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God Is an Englishman (Swann Family Saga, 1) Paperback – June 1, 2009

by R. Delderfield (Author)

363 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Swann Family Saga

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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

Print length

656 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication date

June 1, 2009
Dimensions

6 x 1.64 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1402218214
ISBN-13

978-1402218217
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you have an interest in British history, this book will be particularly interesting with its picture of bustling London, the railroads, the smog-covered Lancashire and the still green countryside. " - Books are My Only Friends

"Delderfield is an authoritative but friendly author and am glad to see his stories back in print." - We Be Reading

"I was absolutely thrilled when I heard that R. F. Delderfield's books were being re-released... I can't imagine any reader that wouldn't love this series." - Booksie's Blog

"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). " - Reading Extravaganza

"[I]intricate and interesting... R.F. Delderfield is an author you won't want to miss!" - The Tome Traveller's Weblog

"It is a classic and deserves to be... an epic worth pursuing." - A Garden Carried in the Pocket

"A delightful, absorbing, utterly fascinating read." - Medieval Bookworm

"Adam and Henrietta's marriage was perhaps one of the most interesting that I have ever encountered in fiction." - Books Like Breathing

"The historical detail in this book is truly fascinating" - The Curious Reader

About the Author

Born in 1912., R. F. Delderfield was a journalist, playwright and novelist, renowned for brilliantly portraying slices of English life. He is one of England's beloved novelists, with many of his novels being adapted into television and film, including the landmark BBC miniseries of To Serve Them All My Days.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sourcebooks Landmark; 5/16/09 edition (June 1, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 656 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1402218214
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1402218217
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.7 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.64 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #924,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,596 in European Literature (Books)
- #13,325 in Family Saga Fiction
- #17,644 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
363 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		69%
4 star		18%
3 star		7%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Lora S.

The founding of a company

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2018

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Who would have thought that the history of the founding of a trucking company would be so interesting?

To be fair, since the events in this story take place between 1858 and 1865, the company we see at its beginning is actually a carting company, hauling goods around England, Scotland, and Wales in wagons of various descriptions instead of, or as a supplement to, transporting them by train. But this is only the first volume in a trilogy. I’m pretty sure that by the end of the saga the wagons will have become trucks.

In addition to the founding of a company, the story concerns the founding of a family. And the family in question is not limited to Adam Swann’s personal family. The many people who are key to the operations of his business are, in a way, a part of his family too, and their part in creating the business is also told along with Adam’s own.

11 people found this helpful

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ED B

Not Delderfield’s greatest novel but it was his best title, I think!

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2018

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Delderfield wrote about many English historical periods. God is an Englishman is in his earliest period, 1860 Victorian, and it is the first novel in the Swann saga. It wasn’t as compelling a read as the first novel in A Horseman Riding By which actually made me want to live in the early 1900 time period as I read it because of its intriguing descriptions of life then. I hope the rest of the Swann Saga will have more intriguing descriptions because it’s first book just felt flat and not at all like the many other exciting Delderfield books that I have read and immensely enjoyed. God Is An Englishman is such a great title; it deserved a great story to go along with it’s title. Still, this book is much better written than most competing authors books written in Delderfield’s lifespan.

4 people found this helpful

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Annie

Lengthy and Tedious.

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2015

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Delderfield remains one of my favourite writers but God is an Englishman disappointed.
The writing is superb as usual but the content of this book left me yawning for the most part. Eventually I gave up although I did read almost to the end.
It is the first book of a family saga and I definitely won't attempt the others in the trilogy.
Adam Swann is a new breed of Englishman who makes his mark in private enterprise through his innovative horse and carriage hauling business. This is during the period when rail was making itself felt through the villages and countryside of rural England and Swann manages to find his own niche and subsequent wealth.
It was interesting to read about this period but there is too much detail and a whole bevy of characters which at times becomes confusing.
To Serve Then All My Days is a brilliant tour de force by Delderfield and one I would highly recommend, especially if you thought this book was great.

6 people found this helpful

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Suncoast

God is an Englishman is Victorian historical fiction at its best

Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2012

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God is an Englishman is Victorian historical fiction at its best - I recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the world changing developments in commerce and industry in England in the mid/late 19th Century. I have always been fascinated by tales of the Industrial Revolution when English entrepreneurs, inventors and innovators changed life from an a rural/agricultural system to a modern industrial society in a matter of generations.

After a military career, Adam Swann returns to England in 1858 with an intense ambition to build his fortune in the fast changing and extremely competitive world of Victorian commerce. Swann soon meets his soul-mate, Henrietta, the high-spirited daughter of a local mill owner and they set out to build a family business under the Swann name. Along the way they share challenges, setbacks and eventually an immense fortune.

As now, the secret of Swann's success is building an efficient and competitive business that is ahead of its time and is essential to the success of others. Swann sees that while railways are a fundamental part of the game-changing industrial revolution, they cannot always provide door to door delivery. He sets up an extensive and complex country-wide network of horse drawn transportation to take materials and goods between the railhead and factories up and down the country, sometimes on appalling roads and gradients.

Henrietta, as well as being a wife and mother to an ever increasing brood of small Swanns, is the financial wizard who helps Adam to succeed. While the business is essentially a family one, much of its success is due to finding the right staff in the right place and giving them every incentive to perform and develop the business.

This is a fascinating and outstanding novel about exciting times in economic and social development throughout Victorian England. The next novels in the series - - Theirs Was the Kingdom (Swann Family Saga) and Give Us This Day (God Is an Englishman) - - bring the younger Swanns into the business and they face the next challenges as the face of road freight transport changes from horse drawn to motorised delivery.

The Swann family saga is only one of several important English family sagas written by Delderfield, including The Horseman Riding By and To Serve Them All Our Days, both of which became popular BBC mini-series.

This is a beloved novel by one of my favourite authors. I first read this book (the first in the Swann family saga trilogy) in the UK the early 1970's when it was first published. I read it again with continued enjoyment over 30 years later and was delighted to see it featured recently as a Kindle Daily Deal so I can now keep a copy with me at all times.

7 people found this helpful

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M. A. Fassinger

Really great book

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2021

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I have owned Theirs Was the Kingdom for many years,and finally pulled it off the shelf to read. In doing so, I discovered that God is an Englishman was the first book, so I ordered it. Loved the characters and the story of the Swann family. Can't wait to now start reading Theirs Was the Kingdom!

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d op

Great Family saga, historical fiction

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2020

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The Swann Saga' s 1st book: Time period, mid to late 1800's. An interesting recount of building a freight transportation company, very detailed, a man's dream, breaking traditions, and the intricacies of building a family while building an empire. You grow attached to the characters and where they take you.

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Top reviews from other countries

Lord Emsworth

I was swept along by the increasingly addictive plot which is full of rich period detail

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2020

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In September 2019, I enjoyed the many highs and lows of To Serve Them All My Days, my first book by R.F. Delderfield, and so was keen to sample more of his work

When I espied the Kindle edition of God Is an Englishman for a mere 99 pence, I snapped it up.

God Is an Englishman is a 700 page whopper and the first part of a trilogy. I notice that the second book in the series, Theirs Was the Kingdom is 900 pages, so the series is perhaps not for the feint hearted.

Helpfully, God Is an Englishman is wall to wall plot which is, I think, a good thing. I felt I was getting more than just a competent page turner though, not least many historical and social insights.

R.F. Delderfield is brilliant at immersing his readers into different periods, in this instance Victorian England. What helps set great historical fiction apart from the average is the little details of everyday life and, probably the most important aspect, credible dialogue.

It's somewhat melodramatic but irresistably so. I was swept along by the increasingly addictive plot. The rich period detail is there in abundance, not least the sweeping social and economic turmoil of the Industrial Revolution whilst also credibly bring the characters to life. All in all, it's capturing the energy of the age in a way that would have done Dickens proud.

An article about Delderfield I came across offers some insight into his recurring themes…

"The novels are concerned with the portrayal 'ordinary, decent folk', striving to 'get on' and become a success, whilst remaining true to themselves and their values. These values include patriotism, decency, integrity, thrift, industriousness, success gained through service and hard work. The novels, now described as 'old fashioned', celebrate English history, humanity, and liberalism while demonstrating little patience with entrenched class differences and snobbery."

This was certainly my experience with To Serve Them All My Days and God Is an Englishman. I think most of us like honest and decent people to prevail, which - to varying degrees - seems to happen in his books, albeit with the slings and arrows which most poeple have to endure at times in their lives.

Whilst not quite up to the standard of To Serve Them All My Days, this is still well worth reading if you enjoy chunky, good quality period fiction.

4/5

4 people found this helpful

jennyB

inspired insight into 19th century social history.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2021

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As a lover of social history this suits me. Having spent ten years organising road haulage runs all over England, I totally empathise with the massive task Adam Swann set himself and I have to say, it takes someone of that character to tackle the job today. Now we have modern lorries, not horses and carts, but the same problems exist: weights, vehicle suitability, horse power (four legs or and engine), drivers, distances, weather conditions, etc. Now can't wait to get stuck into the second book in the saga.

Nigel Mee

A beautiful stream

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 20, 2020

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Having just read this my first book by this author I am struck by how beautiful a stream of consciousness can be. One becomes aware of how much writing has changed over the years with very few modern authors taking the time to provide such precise descriptive writing. So beautiful to read that I am prompted frequently to read passages out loud which I found to enhance my enjoyment. Reading this makes me wish I had paid more attention in school and been introduced to greater literature by my teachers

2 people found this helpful

country gal

Hard Going

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2017

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Ordered this book after reading Theirs was the Kingdom (the first book in the Saga). I did manage to finish the first book but found it very hard going in places. This book is the second book in the series and I found it even harder going than the first. I usually rip through a book in a week at the very most - I have been trying to finish this book for about a month and am only 3/4 of the way through. I always plough on and finish a book but I think this one has beaten me. In defense of the Author I have read much of his work and really enjoyed it but this series is certainly not for me.

2 people found this helpful

rob stirling

A very good read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2018

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If you like the Swann saga this is the first book in the series which was so successful that Delderfield produced two more to compliment and continue the story. Superb and absorbing.

One person found this helpful