Bella Poldark

The twelfth and last book of the Poldark series, Bella Poldark is a fitting and satisfying end to a saga that has spanned several decades and multiple generations of the Poldarks of Cornwall. Packed with story lines all its own, it still manages to tie up all the central characters and give one a sense that things have come to a completion. At the same time, there is a sense that life, as it always does, goes on.

Near the end, Demelza (perhaps my favorite character among all those I have loved in this series) states “I have only one regret--and that is that time just goes too fast.” It struck me that this echoes my feelings about this series of books….they just went too fast. I am not ready to relinquish either the characters or show more the story. I dare say I will be thinking about them for some time to come.

I can positively say that Winston Graham was a writer extraordinaire. How many people could write a series of books that cover this much territory and never make a misstep or get lost? Each of these people has a certain character when we meet them, and while each of them grows and changes, as people do, we never feel that they have become someone we do not recognize or that they have done something impossibly out of keeping with who they are. That is difficult when the writing is contiguous, amazing when you consider that Graham wrote these books over a span of some 70 years, with a gap of 20 years between the fourth and the fifth installment. Boggles the mind.

Having checked, I can see that his other works are hard to come by, but I will be watching and if one of them ever comes within my range, I will snap it up. If you are thinking of reading this series, please dive right in, you will find the water is FINE.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that reading this with my GR friend, Lori, made it all the more special. It was wonderful to know that every time I murmured an “Oh, God, No” or found myself with tears streaking my face, there was a kindred soul out there feeling the same. A treasure shared is a treasure doubled, Lori...you made this experience twice as rich.

I am all pumped for the third season of the PBS series now and will only regret that the story on PBS will end long before the actual story has been told. I do wish they would take it all the way through to the end, but as it is, I will be grateful to have read the entire series and to know the rest of the story that transpires after the credits roll. show less

In the final volume of the Poldark saga, Bella Poldark begins to explore a career on the stage and struggles with determining if and who to marry. Meanwhile, Clowance is unsure if she ever can trust a man again after Stephen's betrayal and death. Ross continues to butt heads with George Warleggan, with Valentine often lending fuel to the the fire.

I was astounded to discover that this final book in the series was published in 2002 (when Winston Graham was 94), 60 years after the publication of the first book in the series. Graham's writing is amazingly consistent and compelling throughout the series. As always I was delighted to fall back in with the Poldarks as they face the never ending joys and challenges of life in Cornwall. Graham show more also manages to tie up loose ends without making the novel feel too pat and I was thoroughly satisfied as I completed the final page. If you enjoy historical fiction, I highly recommend this entire saga. show less

I’ll give you three guesses as to which character gets more focus in this novel.

While there is no way it could improve upon the quality of The Twisted Sword, it maintains the series quality and wraps up some loose ends without ever feeling like a narrative checklist

In this book, Isabella-Rose “Bella” Poldark is the main focus. She’s eighteen and her singing voice will take her places. Her intended betrothed, Christopher Havergal, is determined to make sure she gets the best teacher London can offer. Meanwhile, a French musician, Maurice Valéry, is bent on winning Bella for a new opera called Il barbiere di Siviglia… and maybe for himself too. Meanwhile, the Poldark-Warleggan feud continues, with Valentine’s increasingly eccentric behaviour prompting Ross to be more watchful for him, and George facing his own mortality. And the paradise that is Cornwall has some darkening shadows: a murderer stalking the countryside.

This was a good conclusion to the series. Bella’s gusto and pluck make show more her a worthy protagonist, and the recurring cast of characters moves in and out of the storyline to tie enough bows on things and make the book a good stopping point. I do have to admit that, now that I’ve read 12 of these books, I read in fear much of the time because any happy development may be tinged with sadness. Fortunately, I was proven wrong enough times to keep the story interesting. show less

I can't believe the series is over - NOOOOOO. As usual, character driven, and not focused solely on Bella (just like the others) but on all the Poldarks: Demelza and Ross, Jeremy and wife, Clowance as a widow and finally a happy bride again, and of course the extravagant, troublesome Valentine Warleggan. As always, Graham imbues everyday Cornwall life and English events of 1819-1820 with twists and turns for our characters, with a very happy result for Bella by the last chapter. I will so miss having a new book to read on into the Poldark family life....

Alas, the end of Poldark! This was a satisfactory wrapping up of the series. Bella's story seemed relatively trivial at times and the murder mystery out of character for its artificial suspense, but I still enjoyed both. I can't wait for more seasons of this show; for once the books and production are worthy of each other.

Probably one of my favourites of the series. Rattles along at a fast pace and is hard to put down. Certainly as good if not better than the others - wondering if there will be a 14th so we can find out the further romances, business dealings etc.