The main reason that I enjoyed this book is because it is set in England during and after WW1, and that is a period of great social change in England. The plot revolved around these changes and the great costs and sacrifices of the landed gentry.
The son and heir, Theo, was
…more killed in the war and his mother, who really considered him her only child, dissolves into séances to speak with him totally ignoring her husband and daughters.
The oldest daughter finally gets the chance at University and a career as she was a nurse during the war so had already left the estate. The younger daughter still has the expectations of the past and expects to "come out" and be presented at court. The conflict over the changing role of women is one of the central issues of the book and is well done.
The other main issue is shown by the father's obsession with Ellinghurst, the Victorian castle of a house that he is determined to preserve. His daughters see it as a prison and both escape in various ways during the story.
There is more, but these are the issues that really interested me and I think were well portrayed from multiple points of view. I would recommend this book to friends as a good family saga with important things to say about the beginning of the 20th Century and WW1, and the changes that followed the War's end. (less)
