I read this book over 30 years ago and still remember certain parts of it. If you liked Penmarric you'll love Cashelmara.

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Edward de Salis, an English nobleman with vast landholdings in Ireland and England travels to America and visits the Marriot family, distant relations in New York City. De Salis, a man in his fifties, has been a widower for eight years and has a young son, Patrick, and three older daughters, all married or living away from home. He returns to England with plans to marry seventeen year-old Marguerite Marriot, to his family's great consternation. Marguerite and Edward are married at the family estate, Cashelmara. Oddly enough the marriage turns out to be a love match. Times become difficult when Edward dies and finances become tight. Cashelmara and the situation in Ireland begin to weigh heavily on the family with unexpected results

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This was an amazing story that covers three generations of the de Salis family with characters from England, Ireland and America. Cashelmara is located in Ireland, and deals with the fight for Irelands Home Rule, and the poverty of Irelad in the 1859 to 1891. I would highly recommend this novel to those that like historical mysteries.

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4.5 stars

Cashelmara is a saga about an Irish family through three generations. If the title doesnt grab you, Howatchs writing will. The story is mesmerizing and spine tingling. Psychological motivations, dysfunction and macabre machinations abound. Although designated as historical fiction, the novel shines in the characters and their relationships. Id call it a psychological thriller as well as historical fiction.

The de Salis family owns an estate in England, but cant seem to give up the remote, mysterious Cashelmara in Ireland. If anyone says silence is inaudible, they have never heard the silence of Cashelmara. It was a living silence, unearthly and unnerving. The estate has a mystical quality to it and is a constant presence in the characters motivations.

The story is told from the points of view of three generations of men, their wives and an activist farmer. To perk your interest without spoilers, Ill simply list the main characters as in the table of contents.

Edward Duty
Marguerite Fidelity
Patrick Loyalty
Sarah Passion
Maxwell Drummond Ambition
Ned Revenge

You will learn about lord and tenant, the potato famine, and the poverty-stricken Irish countryside.

Lies, deception and jealousy abound. I couldnt put it down.

Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont

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