Tracie Banister's Reviews > Ross Poldark

I've been hearing a lot about the new Poldark TV-series that's being filmed for the BBC and thought the multi-generational saga sounded like something I'd enjoy, so I decided to give the first book a read. I'm so glad I did! I was instantly drawn into the story of Ross Poldark, the young officer who returns to Cornwall after fighting in the Revolutionary War, sporting a scar on his face and a limp, to find that his father is dead, his family home is in ruins, and his love, the beautiful and genteel Elizabeth, is now engaged to his cousin. The latter is the most difficult cross for Ross to bear, and he must throw himself into the restoration of his property and the Poldarks' mining business in order to distract himself from his loss. As you can imagine, family gatherings, which force Ross to break bread and exchange polite conversation with his cousin, Francis, and Elizabeth are both awkward and torturous.

But Ross is a strong man and he discovers new purpose in rebuilding his family's small empire and in providing counsel to the tenants on his land. He's helped along the way by several very entertaining and well-drawn supporting characters, including Jud and Prudie, the comically lazy and foul-mouthed couple who are caretakers of the Poldark estate, his cousin Verity who provides moral support, and a feisty ragamuffin named Demelza whom Ross rescues from a street brawl and brings home to work in his kitchen.

Winston Graham did such a wonderful job in describing the Cornish land and its people; I was so transported by his words that I could almost feel the sea spray on my face while I was reading! And I loved the complexities of all the relationships in this book. How conflicted Ross continues to be over his feelings for Elizabeth, how there are so many different levels to his interactions with Demelza, how kindhearted Verity falls in love with a man who has a dark past which leads to discord in her family. It's all great, soapy stuff, and I stayed up late several nights in a row because I couldn't put the book down!

The story ended with several storylines left up in the air, so I had to immediately download the next book. I can't wait to see what happens next in the lives of Ross & Co. and I highly recommend this read to anyone who loves Historical Fiction. You won't find a more compelling protagonist than Ross Poldark.