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The Swann Saga #3
Give Us This Day
in the beloved classic God Is an Englishman saga "A heroic finale to the author's cavalcade of middle-class life."
—W. B. Hill, Best Sellers
Sweeping Adam Swann and three generations of his family into the tide of events that followed Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, this stirring novel confronts them, and England, with the social upheaval of a rapidly changing world. The same revolutionary ferment that stirs up labor unrest also births the English suffragette movement, taking the family idealist, Giles, to Parliament. With conflicting interests, two of his brothers usher the family's firm into the twentieth century and another Swann brother, Alex, a professional soldier, attempts to introduce an outmoded army to modern tactics. Like their aging father, these Swanns strive energetically to wed personal dreams to national values—even as the rumble of the guns of August 1914 signals the end of the world as they and their country have known it.
Give Us This Day is a stirring saga of England in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, as the social upheaval begins and the Great War looms, forever changing the landscape of England and her people.
"Mr. Delderfield's vast public will find here…his undimmed facility as a storyteller."
—The New Yorker
"Rich and rewarding, the sort of thing to read at leisure and peacefully. Moreover, it is authentic…It has the spirit of the times."
—Library Journal
—W. B. Hill, Best Sellers
Sweeping Adam Swann and three generations of his family into the tide of events that followed Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, this stirring novel confronts them, and England, with the social upheaval of a rapidly changing world. The same revolutionary ferment that stirs up labor unrest also births the English suffragette movement, taking the family idealist, Giles, to Parliament. With conflicting interests, two of his brothers usher the family's firm into the twentieth century and another Swann brother, Alex, a professional soldier, attempts to introduce an outmoded army to modern tactics. Like their aging father, these Swanns strive energetically to wed personal dreams to national values—even as the rumble of the guns of August 1914 signals the end of the world as they and their country have known it.
Give Us This Day is a stirring saga of England in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, as the social upheaval begins and the Great War looms, forever changing the landscape of England and her people.
"Mr. Delderfield's vast public will find here…his undimmed facility as a storyteller."
—The New Yorker
"Rich and rewarding, the sort of thing to read at leisure and peacefully. Moreover, it is authentic…It has the spirit of the times."
—Library Journal
720 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1973
71 people are currently reading
525 people want to read
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 45 reviews
December 4, 2021
2.5 stars rounded up.
I had to skip many of the repetitive passages in this book (as well as book 2 in this series) as well as the lecturing by the narrator. Without skipping many parts I would not have been able to finish this book. I've loved Delderfield in the past, including book one and two in this series but my ratings are much lower this time around. I'm a very different reader than I was when I first read through every Delderfield that I could get my hands on. What kept me reading this time around was my interest in learning the fates of three generations of characters.
I had to skip many of the repetitive passages in this book (as well as book 2 in this series) as well as the lecturing by the narrator. Without skipping many parts I would not have been able to finish this book. I've loved Delderfield in the past, including book one and two in this series but my ratings are much lower this time around. I'm a very different reader than I was when I first read through every Delderfield that I could get my hands on. What kept me reading this time around was my interest in learning the fates of three generations of characters.
October 31, 2017
I must confess to being very happy to finish this trilogy. It started out quite promising, book two less so, and book three very disappointing. Delderfield felt it was necessary to revisit every incident from the first two books, stopped for endless history lessons, and seemed at a complete loss as to what to do with all the myriad characters he had created.
I cannot help thinking there was a good germ of an idea for these novels that got buried early on. He invented some interesting characters that he just dropped, presumably because he either did not know what to do with them or could not fit them into his desire to pursue a historical thread Delderfield seemed to be determined to have a personal connection for each historical event of the century, and that required too many characters, for which there was far too little development. You could not care about any one character, because the author was too quickly off to someone else.
For me, there is one cardinal rule in fiction, that being that there must be consistency. You cannot tell me that a character is a certain thing and then have them do something that is contrary to that without offering me an explanation. I caught Delderfield doing this frequently.
Having a reading partner was a great relief. She brought a sense of humor to the journey, and she kept me willing to continue reading. So, thank you, Lori. On to better things!
I cannot help thinking there was a good germ of an idea for these novels that got buried early on. He invented some interesting characters that he just dropped, presumably because he either did not know what to do with them or could not fit them into his desire to pursue a historical thread Delderfield seemed to be determined to have a personal connection for each historical event of the century, and that required too many characters, for which there was far too little development. You could not care about any one character, because the author was too quickly off to someone else.
For me, there is one cardinal rule in fiction, that being that there must be consistency. You cannot tell me that a character is a certain thing and then have them do something that is contrary to that without offering me an explanation. I caught Delderfield doing this frequently.
Having a reading partner was a great relief. She brought a sense of humor to the journey, and she kept me willing to continue reading. So, thank you, Lori. On to better things!
May 26, 2019
Totally excellent. (See my reviews for the first two books.)
May 2, 2018
A sort of disappointing ending to a very good series. I really enjoyed the first two books of this Swann Family Chronicles series. This book was just OK. The author really concentrated on Adam Swann and never got to delve that much into the lives of family. Yes, we were given updates and carried the saga to some of the Swann children, but I got the feeling that like Adam Swann the author was getting tired. I think this was the last book of his third series of family sagas, and by the end you were almost wishing it could end 50-100 pages earlier. Despite 3 books there are still a lot of loose ends. Now I will swing to his other series that begins right after WW1, whereas the Swann's ended right at the day that war began.
We do get to see the ebb and flo of the family and business but I really wanted more about George, Edward, Giles and all the Swann girls! Nonetheless, I super enjoyed this series as I find myself drifting more and more to English authors and British topics and stories. I really do recommend this series to everyone, but I guess the first two books were so good that this one jus let me down a bit.
We do get to see the ebb and flo of the family and business but I really wanted more about George, Edward, Giles and all the Swann girls! Nonetheless, I super enjoyed this series as I find myself drifting more and more to English authors and British topics and stories. I really do recommend this series to everyone, but I guess the first two books were so good that this one jus let me down a bit.
June 9, 2015
Unfortunately, this was the last of the trilogy. I remember well the ending, one of the finest closures to a book that I have ever read. But the characters are as alive in my mind as they were when I was enjoying the books word for word. Not a disappointment among any of the novels in this trilogy.
October 31, 2017
One and a half stars rounded up to two. The author lets us know that he has an encyclopedic knowledge of history early on in this series. For my part, I was looking for a substitute for Downton Abbey and Poldark. I had high hopes for the Swann family saga. I tried to love this, but by the end of this installment, I was feeling tired and grouchy.
The author creates the Swann family and plunges them into EVERY defining moment in British history, and sometimes world history, from the Victorian era to the brink of World War I. Each and every innovation is included as well, to the detriment of the story. Adam Swann's heir apparent has an extramarital affair with a woman whose husband manufactures toilets so the author could include an aside about Thomas Crapper and sanitary engineering. I slogged through facts, figures, dates, and battles until I felt like waving a white flag.
I am grateful to my friend, Sara, who shared this reading experience with me, as well as a hearty laugh here and there. Off to take a nap!
The author creates the Swann family and plunges them into EVERY defining moment in British history, and sometimes world history, from the Victorian era to the brink of World War I. Each and every innovation is included as well, to the detriment of the story. Adam Swann's heir apparent has an extramarital affair with a woman whose husband manufactures toilets so the author could include an aside about Thomas Crapper and sanitary engineering. I slogged through facts, figures, dates, and battles until I felt like waving a white flag.
I am grateful to my friend, Sara, who shared this reading experience with me, as well as a hearty laugh here and there. Off to take a nap!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2022
I found the last book in the Swann trilogy slower moving than the first two. It takes the reader from the late 19th century when the haulage company passes to one of the sons through the development of petrol-driven road transport to the dawn of the First World War and the stirrings of trouble in Ireland.
In many ways, this is a book of family disasters and major national events that reflect the changeover from the rigid Victorian era to a 20th century full of promise yet growing the seeds of future discord and discontent.
This is not a standalone novel. If you have not read the first two volumes, you will not understand the interplay between the characters or the references to past events that shape what happens here.
In many ways, this is a book of family disasters and major national events that reflect the changeover from the rigid Victorian era to a 20th century full of promise yet growing the seeds of future discord and discontent.
This is not a standalone novel. If you have not read the first two volumes, you will not understand the interplay between the characters or the references to past events that shape what happens here.
November 16, 2011
Character-driven glimpse into the rise of the industrial age. Great protagonist. Wonderful insight concerning the creation of an industry. None of what I've said does this series credit. It's absorbing, fascinating historical fictionl
August 8, 2023
This was the last book in the series.
It was a very LONG series but I am so glad I read it!
I feel like I miss the whole family now!
It traveled through so much history, so many stages of Great Britain’s development AND it was all so well done!
I really will miss reading more!
It was a very LONG series but I am so glad I read it!
I feel like I miss the whole family now!
It traveled through so much history, so many stages of Great Britain’s development AND it was all so well done!
I really will miss reading more!
November 25, 2022
I am kind of a sucker for big family sagas and similar books, even though these almost have to be extremely long. Give Us This Day is the third and final book in The Swann Family Saga. This, like most of the family saga-type books, is historical fiction. It is possible to have a large family saga in the fantasy genre too, especially if you count among this type of book those that relate a large portion of the history of a fantasy country or world (Fire and Blood, for example). I guess it would be possible to have a family saga that was a straight-up biography (or group of related biographies) or a pure history, but I don’t believe I have ever read such a book.
This is sort of a shame, really, as with a really good fictional saga, one can get a good sense of the advance of history as well as the vagaries of the various characters in the novel.
The cool thing about the Swann Family Saga is that it tells the story of not only the large family of Adam and Henrietta Swann but also the history of their business.
Adam Swann’s business began as a hauling company by the name of Swann on Wheels. They hauled all kinds of goods using horses and various-sized wagons. In the earlier books of the saga, we were treated to the adventures of not only Adam and his family but also some of his employees. For years, Adam’s second-oldest son, George, who is now in his father’s position as head of the company, has worked hard with one of his employees to perfect a motorized vehicle that could be used for the kind of hauling the company has been doing.
This part was more interesting than the contemporary revelations about what was going on with George’s affair with a Lord’s wife out in the country and other consequences that followed from that. George’s test drive from northern England to London with the first prototype vehicle was an eye-opening experience. Most everyone has heard or read a few of the adventures of the drivers of early automobiles. But the need for real roads and infrastructure, as well as sturdier vehicle parts, really becomes obvious when the experimental vehicle is an early truck (or lorry, as they called them).
The far-flung interests of the Swann children and grandchildren take the family into the thick of most of the activities going on in the country and even much of what is going on elsewhere between 1896 and 1914.
There were other tragedies as well – Giles’ wife Romayne being trampled during a Women’s Suffrage demonstration and Helen’s missionary husband being killed during the Boxer Rebellion in China, for example. Also, Hugo’s being shot in the head during the Boer War and being blinded, despite miraculously not dying.
But the saddest incident of all was Adam and Henrietta’s grandson, Martin Fawcett’s death while attempting to drive a new and improved lorry from the area where he had helped with its building to London to add to the fleet. He hits an icy patch on a downhill road just as he encounters a group of mounted fox hunters crossing the same road.
The book ends as the country is preparing for the beginning of World War I, while people are still predicting everything will be over in a couple of months. Of course, that isn’t going to happen, but the author doesn’t take the story of the Swann family any further, and we are left to wonder if Swann-on-Wheels will survive the war, how many of the grandchildren will survive it, and what other adventures may be in store for them.
This is sort of a shame, really, as with a really good fictional saga, one can get a good sense of the advance of history as well as the vagaries of the various characters in the novel.
The cool thing about the Swann Family Saga is that it tells the story of not only the large family of Adam and Henrietta Swann but also the history of their business.
Adam Swann’s business began as a hauling company by the name of Swann on Wheels. They hauled all kinds of goods using horses and various-sized wagons. In the earlier books of the saga, we were treated to the adventures of not only Adam and his family but also some of his employees. For years, Adam’s second-oldest son, George, who is now in his father’s position as head of the company, has worked hard with one of his employees to perfect a motorized vehicle that could be used for the kind of hauling the company has been doing.
This part was more interesting than the contemporary revelations about what was going on with George’s affair with a Lord’s wife out in the country and other consequences that followed from that. George’s test drive from northern England to London with the first prototype vehicle was an eye-opening experience. Most everyone has heard or read a few of the adventures of the drivers of early automobiles. But the need for real roads and infrastructure, as well as sturdier vehicle parts, really becomes obvious when the experimental vehicle is an early truck (or lorry, as they called them).
The far-flung interests of the Swann children and grandchildren take the family into the thick of most of the activities going on in the country and even much of what is going on elsewhere between 1896 and 1914.
There were other tragedies as well – Giles’ wife Romayne being trampled during a Women’s Suffrage demonstration and Helen’s missionary husband being killed during the Boxer Rebellion in China, for example. Also, Hugo’s being shot in the head during the Boer War and being blinded, despite miraculously not dying.
But the saddest incident of all was Adam and Henrietta’s grandson, Martin Fawcett’s death while attempting to drive a new and improved lorry from the area where he had helped with its building to London to add to the fleet. He hits an icy patch on a downhill road just as he encounters a group of mounted fox hunters crossing the same road.
The book ends as the country is preparing for the beginning of World War I, while people are still predicting everything will be over in a couple of months. Of course, that isn’t going to happen, but the author doesn’t take the story of the Swann family any further, and we are left to wonder if Swann-on-Wheels will survive the war, how many of the grandchildren will survive it, and what other adventures may be in store for them.
November 8, 2022
"Dazzling in its sweep, filled with unforgettable characters playing out their roles against the great events of their time -- the Boer War, the Boxer Rebellion, Women's Suffrage, the end of the Victorian age -- this new volume in the great Swann family saga takes Adam and Henrietta Swann, their children and their children's children to the brink of the First World War, when the ordered world they knew was to come to a close on the bloody fields of Flanders.
"We share the agonies and tragedies and joys of a family of originals --George, heir to the Swann transport business, whose enthusiasm for the horseless carriage threatens to destroy Swann-on-Wheels; Giles, elected to Parliament from a poor district in Wales, whose beloved Romayne joins the women's suffrage movement with tragic consequences; Helen, married to a medical missionary in China, who learns through bitter experience the horrors of massacre in the Boxer Rebellion; Alex, pursuing military glory in the bloody Boer War; and Hugo, whose military prowess brings a new distinction to the family name.
"Long years have passed since Adam's capture of a fabulous ruby necklace on India's field of battle -- the necklace which he parlayed into a vast commercial enterprise, a fortune, and a dynasty. Now, again but still indomitable, still as much in love with Henrietta as when he first lifted her to the croup of his horse and carried her away, he surveys a world as turbulent and exciting as that of his own spirited youth. Through Adam's eyes and the eyes of his descendants, Delderfield, with his matchless sense of English history, shows us the revolutionary ferment of a country moving with ever-increasing rapidity into the modern world."
~~front & back flaps
A grand finale for a truly behemoth and fascinating trilogy. The characters are so well thought out that the reader comes to fell as if they've known them all their life. And the depth of the research the author must have done! Because the history limned in the book (and in the previous two books as well) is painstaking and extremely accurate. Since I read 717 pages in 8 days, the book obviously grabs your attention and holds it.
I felt a bit sad when closing the book, but cheered up considerably when I remembered that I still have the A Horseman Riding By trilogy to read.
"We share the agonies and tragedies and joys of a family of originals --George, heir to the Swann transport business, whose enthusiasm for the horseless carriage threatens to destroy Swann-on-Wheels; Giles, elected to Parliament from a poor district in Wales, whose beloved Romayne joins the women's suffrage movement with tragic consequences; Helen, married to a medical missionary in China, who learns through bitter experience the horrors of massacre in the Boxer Rebellion; Alex, pursuing military glory in the bloody Boer War; and Hugo, whose military prowess brings a new distinction to the family name.
"Long years have passed since Adam's capture of a fabulous ruby necklace on India's field of battle -- the necklace which he parlayed into a vast commercial enterprise, a fortune, and a dynasty. Now, again but still indomitable, still as much in love with Henrietta as when he first lifted her to the croup of his horse and carried her away, he surveys a world as turbulent and exciting as that of his own spirited youth. Through Adam's eyes and the eyes of his descendants, Delderfield, with his matchless sense of English history, shows us the revolutionary ferment of a country moving with ever-increasing rapidity into the modern world."
~~front & back flaps
A grand finale for a truly behemoth and fascinating trilogy. The characters are so well thought out that the reader comes to fell as if they've known them all their life. And the depth of the research the author must have done! Because the history limned in the book (and in the previous two books as well) is painstaking and extremely accurate. Since I read 717 pages in 8 days, the book obviously grabs your attention and holds it.
I felt a bit sad when closing the book, but cheered up considerably when I remembered that I still have the A Horseman Riding By trilogy to read.
July 9, 2020
Swann Family Saga Trilogy
A man's dream, luck latterly falls into his lap, breaking traditions, the intricacies of building a family, while building an empire. You grow attached to the characters and where they take you.
You must be a history buff or you will become one, to really enjoy R.F. Delderfilds writing as he goes into great researched detail about the history of Great Britain, Human rights, various wars, labor, children and womans rights, morality, the classes, the industrial revolution's effects and more. Some repetition from book to book and here and there it lags a bit, but I can vividly see his characters and enjoyed his descriptive changing of times, family and country. Well worth reading.
A man's dream, luck latterly falls into his lap, breaking traditions, the intricacies of building a family, while building an empire. You grow attached to the characters and where they take you.
You must be a history buff or you will become one, to really enjoy R.F. Delderfilds writing as he goes into great researched detail about the history of Great Britain, Human rights, various wars, labor, children and womans rights, morality, the classes, the industrial revolution's effects and more. Some repetition from book to book and here and there it lags a bit, but I can vividly see his characters and enjoyed his descriptive changing of times, family and country. Well worth reading.
February 5, 2023
I have always enjoyed R.F. Delderfield's novels...he goes into a lot of detail so one does get the feel of how the Swann family moved from using horses to haul huge loads of goods to using a gas engine...although there were times because of the hills, horses had to be used to help out.
It was such a struggle to get the idea across to others and still trying to keep ahead of his rivals. Finished the second book in this two part series of the Swanns called 'Reconnaissance' which was such a good historical novel....the children of Adam Swann getting married; some happily, others very unhappy.
This novel introduces the tractor trailer which was the product of a teenager because he had to tend several younger children in his family. Adam saw what he needed, hired the teen and bought his 'trailer', studied it and built it. The series ends with the beginning of WWI
It was such a struggle to get the idea across to others and still trying to keep ahead of his rivals. Finished the second book in this two part series of the Swanns called 'Reconnaissance' which was such a good historical novel....the children of Adam Swann getting married; some happily, others very unhappy.
This novel introduces the tractor trailer which was the product of a teenager because he had to tend several younger children in his family. Adam saw what he needed, hired the teen and bought his 'trailer', studied it and built it. The series ends with the beginning of WWI
March 31, 2019
This three volume series is well-crafted and addresses sixty years of British history.
The characters are well-developed and reach into the complexities of the plot.
Though I wouldn’t characterize the book as great literature, I found it really enjoyable. It twists and turns, and I found myself engaged with its characters.
Often a slow read, it’s not for the squeamish; but if you love description and are not put off by almost 2000 pages, this could be the book for you.
The characters are well-developed and reach into the complexities of the plot.
Though I wouldn’t characterize the book as great literature, I found it really enjoyable. It twists and turns, and I found myself engaged with its characters.
Often a slow read, it’s not for the squeamish; but if you love description and are not put off by almost 2000 pages, this could be the book for you.
August 2, 2020
This book deals with the evolving society of England from 1890 to 1914. Funny how the conflicts then are very similar to now.
October 15, 2020
I really liked this trilogy. this third book was written in the 1970s but something you can be immersed in during this weird time
April 11, 2022
The entire Swann saga is engaging. I commend all three books of the trilogy. Great characters dealing with the same struggles we deal with today.
July 4, 2024
This is the final book in a trilogy and I liked it best of the three. The stories continue to expand with the family, however some of my struggles with the style of the earlier books remain. I am awed by the research and expanse of time and themes covered.
January 18, 2026
A bit confusing here and there because I seem to have started mid series, but well-written, far-ranging and enjoyable none the less. Will have to read the others.
February 12, 2017
I did not realize until deep into the book that this was the last book in a trilogy. I missed having background information, but this book was still a fascinating lens to look at the years leading up to WWI in Britain. Especially fascinating was the way suffragists were treated. Talk about vitriol!
And a quote from p. 581..."It struck him then...that hardly anyone practicing politics had the ability, or even the wish, to think things through..." Sigh. Some things don't change...
And a quote from p. 581..."It struck him then...that hardly anyone practicing politics had the ability, or even the wish, to think things through..." Sigh. Some things don't change...
October 25, 2012
Third book in the series of The Swann Family" and God is an Englishman.
This book takes us to the start of WWI. The story of the family continues, how the children and grandchildren grow up, and take their places in the world. Their trials and tribulations, the story of a family in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Unfortunately, the reader is left with a real rotten ending, it just finishes, leaving the reader extremely disappointed, in not knowing what will become of the family, the Empire they built, or the future of the clan!
This is the last in the series, and although brilliantly written, I would have never have started the series, if I new Mr. Delderfield was going to leave the reader without an ending!
And so....I pack up the book and mail it on, to a friend who is waiting to finish the series, that may disappoint her with the final ending!
This book takes us to the start of WWI. The story of the family continues, how the children and grandchildren grow up, and take their places in the world. Their trials and tribulations, the story of a family in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Unfortunately, the reader is left with a real rotten ending, it just finishes, leaving the reader extremely disappointed, in not knowing what will become of the family, the Empire they built, or the future of the clan!
This is the last in the series, and although brilliantly written, I would have never have started the series, if I new Mr. Delderfield was going to leave the reader without an ending!
And so....I pack up the book and mail it on, to a friend who is waiting to finish the series, that may disappoint her with the final ending!
May 25, 2014
Sad to finish this wonderful trilogy but it was also time to bring the family saga to a close. Wonderful sense of family and social evolution set in the onslaught of the industrial revolution with all of its accompanying displacement of ideas and mores. Delderfield does his historical homework meticulously, occasionally numbingly so, but through it all the grandeur of the characters and the sweep of the story carried me captivatingly onward. It is romanticized fiction - and sometimes the romance is overdrawn and overdone. But one happily makes allowance for that because we want at least in imagination to make room for larger than life. There are no enduring truths to the saga but there is more than a passing nod throughout to the indomitability of the human spirit - at least as embodied in Adam Swan's indefatigable entrepreneurial gusto.
August 13, 2012
I so thoroughly enjoyed these three books. I expected one to stand out from the others but found that not to be the case. These characters were so well drawn, so thorough in their depictions that I felt I really understood them and why the did what they did. I am left to wonder why it took me ever so long to finally get around to reading them. There are a wide variety of secondary characters, from fellow workers to in-laws and he takes the care to develop them just as thoughtfully as his 'stars'. I have a few books just now 'backed up' in the pile that I will tackle next but soon enough I will be grabbing the other titles in Delderfields publications and hoping for more of the magic I found in these.
May 1, 2013
I found this final book in the "God is an Englishman" saga to be a bit slower than its predecessors. Delderfield also throws in a number of deaths near the end of the book that almost feel forced. We only really feel the fallout from one of them. The author also doesn't seem particularly interested in his female characters and deals with them in a mostly cursory manner. Patriarch Adam Swann is smart and progressive, yet the wife he chooses is not particularly intelligent and his relationship with her throughout the series is primarily physical. Still, all of that aside, "Give Us This Day" is a satisfying-enough conclusion to an excellent series.
October 16, 2017
I like R.F. Delderfield, but sometimes he goes on and on. This book would have been better if it were 1/3 the length. The third book in the Swann Family Saga, by the time were down to grandkids and greatgrandkids, I had trouble telling them apart. At the heart were Henrietta and Adam Swann, founder of an transportation empire and parents of several children, whose number escapes me at the moment, except to say there were too many of them. By the time of this book, we have gone through their marriages and offspring, until my head is reeling.
November 7, 2012
The last installment of the Swann Saga Trilogy. I enjoyed this as much as the others. Queen Victoria dies, the Women’s' Suffragette movement is born and England enters the age of the automobile which of course impacts the Swann transportation network. The "Great War" is looming but very few see the frightening potential to change Europe and Great Britain forever. Wonderful characters, stories and details across three generations and all the turmoil of these times.
January 8, 2015
Some have said that this is the weakest book of the trilogy,as I agree with that assessment. I differ though in how much this weakness is. The whole series is so strong that this book's weekends only appears when compared to its predecessors. I think part of the problem comes from the attempt to tie down every loose end. I suppose it can't be helped, but it could have been done better; parts of the book dragged.
July 30, 2011
c1973. Timeless. This is the 3rd book in the Swan Family saga. Delderfield (12 February 1912 - 24 June 1972) was a great novelist with a genuine love of his country and proud of its history. He so easily interweaves the lives of the Swan family with the social and economic changes that were happening at the time the story was set.
September 27, 2012
A friend loaned me God is an English Man along with parts 2 and 3 of the Swann saga some twenty five or so years ago. They gathered dust, got moved around, got looked at but not read until around a year ago. I needed a quality read so I dusted them off and found a comfortable chair and started reading. What a wonderful reading experience, not quite up there with A Horseman Riding By but close.
May 9, 2013
After reading the three books in a row....I'm sad that the story finally came to a conclusion. I wanted another book!
The saga ends with the start of World War I....and lets the reader draw their own conclusions of
how the Swan clan weathered this historic time in history. I'm sure that if you enjoy historical novels these books will be worth your time.
The saga ends with the start of World War I....and lets the reader draw their own conclusions of
how the Swan clan weathered this historic time in history. I'm sure that if you enjoy historical novels these books will be worth your time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews