Owen Marshall

I found the lack of direct speech difficult at first, but by the end I had nothing but admiration for the way Marshall had turned my allegiance from Connie to Dougie and then William. I think the psychology of an affair was what I found most fascinating - motivations, self-delusion and justifications all artfully controlled and manipulated by the author.

(7.5) This book drew me in very quickly and I was keen to return to it's pages. I find this author's observations of human interaction and indeed mature marriages/relationships authentic and recognisable. I very much enjoyed the beginning phase of the evolving friendship, however it palled for me. Maybe because I felt that Sarah was making the wrong decision and it could only lead to angst and maybe because Hartley was too good to be true. However I guess it is a sign of the writer's skill show more when he evokes an emotional response. I found the conclusion a bit melodramatic. Although the opening quote was an accurate portend of what was to come - "When love is not madness, it is not love." show less

I was delighted when I first read of this book. I had the pleasure of visiting Larnach Castle in Dunedin a few years ago and was intrigued by the family history and thought surely there is a novel to be written. I was doubly pleased that an author of such repute had taken on the task and I was not disappointed.
William Larnach was a politician and self-made man who built what is known as Larnach's Castle on the Otago Peninsula in New Zealand. Unfortunately during this project his wife Eliza show more died. He married her sister Mary, who lived with them, largely to provide a mother figure for his youngest daughter, Gladys - a marriage of convenience.
Mary also died 5 years later and William is drawn to the much younger, attractive and well educated forthright Constance de Bathe Brandon, daughter of a parlimentary colleague, who became his third wife.
The marriage began with promise, William finding Constance an asset to his social standing in Wellington and she too was content. However when William's beloved daughter Kate dies of typhoid, William becomes depressed and morose. William's other adult daughters in Dunedin have never accepted their father's choice of bride and make life unpleasant for her in Larnach. Her only allies being young Gladys and his younger son Dougie, only seven years younger than Conny.
William's suffers financial set back and a couple of accidents, which make him more depressed. Meanwhile Conny and Dougie develop a close frienship which gradually becomes a love affair.
The story is narrated by Conny and Dougie in alternate chapters and the author handles the differnt voices well. A backdrop of the social and political climate of the late nineteenth century weaves smoothly through the story.
I found this a very satisfying novel to read. It is also beautifully bound. show less

This is a quiet reflective read. Sheff's life is in limbo following the breakdown of his marriage and his job as a journalist for a daily newspaper leaves him dissatisfied so he resigns. He is contemplating a trip to Europe but realises that first he needs to return home to see his parents as his father is dying of cancer. His sister Georgie, who is a medical doctor suggests they make the trip together.
The time proves valuable as Sheff finally confronts the grief that caused the show more disintegration of his marriage and forges new bonds with his family. This is a thought provoking read which will strike a chord with many.
(8.5) show less