Having recently read Jeremy Poldark and Warleggon, I have a lot of thoughts rambling around in my head about it. These are the next 2 books in the series that will be presented in season 2 of Poldark. This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so if you don't want to know, STOP NOW !!!
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| I do not know who took this photo but I think we can agree it's lovely. |
~SPOILER ALERT......SPOILER ALERT....SPOILER ALERT~
I don't have a lot to say about the book Jeremy Poldark - it deals mostly with the trial and acquittal of Ross from the murder/rioting charges made at the end of series one. It introduces a new character, Caroline Penvenen, who becomes a love interest for Dr. Enys. (yay!) It also goes into how devastated Ross is over the loss of Julia, so much so that he expressed to Demelza that he does not feel it would be good to have another child - as luck would have it, Demelza is pregnant and she is afraid to tell him and keeps it from him as long as she can. One good thing is Ross and Frances make up and become partners in Wheal Grace.
The real shockers come in Warleggon! I don't want to spill everything that happens in this volume, but the main point is, Ross turns his back on his marriage vows and beds Elizabeth in a very unlike-Ross way. Demelza knows in her heart this happens without him telling her and their marriage begins to fall apart. Demelza is so hurt by this breach, she figures what's good for the gander is good for the goose and goes to a party without Ross and chats up the Sergeant who was friends with Ross and came to the house in season one looking for Mark. She almost does the deed but in the end, realizes she can't - Ross is the only man for her. It's stressful reading it because you want to know that somehow they will manage to overcome this break!
The thing that is most distressing in this novel it that Ross essentially rapes Elizabeth, though the author doesn't use that word. When Ross finds out that Elizabeth is going to marry George Warleggon, he goes berserk, seriously, breaks into her home and forces her to bed. She tells him NO, she slaps him and tells him NO and he picks her up and carries her off to bed. Now that is all that is said, there is no inference that Elizabeth gives into her passion and lets him do it. If that isn't rape, what is? I don't want MY Ross to behave that way, so it left me unsettled in my mind after reading it. I find myself hoping the screen play will show Elizabeth was somehow in agreement with the bedding. We all know she still loves Ross, right? The one good thing I could see in this, is the nagging 'what ifs' that Ross has carried within him were finally answered.
Will our dear Ross and Demelza overcome this cataclysmic bump in their road to happily-ever-after? Tune in next season to find out!
Have you read Warleggon?? If so, what did you think about it? Do you find it hard to accept that Ross would force himself on any woman, much less Elizabeth? In your mind, do you believe Elizabeth was in actuality a willing partner? 'Enquiring' minds want to know - leave a comment!
