Ross Poldark (Poldark, #1) in Poldark Saga

Jan 10, 2017 QNPoohBear rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: clean-romance, georgian-romance, historical-fiction

By now all of my faithful followers should know about the hit TV series based on this series of novels. In case you live under a rock (might I politely suggest you crawl out from under the rock and get on Amazon or get a copy of the DVD and watch the series?), this story is a saga about a family of Cornish gentry, the Poldarks. Returning home after fighting the rebels in America, Captain Ross Poldark discovers his home in ruins, his family mine shut and his people in need of help. He also learns By now all of my faithful followers should know about the hit TV series based on this series of novels. In case you live under a rock (might I politely suggest you crawl out from under the rock and get on Amazon or get a copy of the DVD and watch the series?), this story is a saga about a family of Cornish gentry, the Poldarks. Returning home after fighting the rebels in America, Captain Ross Poldark discovers his home in ruins, his family mine shut and his people in need of help. He also learns his sweetheart, Elizabeth, has not waited for him but has agreed to marry his more prosperous cousin Francis. Ross has a strong sense of justice and is determined to set things to rights ASAP, but with no money and a tapped out mine, it will not be an easy task.

This story spans many years and many books so the pace of this first novel is fairly slow. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much without having first seen the show. The first season of the show is so fast paced that it makes the slow pace of the novel seem nice. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and setting better. Also the book provides the reader with historical background knowledge and the inner thoughts of some of the characters. I really liked reading what was going on inside their heads. That is the only limitation of the TV series! The historical background seems well researched and true, given the little I know of this time period.

Ross is an admirable character. He has a strong sense of not just noblesse oblige but also of what is right. He doesn't suffer fools gladly and has a wonderful way of putting someone down without them knowing it. He's a bit too brooding for me but so far, he is not as much of a loose canon, temper wise, as he is in the TV series.

There is one dark subplot that was left out of the TV series that I found disturbing. It made the story of the miners a little darker than it needed to be. This plot involves a creepy stalker of a teenage girl and some violence.

My favorite character is Ross's cousin Verity. She's physically strong, sweet, kind and good. I normally hate those types of characters but she's just so genuinely nice, that I can't help but love her and want the best for her. She is basically Ross's best friend for the first few months he is home. They're as close as siblings or closer. I also love Demelza but not as much as TV Demelza. Book Demelza doesn't quite come into her own yet. She is still very young but she's sweet and sassy at the same time. Her youthful energy would wear out anyone half as strong as Ross. Jud and Prudie Payntr, the old family servants, provide the comic relief here. Jud is especially comical. If you like Twister in the TV series Larkrise to Candleford, you'll probably enjoy Jud. Great-Aunt Agatha also provides some comic relief.

The characters in the novel are a little more complicated than in the TV series. Elizabeth is a little more likable, so far. Francis is a little less likable. George is still mostly an unknown. He hangs with the gentry but isn't one of them. That doesn't make him a bad person. I neither like him nor dislike him.

This series is best suited for older teens and adults. There is some violence, language, dialogue and love making. The love scenes are all tasteful, fade to black without any body parts (except face) mentioned. They're implied rather than explicit.

I can't wait to read Demelza next. Hurry up library patrons and return your books! ...more

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Nov 05, 2018 Jennifer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I got into the books after getting into the shows. I don't normally fawn over shows or books of this genre, but the show was so well-done, I had to see what the books had to offer. I was surprised, I couldn't put the book down. In fact, I'm now on the 8th book in this series.

I think what draws me most to this series is the diversity of the characters. You're invest in 15 characters at the same time, not just the main ones. It's a period drama that covers love, loss, equality, class, gender-issu ...more

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Apr 12, 2020 Natasha Ricketts rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites

I was introduced to the world of Poldark through the BBC adaptation starring Aidan Turner and was originally unaware of the books behind the story. I have to shamefully admit that I have always shied away from reading books written by male authors as I've always found their depictions of female characters infuriating, however, I would like to apologise profusely - this book has proven me wrong. In my late teens, I had watched the first two seasons of the TV show, and now approaching my mid-twent ...more

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Mar 23, 2018 SuzAnne King rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

You’ve been enchanted by Poldark on the small screen; now go beyond the BBC’s televised adaptation and discover Winston Graham’s 18th century Cornwall in the novel that started it all, the newly released edition of Ross Poldark .

Earlier this year, BBC and Mammoth Screen presented a new television series based on the first two “Poldark” novels by Winston Graham, OBE. The 12 novels are set in South-West Cornwall, telling the story of the last few generations of miners before the mines were played You’ve been enchanted by Poldark on the small screen; now go beyond the BBC’s televised adaptation and discover Winston Graham’s 18th century Cornwall in the novel that started it all, the newly released edition of Ross Poldark .

Earlier this year, BBC and Mammoth Screen presented a new television series based on the first two “Poldark” novels by Winston Graham, OBE. The 12 novels are set in South-West Cornwall, telling the story of the last few generations of miners before the mines were played out and the Cornish began to seek overseas opportunities for their skills. Graham’s characters and storylines retain such a degree of freshness that the books have never been out of print.

The main story is of Ross Poldark, who returns to Cornwall after serving as a British officer in the American Revolutionary War. His sudden return touches the lives and futures of all who know him: his cousin Verity, a young woman predestined to a life of familial servitude; his former sweetheart, Elizabeth who believed him dead and agreed to marry another; and his tenant miners who are barely surviving on mining wages. Ross’s own world unexpectedly transforms when he encounters a young tomboy, Demelza who is fleeing her home for a temporary break from a life of oppressed poverty.

Fresh from exposure to reforms in the “New World”, Ross begins to question the social structures of class and privilege that both enforce and restrict his world. From his position of landed gentry, he moves easily between the worlds of privilege and of poverty, and becomes the catalyst for change that his class cannot, or will not endorse. Enter George Warleggan, an ambitious acquaintance who strives to rise beyond his merchant-class parentage into the world of finance, and effectively squash Ross’s fledgling attempts to restore prosperity to the region.

The new editions of the Poldark series of novels and audio-recordings are now available at Noosa Library. ©️SuzanneKing This book review was published by Noosa Today 29 Oct 2016 ...more

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Oct 25, 2016 Kate rated it did not like it · review of another edition

so slow, how can anyone enjoy reading something that goes at such a pace. the current tv adaption should be about a third its length! I wish I could give it more than one star for the utterly unmissable romance, but I find it unreadable. I also wish ross was more of a likable character for the lovely demelza.

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Oct 04, 2018 Mary Anne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If you have watched the series on PBS / Masterpiece, I would recommend reading the books! I just started them and was pleased with this one. The series is fairly faithful to the books, and the books just add more detail, etc.

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Nov 13, 2018 Nisha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book even more on the second reading. It is very detailed, so you have to spend long enough reading sessions with it, else it is difficult to remember everything that is going on and which characters are which. But that complexity adds to the experience and the escapism of it. Also, the writing style is in keeping with the time period, so it takes some getting used to, especially when it is written in a broad Cornish accent. But the effort of the reader is rewarded handsomely and ...more

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