This novel has something like the feel of Downton Abbey, but with a more tragic atmosphere. The uncertain inheritance of a grand English estate drives much of the plot. After the death of Theo in World War I, the Melvilles are left with only two daughters and heavy debts. The male cousins next in line to inherit have vowed to sell off the house which means so much to Sir Aubrey Melville and he begins exploring alternative methods to find someone to carry on the business of running his estate. Meanwhile, his wife struggles with her grief over their son, turning to seances and mediums to find solance, and his daughters seek out their own paths. And then there's Oscar, an old family friend, who may be unknowingly harboring a few secrets of his own. Overall, this made for a good read, although I would have appreciated a slightly different conclusion. ( )

Not a bad book to start the new year! A little predictable and patchwork in its themes and characters, but altogether readable. I didn't really like any of the Melville family apart from Phyllis - run, Phyllis, run! - and Oscar is the kind of self-pitying scholar that sets my teeth on edge, but the atmosphere of the house, in all its decaying Victorian fakery, and the frustration felt by the lost generation just after the First World War are brought to life in evocative detail. Poor Aubrey! ( )

The Melvilles are an aristocratic British family living at Ellinghurst - a family estate that has its share of secrets.

During the Melvilles' childhood Ellinghurst was a place of adventure except for family friend Oskar who is picked on and finds solace in the library among the many books. After the Great War the big house loses its charm for sisters Jessica and Phyllis. Jessica longs for the glitz and glamour of London life while her bookworm sister Phyllis dreams of university.

The book started off fine even though at the very beginning it was confusing with all the people. I really liked Jessica. Clark's writing was good. But this book was loooooooooooong. Oskar's chapters were boring with all the physics and science and math. Then eventually the whole book was boring and there were too many "bruised" clouds.

I received a free copy from Goodreads First Reads. ( )

This book got off to a very slow start and had some very slow parts to it. Overall, the story was fine. ( )

Book Review
We That are Left by Clare Clark
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015

If you are a huge fan of all those 17th and 18th century novels that were written by woman about the woman's condition at their time, and you've been wishing desperately for something new to read, then Clark has answered your dreams.

This novel is so very much like those written a hundred years ago that it's uncanny. Clark has a flare for replicating a prosaic voice that is mannered and very much like those narrators unseen yet so sweeping in their scope in novels of yore. (Yes, I just said, "novels of yore," and yes, I really meant exactly that.)

So hang on, because this one will take you to the modern (ish) wartime, yet keep you imbedded in the same sort of class dramas. The synopsis for the book says it all in that regard, so I won't replicate it here. Let's just say that this is well worth the time, and yes, it's also worth paying attention throughout the first 70 pages or so to grasp each of the characters that are quickly introduced.

You'll swoop quickly through the relevant points of their childhood. It could have been better done by starting with adults and integrating those younger years components when they became relevant but it seems like a lot of publishers are pushing authors to write from the youthful perspective these days, so I'll let that slide by without anything negative on the scoring.
Otherwise, a great read you'll want to catch! Grab it now and you'll plunge into the delightful antiquated flavor with a new, updated story.

4 stars!

For another contemporary story that has the nuances of times past, try [b:Reparation: A Novel of Love, Devotion and Danger|31228022|Reparation A Novel of Love, Devotion and Danger|Laine Cunningham|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1469650746s/31228022.jpg|46020043], in which a Lakota Sioux man must honor his traditions while trying to save his sister and his lover from a sinister and charismatic church leader.

The publisher provided a copy so that I could write this review. ( )