Penhallow

Well-written, as most of Georgette Heyer's novels, but not my cup of tea. The story drags on for too long without anything interesting happening. While you get a very thorough idea about what goes on in each character's head (and by the middle of the book you wish you didn't), the story's predictability and apathy caused my attention to wander more than once. Almost fascinating in a slightly gruesome way as a psychological novel, but entirely unsatisfactory as a mystery.

Adam Penhallow is a tyrant, an aging tyrant, but a wicked one just the same. He rules Trevellin with an iron fist, delighting in forcing his numerous grown children (legitimate and not) to do his bidding, which more often than not involves humiliating them, and his behaviour toward his timid second wife is simply appalling. Little wonder then, that when he is found murdered on the morning of his birthday, the remaining family members can all think of reasons for themselves, and each other, to have killed him; but who could it actually have been?.... This is considered one of Georgette Heyer’s “country house” mysteries, although there is little mystery involved - the murder doesn’t occur until well into the second half of the show more book, and the reader knows exactly who it is. No, this is far more in the way of being a multiple-character study, in which the various personalities of the numerous people involved in the household expose their true natures when under threat. There are really only two characters who are what one might call reasonably good people (and I’ll leave it to other readers to decide whom I mean and if they agree), but the interactions between all of them are simply fascinating to read. Being half-Cornish myself, I’m a bit peeved that this is set in Cornwall because it tends to give my people a bad name, but really this is an excellent book - just don’t expect it to be a mystery, is all! Highly recommended. show less

I started out expecting a Regency Romance and then thought I was in a Christie style English Country House murder but what it finally turned out to be was something rather different. The murderer is never in question, it was much more of a taut psychological novel of characters. A few of the characters were just crude (and dated) caricatures but Ray was particularly well-drawn and his fate perhaps the only really sad part of the novel. Otherwise, she did a great job of making truly awful people come to life.

A very different offering from Georgette Heyer. She wrote it as a "contract breaker" and it evidently achieved its purpose. While it contains a romance, it is not a romance novel and anyone picking up this novel on the basis that Heyer is known as a romance novelist would be in for an unpleasant surprise. Heyer also wrote mysteries, but this is not one of them, even though it is about a murder. The murder does not occur until about 2/3 of the way through the novel and the who, why, and how are known from the time the murder occurs. Notwithstanding this, the novel is suspenseful. The reader spends the first 2/3 of the novel wondering which of the large cast of characters will actually commit the murder and the last third of the novel show more wondering whether the murderer will be detected. The novel's real strength lies in the character studies and its treatment of the psychological effect of an evil deed committed for a good reason. Not a novel to enjoy, as such, but an interesting read nevertheless.

ETA: I am currently reading Jennifer Kloester's recently published [b:Georgette Heyer: Biography of a Bestseller|11682876|Georgette Heyer Biography of a Bestseller|Jennifer Kloester|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327093802s/11682876.jpg|16629116] and it turns out that my understanding that Penhallow was written as a contract breaker was incorrect. As it turned out, it was a contract breaker, because Hoddder & Stoughton refused to publish it, but Heyer was immensely proud of the book and at the time she wrote Penhallow considered it to be her best work. show less

Ugh. I think Heyer got challenged (or challenged herself) to write a "literary" novel - and succeeded. I kept waiting for the descriptions of the rather foul lot of people to turn into either a romance or a murder mystery - though the only mystery would have been who got killed. It did, sort of, but as we get to see the murder being done there's no mystery to it. It is, from beginning to end, people attacking each other, acting foul towards one another, anything from being snarky to torrents of verbal and physical abuse. I'm sorry, a little, for Vivian, and a little less for Faith (because she's so utterly soppy). Clay is as wet as his father thinks he is. The rest of the boys are various forms of idiots - from too lazy to move on his show more own to "merely" utterly insensitive to anyone around them. Penhallow is awful. So why am I supposed to be interested in this? I repeat, UGH. I need to read something light before I attempt another Heyer - and I mostly enjoy Heyers. show less

Not much happens until about twelve chapters in so the first half of the book is fairly hard going. Interesting and unusual ending. Actions have consequences, but perhaps not what was expected. I just wish there had been at least one likeable character and a little less “blah blah blah” in the beginning.

This is an unusual book. Instead of the crime happening at the beginning, it takes place mid way and you know who did it. The police also don't solve the crime at the end. they know that what they have got as a solution is wrong, what they don't have is the missing pieces to show how and where it is wrong.
The Penhallow of the title is Adam Penhallow, master of Trevelin. He is a tyrant and rules his family with an iron will, a nasty temper and a mean streak. A number of them live at home, and for his birthday he gradually draws them all closer. They are a mixed bag, some of the more likeable than others. Over the course of the book the family history is described and some startling news changes how some of them view themselves and the show more others.
I thought it quite inventive and well put together. The characters were all well drawn (if not all well balanced!) and they all interact in a believable way. It ends in a nicely ambiguous way, with things not seeming to turn out the way that had been imagined with the old man removed. show less