This is the third in the four book series about the English family Cazalet. The family consists of William and his wife Kitty, their four children, their spouses and grandchildren, as well as the servants and close friends and relations. He is always referred to as "The Brig" and she as "Duchy," short for the Brigadier and the Duchess although he has never been in military service, nor is his wife truly a duchess. Their children consist of three boys, all married, two of whom went to war (officers, of course) in the First World War. The daughter is unmarried and in love with another woman, but there is no sexual relationship.

The first book, The Light Years, begins in 1937. This one progresses from March 1942 through the winter of 1944/45. The series is not really about military action, although that is always in the background and some events are alluded to in their conversations, but rather it concerns the actions and reactions of individuals in the family--their private thoughts and lives; especially those who started the series as children. Many of the chapters are from one or another of their viewpoints. Their sexual relationships are referred to obliquely, but happily without explicit details. The daughter mentioned in the last paragraph, for instance, is in love with a lesbian, Sid, but there is no physical consummation of their passion for each other due to the daughter (Rachel's) disgust at physical intimacy of any kind, with male or female. Sid longs for such a relationship, however, and finds it elsewhere--and then is confronted with guilt and conflict as the fruits of her deceit.

One of the girls tells her lover, an American officer, that her parent's generation would be appalled at their affair, stating that their generation in England does not indulge in affairs. Of course, unknown to her, they do but are discrete about them.

This is a most interesting series. The author is obviously familiar with the environment and the people, and the resulting insight into the British character is enlightening. For those of us who lived through those years it is not only entertaining but also nostalgic.

Joseph H. Pierre
author of The Road to Damascus: Our Journey Through Eternity

For those in the United States who are having a hard time finding this book (as I did) I suggest you try W. H. Smith On-line. I ordered it from them and it took about a month to arrive from England (cost was about 10 pounds).

She decides to make it hers, no matter the cost. She plays all the other characters in the book against each other, seeing them only as how they can serve her purpose. Through the book she changes Wideacre and the people that inhabit it, for the worse, but can see no other way. And when victory comes, it is very shallow indeed.

Beatrice is not a nice person. But she is a powerful and passionate woman who refuses to obey anyone but her dreams, and l admire her for that. I had to laugh when an earlier reviewer stated that Beatrice was despicable and only finished the book to see if she got her "comeuppance". The books is over 600 pages, so it's an awful long wait! Another good recommendation is Philippa Gregory's "Wise Woman".

The other players aren't cardboard either - watch, in particular, the evolution of Celia, who could easily have been written as a simpering nobody. ......

It's a shame the editorial review spoiled the important plot points, because I think they're even more deliciously awful when you come upon them by surprise. Every time you think you've finally got a handle on just how low Beatrice will stoop, she turns around and does something else even worse, brimming over with schemes that wouldn't ever occur to "normal" people.

I had trouble putting the book down, and raced through the last few chapters, completely captivated and dying to find out what would happen next. A truly satisfying read.

On a final note, I agree with previous reviewers who stated that this book shouldn't be filed in the romance category. While it does occasionally stray slightly into "bodice ripper" territory, you're not going to find hearts and flowers in this book.

The only flaw I found with his work was that he was, in some ways, too enamoured with his subject. Sometimes he almost loses his scholarly objectivity, especially when comparing Zoroastrianism to other living religions, Christianity in particular. One example will suffice: Late in the book he notes that Christian missionaries used "unfair" tactics in their analysis by comparing the Vendidad quite unfavorably (read the book and you'll understand) with the Gospels and arguing from that that Zoroastrians should convert to Christianity. Dr. Clark remarks something to the effect that "of course a fairer comparison would be to compare the Vendidad not with the Gospels, but with Leviticus". Actually, his desire to present Zoroastrianism in the best possible light as a viable contemporary tradition has lead him to "lose it" here. It is imminently fair and reasonable to compare the Vendidad to the Christian Gospels and not to Leviticus because Christianity (except for some real fringe groups) doesn't claim Leviticus has any normative authority over Christians in the same sense that the Zoroastrians claim the Vendidad is authoritative over them. Comparing Vendidad to Gospel *is* comparing apples to apples.

Other than this and a couple other "Come on!" moments, the book was quite informative. It's refreshing to read a book by a scholar who is passionately devoted to his subject.

If you would like to learn more about the Ashavan community or about the Gathic faith, this is the book to read!

Unfortunately the author has never reclaimed the past achievement. The writing remains exteremly good but the plots have degenerated to the point that, in "O Jerusalem", there is none.

Ms. King does a commendable job in painting pictures with her words, descriptions, and dialogs. Unfortunately in this book, the pictures are constantly of Mary Russell being dirty, smelly, hungry, etc. We are subjected to long discourses on historical biblical sites that add nothing to an already thin story line. Nothing is explained regarding "the case" but much of the book is taken up with arabic customs, words and dress. Interesting in a travelog but not in a "mystery".

I hope the next book in the series concentrates more on Sherlock Holmes, Mary Russell, and a good mystery than on Jewish custom and history.

This is a story rich with history, imagery and wonderful characters you really care about. Set in the Holy Land, the historical references meld neatly with Holmes' and Russell's present. Ancient history and post-WWI history is anything but dull as King paints a picture both realistic and captivating.

Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell are, as always, strong characters, but the other central characters are well rounded and real as well. I came to care about them and hated to come to the end of this novel. I hope that we'll meet up with Ali and Mahmoud, the odd detecting duos reluctant cohorts, again soon.

If you're uncertain about whether or not to buy this novel, don't be. Buy it now and feel the heat of the ancient desert between your toes. :o)