Customer Reviews

The Ravenscar Dynasty (Center Point Platinum Romance (Large Print))

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I have read everybook that Ms Bradford has written and loved each of them. My first impression of this book was that she was told to write a book, fill it with as many people as she could, add graphic sex scenes and it would sell!
The names alone can drive you crazy, some times the hero is Edward and sometimes he is Ned. Every chapter adds 3-to 5 new people. Their are so many people on both sides of these families we needed a list in the front to keep track and then you add all the people working all over the world at this company!
I found my self at chapter 23 still trying to figure out who all these people are and going back to check their place in this story. Reading this is like watching cement harden. At this point, I do not care what happens to them.
I feel most sorry for Ms Bradford's husband Robert who she says has lived wih these characters for over 25 years!!!! I am sure he is relieved to turn them all over to us.
Try again, we fans will still be awaiting your usual wonderful novel

This is the first book of Barbara Taylor Bradford's that I have read, and if I were not the type of person who feels compelled to finish every series I start, it would be the last.

The story line is pulled straight out of history, Edward Deravenel's rise to power mirrors that of King Edward V down to family crests, character names, and every relationship in the book. At times, Mr. Bradford seems so focused on mirroring history that she doesn't give a care to what her readers may want. Instead of an intricate and enjoyable family saga in which the reader feels he/she is a part of the family, we are subjected to many many stilted conversations between family members and important company directors.

Some character seem to serve no other purpose but to fulfill their place in the history books. Few characters go beyond the superficial to take on likable traits. Of course, with a cast of characters so large there is hardly time to delve into their personalities.

With the opening of a chapter, we discover that years have passed and main characters have been killed off, marraiges made, children born, and children died. We discover monumental secrets that change the course of the book in a casual sentence dropped in conversation. Secrets that were alluded to hundreds of pages before in only a meager paragraph. Secrets such as "I'm already married. I eloped years ago." or "I am the father of your adoptive daughter."

Unfortunately, for us, all of the juicy stuff is skipped over and the boring financial problems of the company are discussed in detail. My complaints with this book continue, but are too many to list. I can only assume from Ms. Bradford's popularity that the rest of her books are much better than this one. Here's to hoping the next is better!

In 1904, Richard Deravenel, his seventeen years old son Edmund, his brother Rick and his nephew Tom die in an inferno at a hotel in Carrarra, Italy. Another cousin Neville Watkins informs Richard's wife Cecily and their other offspring eighteen-year-old son Edward of the death of his relatives. Neville hides his suspicion from his Aunt Cecily, but tells his cousin Edward that he thinks they were murdered while looking into a business problem involving marble quarries. Edward and Neville forge a partnership to uncover the truth and also agree to take control of the Dervavenel business interests before vultures like their cousin Henry Grant, who they suspect is behind the tragedy, usurp control like his grandfather did six decades ago.

Over the next few years, Edward eventually marries widow Elizabeth Wyland but also keeps a mistress Jane Shaw. Elizabeth nags her spouse to take full control of the family business, but also turns irate when she thinks of Jane. However, as war on the continent seems imminent with England probably sucked in due to its alliances, a traitor from within the family taking advantage of a disaster jeopardizes the business.

For fans of the author and anyone who appreciates a pre WWI English family saga, THE RAVENSCAR DYNASTY is a fine historical tale. Though the tale spins into a soap opera at times due to Elizabeth's rants and rages, the key cast is fully developed especially the male rivals from the Yorkshire and Lancaster branches (though the former appears much more frequently) as they compete for control of the dynasty. Readers looking for early twentieth century dynastic epics will appreciate this fine entry though it contains no Harts.

Harriet Klausner

First, I am a huge fan of Ms Bradford's Harte Family series. Those characters are well thought out and developed, the scenes are set, and new characters are introduced slowly enough and with enough development that you care about them and their interaction with each other.

All that being said, this current book reads like an attempt to build on the same formula for the Harte series but much more condensed. The book throws in new characters at an alarming pace without their development. It is almost as if the author was stuck at a point (and there seem to be many) and said 'hmm how do I get out of this? I will introduce Bob and Bob will all of the sudden fix the issue.'

This is the first book in this series and the second is due this year as well. I just hope that the next one will be more thought out otherwise I guess I will just go back and reread the Harte series again.

I recently became a huge fan of Barbara Taylor Bradford and I am slowly trying to get and read all of her books. I was excited to get her newest book. I was hooked from the very beginning. The book centers around Edward, Ned, and how he and his family dealt with a devastating event meant to keep his side of the family out of the family business for good. He and his cousin Neville then begin to plot to take back control of the family business that truly did belong to Ned. The plot has a twist and turn at every corner, some you see coming and others you don't. There were two major climaxes in the book I felt; the first one in which Ned tries to take back the company and the second when he learns he is being betrayed by those who helped him. The conclusions to both of these climaxes were not as exciting as I was imagining they would be as I was reading. I was especially disappointed after the second climax as I was anticipating a major confrontation between key characters and instead the book skipped ahead a few years and gave you a hint as to what had happened. I know the author intends to make this a trilogy and truly hope that these events are explained thoroughly in a future novel.

I did truly enjoy this book. I read it over a weekend and hated that I had waited so long to start it. I truly believe many of my unanswered questions will be answered in the future installments. This book is well worth the time. Anyone who reads this book will truly be entertained. If you are not already a fan of Mrs. Bradford, then you surely will after this book.

This is my first B.T.B. book and I listened to it on audio. The narrator has an interesting voice, but it was difficult to hear at times because he almost spoke in whispers. The large family saga started out as if it had potential and I liked Edward/Ned in the beginning. After a few chapters, the meandering and somewhat repetative plot lost its focus. Edward/Ned was not an honorable hero in my opinion. He had some honorable qualities, but his womanizing and constantly having to "have" someone got old pretty fast. This book would have been far better if the author had spent more time making Edward/Ned more likeable. There were several characters who died in this book, but the emotional aspect didn't come through as it should have. I listened to the whole story, but it was an effort. I don't have any interest in reading more of the series.

"The Ravenscar Dynasty's" main character is patterned after the life of the intriguing British king, Edward IV. Other historical personages are used as models for characters, the Wylands as shadows of the Woodvilles in later English history, but for lack of something the analogies do not work. Great riches are at stake with endless power driven by twisted emotions that are more of a set piece than a story.
I own all of Ms. Bradford's books, but this time I'm not looking forward to reading "The Heir" and will wait for the paperback edition.
Conflict drives fiction and events are secondary -- there is nothing new in this story to tempt a reader to turn a page.
"The Ravenscar Dynasty" dwells too much on decoration and not enough on substance.
Nash Black, author of "Sins of the Fathers" and "Travelers."

I have always been a huge fan of Barbara Taylor Bradford and was looking forward to a new trilogy. What a disappointment! I agree with many of the reviewers when they complained about the number of characters and how some of them just seemed to be dropped off without concluding their story. I was frustrated with how long it took Ned and Edmund to finally 'get on with it' and oust the Grants. It took almost half the book to accomplish this yet WWI began and ended in one chapter! Also, did you ever wonder what Ned's two stepsons names were? Why Jane just sat in the background? Why Ned even tolerated Elizabeth? Does 'Rick' sound like a very common Victorian era name to you? Hmmm....This book reminded me of a badly edited movie...it seemed as if the author was told to shorten it and she chopped things out of the story willy-nilly! What really annoys me is that I kept reading this book until the end even as I was feeling irritated by the characters and the narrative. But I won't be annoyed again...I don't plan to pick up the next installment of this trilogy!

First of all, I only gave this book one star because no stars wasn't an option. This is one of the most badly-written books I've ever had the misfortune to waste money on! I nearly slipped into a coma trudging through it. I got sick and tired of reading about how tall, handsome, irrestible and perfect Edward was and the gushing descriptions of his daughters weren't much better. I think BTB had about a hundred ideas for this book and couldn't decide which one to use so she just went with all of them. It was a mess. I was glad when it was over. Unfortunately I had bought the sequel at the same time so felt obliged to read it just in case it was an improvement - sadly, it wasn't. But that's another review. Don't waste your money.

Although I love English romances, this book is an example of why I seldom read fiction anymore, and the name changes are the least of its troubles. Ned is a despicable character; he has few redeeming qualities other than what Babs tells us (ad nauseum) is his good looks. He has abandoned (well he at least never tries very hard to look for her) one lover, who bears his child and presumably dies; the child ends up on the street; she becomes the daughter of man who eventually betrays him and he never seems to care about this; he uses women like yesterday's newspaper; has no compassion for a man who was a family friend for many years (but Babs conveniently kills him in a car accident); and another lover and baby are killed in an accident. Need I go on.

And is there a female character in the book that isn't a complete nincompoop? Cecily has little to say about Ned's misadventures, Lily is all too willing to be used, Tabitha runs away, Jane divorces her husband (Ned must be really good in bed), Elizabeth is a neurotic baby machine and her mother is even worse. Perhaps Nan and Meg will redeem our sex, but if the saga continues, I have no doubt Babs will nincompoopize them as well!

I also wonder why Babs does some historical name-dropping in the last chapter. Did she have some extra research that she needed to insert at the last minute. I am so glad Ned knew Winston Churchhill personally! He rises so much now in my estimation. Or perhaps she wanted us to know at last that he does have a caring bone in his body. There was a war on after all.

And please, would someone tell Babs' editor that the word "family" is a collective singular noun, not a plural one!

Fortunately, I didn't buy it. Thank God for the library.

Would that they had all been in the car with Neville!