Set on the Rappahannock River in Caroline County, Virginia, in the 1900s, this southern gothic blends romance with tragedy. Financially strapped, the Cooke family is about to lose the family mansion, Saratoga. Their only daughter, Diana, chooses to do what is expected and marries not for love but for money to save the colonial mansion. Captain Copperton, a wealthy and skillful entrepreneur, is cruel, reminding the family that he owns not just their home and money the the family itse. It all makes for an unhappy life, the best of which is their son, Ash. When Copperton dies, Saratoga falls into ruin because all went to Ash. Diana has no resources. When Ash and his Yale roommate come to Saratoga the situation deteriorates. Secrets unfold and scandal looms.
Copperton had one positive attribute, love for Ash. For Diana Cooke Copperton Cooke and Ash, their desires, hopes and choices determine outcomes but even knowing what can make them happy, they often do the opposite. In the end, it is Ash who creates the final tragedy, which ends with the burning of Saratoga. What happens to Diana? Suffice it to say that this is a novel
Suffice it to say that, according to one reviewer who lived in this area, "all the details (are) just right, all the way down to the china, silver, portraits and even the battered old furniture and possessions. He 'gets' the Southern, plantation mentality, right down to its tragic nature and flaws." Nice well written in true southern style and an enjoyable read.
Copperton had one positive attribute, love for Ash. For Diana Cooke Copperton Cooke and Ash, their desires, hopes and choices determine outcomes but even knowing what can make them happy, they often do the opposite. In the end, it is Ash who creates the final tragedy, which ends with the burning of Saratoga. What happens to Diana? Suffice it to say that this is a novel
Suffice it to say that, according to one reviewer who lived in this area, "all the details (are) just right, all the way down to the china, silver, portraits and even the battered old furniture and possessions. He 'gets' the Southern, plantation mentality, right down to its tragic nature and flaws." Nice well written in true southern style and an enjoyable read.
