- Hardcover: 368 pages
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing (6 Feb. 2020)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1526600609
- ISBN-13: 978-1526600608
Synopsis
The seat of the Trelawney family for over 800 years, Trelawney Castle was once the jewel of the Cornish coast. Each successive Earl spent with abandon, turning the house and grounds into a sprawling, extravagant palimpsest of wings, turrets and follies.
But recent generations have been better at spending than making money. Now living in isolated penury, unable to communicate with each other or the rest of the world, the family are running out of options. Three unexpected events will hasten their demise: the sudden appearance of a new relation, an illegitimate, headstrong, beautiful girl; an unscrupulous American hedge fund manager determined to exact revenge; and the crash of 2008.
A love story and social satire set in the parallel and seemingly unconnected worlds of the British aristocracy and high finance, House of Trelawney is also the story of lost and found friendships between three women. One of them will die; another will discover her vocation; and the third will find love.
Review
House of Trelawney is the new book from Hannah Rosthchild, author of The Improbability of Love. Set against the financial crash of 2008, the book sets the fall of the aristocratic family of Trelawney against the fall of the banks and the old financial institutions. At the centre are Jane, Blaze and Anastasia, once three best friends but drifted apart and now live very different lives. Brought back together by a sequence of difficult events, and a new family member, their lives will change and they will find each other, love and their vocation in life. The perfect mix of drama, romance and humour set against the crumbling House of Trewlaney, make this a joyous and entertaining read.
Reading the House of Trelawney reminded me in some way of the great British sit com The Good Life. The Trewlaney family have lived on their land, and in their castle for over eight hundred years, but now it is falling to wrack and ruin due to lack of funds. Kitto is the current Viscout, married to Jane but their is nothing aristocratic about their lives apart from the titles. Jane spends her days trying one hundred dishes with mince, putting buckets under the leeks in the roof and carry hot water to her parents in law’s rooms. Clarissa, the Dowager Countess still gets dressed for dinner, believes they still have servants and is ever critical. She still lives in the past, the days of grandeur and parties, and adds some wonderful humorous moments to the book; she reminisces about royalty whilst Jane is chasing a horse and falling in the mud. Add to that a mad old aunt, who prefers the company of mice and fleas to humans, three teenagers and you have an eccentric and memorable cast of characters.
Blaze was Jane’s best friend, and sister to Kitto, but hasn’t spoken to her family for twenty years. She has no idea how far they have fallen, the state of the castle of the lack of money. She is now a successful business women with millions in the bank, but ironically no one to share it with. That is until their other best friend sends her daughter, Aleysha, to live with her. This is the catalyst for both Blaze and Jane, it brings old family arguments to the fore, but also brings both women closer. To say all three are different is an understatement, they all seem to want what the other has; a family, a castle, and money. Ultimately, it is the women in this story that come out on top, their resilience, adaptability and strength in the face of adversity.
Hannah Rothschild has a wonderful way with words, bringing the characters to life but also bringing humour to some difficult situations. She makes the castle a character in itself, old, out of date, crumbling, leaking but ultimately still standing like a grand old lady, maybe a shadow of the British institution at that time. She perfectly captures the atmosphere and feeling of the financial crash of 2008, how it effected people, people who had invested for their pensions, and the resentment that caused. This fall of the banks, mirrors the fall of the Trelawney family and the need for a new establishment and change in the way things were run.
House of Trelawney is a wonderfully entertaining satire of a dysfunctional, but loveable family. If you are a fan of Jilly Cooper, like me, you will love this book, it has the same humour, sarcasm and fabulous characters, including the animals. This book made me laugh and smile and it was such a joy to read, I’m sure it is going to be on the bestseller list.
