite of hers so far.
PATHS OF EXILE - love, war, honour and betrayal in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria
Editor's Choice, Historical Novels Review, August 2009
Now available as e-book on Amazon Kindleand in Kindle, Epub (Nook, Sony Reader), Palm and other formats on Smashwords
Website: http://www.carlanayland.org
Blog: http://carlanayland.blogspot.com

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lindymc
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Post by lindymc » Fri August 28th, 2009, 12:34 pm

I also enjoyed Penmarric and Cashelmara, but The Wheel of Fortune was the best yet, IMO. I loved the character portrayals for Joan, Sweet Maid of Kent, and for John of Gaunt and Katherine.
She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain. (1873) -- Louisa May Alcott

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Fri August 28th, 2009, 1:49 pm

[quote=""lindymc""]I also enjoyed Penmarric and Cashelmara, but The Wheel of Fortune was the best yet, IMO. I loved the character portrayals for Joan, Sweet Maid of Kent, and for John of Gaunt and Katherine.[/quote]

Argh! You've just whet my appetite.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

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