The Fortunes of Ashmore Castle
The Fortunes of Ashmore Castle is the fourth novel in the Ashmore Castle series and a sweeping, historical family saga set at the start of the 20th century. Beginning at Christmas time in 1904, this book follows the interlocking lives of the castle’s owners, the Tallant family, their family friends and their servants. Giles and Kitty Tallant’s marriage has hit the doldrums, partly due to Giles being in love with someone else. Rachael Tallant wants to marry a man whom her domineering mother disapproves of strongly. Richard Tallant also has a secret love, and Alice Tallant wants to study art and not be tied down by matrimony.
Coming to this story without having read any of the other books in the series, I was a little bit worried when I spotted the considerably sized dramatis personae. In reality, I soon got used to the characters and their interweaving stories. The author writes engagingly and switches between storylines regularly, which adds pace and keeps the reader interested. The story is very much in the style of the BBC’s TV show, Downton Abbey. As you read it, it feels almost cinematic and you could imagine it as a television show in its own right. Fans of Downton Abbey will feel at home with the various plot points: marriages, births, adultery, murder and tragic death.
The author is very knowledgeable about this period of history and manages to showcase some real events from this time. Towards the end, the story feels a little too long and the pace slows. I would have liked to see a bit more of a dramatic ending. However, I enjoyed snuggling up on the sofa with it and losing myself in an Edwardian saga for a few days.
