Name: Rutherford Park
ISBN: 9780425262580

Elizabeth Cooke

The Cavendish family of Rutherford Park secretly dreams of freeing themselves from the rigid constraints and rules of the English aristocracy in the early 20th century in this new novel from the author of the international best-seller The Ice Child. Original.

Rutherford Park

This was a book billed to remind us of Downton Abbey, and in that case it delivered. Starting with one scandal and snowballing into more, life at Rutherford park is tense and awkward for all classes.

Without giving too much away, I will say that I wished the plot lines were better developed. Much too much time was spent having minor characters wallow in their own instrospection, and some of the more interesting lines seemed to abruptly cut themselves short. There is some rumblings that the staff hate Lady Cavendish, and it even leads to a crescendo, but then nothing comes of it.

The ending fizzled out, something predictable that took too long to be told, and I wish more time was spent giving me juicy details of a scandal than reading some of the awkward dialogue or musings of spoiled rich children. I eventually only read a chapter at a time. More than that felt too tiring to read, which is a shame.

Not a bad book, but could have been much better.

Rutherford Park

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