thefairunknown reviewed Demelza: A Novel of Cornwall, 1788 - 1790 (Poldark, Bk 2) on + 57 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
It's hard to give this book a rating.
Like most of Graham's books that I have read, the writing style is excellent and at times stunningly beautiful. But the plot of this novel just doesn't quite reach the level of charm found in the first one. In fact, after reading the first book for the second time, I almost felt that it would've been better off as a singular novel instead of a seriesâ¦
I think the main issue I have with this book is that it begins to stray away from the microcosm of Nampara proper. We have scenes solely involving the Warleggans, or solely involving those at Trenwith, and none of them interest me nearly as much as Ross and Co (with the exception of Verity).
Francis and Elizabeth have become extremely flat characters whose sole purpose seems to be to throw spurs under Ross' saddle (Francis by refusing to join in with the Carnmore scheme as well as blaming Ross for Verity's marriage, and Elizabeth by still attracting him on some vague level).
The Warleggans are a necessary evil so Ross continually has something to strive against (something tangible that he can potentially conquer, unlike the poverty around him or the injustices in parliament that he also raves against), but I think the story would be more interesting if we never got Warleggan's private thoughts, as we sometimes did here.
The plot with Keren, Mark, and Dwight did nothing but make me think of Dwight as an immature, unprofessional child with no experience of the world and no self-respect. He's conscious of Keren throwing herself at him, trying to get him to bend, and he willingly bends anyway� His initial resistance was a complete joke. It's a shame because he is a promising character and this blights him for the rest of the series. Graham should've let Keren have Bodrugan instead of Dwight.
With all that being said, I still love Ross. I love his wit, his barely repressed rage, his sturdiness, his devotion to his cottagers, and his will to go on. The scene of him throwing Sanson in the river is one of the highlights of the book. I'm also happy that Verity stood up for herself in this book and married Blamey.
P.S. In the first book Demelza's place of origin was written as Illugan, but in this one it reads as Illogan. I wonder why the change?
Like most of Graham's books that I have read, the writing style is excellent and at times stunningly beautiful. But the plot of this novel just doesn't quite reach the level of charm found in the first one. In fact, after reading the first book for the second time, I almost felt that it would've been better off as a singular novel instead of a seriesâ¦
I think the main issue I have with this book is that it begins to stray away from the microcosm of Nampara proper. We have scenes solely involving the Warleggans, or solely involving those at Trenwith, and none of them interest me nearly as much as Ross and Co (with the exception of Verity).
Francis and Elizabeth have become extremely flat characters whose sole purpose seems to be to throw spurs under Ross' saddle (Francis by refusing to join in with the Carnmore scheme as well as blaming Ross for Verity's marriage, and Elizabeth by still attracting him on some vague level).
The Warleggans are a necessary evil so Ross continually has something to strive against (something tangible that he can potentially conquer, unlike the poverty around him or the injustices in parliament that he also raves against), but I think the story would be more interesting if we never got Warleggan's private thoughts, as we sometimes did here.
The plot with Keren, Mark, and Dwight did nothing but make me think of Dwight as an immature, unprofessional child with no experience of the world and no self-respect. He's conscious of Keren throwing herself at him, trying to get him to bend, and he willingly bends anyway� His initial resistance was a complete joke. It's a shame because he is a promising character and this blights him for the rest of the series. Graham should've let Keren have Bodrugan instead of Dwight.
With all that being said, I still love Ross. I love his wit, his barely repressed rage, his sturdiness, his devotion to his cottagers, and his will to go on. The scene of him throwing Sanson in the river is one of the highlights of the book. I'm also happy that Verity stood up for herself in this book and married Blamey.
P.S. In the first book Demelza's place of origin was written as Illugan, but in this one it reads as Illogan. I wonder why the change?
