Cashelmara [Mass Market Paperback]

Susan Howatch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 1984

The rich and mighty saga of a wealthy and titled English family in Ireland during the 19th century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Grippingly readable Sunday Times Larger than life... a fascinating saga... it has all the right dramatic and romantic ingredients Woman's Journal A mesmerising storyteller Daily Telegraph Truly unputdownable The Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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The rich and mighty saga of a wealthy and titled English family in Ireland during the 19th century.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (December 12, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449206238
• ISBN-13: 978-0449206232
• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 1.5 x 6.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #702,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Multigenerational Saga Of The English In Ireland, April 7, 2004

By 

Jana L. Perskie "ceruleana" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cashelmara (Mass Market Paperback)

Susan Howatch has written a gripping multigenerational tale of a titled English family who live on their Irish estate, Cashelmara, during the 19th century. This family saga is interwoven with Irish and English politics of the period, self-rule, the Great Famine, emigration, etc.. The years after the Irish famine were marked with issues like the land question and the struggle for independence. Tenants started to demand more security of land tenure. At the same time, landlords were eager to remove paupers from their land to reduce their poor law charges. The landlord/tenant divide was exacerbated by this conflict. The drama of Cashelmara takes place against this explosive backdrop.

Edward de Salis, an English nobleman with vast landholdings in Ireland and England travels to America and visits the Marriot family, distant relations in New York City. De Salis, a man in his fifties, has been a widower for eight years and has a young son, Patrick, and three older daughters, all married or living away from home. He returns to England with plans to marry seventeen year-old Marguerite Marriot, to his family's great consternation. Marguerite and Edward are married at the family estate, Cashelmara. Oddly enough the marriage turns out to be a love match. Times become difficult when Edward dies and finances become tight. Cashelmara and the situation in Ireland begin to weigh heavily on the family with unexpected results. This historical novel is filled with romance, intrigue, social and political unrest and family drama.

Ms. Howatch is able to vividly describe the same situation through the eyes of various characters. These differing points of view give tremendous depth to her characters and interesting insight into their personalities and ulterior motives. The events they are involved in become more complex when all the versions are compiled. Cashelmara's plot unfolds through the individual stories of five people. The author's research and attention to detail are meticulous and give the reader insight into the hardships and difficulties of 19th century Ireland. Cashelmara is an example of excellent historical fiction.
JANA

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good story told well, March 27, 2005

By 

J. Jamison (New Albany, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cashelmara (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the kind of book I love--- involved, lots of interesting charactors, a story that is believable and makes one want to keep reading. The middle of the book gets into a subject that was not mentioned much in other books I have read that were written in the mid 70's, and I was surprised when the plot took that turn, although the hints were there from the first. I just wasn't expecting the story to get so specific. I had my favorite charactors, then they would turn out to be not what I had thought-- the whole book was one I kept looking forward to going back to.

When I finished it, I was almost drained with emotion. That sure doesn't happen to me very often. I loved it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Novel, November 25, 2006

By 

Alianore (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cashelmara (Mass Market Paperback)

'Cashelmara' is Susan Howatch's re-telling of the story of Edward II, King of England 1307-1327, updated to nineteenth-century Ireland. If you're not at all interested in Edward II, or know nothing about him, it's absolutely no problem - you can thoroughly enjoy this novel anyway. However, working out who each character represents historically - for example, Derry Stranahan is 'really' Edward II's favourite Piers Gaveston, while Maxwell Drummond stands for Queen Isabella's lover Roger Mortimer - was a big part of my enjoyment of the novel!

'Cashelmara' is divided into six sections. Each section is narrated in the first person, by a different character. I love this structure, as you really get into the heads of the different characters, and see how they think and see themselves and others. Howatch has complete command of her structure and pulls it off wonderfully.

If you know anything about fourteenth-century English history, you'll see how accurate a re-telling it is. If not, you're sure to enjoy a well-told and fascinating novel that's full of emotional ups and downs. I agree with a previous reviewer who called it emotionally draining! 'Cashelmara' is a highly rewarding read.