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The Legacy of Hartlepool Hall
by
Paul Torday
From the author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen comes a story about inheritance, the great English country house, and a way of life that is disappearing....Ed Hartlepool has been living in self-imposed exile for five years, but with a settlement regarding his inheritance looming, he must return to his ancestral seat, Hartlepool Hall. On his return, he discovers that his fat...more
Hardcover, 280 pages
Published
January 5th 2012
by Weidenfeld & Nicolson
(first published November 10th 2011)
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This book is set in an area I know well, south west Durham, where I lived for a number of years. Indeed, I was the tenant of an estate very much like that of Hartlepool Hall, although far more successful and solvent.
That having been said, I found the book immensely disappointing. It is, IMO, very badly and naively written, almost as if for children. The sentences are short, implying that either the writer or his readers have no attention span. . I cam across sentences like 'The bank's regional d...more
That having been said, I found the book immensely disappointing. It is, IMO, very badly and naively written, almost as if for children. The sentences are short, implying that either the writer or his readers have no attention span. . I cam across sentences like 'The bank's regional d...more
A fun, easy read with a curious cast of characters living in the midst of an era in its last throes. Ed Hartlepool is heir to Hartlepool Hall, an estate that has belonged to and sustained his and his tenants' families for centuries. Trouble is life has changed in those centuries, and the families who once worked the estate and kept the almost feudal system going are long gone. Hartlepool Hall is a white elephant that, like many of its kind, can no longer be sustained, leaving Ed with the sorry j...more
Rather typical of Torday's recent novels, the fairly posh or landed gentry going through hard times and having something fairly sinister happening to them, while also being a bit of a commentary on the financial crisis. Which, to be fair, is a hell of a niche. Interesting that he states that this was the last of his novels with this crop of characters though, and that his next work will be something completely different, it seems that he's recognised that he's written himself into an early rut.
A...more
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Jan 02, 2012
Sharon Thomson
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Sharon by:
Waterstones
This is the first book by Paul Torday that I have read. I have 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen' sitting in a boxed set in the cupboard. After enjoying 'The Legacy of Hartlepool Hall' so much, It will be getting read very soon.
Upon reading the back cover of the book you could be forgiven for thinking that this book would be full of characters that you could not empathise with or be interested in reading about. Wrong. Paul Torday’s easy writing style draws you in and you actually begin to feel for th...more
Upon reading the back cover of the book you could be forgiven for thinking that this book would be full of characters that you could not empathise with or be interested in reading about. Wrong. Paul Torday’s easy writing style draws you in and you actually begin to feel for th...more
I've read a couple of Torday's novels in the past and surprised myself by how much I enjoyed them as his books are not my usual sort of read.
The Legacy of Hartlepool Hall introduces us to a eclectic bunch of characters, headed up by Ed Hartlepool and ably assisted by Annabel Gazebee and Lady Alice Birtley. Ed has just returned to his ancestral home after a five year spell of living in exile in France. During those five years Ed has left his correspondence unread and ignored telephone calls so re...more
The Legacy of Hartlepool Hall introduces us to a eclectic bunch of characters, headed up by Ed Hartlepool and ably assisted by Annabel Gazebee and Lady Alice Birtley. Ed has just returned to his ancestral home after a five year spell of living in exile in France. During those five years Ed has left his correspondence unread and ignored telephone calls so re...more
This is the first of Paul Torday's books that I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are engaging and turn out to be a little surprising in some cases. The story flowed along beautifully and I found that I really cared for the characters and what happened to it. One event has rather an air of "Weekend at Bernie's" about it, but the reasons behind it become clearer as the book progressed. The story is in no way predictable, and yet is thoroughly satisfying and I didn't see the endi...more
What a fabulous book! I haven't read anything by Paul Torday since Salmon Fishing in the Yeman and was reminded of it when I my dad read it recently. The following week I was exciting to find Torday's latest book on offer for review through Amazon Vine, and so selected it eagerly.
As I read The Legacy of Hartlepool Hall I remembered with fondness the slight excentricisty of Torday's characters but also of the plot. This story was a real page turner as the charaters wound me into the story and I...more
As I read The Legacy of Hartlepool Hall I remembered with fondness the slight excentricisty of Torday's characters but also of the plot. This story was a real page turner as the charaters wound me into the story and I...more
I usually enjoy Paul Torday's book although I have read a couple that I couldn't finish. I'm glad to say I really liked this one.
The characters were sympathetic and also "neck-throttling frustrating" at the same time. It's hard to imagine lives of such wealth and privilege. Ed is the main character and has been living in France for 5 years. During that time he doesn't actively participate in his own life but rather ignores phone calls and doesn't open letters and there is an entourage of people...more
The characters were sympathetic and also "neck-throttling frustrating" at the same time. It's hard to imagine lives of such wealth and privilege. Ed is the main character and has been living in France for 5 years. During that time he doesn't actively participate in his own life but rather ignores phone calls and doesn't open letters and there is an entourage of people...more
Weird. Odd story without anything to recommend it.
Well, the moral of the story would seem to be:
"... that comfortable surroundings ... and all the things that went with that, don't tend to produce happiness or fulfilment without some sense of love to go with them."
I actually ended up really enjoying this story; I found the first few chapters a bit difficult to get through, however, but once I got to know the characters, I found myself wanting to read more and more to find out what became of them in the end!
If you enjoyed Salmon Fishing in the...more
"... that comfortable surroundings ... and all the things that went with that, don't tend to produce happiness or fulfilment without some sense of love to go with them."
I actually ended up really enjoying this story; I found the first few chapters a bit difficult to get through, however, but once I got to know the characters, I found myself wanting to read more and more to find out what became of them in the end!
If you enjoyed Salmon Fishing in the...more
This novel is so much more than an easy read. Torday is deceptively engaging. The prose reads easily but beneath the surface a darker theme lies. Tordays characters are set in a typical upper class setting we are all familiar from Brideshead revisited. Yet modern forces are at work. The failing economy leads to a failing and shattered family estate. The investors and money makers circle like sharks. Yet the unsympathetic protagonist comes to face this chaos and comes out a changed man. A man wh...more
I found this in London and it was a great read. It is a modern comedy of manners
and in contrast to Downton Abbey and its romance, this novel paints a different picture
of the woes of inheritance of a stately English manor. THe taxes, expenses, staff, the
trust of Ed Hartlepool, who inherits the Hall. There are some other minor stories within
the novel that are very well done. THis is not romantic, but modern and absurd. I liked it.
I have to say, I was very unsure about this book before I started reading it. Indeed, a couple of chapters in, I was still a little uncertain whether I was going to like it or not. Paul Torday's style of writing drew me in though and I was very glad I stuck with it. I did find the character of Annabel a little irritating and I was rather bemused by what happened to her. Ed's character I did like because I found it easier to understand him somehow. I loved Alice and wished there had been more of...more
Jul 09, 2012
Marguerite Kaye
added it
This read like an attempt to be PG Wodehouse, but for me it didn't work. It was a good premise, it sounded like it could be fun, but the humour was pretty bland, and more than anything the writing was very passive. It's a quick read, it's reasonably entertaining if you want something fairly predictable you don't have to think about, but the characters are quite cheesy and I found myself skipping bits towards the end.
I couldn't put this book down. It's quirky, well-written and a real page turner. I think it has something to say about privilege v. hard work, sexual morality over the years ie Is it OK to find romance where money is, and the nature of loss. Despite all this, it's funny! I would urge anyone to read it - it's not a long book, and has left me determined to read his other book "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"
the story of the simmonds family well the present lord hartlepool edward and the troubles of the hall and the mysterious lady alice and the old friend annabel and what to do with the estate running up massive debts and a rundown old stately home and this is the story with many twists and turns a slighty satire of property developers and banks.. well worth reading an easy going read
The first chapter of this book is very poorly written. I am not sure why I continued. It is readable, in a predictable, pedestrian and stereotypical way. There is some potential, I guess, but nothing is realized; not in the narrative nor in the characters. But I read the book through to the end, so that means something, I guess.
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Didn't like the ending to this book. As with Salmon Fishing In the Yemen, it felt like he was told the book was going to print the night before he finished it. I enjoyed the first three quarters of the book. The ending felt hurried and unrelated to the story.
A Lot of this book is quite dull, even when a weird twist is thrown in here and there. The characters, without exception, are annoying and deserving of their fate overall. The ending was equally irritating - no match for the excellent ending in Salmon Fishing.
this was a strange book....the characters are all a bit off and tho' i read it through to the end (it's how i am with novels), it didn't move me and i didn't underline anything. i liked salmon fishing in the yemen but this wasn't it.
A sunday afternoon book in the vein of Alexander McCall Smith; ridiculously weird and wonderful characters, celebrated for their foibles. It makes you want to throw on your wellies and find a crumbling mansion of your own!
A very enjoyable read. Paul Torday tells a very original story about very interesting and individual characters. It was a sad tale but also comic, and developed in a very entertaining manner, written beautifully. It wasn't a happy ending, but a hopeful one. I liked it a lot.
Nov 09, 2012
Rebecca
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Rebecca by:
Picked it up in library
Shelves:
fiction,
library-books
Have been meaning to read Salmon Fishing in the Yemen for ages so when I saw this I thought I'd give it a go. It was a pleasant read with some predictable bits and some not so predicatable!
I thought the author made a valid point, about the essences of homes and their purpose in our lives, but the book left me feeling very dispirited.
An enjoyable story which aptly describes the life of an English country house and its inhabitants, with neat touches of black humour.
This is a really enjoyable, quirky story of a young man who has just recently inherited his family's estate (along with £7 million in debt).
Torday always writes unusual subject with ease. This one is certainly a page turner! Easy to ready, good narrative, an interesting plot!
I'm not really sure why I bought this book - not my usual thing at all, but it was an easy and enjoyable read, fun even.
Well I quite enjoyed this to start with.
Looked forward to the different plot strands coming together.
Would Ed's life become more normal? Would the hall be saved?
Who was Lady Alice really?
But somewhere along the line it all became a bit unpleasant and meaningless.
The story just seems to have petered out with everything done in a rush near the end.
I just felt it was a waste of so many story threads.
Looked forward to the different plot strands coming together.
Would Ed's life become more normal? Would the hall be saved?
Who was Lady Alice really?
But somewhere along the line it all became a bit unpleasant and meaningless.
The story just seems to have petered out with everything done in a rush near the end.
I just felt it was a waste of so many story threads.
Quite enjoyable but once I reached the end I decided it hadn't really been worth the effort. I don't think I'll be bothering with anything else by Paul Torday.
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