Sherry F. (sherryfair) reviewed on 9/20/2005 + 55 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 4

What a page-turner this romantic historical novel is! Though it was published more than 20 years ago, it holds up very well, and I seem to re-read it every year, though my copy drops a few pages after every reading. It's one of those thick, sweeping sagas, with many, many characters, full of atmospheric descriptions of the fashions, the jewelry, the furnishings, the street scenes. Set in 18th century England, within an aristocratic family clearly modeled on the Spencers and the Duke of Marlborough. The heroine, Barbara, is a beautiful, naive young girl, in love with a handsome, charismatic older man, and she can't believe her luck when she's betrothed to him in an arranged marriage. But Barbara soon finds out that being married to the man of her dreams doesn't, of itself, ensure her happiness. I don't think I'm giving away too many spoilers when I say that this was one of the pioneering works within its genre to feature a gay male romance as part of the love triangle. If you like the big, thick historical romance precursors (like "Gone With the Wind" and "Forever Amber"), and can deal with the ups and downs of Barbara's journey, you will like this one. Also watch for one of the best secondary characters in the genre: Barbara's grandmother, the masterful, cranky, manipulative old Dowager Duchess, who's probably my favorite character in the book.

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