Cavendon Hall

This is the first book in the series. The book is set in England just prior to the Great War and focuses on two families involved with Cavendon Hall, the Inghams who are part of the aristocracy, headed by Lord Charles Ingrahm, and the Swans, who have been loyal servants and companions for generations. The Ingrahams have 4 daughters, “the 4 D’s” and 2 sons. Daphne, who is about to be presented at court, is attacked while walking in the woods, and this event sets off a chain of events with the Swans key in protecting the reputation of the family. As the war comes, life will never be the same for either the Ingrahams or the Swans, but together they must find a way to survive. This is the beginning of the saga of Cavendon Hall.

Ive bought this as a christmas present so I wont be reading it before hand so its a little difficult to review but Ive had a sneaky peek and it looks really good. It appears to be a 'downton abbey ' kind of set up where the upstairs/downstairs familys stories are told. The stort line is set in 1913 so on the brink of world war 1. Im sure the person Ive bought it for will be pleased as she is a big Barbara Taylor Bradford fan. Probably best to read reviews from people who have actually read it but its going to be a good present.

This is a gentle family saga which encapsulates World War I and is set in Yorkshire. The aristocratic Inghams, otherwise known as the Earl and the Countess of Mowbray, live at Cavendon Hall. Their retainers, for want of a better word, the Swanns of Little Skell village, have sworn an oath to protect them since forever.It is a light-hearted, lively and easy read. I did find it a little repetitive and predictable at times. The reiterance over and over again of the Swann family's motto, "Loyalty binds us" and the restating of the special connection to the Ingrams, became somewhat irritating. It put me in mind of Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers! I also thought the characters were quite one dimensional - the majority of them seemed too perfect. Nevertheless, it is an entertaining read, if a little bland. I read it for what it was - pure escapism!

I wanted to like Cavendon Hall. Honestly, I wanted to. I wanted a fluffy, nostalgic book to read on rainy days so my expectations were not high going into this. I enjoyed American Heiress and the Lady Darby Mysteries and love Downton Abbey so I was eager to cozy up with this period piece, but what I got was absolute tripe. How has this author published multiple books?Cavendon Hall is terrible Downton Abbey fan fiction. The characters, from lord to butler to cook are ripped directly from the screen, but stripped of all the foibles and flaws that make Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes compelling characters. The Cavendon Hall versions are idealized, flat, and boring as hell. The dialogue is painful to read; wildly unrealistic and peppered with modern colloquialisms. Ms. Bradford's attempts at conversation are elementary, the first attempts of a freshman creative writing student figuring out how to show instead of tell. She turns everyday conversations into exposition dumps. In what universe would a housekeeper and butler who have been working together for 20+ years discuss their specific duties, step by step, with historical data thrown in to explain the life out of their actions? It's like Ms. Bradford read the wikipedia page on Victorian manners and decided to novelize it to educate her readers.Even more infuriating is her propensity to spell out every single motion and gesture and sigh her characters take "Lady Boring Version of Mary cocked her head ever so slightly to the right, lifted her hand elegantly to motion to him, stretched her back, crossed the room, stepped onto the stool, and smiled, obviously with pleasure." Yeah. That. That is how she writes. It's torture to read these absurd sentences overflowing with adverbs.I have low standards for my ideal reading choices, but this bottoms out the bottom. If the plot sounds interesting to you, read The American Heiress. I'm terribly sorry to Ms. Bradford but this is inexcusably bad writing and her editors should be ashamed of themselves.

Although repetitive the story gripped me and I have bought the 2nd book.