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Askham Chronicles #4
A Place in the Sun
The fourth installment of the "Askham Chronicle", taking the Askham family from the 1940s to the 1960s, when the winds of change are blowing through Britain.
544 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
About the author
Nicola Thorne
71 books6 followersNicola Thorne (real name: Rosemary Ellerbeck) was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Her father was English and her mother a New Sealander, and she was brought up and educated in England. She graduated in Sociology at the London School of Economics, but always wanted to pursue a literary career and worked as a reader and editor while writing her first novels. In 1975 she left publishing to write full and and has now written a number of successful novels under the pseudonym Nicola Thorne. She lives in St. John's Wood, London.
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September 19, 2024
Whilst I enjoyed reading this final instalment in the series it wasn’t my favourite. This has nothing to do with the quality of writing as Nicola Thorpe is on point as ever and delivers a captivating read.
Upon reflection, and rereading the Askham Chronicles after two decades, my love of this series that’s lived rent free in my head all these years hasn’t altered. What has changed is the way in which I perceive and emotionally connect to the characters and their stories— more on that later.
I have once again become so intertwined in the lives of the members of these families that it is difficult— painful even, at times to see the trajectory in which particular people’s lives have shifted in. There is a sense of loss and heartache for some. When they experience disappointment or even greater devastation, I am there with them. When there is joy, I rejoice.
I can’t help but reminisce on the “golden years” and feel a level of sadness at the changes that time inevitably brings. And perhaps I feel this even more keenly due to my own life experiences and the growing understanding at how profoundly an impact the passing of years can have on one’s life— both the high and low lights. There is a sense of yearning nostalgia that I experience whilst reading this book that has everything to do with the journey and not really about the details around book four itself.
In some ways there is a level of peace and balance that comes with the transition of time and the knowledge of learning one’s past. For the newer descendants the ‘40s to ‘60s heralds change and the unravelling of secrets.
A Place in the Sun caused me to run the gamut of emotions and out of all the books in this series had the power to incite me to reflect deeply. There was a kind of resolution that was settled upon in the way that one does when they can look back and put the past to rest.
I’m so glad I returned to this series and loved it as much as I did in my earlier years. And yet now from the perspective of a woman who has lived a lot more life in between there is a wealth of layered meaning attributed to the experience that makes this read different. I’ve made myself a reminder to come back and reread in another twenty years— t’will be interesting to see how that era of myself will resonate with these books.
Upon reflection, and rereading the Askham Chronicles after two decades, my love of this series that’s lived rent free in my head all these years hasn’t altered. What has changed is the way in which I perceive and emotionally connect to the characters and their stories— more on that later.
I have once again become so intertwined in the lives of the members of these families that it is difficult— painful even, at times to see the trajectory in which particular people’s lives have shifted in. There is a sense of loss and heartache for some. When they experience disappointment or even greater devastation, I am there with them. When there is joy, I rejoice.
I can’t help but reminisce on the “golden years” and feel a level of sadness at the changes that time inevitably brings. And perhaps I feel this even more keenly due to my own life experiences and the growing understanding at how profoundly an impact the passing of years can have on one’s life— both the high and low lights. There is a sense of yearning nostalgia that I experience whilst reading this book that has everything to do with the journey and not really about the details around book four itself.
In some ways there is a level of peace and balance that comes with the transition of time and the knowledge of learning one’s past. For the newer descendants the ‘40s to ‘60s heralds change and the unravelling of secrets.
A Place in the Sun caused me to run the gamut of emotions and out of all the books in this series had the power to incite me to reflect deeply. There was a kind of resolution that was settled upon in the way that one does when they can look back and put the past to rest.
I’m so glad I returned to this series and loved it as much as I did in my earlier years. And yet now from the perspective of a woman who has lived a lot more life in between there is a wealth of layered meaning attributed to the experience that makes this read different. I’ve made myself a reminder to come back and reread in another twenty years— t’will be interesting to see how that era of myself will resonate with these books.
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