10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
1812-1813, October 23, 2006
The Miller's Dance continues the Poldark saga in the new century. In this volume the younger Poldarks continue to be featured, but unlike Stranger From The Sea there is a greater balance between Graham's eighteen-century cast and the newer one who come of age in the 1800's. Geoffrey Charles Poldark, Francis's son, once something of a mama's boy, is now a war-hardened, much-wounded military officer battling Bonaparte in Spain. Jeremy, a young man who, contrary to his more pastoral-minded father, sees industrialization and mechanization as the way of the future, pursues the aristocratic Cuby Trevanion, only to find heartbreak for his reward. Stephen Carrington, the handsome, rogue-like adventurer and would-be social climber becomes involved with Clowance Poldark, much to her parents' concern. Here in The Miller's Dance the offspring of other unions also now take their places in Winston Graham's long tale. Perhaps most interesting of anyone, however, is the life and nature of the wealthy banker George Warleggan. Far more than a mere villain, this complex man, aging foe of the Rhett Butler-like Ross Poldark, the series' "hero" never quietly accepts his role as adversarial foil, and instead proves once more to be the most intricately-realized figure in the novels. George has spent a decade in a personal version of mourning, even as he has re-doubled his business empire and raised his family. Lately Warleggan has re-married a somewhat coarse but erotically-attractive woman, no substitute for the eternally beloved first Mrs. Warleggan, but still a strong "youthening" influence on George's life. This novel finds its pace early on, unlike its immediate predecessor, whose necessary role as introduction to a new era hamstrung its plot. While in my opinion the Poldark books that are set after the turn of the nineteenth-century never quite measure up to the eighteenth-century novels, they are interesting in their own right, and tell a tale of a time and place and its people with a spark that no one but Winston Graham could quite achieve.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4.0 out of 5 stars
Love the Poldarks!, June 18, 2010
I love the Poldark series and agree with much of what the previous reviewer has written but there are two reasons I've given it four stars instead of five. One is I found it difficult to understand why none of the Poldarks realized what a dispicable person Stephen was or when they got an inkling or more of it, particularly in the case of Jeremy, it didn't really seem to bother them all that much. No matter how much freedom Ross and Demelza wanted to give their children would the Ross of old really not care all that much if she married this piece of trash? They all seem a bit dimwitted about this and dimwitted is so out of character for these people. The second reason is that the Demelza character has deteriorated into almost a caricature of herself. She's actually a bit disturbing at times, almost exhibiting signs of early senility. Such a shame as this character was brilliant in the first four books, though somewhat less so in the fifth, sixth, and seventh. A real loss and the obsession with looking fat was SO annoying! She was pregnant for goodness sake! It wasn't as though she'd turned into a glutton and became morbidly obese. I can't see the Demelza of old acting this way over a normal part of pregnancy. Too shallow by far for this great character.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No