The Daffodils of Newent (by Susan Sallis)

(Amazon UK link)

I tend to have mixed feelings about Susan Sallis' historical novels. They have interesting plots, and not too much of the horror of the past described. The people tend to be believable, too - but not, on the whole, sympathetic.

Still, having just finished reading 'A Scattering of Daisies', I decided to continue on to its sequel, second in the Rising family saga.

In 'The Daffodils of Newent', the Rising girls have grown up. April, the youngest, gets married in the first chapter. Her husband has a dark side, after suffering in World War I.

Nancy is already married to an actor; March, too, is married, but not very happily. Her husband is an old man; moreover there's a young and manipulative man who claims to love her.

Like the first book in the series, this is well-written, and I kept reading even though I still couldn't feel any sympathy for any of the characters. I'm not sure why this is, as they were all believable.

The ending was hopeful, I thought. But I didn't feel inspired to try any more in this series.