Wintercombe (Wintercombe Series Book 1)

Product Information

A young Puritan wife is left to hold her family and household together when her husband goes to war, and faces myriad difficulties: unruly step-children, Royalist soldiers billeted in her house, a sadistic colonel, and the possibility of adultery with a handsome enemy soldier. What I did not like about the story is that the bad guys are so bad that they were beyond belief. No one could be as purely evil, gross, ignorant, etc. as her bad guys. Other characters were more well-rounded. Thanks for reviewing this book. It is one of my favourite books of all time. It deserves to be re-discovered by readers who have been clamoring for a long-slow burn, more accurate history, amazing writing. In all the doubt and trouble and fear and confusion of her present existence, the utter certainty of her garden was a delight and a consolation. The sun would rise, true, but could be hidden by clouds and rain. Nothing would hide that joyous celebration, that yellow trumpeting for spring, and even if by some dread mischance she were not at Wintercombe to see it, there would be other flowers, other gardens. Not all the king's soldiers, not even the king himself, could stand like Canute and deny the inexorable turning of the seasons and the renewal of the year. One of my favorite books of all time! Don’t let the first chapter dissuade you... it starts slow but it will soon draw you in to the point you will NOT be able to put it down.

A Falling Star - Lume Books

The main character Silence who had survived a controlling and abusive Puritan father and upbringing and was married at 19 to a widower, who was old enough to be her father, with three children. She was such a strong character who would not let her true self be broken and held her ground in the face of fear to protect the ones she loved. I hesitate to call this historical romance because that often seems to imply bodice-rippers or books that are more about sex/romance than about the story or historical setting, and that would be a disservice. So to set this straight: take the detailed eye of Anya Seton, strip out most of the graphic sex scenes, and set up a slow burn. (That's not a spoiler, it's in the description.) Thank you for the glimpse of the old covers. I do believe that the copy I read had the one featuring Silence.

A lovely warm tapestry of a book, weaving together suspense and drama with a bittersweet love story and a richly detailed account of life in an English Manor House during the Civil War. Pamela Belle’s best book so far” — Rosemary Sutcliff Civil war has raged and her sombre husband has been away for two years. During this time Silence – now Mistress of Wintercombe – has enjoyed a harmonious time with her children. Yet this sheltered world is shattered when enemy Cavaliers invade, causing havoc in the town. Wintercombe, once a tranquil bastion of family virtue, is transformed into an unruly, drunken, and licentious garrison. I would have appreciated the novel much more had this author used the events in Silence's life rather to display opportunity for growth in her character. How much more I would have enjoyed seeing Silence finding contentment and happiness within the constraints of her marriage vows, home, family and children (certainly her garden has brought her much joy, and poverty is not a problem for Silence, although she must find creative solutions to feed a household of servants, family and fifty-plus soldiers). I love to read novels that illustrate personality change and watch the characters mature through their life lessons and circumstances. Remaining steadfast within challenging, difficult or even insurmountable situations, while modelling qualities such as faithfulness and building stability within one's household, (especially in front of young, impressionable children), would have made for me, a much more enjoyable story. Usually I knew what was going to happen, but not exactly how, and I was eager to see how things turned out. Ending was NOT predictable. Wintercombe is the first in a series written about a beautiful home in Somerset and its inhabitants during the Civil Wars that ravaged England. It’s a story of a woman taken for granted by all who know her who discovers an inner strength that is honed to fine steel over the course of a year. And how she discovers love with a most unlikely man, the Cavalier captain of the troop of horse which comes to garrison it. I do have to say that even if I love the cover, it’s hardly anything I can see Puritan Silence wearing though to quote Silence’s lady’s maid Mally the woman she do look “tarblish fine.”

Wintercombe - Lume Books

This is the story of Silence St. Barbe, who has been left in charge of Wintercombe, near Bath in Somerset, while her husband and eldest son are fighting for Parliament. Silence knows the risks, she understands the impossibility of her situation and the ramifications should she plunge into a deeper relationship that has no hope of any positive outcome. Yet Silence (in her frail humanity), chooses ultimately to rebel against everything common sense and discretion would tell her, all for a brief romantic interlude. Even worse, Silence justifies her choice not just to herself alone, but to her children and her cautiously disapproving maid, all of whom (conveniently) end up supporting her. And so Silence is able to 'have her cake and eat it too', without regret or reaping any apparent consequence. When her house is taken by the soldiers, with the leadership of Lieutenant Ridgeley, she and her five children starts to suffer with the soldier's brutality and harassment. As Jayne commented, I’m currently writing a modern novel (with 17th century interludes) as a blog, issued in instalments, and I also have three unpublished novels, one set in 18th century London, one in Elizabethan England, and the other at the time of Alfred the Great, which I hope will see the light of day sometime, even if I have to do it myself!Now, however, he has returned to Somerset to claim Wintercombe as his inheritance — but his arrival is greeted with trepidation and foreboding. Bitter quarrels break out on his first night home and soon, the old fires of family passions and religious contention are raging. The story is excellent. It is everything I enjoy in historical fiction. A party of Cavaliers descend upon Puritan Wintercombe and turn it into their winter headquarters. Silence, Lady St. Barbe, works to keep her family in their home and the servants unmolested, with varying success. She is constantly scorned and humiliated, but she can't give up or give in. Meanwhile she develops a friendship and a behind the scenes supporter with one of the Cavalier officers. Meanwhile her obnoxious stepdaughter creates problems on top of problems. I am not quite sure how Belle’s books dropped off the radar–maybe the pace and the length? She wrote historical romantic fiction of the highest caliber; thank you for bringing her works to the attention of a new generation of readers. One of my favorite historical novels, now sadly out of print. In 17th-century England, Silence St. Barbe, a young Puritan woman married to a much older nobleman, finds her difficult circumstances as stepmother to a brood of hostile stepchildren made immeasurably more difficult when civil war breaks out, her husband rides away to battle, and a troop of Cavalier soldiers promptly occupy the house.

Pamela Belle Books | Page 1 | World of Books Pamela Belle Books | Page 1 | World of Books

However, a surprisingly friendship is established between Silence and Captain Hellier who helps in any way to help her to summon this period of the English Civil War. Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth I was a little nervous when I received this book from Interlibrary Loan. It looked like a bodice ripper, judging from the cover, the title, and the author's name (I don't know, the name sounded bodice-ripping to me). What I found instead was a thoughtful, carefully crafted tale, bringing me out of my world and into the time of the English Civil War.The people of Bath were frightened, and furious. The soldiers were from Bristol, and could well have brought the plague with them, to infect their clean, sweet, and pleasant city, and they did not see why they should risk such a disaster when the Royal cause seemed well and truly lost. When it became apparent that many of the reinforcements were the hated and despised Welsh, their rage was redoubled. Crowds surrounded the governor's house in West Street, throwing rotten eggs and filth and stones, and shouting "No Welsh!"