The Granville Sisters

The Granville Sisters Trilogy #1

by Una-Mary Parker

Will even one of these sisters emerge from the war with a victory of the heart? The Granville sisters enjoy a life of privilege in 1930s Mayfair. When war is declared, the love lives of the Granville girls suffer. Rosie's husband is killed during the Blitz. Then Lousie falls in love with Jack, a sixteen-year-old evacuee from the slums of London. When she falls pregnant, she is sent to Wales in disgrace. The girls? mother, Liza, can only pin her hopes on Charlotte now . . .

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

236 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 2005

About the author

Una-Mary Parker, now in her mid-eighties, has always had a passion for writing, working in Fleet Street and later as social editor for British magazine, Tatler. Her sensational debut novel, RICHES, was published to outstanding critical acclaim and became an international bestseller.

Her novels are aimed to attract women who relish romance, intrigue and passion. Now, nearly thirty years later, RICHES and Una-Mary's other hugely popular best sellers are entering the digital world and are being released as ebooks by renowned publisher Headline.

Reviews

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first in a trilogy and I loved it. It was my kind of book set after the First World War and leads up to the Second World War. It was a quick read and I am looking forward to reading the other two.

[Jacqueline LeBrane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in the 80's. Excellent writing you don't want to stop reading. I'm glad I had a chance to read it again.

[Alison Machin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book-became completely absorbed in this riveting family saga of well-to-do sisters in the 1920s. The rivalry was excellently portrayed and the novel moved on at a good pace with many plots and sub-plots. I became totally immersed in the family and wanted more-all was left open for the sequel 'The Granville Affair'.

[Nightwitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those frothy books about the rich and titled in Britain in the lead-up to World War II. The characterizations are somewhat flat and the ending is extremely cliffhangery; it's definitely not a classic or even a re-read, unlike e.g. Elizabeth Jane Howard, but it's highly readable.

[Alžběta Knápková · Rating 3 out of 5]

Z téhle knížky jsem měla během čtení občas trochu smíšené pocity. Na jednu stranu jsem se občas dokázala ztotožnit s tím, co postavy dělají a proč (ne jen hrdinky, ale všechny, z jejichž pohledu byl příběh vyprávěn), ale na druhou stranu jsem s nimi nikdy nedokázala úplně soucítit. Děj občas ubíhal tak rychle (v řádu let), že na moc velké vciťování se nebyl čas, protože postavy se tak rychle proměňovaly.
Obecně jsem během čtení měla celou dobu naději, že aspoň jedna dějová linka dopadne dobře, nebo že se situace třeba jenom trošku zlepší. Tohle napětí mě udrželo u čtení až do konce. Ani tam se však příběh, který začínal původně jako romantický a veselý, už nezbavil svých šedavých ponurých tónů, do kterých se v průběhu děje dostal. Chápu to ale vzhledem k době, do které je příběh zasazený.

[Gilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easyread

Easy read. Bit predictable. Would have liked more history. Also tends to jump from one scene to the next in an odd way to Will try next book in series.

[MBenzz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't very sure about this series...it takes place in England, and I normally NEVER read books that take place outside the U.S., but it's set during WWII and is a family saga, so I figured I'd give it a shot. SOOOOOO glad I did!

The story focuses on the two oldest of the five privileged Granville sisters. Rosie and Juliet are coming out as debutantes at the same time (1935) and Rosie is NOT happy about sharing the spotlight with her one-year younger, sensual and sexy sister. And, just as Rosie predicted, Juliet absolutely outshines the more practical and reserved Rosie.

Overall, the story is very entertaining and VERY difficult to put down. There are scandals, tragedies, and always in the background is the constant threat of war with Germany. My only complaint (and it really couldn't be helped, as it's an important part of the book) is just how incredibly shallow and ignorant Liza Granville (the girl's mother) is. She only cares about where and when the next dinner party is, and making sure she and the girls all have new dresses for the occasion.

But that little thing aside, this is a great story. I've already started on The Granville Affair, book two in this series, and am definitely looking forward to seeing how this family's saga plays out. If you're interested in this type of book...i.e. war, drama, family saga...then I absolutely recommend you give this series a try!

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the book I forsook Strumpet City for, as it was due back to the library on a specific date. Not my usual reading fayre AT all! It's very frothy, peopled with characters who call each other 'Dahling!' with a straight face, and who think it completely run of the mill to take tea at The Ritz and dine at the Cafe de Paris. Nothing wrong with that, per se, each to her own etc, but it's just not usually the kind of thing I *read* about. I had actually picked up its sequel - The Granville Affaire - in my library, without realising it was, in fact, a sequel. So I had to get this out before I could read the second book.

It's very light - basically a family saga set against the backdrop of World War II, a family of five daughters, two of whom are debutantes, about to come out when the book starts. It clatters along at full tilt very nicely, thank you, filled with various love affairs and broken hearts and so on. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I say it was a very good, well-written book though? No. But it felt like the literary equivalent of watching a tv period drama, to which I am very partial, so I just gave myself to it. I am a mass of contradictions, I guess. Two stars objectively, as a piece of writing, but five stars for guilty pleasure style enjoyment. Am I allowed to do that? :-)

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up at my local library, as it seemed interesting. Unfortunately i found this rather flat. I have to take to at least one character for me to like a book, and I found myself disliking everyone in this book. And because of this I found myself struggling to care what happened, from about half way through.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

description is for the next book. i read this not realizing at first it is a 3 book series. i seemed to find myself waiting for something to happen. 3 sisters are basically side characters. the end is so abrupt i was literally caught off guard. not a bad read covers just 3 years but seems broader. hopefully library has book 2

[Deana Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Can't wait to start reading the next book of the Granville Sisters.
Love to read a book with a historical story