Cashelmara (by Susan Howatch)

(Amazon UK link)

'Cashelmara' is a historical saga novel by Susan Howatch. It's not really my kind of book, but I have liked her other writing so much that I was determined to collect (and read) all her novels.

In this book, Edward, a 60-year-old widower, falls in love with a girl called Marguerite. She is a 17-year-old American distant cousin. He brings her to the UK in order to marry her.

His home is called Cashelmara. It's an Irish estate, and the story takes place during the Irish potato famine of the 19th century. That means that the book has a background of tragedy and, for many people, raw anger. 

Edward's son Patrick inherits the estate and, similarly, marries a younger American girl. However, there the similarities end. Patrick turns out to be a gambler who should never have married.

This is one of Susan Howatch's earlier (and longer) books. It's written in her distinctive style with each section written from a different viewpoint. Each one gradually reveals more as the novel progresses.

While the writing is excellent, there are some very unpleasant scenes and violence. These made this book rather distasteful in places. However the story was interesting enough that I still found myself eager to keep reading.

It was certainly worth reading once, but I don't currently have any inclination to re-read this book.