Ross Poldark :POLDARK
by Winston Graham
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Book Summary Information
Author: Winston GrahamEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown)
Published: 1977
ISBN: 0006140823
Publisher: Collins
Book Reviews of Ross Poldark :POLDARK
Book Review: A sweeping tale of 18th Century Cornwall
Summary: 5 Stars
Ross Poldark, the heir of Nampara, an estate on the Cornwall coast, comes home from fighting for the English cause in the Revolutionary War to find his life in shambles. The girl who has buoyed his spirits while he was away is marrying his cousin; his father has died; and his legacy, a brooding manor house not as grand as his cousin's, is falling apart, due to the inattentions of his dissolute servants.
Winston Graham masterfully transfuses vitality and interest into this story of old Cornwall, making what might have been a historical romance into something so much more. I have read and reread this series so many times, I've had to replace books on a regular basis, as I either pass them on to good reader friends or wear them out. Mr Graham takes a point in history, and through what must have been a labour of love, has researched it down to furnishings and flora without losing anything in the way of the reader's attention. I literally find it hard to put this book down, even after many readings.
Ross's life as a young squire is told so richly that it is impossible not to feel as though you are there walking with him on Hendrawna Beach when a ship has gone aground and the populace flocks to the site to claim whatever comes in on the tide. His beautifully portrayed common people, miners and miner's wives, servants, and farmers, come off the page audibly; one can hear their speech in the well-crafted patois Mr Graham obviously understood so well. Ross is well thought of by those who live on his land; the miners trust him, and he gives them every reason to, being a fair and decent lord of the estate. He feels for the plight of men and women who have nothing, and fights for them amongst his own class.
He is still very human; his loss of his first love to his cousin is a continual canker on his soul, and he assuages it with drink and work. On the way home from purchasing new stock one day, he impulsively rescues an urchin from a bunch of bullies, only to find he has a young girl in tow. Through desultory discussion with her, he learns that if she goes home, she will be beaten by her father for not getting what he sent her for, and Ross - a man of unpredictable decisions - comes to the conclusion that his slovenly housekeeper could use a protege (as could his house). He brings the girl, Demelza, home to be a servant.
This book is full of all the interactions between master and servant, servant and servant, miner and landowner, upper and lower class. Everyone is drawn precisely so that the very room the person is in is visible to the mind's eye. I had the good fortune, years ago, to see the PBS series of "Poldark" which transposed very well to the screen, so in effect I CAN hear the protagonists; but even without that advantage, I'm pretty sure I could go to Cornwall now and understand what people are saying,just from Mr Graham's complete command of the dialect.
"Ross Poldark" is an excellent beginning to a stellar literary series that tells a story you do not want to end. If you love historical fiction, interspersed with real events, and believeable, warm characters written with humour (you'll love Jud), this is the best series I can recommend. I've brought it to a number of my friends, and everyone who reads it loves it. You will wish that you knew Ross Poldark, and all those who populate his world.
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