Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsOk-ish
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 May 2024
This was an ok read but nothing more. I’ve tried to work out why I don’t enjoy the older books as much as the newer ones. This one was written almost 30 years ago, when I was in my 30s and apart from the frequent references to people smoking, the format is not too different from the current ones.
From my perspective there are a lot characters in the book and their romantic relationships seem to water down the impact of that of the main characters. All their stories evolved but they seemed to be devoid of strong emotions and there is little romance around.
I enjoyed the start of the book with young Marcus and Nell, they were attracted to one another but were determined not give way to the attraction. Then they both left the village and went into the world to make their way until circumstances forced them back. Marcus’s father died, meaning he was now in charge of running the estate, whose finances were in a poor way. He had to rationalise the estate and find savings where he could. Nell’s family would be the first to feel the impact, as none of them worked for the estate any longer they would have to vacate their house in the village. To get around that Nell offered to work for the estate so that her family could stay. Marcus turned down her offer at first but eventually gave her a job, at which she excelled.
The story moved along and there were happy endings but it was a bit lacking in pace or fun or towering romance.