Judith Lennox

Tessa and Freddie Nicolson had a bohemian childhood as their artist father wandered around Italy. In 1937 they are sent to England to school, and 'Catching the Tide' is their story from then.

Interwoven is the story of Milo and Rebecca Rycroft, and how their lives become intertwined.

This is a story of learning to deal with the past and it's consequesnces.

I love a saga, but this one seem to have too many strands, many seemingly for no purpose. It feels a drawn out story, that could have been show more said in far less words. For all that it's a pleasant enough story if you have the stamina! show less

This is the story of four strong women throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Although they are close, much of their lives are separate, which makes for trying hard to keep their various stories and related characters untangled. But if you bear with it, and them, it is a very satisfying epic, and (almost all) the stray ends get woven in at the end.

Middlemere by Judith Lennox is a novel that follows a number of characters that have a connection to an old farmhouse called Middlemere. Romy was a little girl when her family was evicted from the home she loved. Her father’s tragic end and her family’s downfall all came about from being forced to leave the place. Evelyn Deaubeny is the wife of the owner of Middlemere, trapped in a loveless marriage she had no idea that Romy’s family were evicted in order that her husband could house show more his mistress, Betty Hesketh. Caleb, Betty’s son, had no idea that his mother and the landlord, Mr. Deaubeny were involved at one time.

Covering a number of years from the late 1940’s into the 1960’s, the story follows the lives of these three characters. Romy goes on to work at and then manages an exclusive hotel, Caleb becomes a well know landscape and garden designer and Evelyn works through her problems and creates a meaningful life for herself. Although this long book did read quickly and mostly held my interest, I did find it a little too predictable.

Middlemere claims to be a story about family loyalty, revenge and redemption but I didn’t think it managed to convey enough strong emotion to make the reader have any deep feelings for the characters or the story. Although I found this a mediocre read, I am delighted to get this one off my shelves as it’s been sitting there for many years. show less

Judith Lennox erzählt die Geschichte der temperamentvollen Thomasine – eingebettet in die Natur der ostenglischen Fenlands und in das Paris und das London der Zwanzigerjahre. Seit ihrer Kindheit in den rauhen Fens kennen sich Thomasine, die früh ihre Eltern verloren hat, Daniel, der Sohn des Dorfschmieds, und Nicholas, dessen wohlhabende Familie ein privilegiertes Leben führt. Doch als Nicholas aus dem Krieg heimkehrt und Thomasine seinem überstürzten Heiratsantrag zustimmt, ahnen sie show more noch nicht, wie stark die Gegensätze zwischen ihren beiden Welten tatsächlich sind … show less