Ross Poldark (The Poldark Saga) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"From the incomparable Winston Graham...who has everything anyone else has, then a whole lot more."

Product Description

Tired from a grim war in America, Ross Poldark returns to his land and family, only to find his father has died, his estate is derelict, and the girl he loved is engaged to another. But then he rescues a half-starved urchin girl and takes her home—an act which, it turns out, will alter his life

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Product Details

• Paperback: 455 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan UK (February 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330344951
• ISBN-13: 978-0330344951
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,283 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Poldark Series is the Best!, December 31, 2003

By A Customer

I first encountered the Poldark story on PBS Masterpiece Theatre 25 years ago. This series is written over four decades by a master craftsman of history and character detail. Set in Cornwall just after the American Revolutionary War, it opens with the return of Ross Poldark to England after being wounded and thought dead in that war. He returns to find his father dead, his finances in disarray, his fiance now engaged to his cousin, the Warleggans have taken over much of Cornwall, and his house full of livestock and drunken servants. Books 1-4 are found in the video series Poldark. Books 5-7 are covered in the video series Poldark 2. I did not know Graham had written additional books in this series until a search on Amazon turned up the others. Books 8-12 cover the children of Ross and Demelza, and they are amazing. Most writers get into a rut and create the same novel over and over again. Winston Graham keeps finding fresh things to say and innovative things for his characters to do in these books. This picture of Cornwall at the turn of the 19th century rings true from beginning to end. The love, passion, struggles, and lives of this family are so engaging that I could read these books over and over again. The perils and joys of mining and seamanship, farming, religion, banking, courting, medicine, justice, war, all form a backdrop for the day-to-day details as this time and place come to life.

These people love and hate and dispise each other, they forgive each other, and sometimes learn to live with each other. Through each book the cast is expanded with wonderful characters full of quirks and individual personalities. But the Poldarks remain: Ross and Demelza, his cousin Francis and Elizabeth; his arch-enemy George Warleggan and their children: Jeremy, Clowance, Bella, Geoffrey Charles, Valentine and Ursula. Each grows and develops, matures and becomes seasoned as the story moves through rebellion, lost love, marriage, business, sickness, death, war, success, and tragedy.

The series books in order are:

1. Ross Poldark (1951, original title The Renegade)
2. Demelza (1953, original title Elizabeth's Story)
3. Jeremy Poldark (1954, original title Venture Once More)
4. Warleggan (1955, original title The Last Gamble)
5. The Black Moon (1973)
6. The Four Swans (1976)
7. The Angry Tide (1977)
8. The Stranger from the Sea (1981)
9. The Miller's Dance (1982)
10. The Loving Cup (1984)
11. The Twisted Sword (1990)
12. Bella Poldark (subtitled The Final Poldark Novel!)

I hope that you will have the opportunity to enjoy them as much as I have.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brace Yourself, January 20, 2004

By	L. Tait (TX United States) - See all my reviews

I am glad to see the Poldark novels are back in print. I had to beg, borrow and seek out a complete set in used bookstores.

I won't take time to give a plot synopsis or even much of a review, but let me say this: The Poldark series is the most powerful reading experience I have ever had. I read all 11 books (this was before the 12th came out) in just under two months. I did nothing but read, day and night. I am a "literary professional" and very demanding of high standards in the books I read; I don't read a lot of popular fiction. But I could not put these books down. I can't quantify or analyze or explain why the Poldarks are so magnificent. They just are. And everyone I have recommended the books to has had the same experience. They will take over your life. You will dream about these people and catch yourself thinking about them as if they were real. If you treasure such reading experiences, brace yourself and dive in. I envy anyone who gets to read the Poldarks for the first time.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Winston Graham Has Died, July 31, 2003

By	Nancy Fulton "RealRomantic" (CA United States) - See all my reviews

He passed away on July 10. If you haven't read the Poldark series, and care anything for cornwall, the 18th century, historical romance in its truest form, historical fiction, or just a darn good story that will change your life, then you should buy this book. Ross Poldark, the initially impoverished aristocrat, is a hero men can admire and women can fall in love with. These people will be more real to you than folks you talk to every day....