The Angry Tide (Poldark, #7) in Poldark Saga

Nov 24, 2018 QNPoohBear rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Ross Poldark is turning 40 and going through a midlife crisis. He's depressed. Even though he's now a respectable man, an MP, a father, part of him longs for the adventures of his youth. George Warleggan's fortunes are on the rise both professionally and personally. Still, both men threaten to destroy their marriages with jealousy, suspicion and anger. Ossie Whitworth's marriage is not what it should be. Why his wife still refuses to perform her conjugal duties and threatens their son's life ins Ross Poldark is turning 40 and going through a midlife crisis. He's depressed. Even though he's now a respectable man, an MP, a father, part of him longs for the adventures of his youth. George Warleggan's fortunes are on the rise both professionally and personally. Still, both men threaten to destroy their marriages with jealousy, suspicion and anger. Ossie Whitworth's marriage is not what it should be. Why his wife still refuses to perform her conjugal duties and threatens their son's life instead! Ossie must use the little wits he possesses to find a way through his problem, putting Morwenna through hell as he does. Sam receives some news that will change what he thought his future would hold, while Dwight and Caroline discover the joys and heartaches of married life.

I read the book and watched the show at the time time. I really like all the historical details the book adds in to really explain what is happening. The screenwriter is very skilled at taking the words on the page and translating them to screen. However, she adds a lot more action and drama than is in the novel. Some of the action in the novel is told after the fact so it's fun to see it appear on screen. Most of the dialogue comes straight from Winston's Graham's pen! The one thing Winston Graham did not know about the Georgian era was fashion. He included a lot of amazing details about Georgian London that not even Georgette Heyer put in her novels, but he should have consulted her before he began. There are some beautiful depictions of the dresses the ladies wear in London. The costume designer took notes. As annoying as Demelza's color palette is, in the book Caroline has auburn hair and frequently wears green because it makes her eyes stand out. In Cornwall, Winston Graham has Demelza wearing a blouse! That word didn't even exist to refer to a woman's garment at the time. Too bad Georgette Heyer wasn't alive any longer to set him straight.

The plot has lots of twists and turns even if it is a tad less dramatic than the show. I despise Ossie Whitworth with every fiber of my being and kept rooting for him to die. I don't think Morwenna's character was 100% true to the era. No one would care about her problems and even Elizabeth would urge her to be kinder to her husband and do her wifely duty. Elizabeth doesn't like it much but she puts up with it because she wants children. My very modern heart broke for Morwenna and her scenes were incredibly painful to read. Her sister Rowella is a minx. Where Morwenna is kind and soft hearted, Rowella is selfish and strong. She knows what she wants and how to get it and while I'd normally admire her for that, I don't care for how she goes about it. Her poor husband is weak and impoverished but he seems like a good man. I really really did not like the slight change in the sequence of events that follows. I know attitudes were different back in the Georgian era and even in 1977 but it still made me mad.

Ross annoyed the heck out of me in this book. His jealousy eats him up and he ends up sounding like George. WHY is it OK for HIM but not for Demelza? How do you think she has felt their entire marriage knowing he loved another? She suffers so much and puts up with all his crap and his reckless behavior and he thanks her very poorly indeed. I was shocked at his reaction. Demelza tries to stand up for herself a bit more than she does in the show but I would have reacted a lot more strongly. I felt so bad for her. Ross's continued thoughtless actions and reckless behavior have far reaching consequences beyond himself and he never ever stops to think about that. The consequences of his actions 7 years ago have become obvious and affect the plot all the way to the very end. It's such a tragedy. I love Demelza. She's so open hearted, kind and good. In every single book she's sexually harassed and still puts up with Sir Hugh Bodrugan's pinching and squeezing. I felt so horrible for her in this book. She's a miner's daughter and can fend for herself but it shouldn't happen.

There's a new character to love to hate in this novel, Monk Adderley. He's a rakehell who cares for nothing. He claims to have killed three men and enjoys fighting and making love all in the same day. He's George's new friend so needless to say, he causes trouble. I think Winston Graham's meticulous historical accuracy starts to fall down here. Why would this man be accepted everywhere? Duelling is illegal so why keep souvenirs? He did plead benefit of clergy once and you can only do that for the first offence. That is much more clear in the book than on the show. Why not flee the country? He strikes me as the type to follow the French Revolution if there was something in it for him. I also don't believe he would be considered "good ton" and thus not accepted and not worthwhile for George to be friends with. I can't blame Ross for disliking the man and allowing Adderley to push his buttons. (FYI Andromeda Page is his mistress not his ward).

George is as scheming and social climbing as ever. He is impatient for better things. However, he is mostly concerned with himself and less with revenge on the Poldarks. His uncle, Cary Warleggan, is more of a villain. At the end of the novel I actually felt sorry for George. He's a complicated character and more of an antagonist than a villain. I still can't stand Elizabeth. She's doing exactly what she's supposed to be doing as a Georgian woman. Her whole world revolves around her family and she is determined to create a better future for her children. Perhaps I would like her more if I were a mother. I can't relate to her or sympathize with her much.

The second generation seems to be turning out better than the first. Geoffrey Charles comes across as a bit flaky but he's young and stupid. His heart is in the right place and I think he will be a good squire some day. Little Valentine is sadly neglected by his Papa and overindulged by his Mama. He's not as spoiled as his older brother. I feel bad for little Valentine who is still young enough to want to be loved and love everyone. Jeremy and Clowance Poldark are sweet and mischievous like their mother. Hopefully Jeremy doesn't inherit his father's temper.

Caroline and Dwight are my favorite couple. They actually communicate about what they want out of marriage. They have some very modern conversations. Their story moved me a lot and I understood why Caroline made the decisions she did a lot better after reading the book. She's a well-bred lady and not supposed to show emotion. Ladies don't have feelings. Caroline seeks to hide her feelings behind her witty remarks and other actions.

I also really like Sam and Drake. Sam annoyed me with his preachy Methodist talk earlier but now I see how much he's like his sister. Both young men have the same good nature and open hearts as Demelza. This means they also feel very deeply. I was more involved in their plot lines than some of the others and hoping for happiness.

There's a little bit of humor in this story too. There's a very funny scene with the children and a pig that's almost laugh out loud funny. I wish that had been included in the show. Jud Paynter makes a cameo to infuse some lightness into this dark novel. I wish there was more of him.

If I say any more it will spoil certain plot twists. This may have been intended to be the final novel in the series but we know Winston Graham continued the saga for several more books!

I hear there's one final season of the show yet to come, not based on any novel but filling in the time gap between this one and the next.

Read this series if you like historical soap operas without smuttiness. ...more

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May 19, 2022 Veronica Barbara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: other-historical-fiction

The story has unfolded in such a way as to tie together so many loose ends. I knew how it was to end as I had watched the tv series and yet I still cried so much, not so much for the loss of life but more the general turning of events, and the way that the characters reacted to this. I especially noticed (and loved) the philosophical musings, especially by Ross. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. They are so engaging!

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May 25, 2017 Stephanie Shrubb rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: in-my-possession

Flipping heck, emotions run high in Cornwall (and London) 😲
I could not put this one down. Seven books into a series and stuff is just constantly thrown at you! So much happened. Ross and Demelza's marriage is just fraught with challenge and misunderstanding; but at the core of it, some strange, deep quality of soulmate. I'm so used to the idyllic walking-into-the-sunlight couples that this is so resfreshing, and all the more rewarding for it. Bring on #8! ...more

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Oct 29, 2016 Evelyn rated it really liked it

Winston you should have ended the series here like you originally planned and never picked it up and continued with the next wave of series. Perfectly ends the story line, lets the reader ponder the future possibilities in their own mind the way a good book/series should and resolves to an extent certain "issues". Whoever convinced you to pick up the series and continue past this book was bonkers ...more

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