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The Cavendon Luck

Review

The Cavendon Luck

For centuries, the wealthy Ingham family of northern England and owners of Cavendon Hall have been served --- and served well --- by the trustworthy members of the Swann family. At the same time, the Inghams have always protected the Swanns and made sure they prosper in return. Keepers of each other's most crucial secrets, the two families have interwoven their separate threads into a fabric that's nearly indestructible. Bound by an ancient oath of loyalty to one another, these indomitable characters realize that the good of the group outweighs the desire of any one individual. This powerful alliance has been the key to the longevity of both clans.

Having recovered from the horrors of World War I and overcome the adversity of the Great Depression, the sixth Earl of Mowbray, his wife, his descendants and their servants have been truly tried and tested. Unfortunately, as 1938 progresses, it becomes apparent that there are more challenges ahead. The greatest evil of all looms on the horizon in the form of Adolf Hitler and the terror he eagerly imposes on all who stand between him and the implementation of his diabolical plan.

"THE CAVENDON LUCK will keep readers riveted as they seek to find out what happened to characters both revered and reviled."

As the winds of war sweep across Europe, blowing ever westward toward England, the Inghams and the Swanns realize that their lives are about to change forever. While many of them contribute to the war effort on the home front, one member of the Ingham family is critically involved in undercover work that puts her in considerable danger. Still, the danger isn't enough to stop her from making every effort to help the Jewish German family members of a valued family employee make an escape from certain death in Germany to relative safety in England.

At the same time, Harry Swann, the estate manager of Cavendon Hall, is looking for love in all the wrong places. Heavily ensconced in a torrid affair with a married woman, Harry resists attempts from his mother, Alice Swann, and his sister, Cecily Ingham, to pry him from the grip of the woman they consider wholly unsuitable. If only he'd see sense and choose a woman who was free to marry him and bear his children, he could trade his lonely life for one of love and happiness.

In addition to worrying about her wayward brother, famous fashion designer Cecily, a Swann by birth and an Ingham by marriage, is working hard to prepare her business, one that produces ready-to-wear garments as well as fashionable couture, for the inevitable changes that the impending war will bring. She's smart enough to realize that her factories may be called into service to win a war that often looks unwinnable.

As all the Inghams and Swanns work together and individually, one can only wonder if they'll weather the war and emerge victorious, or if this challenge will finally be the one that sinks the seemingly unsinkable families who share a bond that transcends the ages.

THE CAVENDON LUCK is the thrilling third installment in The Cavendon Chronicles, one that delves deeply into the impact that WWII had on these fictional families, both aristocratic and working class. Creating a cast of characters who surely resemble real people who existed in England during this period of time, Barbara Taylor Bradford provides us with faces and personalities of those who suffered through and triumphed during one of the most memorable periods in recent history. THE CAVENDON LUCK will keep readers riveted as they seek to find out what happened to characters both revered and reviled.

Audiobook available, read by Anna Bentinck

Reviewed by Amie Taylor on June 10, 2016

The Cavendon Luck
by Barbara Taylor Bradford

  • Publication Date: January 3, 2017
  • Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction
  • Paperback: 592 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
  • ISBN-10: 1250091284
  • ISBN-13: 9781250091284