At Long Last..the end! Book 12, Poldark Saga

It took me awhile to get it from the library, but finally, last week I got the notice it was waiting for me to pick up.   I'm going to say right out that I was pleasantly surprised by this story and feel it is one of my favorites of the series.   I think because there is not so much history in it.   Don't get me wrong, I like the historical aspect of all the stories, but I have on occasion, rushed through passages of it in my haste to move the story along. lol  So less is more in this case and I like that.

 
Things are still going well for Ross in terms of the mines and having money to keep his family and lands very well.  He and Demelza are still in love, though there are moments when their easy camaraderie goes awry - especially when it comes to his relationship with Valentine.  Add to that an attraction to Harriet Warleggan! I was actually irritated with Ross when he started coming on to her (much like Demelza was).  I'm talking to the book.... 'don't do that Ross !!  Just don't!"  Thankfully it did not move beyond overt flirting.  

Clowance is still trying to learn to live with the loss of Stephan.  It is hard for her because she loved him so much, but she also was so angry that he married her knowing very well he was already married to another women.  He was such an ass-hat!  I was glad when he ended up in the bone yard.  Now, she finds herself being courted by a handsome officer name Phillip Prideaux, who is suffering from what we would call PTSD today.  At the same time, a former suitor, Lord Edward has come back into her life asking her to marry him.  She cares for both of them and gives careful thought to who she says 'yes' to.

Little Bella is now a young woman and is still in love with Christopher.  He asks her parents for permission to marry her, but they are reluctant because she is still quite young.  Bella's singing voice is exceptional and after some fast-talking from her love, Christopher, Ross and Demelza agree to let her go to London for voice lessons.  Her dream is to be on the stage!  She is well-received by more than one vocal teacher.  While in London, she meets Maurice, a Frenchman who is enthralled with her beauty and her vocal ability.  He tries to horn in on Christopher's territory and is successful in getting her to run away with him to France to star in an opera he is producing called The Barber of Seville.   He then seduces her.  What a cad!  However, she is a willing partner.  She is a huge success in the Opera.  Ross, shows up unexpectedly and is amazed at her performance and proud too.  He is not too happy about her involvement with Maurice.  

Meanwhile, back in Cornwall there is a serial killer roaming the dark pathways!!  Demelza finds herself out one evening heading home when she is attacked - she narrowly escapes.  She does not tell Ross about what happened.  Early on, it's easy to think Phillip is the killer as he has 'episodes' of anger.  But as the story progresses another suspect comes forward and you have to wonder is it him or Phillip or someone else??  

 Bella comes back from France. Her relationship with Christopher is shaky but not over.  She is not feeling well and soon it is apparent she is seriously ill with the Morbid Throat!!  Her sister, Julia, died from this very disease and Demelza and Ross are out of the minds with worry over her.  Clowance comes to stay with them to help nurse her back to health.  She survives, but her ability to sing is diminished.  She is heartbroken over this.  

Back to the killer - we find out who is the culprit when he corners Demelza in her home one night when she is there alone.  He calmly tells her his feelings about women and how he is going to kill her just as he killed the others!  Demelza is terrified and Ross is nowhere nearby to stop this from happening when suddenly Phillip saves the day and puts him out of commission with a blow to the head. 

By far the most interesting part of this story to me is a fleshing out of the character Valentine Warleggan, in particular his relationship with Ross.  He truly hates George and Ross steps in to be the father he needed and still needs.  George, though still a nasty little dick at heart, has actually mellowed a little.  However, his feelings towards Valentine have not changed.  He is not even that moved at the birth of his grandson, George, at least at first.  He still harbors that fear that Valentine is not his son, therefore, George is not his grandson.  Things change though when Val's wife leaves him for schtupping a mentally disabled young women, Agneta Treneglos, daughter of Ruth and John.  Though he has dallied many times before, this time, the poor girl ended up dead at the hands of the mysterious killer stalking the area.  It was the last straw for Selina and she packs up little Georgie and leaves him.  She eventually turns to big George for financial help and he helps her on the condition that he will take on little George's upbringing. 

Valentine is still a libertine and a rake by any standards, however we get to see another side to him.  He is often describe as 'just like Ross' father' - getting himself into hot water with his antics.  Ross tries to give him guidance and you can see that in his heart, he believes Valentine is his son.  After his heartbreaking loss of Jeremy, this wild child of Elizabeth's strikes a cord in him.  He has to do what he can to help him, yet still keep enough distance to keep both Demelza and George from fretting about it.

The oddest aspect of the story is the introduction of a great ape, Butto.  Yes, I said great ape, a baboon I think given the size, but maybe it's a chimp.  Anyway, here is where we see a side of Valentine that warms the cockles of our collective hearts when he rescues the ape from a cruel owner and a life of misery; tenderly caring for him and giving him a good home.  I found Butto to be a weird addition to the story, however he has his role to play.  He starts a fire at Valentine's home and inadvertently causes the death of not only himself, but his master too.  The fire nearly kills Ross as he tries in vain to save his son.  He is devastated by this loss and withdraws from everyone, including Demelza, who takes it quite hard, though she tries to be understanding about it.  I think it is Bella's superb performance in Romeo and Juliet, playing Romeo, that helps Ross out of his depression.  It certainly helps her feel better about her future in theater!

In the end, things are wrapped up quite nicely with Clowance married to Edward, Bella on her way to stardom and back completely with Christopher.  Ross is coming back to his normal self.  Demelza happily making wedding plans for her daughter.

All in all, I found this to be a very good read and had a hard time putting it down.  I really wanted to find out who the killer was!  I would say to those who think this book is about Bella, it is not really.  Her story didn't really get going until almost half way through the book.  I think maybe Winston Graham did not like leaving Valentine as a kind of side note in the other books and graced us with this wonderful glimpse into his relationship with his real Dad, Ross Poldark.  It's a little sad to think this is the last book.  I wonder if the series will get this far?

The Twisted Sword - book 11 of the Poldark series

"A man is better off to be a squire in Cornwall than to be a king in England" 

~Old Tholly, The Twisted Sword 

I recently finished reading book 11 in the Poldark saga, The Twisted Sword.  I enjoyed it very much, though it took me longer to read than the others!  A short forward indicates that this is the last novel in the series, (not knowing of course that there was one more story in Winston's head) proclaiming it a brilliant finale.  I have to agree it tied up loose ends quite nicely.

The story opens with Napoleon banished to Elba.  Ross is asked to go to France to see what the real state of affairs is over there - at first he says no, but then he changes his mind and decides to go.  The request involves a title which he doesn't want, but in the end he accepts.  He and Demelza make plans to go to Paris with the children, Isabella Rose and Henry, and the nanny, Mrs. Kemp, with Dwight and Caroline and their girls joining them there later.

Jeremy is happily married to Cuby and they are expecting a baby.  He is a soldier, stationed near Brussels.  Clowance is settling in as Mrs. Carrington, but news of a step-son rocks her world - Stephen, up to his usual crap, never told her he had a son.  He 'didn't want to upset her'.  I really don't like Stephen at all.  He's basically a flim-flam man and poor Clowance can't help loving him even though she suspects he's not really the man she thought she married.

Old Boney isn't about to sit around on Elba and proceeds to rebuild his army and heads back to Paris to take over again.  This causes serious problems for Ross and Demelza, who become separated when take-over begins.  Ross is arrested on trumped up charges by a man who pissed him off when he made overtures at Demelza.  Demelza manages to escape with the kids and the nanny and eventually gets back to London and has to wait and worry over Ross's release.  There's a lot more to this adventure, including some great conversations between Lord and Lady Poldark - you know the kind we like to read - the kind that end up in kisses and more - but I won't go into here.

You can well imagine that upstart George was ready to spit nails when he heard Ross is made a Lord.  He doesn't have too much time to think about it because.... surprise!  Harriet is pregnant!  George sees this as a chance to get a son to replace Valentine.  He also has a plan to bring down Stephen Carrington - he is sure took part in the robbery of the coach, but he does not have enough proof to get him arrested.  So he tries to ruin him instead and nearly succeeds.

With the war rekindled, Jeremy finds himself promoted to Captain.  He leads his men into a final horrendous battle where he is shot twice.  Ross, having escaped from captivity, heads out to find Jeremy - he arrives to find his son mortally wounded.  They are able to have a heart-breakingly few minutes to talk before he dies with his father at his side.  It struck me that once again, Ross is alone with his dying child and Demelza is not there to say goodbye! 

Stephen manages to overcome his money troubles when he captures a ship.  He makes a bundle of money on the venture and saves his bacon for the time being.  He buys himself a horse that he feels is fitting to his newly acquired station.  He meets up with Harriet Warleggan and wants to show her what a fine horse he has.  They chit-chat and he finds himself lusting after her a bit.  They take off to race and see whose horse is best - Stephen's horse cannot make one of the jumps and he is thrown off and breaks his back. He's just so full of himself, I can't feel any sympathy for him and not much for Clowance.  She knows he lies and keeps things from her.  Anyway, Stephen does not recover from this accident and leaves Clowance a widow.

So much happens in this volume, I know I'm forgetting a lot.  One important but small chapter has Valentine actually asking Ross if might be his father.  Ross tells him the truth, that it is possible, but no one can be sure.  He tells him he must never speak of this and if he finds out he has, he'll kill him.  Ross does not want Elizabeth's memory to be tarnished.

The loving cup - I really thought it would come back to haunt Jeremy, but in the end, it was thrown into a deep well by Demelza - Jeremy had sent her a letter requesting her to throw it in the sea if he did not return.  Ross was puzzled by her actions, but did not try to pry the truth out of her.

Isabella Rose, who is only thirteen, meets a young soldier and they fall in love - Mom and Dad are hoping it is just a passing fancy.  I guess I'll find out in the next and last book.

Last but not least, because we all love it when someone puts the screws to George - Harriet gives birth to TWIN GIRLS.  Serves the bastard right. Lol

Thoughts on The Stranger from the Sea.....

Beautiful Cliffs in Cornwall - http://www.natures-desktop.com/

I just finished reading book 8 in the Poldark series, The Stranger from the Sea by Winston Graham.  This was a fairly quick read and while I enjoyed it, it introduced the next generation and focused more on them than on Ross and Demelza.  However!  There are some lovely conversations with the now content couple that are heartening to read.

This story is fairly low-key without the gut-punching drama that was in the earlier books.  We meet Jeremy Poldark, who is now a young man, his younger sister Clowance, who is nearly 18, and the stranger from the sea, Stephan Carrington.  We also get some insight into Valentine's personality and I pretty much don't like him and I expect he'll be stirring up trouble in the future.

It opens with Ross away from home yet again where he runs into the infamous Colonel McNeil and Geoffrey Charles who is a soldier now and getting ready for battle.  Naturally Ross joins in because ...well he's ROSS.  LoL   He and Geoffrey Charles seem to have a lot in common and you can tell there is true affection there.

Meanwhile back in Cornwall, Jeremy and his friends are going fishing everyday.  Except he's not really fishing, but we learn that later in the story.  On one of their excursions, they find two bodies and bring them ashore - one of them is still alive!!  A handsome young man named Stephen Carrington.  Demelza and Clowance nurse him back to health.  Clowance is smitten. Stephen is smitten with her too, but he's a bit of a rake who lies to his rescuers about his background.  He and Jeremy hit it off  - he confesses that he was working aboard a privateer and he talks him into going off to get a small lugger with brandy aboard that his ship had captured and docked.  Things don't go exactly as they hoped. They are almost caught by Preventive men and as they escape, they separate and Jeremy ends up hiding in the gardens of an estate.  It is here that Jeremy meets Miss Cuby Trevanion and it changes his life forever.

Clowance goes off to London with Dwight and Caroline Enys to try and sort out her feelings towards Stephen and a local guy, Ben Carter.  She meets Lord Edward Fitzmaurice at a social event and he falls for her.  Now she has a 3 way problem. lol  Eventually, Demelza and Clowance go to meet Edward's family, which helps Clowance, at least a little, with what she should do.

George Warleggan has a part in this volume too.  He has never really gotten over losing Elizabeth, but he has decided it's time to find a new wife.  He has his eyes on a widow of good breeding and money and feels he must impress her.  He invests heavily on a speculation and loses his shirt instead.  So much so, he decides to sell all his shares in Wheal Leisure to John Treneglos, who keeps it secret that Ross will be a shareholder again.  Putting the screws to George is always a wonderful thing. lol

This all came about because Jeremy is interested in Wheal Leisure and goes in and investigates with Ben Carter.  He wants to build a steam engine to work the mine. He is obsessed with steam power and determined to learn everything about it.  Fortunately, Ben feels there is a chance that there is enough copper to open it again, which convinces Jeremy to ask his Dad to try and get it back.  He gives good argument and has an answer for all of Ross' questions.  Ross is impressed with his son, which is gratifying as his relationship with him has not been as good as it should have been.

Trenwith is falling into disrepair with no one living there.  You get the feeling that somewhere down the road, something will save it, but maybe that's just me and my wishful thinking.  Also, I don't trust this Stephen Carrington person.  I will have to get a copy of The Miller's Dance to find out if my gut instinct is right this time.  Don't tell me, please!  I want to read it. :-) 

Pondering Poldark - The Angry Tide

Well, I finished reading The Angry Tide and despite the shocking ending, enjoyed it quite a bit. So in keeping with tradition .... SPOILER ALERT!  SPOILER ALERT!  SPOILER ALERT!

The Angry Tide brings some resolutions to the problems featured in The Four Swans and presents some new ones to ponder.  So here's the short of it:

Ross and Demelza are trying to overcome the strain in their relationship in the aftermath of her infidelity.  Ross is elected to Parliament and spends quite a bit of time away from home.  Jeremy and Clowance are healthy and still bring delight into their parents lives.

Dwight and Caroline have a baby girl, who sadly does not survive beyond a few months due to a heart problem.  Losing little Sarah sends Caroline off to London to get away from the heartbreak.  She tells Dwight she needs to get away and does not want him to come with her. 

The odious Reverend Ossie finds a way to foil Morwenna's threat that has been keeping her from having sex with him.  He forces her back to his bed and at the same time starts slipping around with her sister again.  The horny bastard.  Anyway, Rowella's husband sees Ossie fondling Rowella's feet as she lies naked on the bed and ends up following him as he leaves and kills him! Luckily, it looks like an accident, so he gets away with it.  Drake was about to marry a sweet girl named Rosina when he finds out Morwenna is a widow.  Rosina releases him from his marriage promise and he goes to see his true love but she is crazed from having to be a proper wife to Ossie and is pregnant.  She sends Drake packing, which breaks his heart all over again.

Caroline wants Ross to bring Demelza to London, which he does.  They have a wonderful time, growing closer and beginning to feel like that time before they failed to keep their marriage vows, he with Elizabeth and she with Hugh.  There is a delightful passage that features antics in the bedroom at the Inn that I know all us Maidens will want to see!!

It is in London that we meet the detestable and unctuous Monk Adderley who makes a bet with George that he can get into Demelza's knickers and proceeds to pursue her.  She does not like him but doesn't tell him to leave her be for various reasons.  Ross is jealous and it is apparent he has not really gotten back to trusting Demelza.  Monk provokes Ross by taking his seat while at a debate in Parliament.  Ross embarrasses him, so he sends a note challenging him to a duel.  Ross wants to kill him just for the way he looks at Demelza and accepts - all in secret since it's against the law.  They both get hit, Ross survives his wound, Monk does not.  Caroline and Dwight get back together.

Meanwhile Morwenna loses the baby, through no fault of her own, and shows up at Drake's shop.  They reconcile with the understanding that she can't stand to be touched.  Drake agrees to this and they get married. 

Elizabeth is pregnant - this time for sure it is George's baby.  They are getting along well, George buys a seat in Parliament and plans to get himself knighted.  Elizabeth approves of this and sees herself as Lady Warleggan.   Then the proverbial sh*t hits the fan when Geoffrey Charles observes quite loudly and with great merriment that Valentine looks just like his Uncle Ross !  Oh-oh.  Elizabeth is horrified.  George is outraged.  Elizabeth decides to visit a Dr. who can help her with the baby that's on the way - he gives her a potion that will make the baby be born early, but not without some risks.  She thinks if the baby comes early as Valentine did, George will believe her claim that he IS the father of their son.  She has a heart-to-heart conversation with George about how he let Aunt Agatha's vengeful last words ruin his marriage and his life.  He knows this is true and actually has regrets.  Baby girl Ursula comes early as planned, however there are complications and Elizabeth dies a horrible painful death.  George is devastated but not nearly as much as Ross is.  I really hope the show gets as far as this, because I want to see Aidan do this scene.  I can see it in my head already.

I have the DVD of the 1975 version of Poldark and have only 3 more episodes to go for season one.  I have some thoughts about it and will post them soon.

Pondering Poldark - season 3

I recently read somewhere that season three of Poldark is in the works - I'm hoping that's not just a rumor!!  I've been reading the books and since season one featured the first two books, I figured season two would cover the next two, Jeremy Poldark and Warleggan and posted about them here:

Pondering Poldark - season 2 .  

I have since finished reading The Black Moon and The Four Swans.  I feel confident that season three will likely cover these two.


It's only fair to shout SPOILER ALERT ! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! right about now.  If you don't want to know what happens, stop now !!

The Black Moon was a pretty quick read but advanced the saga nicely.  In the beginning we find Ross and Demelza have made every attempt to mend the rift in their marriage.  While they are not completely healed, they are committed to each other in every way.  They have a baby girl named Clowance - I would really like to know if that name was made up by Winston Graham or if it is a Cornish name!  I will have to research that at some point.  Wheal Leisure belongs to George Warleggan and has been closed.  Wheal Grace is doing very well and has put Ross in good financial shape. 

Elizabeth and George have a son, named Valentine. (poor kid - lol) born on the night of an eclipse of the moon, hence the title The Black Moon. This is considered a bad omen!  Now any veteran soap opera watcher, such as myself, has to wonder if Ross is the father of Valentine.  We know he forced his attentions on Elizabeth just before she marries George - seven months later there is a baby.  However, George suspects nothing at this point and is very happy he has a son.  Personally I think Ross is the baby-daddy, but it is never made certain.  All the while I was reading, I was waiting for Aunt Agatha to point out a birthmark or something that is common in the Poldark family history.  That did not happen, but in the end, she doesn't let me down! 

 Aunt Agatha is soon to be 100 years old and she dearly wants to make it to that age and plans an elaborate party to commemorate it.  She does all this to annoy that upstart, George, who she hates as much as Ross does.  George is beyond cruel to her most of the time and near her birthday he cancels her plans and basically upsets her which leads to her death, but not before she plants the seed of doubt in his mind regarding Valentine - she tells him that baby was NOT a 7 month baby.  I was happy that Aunt Aggie put the screws to George before she died.  It made me feel proud to know her, so to speak.

Dr. Enys and Caroline are still very much in love and want to get married, however he goes into service and gets captured by the French and is living in deplorable conditions in the prison.  Ross cannot bear to think of his friend enduring this and even though Demelza is against it, he takes off to rescue Dwight.  It was tense reading because I was constantly afraid Ross would get caught too, but in the end he heroically saves his friend and another officer who would later cause him a great deal of grief in The Four Swans.

Demelza has two brothers who come to Nampara looking for work.  Ross reluctantly helps them.  We get to know the youngest one, Drake, pretty well as he falls in love with Geoffrey Charles' governess, Morwenna, who is Elizabeth's cousin, and she falls for him too.  George, being the prick he is, has plans for her that will basically ruin her life.  Good Lord, I despise George.  LOL  I had thought at the end of the first season on TV, that he might be redeemable, however, if Debbie Horsefield follows the books, he is not making any headway in that direction (though he's still not as bad as Uncle Cary).
Anyway, Drake and Morwenna's story is a welcome addition to the epic adventure.

A lot of ground was covered with the characters, along with a lot of history.  In fact, I found myself skimming the historical stuff because I was anxious to get on with the story! (I probably shouldn't admit that, lol, but it has been done before and if I really like the book, I re-read it.) The best thing for me, was that Ross and Demelza seemingly survived the heartbreak of the events in Warleggan. Or maybe the real best thing is, thanks to Aidan and Eleanor and the rest of the fantastic cast of the show, I see their faces as I read the story.  I like that added dimension.

So, if you have read this, what did you think?  Did you worry a bit when Ross and Caroline had a moment or two?  Did you get invested in Drake and Morwenna's love story?  Do you think George is gonna get worse before he gets better?  Did you skip over the historical stuff too?  Come on now - Fess up so I won't feel alone in my transgression LOL !

The Four Swans was harder for me to read, but that's another post, hopefully before I forget what happens!