Susan Howatch's Cashelmara is one rollercoaster of a ride! One of the blurbs on the book calls it "another blockbuster", and gauging the heftiness of Howatch's books (this one weighs in at just over 700 pages) I think I know what that means. It's the sort of story that you literally lose yourself in. Howatch, and other authors who write (wrote?) 'blockbusters' (most notably in the 1970s and 80s it seems) know just how much fishing line to dangle in front of the reader before reeling it all back in. You know how it goes--pages filled with family dramas, passion, hatred, and in the case of Cashelmara--revenge! There are loads of little cliffhangers throughout the story to keep the reader turning pages and sucking them into the story.Not too long ago a coworker asked me what I was reading and I pulled out my copy of Cashelmara. A quick glance at the description and she recalled seeing the book, different edition of course, on her mother's bookshelves when she was young. I hadn't realized it had been published so long ago, 1974 to be precise, but then historical fiction doesn't really become too dated easily. It is a retelling of the life and reign of Edward II, but if you (like me) are unfamiliar with that particular era in history, you needn't worry about feeling you are missing out. It stands quite soundly on its own. Cashelmara is the family seat of a titled English family in Ireland. The estate and surrounding lands was bequeathed by Queen Elizabeth to the de Salis family and is entailed in such a way that it cannot be sold off easily and passes from male heir to male heir along down the line. This isn't just a garden variety family drama however, it's a family saga, chronicling the dreams, aspirations, weaknesses and shortcomings of three generations of the de Salis family.Howatch recasts the story from 14th century England and Wales to the mid-Victorian period and a family home in England known as Woodhammer Hall and Cashelmara in Ireland. And like Edward's reign which was marked by petty squabbling, mismanagement and political and military defeats, an all around disastrous reign, Howatch tells the story of the rise and fall of fortunes of the de Salis family. At the beginning Lord de Salis is wealthy, well regarded and an excellent land manager to the estate in Ireland. The country, the house and the people are loved by de Salis, and he is held in high esteem by his tenants. In not too many years, however, and with neglect the once powerful de Salis family takes a tumble. It's not just calamitous events such as the Great Famine and the rise of Irish Nationalism that plague the de Salis family but general incompetence in the managing of estate affairs. Everything that the elder Lord de Salis worked for and built during his lifetime is destroyed by his son in a very few years.The novel is broken into six sections, each with its own narrator. They are told in first person and with titles such as "Duty", "Fidelity", "Loyalty", "Passion","Ambition" and "Revenge" it's not hard imagining the narrative arc of the story. Each successive Lord de Salis tells his story, two of the wives tell their version of events and most interesting is an outsider of sorts--one of the tenants who rises to power. This is not a fun-filled romp of a story. Quite the opposite, it is often dark in tone with its concentration on the foibles of the family members. Told in first person, Howatch gives insight into their motivations, actions and behaviors. These are flawed characters whose actions will have consequences. It's easy to dislike many of them, and surely that is part of the attraction. There are simply some characters you love to hate, though you might question your reactions and need to reassess those reactions as the story unfolds.Despite the sometimes heavy tone, Cashelmara is an entertaining read in its way. Having such varied narrators makes for interesting going, though it's perhaps a little uneven in the starts and stops. A small quibble however. I've already picked up a few of Howatch's other 'blockbusters' and may pull one out closer to summer when a nice idle sunny afternoon sitting on the porch reading is in the offing.
For this review, as well as many more, please visit my blog, The Baking Bookworm (www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca).My Thoughts: This is an epic saga following the lives and tribulations of the de Salis family. What made this book stand out for me, in amongst the many historical fiction books that I've read, is that the tale is told from six points of view. Six points of view are a lot and could easily become muddled and confusing but Ms Howatch deals with this in a very interesting way. The storyline, while linear, is started by Edward telling the tale. He then passes the proverbial torch to Marguerite and she takes over the story and so on. It's quite a wonderful way for the reader to get a better sense of what various characters are thinking while not rehashing what's already happened in the book. I actually found my initial attitude towards certain characters change as I saw the story through their eyes. Each of the characters had many sides to them which I appreciated. That said, I can't say that any one character stood out for me but they all had their own part to play in the saga.Please note that this is no light and carefree romp through the Irish countryside. It's more of a gothic soap opera with its romance, retribution, drama, abuse and even murder and has a very dark and rather depressing tone. One of the characters even goes a little too dark for my tastes and began to come off as more of an evil moustache-twisting caricature towards the end of the book. One of my favourite parts of the book were the descriptions of the Irish countryside as well as learning more about the historical backdrop (ie. the after effects of Ireland's Great Famine). But Ms Howatch didn't allow the tumultuous historical backdrop to overtake the storyline which I appreciated. While this is a historical fiction read, it's much more of a character driven plot. Keeping the characters and storyline in the forefront is not an easy thing to do when you're tackling a lot of various topics all in one book -- including Ireland's right to rule themselves, emigration, Irish famine/poverty, political unrest, adultery, financial ruin ... There was a lot going on and while it was entertaining I did feel that the mystery aspect (family secrets and all) as well as the overall energy of the book was a bit lacking.What Ms Howatch definitely didn't lack was emotion. Unfortunately, for me I tended to have an overall depressed feeling about the book. The setting and the circumstances seemed very drab and depressing ... all the time. There were some characters that I liked (Marguerite) but some, like Sarah, who just aggravated me with her poor choices. I guess feeling something (even anger at a character) is better than feeling nothing, right?While there were some slow parts in this large book I did find it to be an easy and enjoyable read. It was a good page turner of a story but it just didn't grab me as much as I would have hoped. I think that the overall depressing feeling that settled over much of the book put a damper on my overall opinion of this book.My Rating: 3.5/5 starsNote: My sincere thanks to Open Road Media and NetGalley for providing me with this complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
What do You think about Cashelmara (2015)?
This was an amazing book. A real epic. I loved it.Ms. Howatch is a very clever writer. At first I thought it was justa very good story, the kind that was written in the 1970's compared to the likes of Taylor Caldwell and Barbara Taylor Bradford, about 1/4 of the way through I realized I knew this story in an ancient form.It is a modern day twist on the story of the much disdained King Edward II. She knew her history when writing this, it was so much fun recognizing who in the book was who in actual history.Very much worth the read.
—Susie Fiorito
Reading a Susan Howatch novel is kinda like digging into a big bowl of hot, buttered, lightly salted popcorn. At first you read/eat slowly, savoring each page/bite. But then as the richness of the writing/buttery goodness start to envelope you, you can't help yourself. You start reading/eating faster and faster. You want to devour it all in one sitting, but Howatch's books are long for just one sitting/ feeding frenzy. Howatch's books are divided into sections with each major character getting his/her point of view. It is interesting to see how each character perceives events and what they do about whatever Howatch plots for them. For the reader, it's fascinating to see how events unfold. As I began reading about a new character, I found it wasn't long before I had to see how many pages there were in the current section. Often I couldn't stop reading until I'd finished that section and put the book down before delving into the next character. Or, and this was often the case, I'd have to sneak a quick peek at the starting chapter of the new character before taking a break. (Well, I did have to sleep, but thank to Bookmates, I can comfortably read while I eat) In Cashelmara, I particularly liked the descriptions of New York City, and the bleakness of the countryside in Ireland. I don't know much about the history of Ireland, and I enjoyed learning something about that through the eyes of Howatch's characters. I am not objective about Howatch's books: she is without doubt one of my favorite authors. I love saga-type books, and Howatch has never disappointed me with her richness of characters along with a good sense of the time in which they lived. I highly recommend her books to anyone who appreciates those same qualities in the fiction they choose. Now I've gotta go make more popcorn.
—Gabby
I first read Cashelmara when I was about eleven years old and have since probably read it at least once a year! It os one book that I will always keep on my shelf alongside Trade Winds (M.M. Kaye) and Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett).Cashelmara traces the loves, lies and intrigues of a late 19th aristocratic family based both in England and Ireland. It is split into 6 different parts, each narrated by a different character. As other reviewers have mentioned, the story is loosely - but brilliantly - based on the lives of the Three Edwards, and the 'modern' portrayal of these medieval characters is brilliantly done. This book has some incredible scenes, Sarah's confrontation with Hugh MacGowan, Ned's realisation of his father's struggles and the scenes of the Irish poverty during the famine to name but a few. A must read for anyone interested in historical fiction - or drama - or romance - or murder! There's truly something for everyone here! Ten gold stars!
—K.l.
