4.5 stars. Just a tad short of the best books in the series.

According to William Shakespeare (and who would know better than he?), “The course of true love never did run smooth.” Not a trace of smooth sailing for the lovers and would-be lovers in The Miller’s Dance. Graham, in his inimitable style, weaves us a tale of snags that range from lack of interest on someone’s part to uncontrollable circumstances that seemingly cannot be overcome. The only lovers who are contented here are the old ones.

This is the ninth installment in the series, and I know these characters so well by now that I should be able to predict their next move. The fact that I cannot, but that the unpredictability never steps outside the bounds of the character that Winston Graham has told me these people have, is a real testament to his skill and imagination as a storyteller.

I have become just as enthralled and anxious over the second generation of Poldarks as I was over the first. I'm glad, however, that Graham did not drop the early characters (as long sagas often do) and has continued to include Ross, Demelza and even the reprehensible George in meaningful ways.

I have been buying and reading these novels in groups of three, and I am sorry to say that when I take the next book in hand I will have entered that last trilogy. I would never have expected to take on a series with twelve books, but I am very glad I decided to read this one. Highly recommended to any and all, but especially those who enjoy knowing the characters that people a world long gone and immersing themselves in the history of another time. ( )

Book 9/12 in the Poldark series. This story, while still having plenty of Ross/Demelza (who just has her 5th child in 25 years at age 38), really digs into the lives of the 2nd generation: Poldarks and Warleggans. It was quite good and it's more than a family saga, as extensive mining procedures, banking hijinks, etc. are portrayed. The time frame is 1812-1813 and there is lots of talk of Napoleon's defeat in Russia. I also think something very bad for one of the characters was set into motion in this installment. 488 pages ( )

**This review actually refers to five books in this series: Stranger From the Sea, The Miller's Dance, The Loving Cup, The Twisted Sword & Bella Poldark**


I really have no clue what rock I was living under....I have no excuse. But, up until recently, I had no idea the Poldark series on television is based on a series of books! I love sweeping historical family sagas. I have no earthly clue how I missed this one! Rectifying the situation immediately!

There are 12 books in the Poldark Saga, written by Winston Graham from 1945-2002. The books are set in Cornwall, starting with Ross Poldark in 1783 and ending with Bella Poldark in 1820.

It's official -- I love this series! And I'm reading my way through all of the books before I watch the television series. I have a rule that before I can watch a film or television adaptation, I have to read the books first. Then I'm acquainted with the characters and can see what they changed/added/kept true to the original, etc. There are actually two Poldark television series. One from BBC in the 1970s that serialized the first seven books. And then the newer series that started in 2015. There have been five seasons of the new show. I can't wait to watch it! Still reading my way through the books first...and enjoying every page!

The four books listed here are books #8-12 of the series. I had review copies of all 5 novels and read them cover to cover. Binge read them, to be honest. I love the characters...the setting....the history. I had to stop periodically and look some things up as I'm not familiar with the time period or history of Cornwall at all. The one problem with reviewing books is that I'm under a deadline. With historical fiction or family sagas, I like to take my time and let the story sink in and savor the characters. But with five books to read, and not having read the first books in the series beforehand, I was a bit lost in names, places, etc. The story was enough to carry me through! I loved every book!

I'm backtracking now and reading the series from the start....and I will re-read these books when I come back around to them. I will have an even better understanding of the characters and history during my second reading! And then I can watch the television show. I'm curious which books it has already covered and which ones are upcoming -- whether it stays true to the books or goes off course, etc.

Great books! I highly recommend this series to any readers who enjoy historical fiction, family sagas, and just history in general!

Love, love, love! :) Here are some extra exclamation points in case I did not make it clear that I enjoy this series: !!!!!!!!

**I read review copies of these novels from St Martins Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.) ( )

Stephen is the worst, but everything else about this one was pretty great. Ross has some introspection at the end, a la the earliest books, which I liked. And Henry! ( )

Thankfully the original cast of characters (now middle-aged) were included in this novel but they played a secondary role to the next generation. Unfortunately I didn't find the escapades and romantic entanglements of the young adult characters nearly as interesting. Still, Graham was an excellent writer and included many historical details concerning the ongoing war between France and England during the early 1800s. This one was almost overly detailed in that respect. Partially to satisfy my curiosity about the older generation including Ross, Demelza, Dwight and George, I probably will continue on with the remaining books in the series to see how it all concludes. I hope it doesn't end up making me sad though. ( )