God Is an Englishman: 1 (Swann Family Saga)

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You just get so hooked on Delderfield’s writing and the lives from this book that it’s impossible to stop here.

It just went on and on about his sectors and depots and horses and there was hardly any interaction between him and Hetty once he started establishing the business. New York Year Published: 1970 Edition: 3rd Printing Dimensions: 22cm x 14cm Binding type: Hardcover ISBN: Notes: Previous owner name on front end sheet SKU: VSS / 214c / G / 4843 / 3712 / C Condition Dust Jacket Condition: Not applicable Book condition: Fair. There is one character in particular who remembers the glory days of coaching and coaching inns and hates the incursion of the railroad.

By contrast, I loved the sections about the main characters that followed, and once the business got off the ground the book sped much more quickly. Overview of British culture and society circa 1969, from the perspective of an acerbic, cynical Australian correspondent. I really began to enjoy this historical novel after the first 400 pages, but it really was worth the effort, even if it took me nearly a month to finish!

What I really wanted was to be a novelist," he told one interviewer, "to project the English way of life in the tradition of Hardy and Galsworthy.Maybe a British reader would have had fewer problems with these terms, unusual analogies and references? It is a romantic tale, too, crammed with dramatic inci dents, ingenious inventions, co incidences and diverting im probabilities. It’s not an easy read by any means, but very captivating and really a requirement for anyone who wants to read more about one of the most important periods in England’s history. I notice that the second book in the series, Theirs Was the Kingdom is 900 pages, so the series is perhaps not for the feint hearted.

This is the start of a series, so while this book ended in a nice solid fashion, I know I’m going to seek out the rest of the series as soon as I can. Having spent ten years organising road haulage runs all over England, I totally empathise with the massive task Adam Swann set himself and I have to say, it takes someone of that character to tackle the job today. So, I'm well into this well-crafted story and wondering just a teeny bit if my interest will be sustained for next 600+ pages or so. Delderfield was born in London but has lived much of his life in Devon, where he started writing as a reporter on his father's newspaper, the Exmouth Chronicle.The story starts after a battle during the Indian Mutiny (or First War of Indian Independence if you prefer) with some jewels falling into Swann's hands. His feisty wife, Henrietta, adds another dimension to both this man and the story, and Delderfield peoples the novel with a supporting cast that feels real and substantial. Del derfield's “A Horseman Riding By” and “The Green Gauntlet” will in all probability clutch “God Is an Englishman” to their bosoms with glad cries. Would've been better with fewer ruminations about England's gifted males(and some females) and overall wonderfulness. Having just read this my first book by this author I am struck by how beautiful a stream of consciousness can be.