Hello everyone!
I'm back with a book review again since it's Thursday, and honestly, I've been so into a couple of series at the moment that it's difficult to pinpoint one single book out of them to talk about! But I figure you don't want to read about series anymore at the moment, seeing as I'm cheating on my other blog entries with them, haha! Ergo, I figured I'd go to a book that's the beginning of a series, but I haven't actually read any of the others yet, so it's a safe bet that I'll only talk about this one.
Now, I didn't even know these books existed, first and foremost. And then I saw a promo video on Facebook about a new BBC series titled 'Poldark', a revival of an old one from the seventies and eighties.
My thoughts? Well, generally I didn't have any until Aidan Turner popped up on the screen, and I swear my eyes just went somewhere between O.O and *.* (For those of you who don't know, Aidan played Kili in The Hobbit trilogy, among other roles).
So, there I was, watching Aidan attack tall grass shirtless (ahem), and then figured, after watching about half of the first season, that I need some background checks. That was when I discovered that there was actually a BOOK series before a TV series.
Hello!
Immediately, I went to work, and that's how I came to read the first novel, Ross Poldark. The TV series actually merges the first two books into eight episodes, I believe, but I haven't gotten to Demelza yet, so bear with me here.
The story begins with the lord of Nampara, Ross' father, passing away, while Ross is fighting in the American war of Independence. He's injured there, presumed dead and/or missing, and in the period between, his childhood sweetheart, Elizabeth, becomes engaged to his cousin, Francis. Ross returns home to this situation, and sulenly turns his back on most of his relatives to work on Nampara and making his own path in life (not to mention, the wedding gets moved up, probably in fear that Elizabeth might run off with her old flame!)
From there, we get to see life in Cornwall, the problems of miners who mined for copper at the time, the poverty of the region, and how different Ross is from the other Poldarks. He works with the servants, doesn't hesitate to help his tenants, or the miners, and stands up when he sees injustice done. This is how he brings home Demelza, a young teenage girl who was being beaten when he found her, and she serves as his kitchen maid.
Elizabeth and Francis have a son; Ross strikes out to reopen his father's mine to increase his profit, which is a dangerous venture in a time when mines are generally being closed down. But he's an adventurer and a bit of a daredevil, even though he has a habit of drinking too much.
A relationship blossoms between him and Demelza, though only AFTER he's too drunk to think clearly and she pretty much seduces him into bed, and then he feels honour-bound to marry her, but this eventually turns into a marriage of love, and Demelza becomes what Elizabeth could never be for Ross: someone he can rely on and who supports him no matter what.
Among other stories woven in with the main one are the main branch of the Poldarks, whose patriarch also dies, a tenant of Ross' who gets caught poaching, and the two servants on Ross' land who are the source of comic relief.
I can't adequately describe this story without giving too much away or planting guesses where I don't really know, since I haven't read ahead, but by the end of the book, Ross has found copper in his mine, his cousin is sinking into debt and gambling, and Demelza is pregnant with their first child.
If you're like me, and enjoy reading historical novels, then you'll love these books by Winston Graham, and I highly recommend them even if you just want a love story, or a story about survival. It has all that, and more. You won't be disappointed, if nothing else because Ross really doesn't give two cents about what society thinks, and tends to just do his own thing, which is always fun to read!
xx
*images not mine
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