Penmarric [Mass Market Paperback]

Susan Howatch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 12, 1984

Set against the starkly beautiful landscape of Cornwall, PENMARRIC is the totally enthralling saga of a family divided against itself. At the center of the novel is the great mansion called Penmarric. It is to Penmarric that Mark Castallack, a proud, strange, and sensitive man, brings his bride Janna--the first act in a tempestuous drama that was to span three generations....

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Susan Howatch was born in Surrey in 1940. After taking a degree in law she emigrated to America where she married, had a daughter and embarked on a career as a writer. She left in 1976 and lived in the Republic of Ireland for four years before returning to England. She lives in London. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (July 12, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044920622X
• ISBN-13: 978-0449206225
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.8 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #473,543 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Epic., March 5, 2002

By 

LostBoy76 (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Penmarric (Mass Market Paperback)

Wow! What an engrossing novel to read! This was the first Susan Howatch novel I've read, but it certainly won't be the last. The scope and cast of characters is simply huge, and yet is handled in a manner that you're never confused as to what is happening. The way that the author changes narrators five times during the course of the book is fabulous! Just as fabulous is the way that the plot and characters mimic true English history during the 12th to 13th centuries, with some tinkering and creative license, of course! Mark mimics Henry II, Janna mimics Eleanor of Acquitaine, Philip mimics Richard the Lionheart, ect. Overall, the story is a very human struggle where nothing is black and white, life isn't always fair, and the past mistakes of others can have massive ramifications on future generations. This is not the type of novel that can be read in a single sitting, but if you're looking for a passionate and intelligent story that will make you think, I highly recommend Penmarric.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb! Started me on a lifetime of Anglophilia, November 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Penmarric (Mass Market Paperback)

I also read this first when I was a young teenager and was deeply moved and involved. I went on to read her other novels thru the mid-80s, until she changed styles and settings dramatically. This year, after 5 other trips to England, I finally traveled to the actual places in Cornwall that she fictionalized in her brilliant and engaging writing. I purchased a new copy of Penmarric at a small bookshop in St Ives, and took a very sentimental tour of the Cornish landscape - windswept cemeteries, old churchyards and sprawling mansions that I first visited as a child through her eyes. It was haunting, thrilling and quite sentimental to finally be there on my 40th birthday. This book is superb, enjoy it!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars worth many re-reads, December 2, 2001

By 

Sharon Maas ([e-mail]) (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Penmarric (Mass Market Paperback)

Penmarric was the third Howatch novel I read, and the one that got me hooked on her. The first was "Sins of the Fathers", which I liked very much and so, a few years later, I read its prequel, the Rich are Different, which I also enjoyed. But it was only after coming across Penmarric - completely by accident - that I woke up and took notice. Since reading this book I have gone on to read every single one of her following novels - thirteen in all, in succession!
From the first page I was engrossed in the characters. The story begins with Mark, a rather dour man, who falls in love with Janna, a woman several years his senior. These are the two central figures of the novel, which later moves on to the next generation. Howatch proves herself to be a master storyteller with the ability to get under the skin of her characters in such a way that the reader can identify with them completely - a very rare talent. Her multi-character first-person structure enables us to see the unfolding story through the eyes of five characters in turn, and it is quite amazing how a character whom one has disliked when he or she was seen through the eyes of previous narrator suddenly takes on completely new dimensions when he/she comes on central stage. I know of no writer who does this as well as Howatch.
The story is set in Cornwall and begins in 1890 and goes on to span the intervening years till WWII. It is a rich and multifaceted novel, well worth reading many times to discover all its layers, and a great novel for a group discussion. (...)