God is an Englishman (Swann Family Saga) [Kindle Edition]

R. Delderfield (Author)

Book Description

From master author R. F. Delderfield, the first in the beloved classic God Is an Englishman series.

The first novel in the epic God Is an Englishman series, this book is a stirring saga of England in the 19th century, as the Industrial Revolution takes hold, forever changing the landscape of England and her people.

Adam Swann, scion of an army family, returns home in 1858 after service with Her Majesty's army in the Crimea and India, determined to build his fortune in the dog-eat-dog world of Victorian commerce. Swann is soon captivated by Henrietta, the high-spirited daughter of a local mill owner. As Swann works to build his name, he and Henrietta share adventures, reversal, and fortune.

A beloved novel by a beloved author, God Is an Englishman is a treasure both for Delderfield fans and the growing legion of fans of historical fiction.

"R. F. Delderfield is a born storyteller."
Sunday Mirror

"A book to get lost in... An epic historical novel artfully contructed."
New York Times Book Review

"A novel in the grand tradition of Thackery and Dickens."
Milwaukee Journal

"A delightful bounty of characters fairly jumps from the pages of God Is an Englishman."
Columbus Dispatch

Editorial Reviews

Review

R.F. Delderfield is a born storyteller -- Sunday Mirror His narratives belong in a tradition that goes back to John Galsworthy -- Life Magazine

About the Author

R.F. Delderfield was born in South London in 1912. On leaving school he joined the Exmouth Chronicle newspaper as a junior reporter, where he went on to become Editor. From there he began to write stage plays and then became a highly successful novelist, renowned for brilliantly portraying slices of English life. With the publication of his first saga, A HORSEMAN RIDING BY, he became one of Britain's most popular authors. Many of his bestselling novels were later adapted for television. He died in 1972.

Product Details

• File Size: 1308 KB
• Print Length: 704 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0786705280
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (June 1, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003H29CLG
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,578 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 86 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best family sagas April 20, 2008

By Nina M. Osier

Format:Paperback

Adam Swann has followed his family's tradition of military service for long enough to turn 30. He's seen a lot during those years, including a horrific massacre of civilians. When chance places a fortune in rubies in his hands, he's more than ready to make drastic changes. Back to England he goes, the England of a world just prior to the American Civil War, looking for a better way to spend his life. He finds it in two places. First, in a revolutionary business idea sparked by an encounter with a railway official; and second, in a runaway young woman. He marries the woman, factory heiress Henrietta Rawlinson (who's swiftly disinherited by her infuriated father), and he turns the idea into a hauling firm that deliberately fits itself into all the gaps the railway system cannot fill.

That's the bare outline. What makes this novel remarkable, though, isn't its plot. It's the characters, and the way author Delderfield lets them grow naturally out of the time and place in which he sets them. Adam Swann is in many ways a man ahead of that time, disgusted by what he's seen in war and determined to make his way in the world without committing outrages against basic human decency. In fact, he's determined to make a difference for the better while succeeding as a businessman. Henrietta, blessed with her enterpreneur father's sharp mind and quick wits for commerce, grows from a willful, uneducated and thoroughly spoiled girl into a worthy and even challenging partner for Adam in the course of the book's 800-some pages. Nothing seems forced, and none of the details of Victorian England ring false, in all of those pages. Some of the best reading comes from secondary characters who weave in and out of the main story, because each is well drawn and interesting - no matter how brief the appearance....

A tour-de-force, all in all. One of the best "family sagas" around, still, nearly 40 years after its publication. Read more ›

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A perfect novel for "saga junkies" October 8, 2009

By Lila Gustavus

Format:Paperback

God Is an Englishman is the first book in this wonderful saga about the Swann family. Adam Swann, a 31-year-old cavalryman in the service of Queen Victoria's army, decides to break off with his family's military tradition and gives up his soldierly life in lieu of starting anew in England as a businessman. The road ahead of him will not be easy, as old sentiments still prevail where people making a living in a new, industrial England are looked down on and someone like Adam, giving up his army career is thought foolish. Adam Swann persists in his desire to be his own boss and not spent his life serving somebody else, even if it's the Crown of England. In his struggles to become a respectable and successful owner of a horse-carriage business, he has a few supporters, including his young wife, Henrietta and, surprisingly, his own father. The readers follow Adam and his personal and business lives for nine years. These are very tumultuous years for England as well. It is the 19th century, the country changes from an agricultural one into an industrial empire, with railroads ruling the transportation, mills, mines and factories replacing the farms and Adam Swann takes on a daring project of using horses as his road to success.

I thoroughly enjoyed God Is an Englishman, so much so that even before I finished it, I went and got part two (Theirs Was the Kingdom). It's not an easy read by any means, but very captivating and really a requirement for anyone who wants to read more about one of the most important periods in England's history. Some might say that it's reminiscent of Dickens's books but I should say that probably only in the time set. Through Delderfield's book I got a hopeful outlook, not a grim one.... True, it's still England where poverty is on the rise, where child exploitation flourishes but it's also England where one doesn't have to belong to royalty in order to become well-off, successful and if they're persistent enough, respected. `Common' people now have a chance to have careers and to be truly in charge of their lives. I must say that I liked this approach and I just was riveted by Adam Swann and by the whole process of him starting from a scratch and, despite unexpected failures and `bumps `, holding on to what he believed and never losing sight of what Adam deemed as success.

That's one great part of God Is an Englishman. Another one is the multitude of characters, bad, good and just average, but they all change, they all grow and, as a reader, you really have your pick in which ones are going to be your favorites. Mine was Henrietta, Adam's wife. I think she grew the most throughout the novel. She changed so much but still somehow retained her youthful innocence despite some occurrences that would turn many into bitter, prematurely old women. Henrietta and Adam's marriage is not an easy one, some would even say it's doomed from the beginning, but yet again, Delderfield just serves us this happy story, with both parties fulfilling their dreams, among the turmoil of their times. Don't get me wrong, it isn't a `happily-ever-after Cinderella' story but an uplifting one nonetheless, despite the many problems that could endanger both Adam's and Henrietta's happiness.

I say that if you're a `saga junkie', if you are even remotely interested in the history of England and want to meet people, who in the end you feel are your friends or at least next door neighbors, God Is an Englishman and you will be a perfect match. Read more ›

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Great Read! September 29, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I can think of few better authors to take along on a long plane ride than Delderfield. God Is an Englishman is the first of a trilogy that runs a little out of gas by the end of the third book, but not in the first. To Serve Them All My Days got me hooked on Delderfield, and this series continued it. I can also recommend his book Diana. Alot of his works are out of print, although you can find them at liabraries, or Amazon's auction site -- or bookfinder.com

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars PAGETURNER GREAT WINTR NITE BOOK ALL ALONE December 25, 1998

By [e-mail]

Format:Paperback

MY WIFE KEPT TELLING ME WHAT A GOOD "READ" THIS BOOK IS.I FINALLY FOUND ALL 3 SWANN SAGA BOOKS AT A USED SALE & I HAVENT LOOKED BACK.THIS AUTHOR HAS THE KNACK TO RELATE TO THE READER EVERY BIT OF WHAT ADAM 'N HETTY WERE EXPERIENCING IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND.I HAVE BEEN IN WHEELED TRANSPORTATION 40 YEARS AND I FELT LIKE I WAS WALKING STEP FOR STEP WITH ADAM SWANN FROM THE TIME HE FOUND THE RUBY NECKLACE TO THE 1ST MAXIE 10 TRK ORDER.I LAUGHED N CRIED THRU OUT EACH VOLUME.I AM NOW IN A SEARCH MODE FOR ANY N ALL OF DELDERFIELD BOOKS I HAVENT READ.I'D LIKE TO SEE A FAN CLUB....

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A very engrossing read! March 9, 2002

By June P. Spear

Format:Paperback

This book is a must read for any Anglophile. The story traces the development of a haulage firm that serves all of Enland and Wales and part of Scotland. While that is the major focus, the family life of the founder of "Swan on Wheels" is very much a part of it. In fact, all the characters involved are well presented with divergent and believable personalities.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars God is an Englishman April 4, 2012

By Janet

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Delderfield is a genius with a pen. Me's masterful at developing characters so that they really come to life on paper. Once started, it's hard to put the book down.

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