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A Horseman Riding By #3
The Green Gauntlet
Paul and Claire Craddock have grown older in years - but not in spirit. World War II is over. But for Craddock and his family there are new battles to be fought and won. The new property laws enable speculators to reap huge profits from agricultural lands, and Paul's livelihood is threatened. With the help of his children and children's children, Paul struggles to preserve the happiness and peace he has built up over the years. In doing so, he comes to discover deeper, richer ties with those around him. Ties which hold a ripe promise for the future...
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First published January 1, 1966
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About the author
R.F. Delderfield
89 books196 followersRonald Frederick Delderfield was a popular English novelist and dramatist, many of whose works have been adapted for television and are still widely read.
Several of Delderfield's historical novels and series involve young men who return from war and lead lives in England that allow the author to portray the sweep of English history and delve deeply into social history from the Edwardian era to the early 1960s.
From Wikipedia
Several of Delderfield's historical novels and series involve young men who return from war and lead lives in England that allow the author to portray the sweep of English history and delve deeply into social history from the Edwardian era to the early 1960s.
From Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
October 12, 2016
The final book of a remarkable and very enjoyable family saga. The three novels sweep through WWI and WWII and the changes affecting the United Kingdom with the property laws among other things.
I started out by giving it four stars but it has been such a wonderful read that I will forgive the somewhat longish recapitulations, which, I must admit, are useful, considering the number of characters and the decades covered by the book
Kudos to Jonathan Oliver, who is a wonderful reader and gave voice and flesh to the characters.
I wish there were more Delderfield audiobooks to listen to.
I started out by giving it four stars but it has been such a wonderful read that I will forgive the somewhat longish recapitulations, which, I must admit, are useful, considering the number of characters and the decades covered by the book
Kudos to Jonathan Oliver, who is a wonderful reader and gave voice and flesh to the characters.
I wish there were more Delderfield audiobooks to listen to.
did-not-finish
March 9, 2015I had great hopes of reading the whole trilogy but I just can't face it right now. I got up to page 50 but am just not enjoying it. It feels like a TV series that has gone on too many seasons with the original charm lost somewhere along the way. (Downton Abby I'm looking at you)
And its WW2, totally not my time period. I think I'll leave it for now, maybe I'll pick it up again later...
And its WW2, totally not my time period. I think I'll leave it for now, maybe I'll pick it up again later...
October 28, 2017
Worthless tommyrot.
September 8, 2024
The book opens with a gull flying overhead. From the elevation of the Bluff the Valley was seen as a great gauntlet, a green and russet gauntlet of the kind falconers used centuries ago. It was wonderful being back in the valley again. I'd like to say being back in the peaceful valley, but this was wartime and even the Valley was affected.
This is just a lovely conclusion to the trilogy, most of which has little to no plot. In this volume there are a couple of sections that border on being thrillerish while most of it is just being with people I'd come to admire. There is no actual sex, certainly, but they were a lusty bunch. I didn't highlight the passage, but at one point Claire remarked on the 34 years of their marriage in which they had 6 children. Paul responded that it could easily have been 26 children.
I should make sure to say that I love the way Delderfield writes. This doesn't quite make 5 stars, but is very close.
This is just a lovely conclusion to the trilogy, most of which has little to no plot. In this volume there are a couple of sections that border on being thrillerish while most of it is just being with people I'd come to admire. There is no actual sex, certainly, but they were a lusty bunch. I didn't highlight the passage, but at one point Claire remarked on the 34 years of their marriage in which they had 6 children. Paul responded that it could easily have been 26 children.
I should make sure to say that I love the way Delderfield writes. This doesn't quite make 5 stars, but is very close.
April 16, 2015
I was wishing this book would hurry up and end but now I'll miss my old friend Paul Craddock, a strong, honorable, simple man whom you could always count on. This last book of the trilogy spends a lot of time with the characters remembering things that happened in the previous two books which got a little old but that is how the author wanted to wrap things up.
The books centers on Craddock and his Valley which he is trying to preserve, with some success, throughout the two World Wars and on into the 1960's. Nowadays you see farmland being developed into shopping malls and housing developments everywhere and that will always make me think of Paul.
The books centers on Craddock and his Valley which he is trying to preserve, with some success, throughout the two World Wars and on into the 1960's. Nowadays you see farmland being developed into shopping malls and housing developments everywhere and that will always make me think of Paul.
October 8, 2012
In the end of the trilogy we see the grand design of Delderfield. How he has taking us along on the adult life of his hero, Paul Craddock. Each book roughly about 20 years of life.
We see that there are years in life where nothing momentous happens. That is true in all our lives, but even when momentous things do happen sometimes they are events that happen more to others who we know well, then ourselves.
That big events come and we are on the periphery. Craddock has that, and now, we see the passing of the reins to the next generation. The shifting viewpoints and stories are such that this gives us even more depth into our hero and not as much into the POVs we share as we learn more of our hero.
We see in the trilogy the Young man, the middle aged man, and the older man. One line resonates when he talks about politics and how he has been the left, the right and the center in his views over the course of a long lifetime.
We experience the end of life with several views of the valley, mostly seen through the eyes of our Hero, the views through the animals was purely a device that did not work well. As we follow what has happened over the course of 60 years we see change, and stasis. In all a good conclusion. If I were younger myself, I might be tempted to have another read before my own end. As it is, I find that at this stage I can Identify with the stages of life we see in the book.
We see that there are years in life where nothing momentous happens. That is true in all our lives, but even when momentous things do happen sometimes they are events that happen more to others who we know well, then ourselves.
That big events come and we are on the periphery. Craddock has that, and now, we see the passing of the reins to the next generation. The shifting viewpoints and stories are such that this gives us even more depth into our hero and not as much into the POVs we share as we learn more of our hero.
We see in the trilogy the Young man, the middle aged man, and the older man. One line resonates when he talks about politics and how he has been the left, the right and the center in his views over the course of a long lifetime.
We experience the end of life with several views of the valley, mostly seen through the eyes of our Hero, the views through the animals was purely a device that did not work well. As we follow what has happened over the course of 60 years we see change, and stasis. In all a good conclusion. If I were younger myself, I might be tempted to have another read before my own end. As it is, I find that at this stage I can Identify with the stages of life we see in the book.
November 25, 2018
This was Delderfield's first trilogy and probably the weakest that I've read. I've loved all of his other books (several of which were turned into movies which were also very good). This book is the last in a trilogy and really could been half as long. Became quite a slog towards the end. Phew. 3,000 pages.
September 24, 2020
I couldn't ever really love the main characters in the trilogy that The Green Gauntlet was the conclusion of. Paul and Claire Craddock weren't wildly likeable, their kindness and good intentions always seemed to come across as patronising and their children in the first two books were largely underwritten, never really coming to life. In the early stages of the Green Gauntlet though the children took centre stage fighting, each in their own way, the Second World War and they did, mostly, become more real.
Where this trilogy works best is as a view of a small part of rural England from the Second Boer War up until the early/mid 1960s, taking in most of the momentous events of that period, and of it's inhabitants take on those events.
I was in two minds as to whether I would read this 3rd installment having not been blown away by the first two but taken all together I'm glad I did. I find closure important!
I couldn't, in all good faith, recommend these books, despite my high regard for Delderfield, even though there is a lot in them to enjoy.
Once again the 5 star review system on Goodreads proves its complete inadequacy.
Where this trilogy works best is as a view of a small part of rural England from the Second Boer War up until the early/mid 1960s, taking in most of the momentous events of that period, and of it's inhabitants take on those events.
I was in two minds as to whether I would read this 3rd installment having not been blown away by the first two but taken all together I'm glad I did. I find closure important!
I couldn't, in all good faith, recommend these books, despite my high regard for Delderfield, even though there is a lot in them to enjoy.
Once again the 5 star review system on Goodreads proves its complete inadequacy.
January 23, 2018
This is the third and final book of the trilogy. It follows Paul Craddock from is early 20s in 1901 to age 86 in 1965. Paul was squire of a 1300 acre farm in southwest England. What I like about Delderfield is that I feel that I am right there, doing what they are doing and feeling what they are feeling. Paul lived a good life, with a wonderful wife, doing his best to help others and do the right thing. At some points I would applaud and at others world find myself saying, "No, don't do that. Can't you see the trouble you will have". His characters seem real, and that is the mark of a good novel.
September 7, 2017
Following on from the heady heights of the first book and the disappointing lows of the second, this book finished the trilogy nicely and - if it wasn't quite as good as book one - was a definite improvement on its predecessor.
Delderfield is fantastic at tracking the progress of time, changing attitudes and changing landscapes, while still showing the continuity of everyday life. The ending is brilliant, worthy almost of a Mary Stewart, and by the end all of the characters (except, perhaps, the absent Whiz and Ian) have done something to win you back to them. It deals with complex (if slightly unrealistic) moral dilemmas well, and as a landscape of social change presents, across the trilogy, some very interesting and unusual thoughts on such a turbulent period.
Delderfield is fantastic at tracking the progress of time, changing attitudes and changing landscapes, while still showing the continuity of everyday life. The ending is brilliant, worthy almost of a Mary Stewart, and by the end all of the characters (except, perhaps, the absent Whiz and Ian) have done something to win you back to them. It deals with complex (if slightly unrealistic) moral dilemmas well, and as a landscape of social change presents, across the trilogy, some very interesting and unusual thoughts on such a turbulent period.
October 13, 2016
I absolutely loved this book and the whole trilogy of "A Horseman Riding By". I listened to the audiobook version, and I don't know if I'd have had the patience to read the written version, because that's thousands of pages. But the narrator, Jonathan Oliver, really made the audio edition come alive.
This is historical fiction as it should be: so well written and never a dull moment, as we are caught up in the multiple stories of the oh-so-many characters around the main protagonists. From the Boer War to about 1965, I followed the life and times of Paul Craddock and his West Country estate with delight. I'm even a bit sad I've finished it.
This is historical fiction as it should be: so well written and never a dull moment, as we are caught up in the multiple stories of the oh-so-many characters around the main protagonists. From the Boer War to about 1965, I followed the life and times of Paul Craddock and his West Country estate with delight. I'm even a bit sad I've finished it.
October 30, 2022
What an amazingly emotional experience! I just finished A Horseman Riding By trilogy. As an 81 year old, my reactions are most likely different from those of a younger person who might experience these books differently. I have found that old age brings much introspection. This poignant series fed that tendency and thus brought about a strong identity with the characters. I will grieve for a while as I lay this trilogy to rest. It will take a while for me to engage in another read as I have in this one.
November 8, 2011
What a wonderful book! There were 1,151 pages and I hated to see it come to an end -- how many books can you say that about?! Delderfield's characters are so believable -- and I love the way he would introduce a character then when the character re-appears hundreds of pages later, he would give you just a couple of words so you would know immediately who he was talking about instead of saying "who was he again?" So very well written.
September 2, 2012
This is the third in the series A Horseman Riding By and completes the saga of the Craddock family. It's one of those rare books that you hate to have end, even though there's such a sense of fulfillment having followed the lives of these people from Book 1 beginning at the end of the Boer War all the way to the 1960s. A masterfully written tale full of wonderful characters and story lines...a book you can truly lose yourself in!!
May 2, 2010
Bit of a let down, a slow drawn out let down of the other books. By the third book all of the characters i had gotten to know and like had died. It ended, for me with the death of Claire, which was only about half way through the book. Then the end just dragged with paul becaoming more and more decrepit. I think i should ahve stopped reading at the end of the 2nd book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2012
The Green Gauntlet, book three of A Horseman Riding By.Part three of the trilogy A Horseman Riding By. Together with part one and part two my favourite book of all time. Greatest writer of the 20th Century
December 26, 2020
This part of the trilogy dragged for me, sadly.
There is much to like about the style, and the social observations, but there was too much padding, especially around significant events. Having re-read it after many years, I happily move on.
There is much to like about the style, and the social observations, but there was too much padding, especially around significant events. Having re-read it after many years, I happily move on.
April 23, 2008
My first Delderfield. Thank's Maura's MOM.. I love Family Saga's and English novels. Delderfield is one of my favorite author's. I few surprises.
February 18, 2009
Delderfield is an old-fashioned English storyteller. He creates real characters that you care about and are sad to leave when the last page is read.
October 13, 2009
R.F. Delderfield is one of my favourite authors and it's no wonder they made a BBC series based on this saga.
June 13, 2011
My favourite trilogy for awhile. An old friend.
August 14, 2011
One of my absolute favorites. I re-read it regularly!
February 21, 2017
A wonderful conclusion to this series.
I love all of this authors books but this series was the first I read and it remains one of my favorites.
I love all of this authors books but this series was the first I read and it remains one of my favorites.
March 3, 2017
All of his books are worth re-reading.
March 10, 2018
I just LOVE this author!! I have read several of his books and this 3-part series (A Horseman Riding By) is one of my absolute favorites. I hated to see these people go.
As a young man, just after returning from the Boer War, Paul Craddock purchases a 1,300-acre estate in England. That happened in the first book. The second was about how the family and the extended family on the estate handled WWI. This third book is about WWII and continues up into the 1960s, when Paul finally dies, well into his 80s.
Paul has 6 children with 2 wives, 21 grandchildren, and, at the ending of this book, 2 great-grandchildren. It is hard to explain the book, except to say it is just about everyday people and everyday lives as seen through the eyes of this young man.
The books are LONG - they are not quick reads, but they are worth the time!!
As a young man, just after returning from the Boer War, Paul Craddock purchases a 1,300-acre estate in England. That happened in the first book. The second was about how the family and the extended family on the estate handled WWI. This third book is about WWII and continues up into the 1960s, when Paul finally dies, well into his 80s.
Paul has 6 children with 2 wives, 21 grandchildren, and, at the ending of this book, 2 great-grandchildren. It is hard to explain the book, except to say it is just about everyday people and everyday lives as seen through the eyes of this young man.
The books are LONG - they are not quick reads, but they are worth the time!!
April 3, 2024
I read the three novels in the trilogy one after the other, so I’m quite sad to be leaving the characters behind now. I loved spending time in the Sorrel valley, with the inhabitants of the Big House, and the various farms surrounding it. I enjoyed the gentle descriptions of everyday life, of war-time experiences, of new life, and deaths both gentle and dramatic. The contemplations about life, love, marriage, politics, history, religion, family, death, war and many other things besides, were thought-provoking and interesting. It may not suit everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in those lives and that place.
August 1, 2024
I don't know what I expected when nearly all my favourite characters were killed off in the previous book. I also felt as though it was really apparent by this final installment how detached the Craddocks feel as a family. Only Margy and Vanessa were considerably upset by Claire's passing, really? None of her children seemed to care all that much. Paul didn't seem too grief stricken given she was his wife of what, 40+ years and the book makes a point of how in love and attracted they are to each other
The highlight of this book was probably the Mary and John scene when they had a conversation in the woodlands, Mary explaining that "getting fat" was actually her being pregnant
The highlight of this book was probably the Mary and John scene when they had a conversation in the woodlands, Mary explaining that "getting fat" was actually her being pregnant
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2017
The 3rd book was more of the same, excessive scenery descriptions, birds flying to each farm, long winded war passages, and slow moving action. This one featured major betrayal. and major characters finally dying off. Yet, I rate it a 4 for the body of work. 3 novels, capturing British history in exquisite detail, through the eyes of Squire Paul Craddock. Well written, but at times, incredibly boring.
February 10, 2019
A great trilogy.
Wordy in parts and occasionally frustrating, but I loved all 3 books of this series. The tale of Paul Craddock draws you into a long lost time and keeps you there, wishing it would never end.
For those with an interest in history, this series brings events to life with a large dose of humanity and a small slice of sentimentality.
In conclusion it causes you to evaluate your own legacy whilst contemplating what the future holds.
Wordy in parts and occasionally frustrating, but I loved all 3 books of this series. The tale of Paul Craddock draws you into a long lost time and keeps you there, wishing it would never end.
For those with an interest in history, this series brings events to life with a large dose of humanity and a small slice of sentimentality.
In conclusion it causes you to evaluate your own legacy whilst contemplating what the future holds.
May 12, 2020
Magnificent!
This is a review of the A Horseman Riding By trilogy. This saga is the story the life of a 23 yr old British vet of the Boer War & his family from 1902 - the 1960s. It is the story of his dream come true of a life in rural England. The story of a man, his family, his tenants & their happiness, trials, & tribulations. It is a magnificent story as only can be told by R F Delderfield. I highly recommend this trilogy, especially if you are an Angliophile.
This is a review of the A Horseman Riding By trilogy. This saga is the story the life of a 23 yr old British vet of the Boer War & his family from 1902 - the 1960s. It is the story of his dream come true of a life in rural England. The story of a man, his family, his tenants & their happiness, trials, & tribulations. It is a magnificent story as only can be told by R F Delderfield. I highly recommend this trilogy, especially if you are an Angliophile.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews