Book Review: The Cavendon Women

Author: Barbara Taylor Bradford

Publication Date: March 24, 2015

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, a novel set in Edwardian England and featuring the characters of Cavendon Hall

The stunning sequel to Barbara Taylor Bradford’s Cavendon Hall follows the Inghams’ and the Swanns’ journey from a family weekend in the summer of 1926 through to the devastation of the Wall Street crash of 1929. It all begins on a summer weekend in July of 1926 when, for the first time in years, the earl has planned a family weekend. As the family members come together, secrets, problems, joys, and sorrows are revealed. As old enemies come out of the shadows and the Swanns’ loyalty to the Ingham gets tested in ways none of them could have predicted, it’s up to the Cavendon women to band together and bring their family into a new decade, and a new way of life.

Cavendon Hall. One of the great stately homes of England, it was the finest of all in Yorkshire.

“You don’t have to protest to me. I know exactly what you mean. When a relationship doesn’t work it’s hell on earth.”

“Will you promise me the first dance?” “I will. Every dance for the rest of my life.”

Edwardian romances have always captured my attention and Downton Abbey only added to my infatuation with the era. Books like this one are an escape for me while I wait for more of Downton Abbey to air, and often many of these books are just as good, if not better, than the show. I started reading Barbara Taylor Bradford when Cavendon Hall came out last year and could hardly wait for this book to release this year, and I am sitting here hoping that a third one is in production as we speak. This book, as well as the first one, is full of romance, historical fiction, and mystery. This book packs so much into a few pages and I was devastated when it finally ending.  

I don’t want to give too much away about the story, but I will say that we alternate between points of view, just like in the first book. We are still following the Ingham and the Swann families and just like always you can expect secrets and drama. I am most fascinated with the time period and the way society was structured then. This particular novel carries us from 1926 all the way to the Stock Market Crash in 1929. I love the 1920’s and they will always be my favorite era to read. We continue to learn more about the family, and this is my opportunity to tell you that if you like the sounds of this book, then pick up the first book because so much background information about the families is given. Even though the book is just under five hundred pages, I found myself flying through its pages and desperately wanting a third book!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review***