God Is an Englishman: 1 (Swann Family Saga)

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God is an Englishman is historical fiction written in the 1970s about the Victorian era. I’ve always had a soft spot for this era, and only turned to historical fiction once I grew tired of re-reading my favorite classics of the period. Finally, I've found something that satisfies what I’ve been searching for ever since, something that goes beyond an individual or two who happen to be living in a Victorian setting. Horne, Donald (1992). "Interview with Robin Hughes". Australian Biography. Film Australia . Retrieved 20 February 2022. R.F. Delderfield is brilliant at immersing his readers into different periods, in this instance Victorian England. What helps set great historical fiction apart from the average is the little details of everyday life and, probably the most important aspect, credible dialogue. National Living Treasures – Current List, Deceased, Formerly Listed, National Trust of Australia (NSW), 22 August 2014 This is such an interesting read....a little predictable at times, but also surprising and interesting.

He sees that the ever growing railway network has put those offering more traditional ways of moving goods around the country out of business, leaving gaps in the market that his well organised and innovative approach to business can fill.And how did Cromwell deal with those irksome Levellers? "I tell you, sir, you have no other way to deal with these men but to break them or they will break you; yea and bring all the guilt of the blood and treasure shed and spent in this kingdom upon your heads and shoulders, and frustrate and make void all that work that … you have done." Infamously, Cromwell followed up his own advice to the Council of State by crushing the Levellers at Burford church in Oxfordshire and executing the ringleaders. As Hill cynically notes, "Property had been saved." This is the beginning of the revolution betrayed and the transformation of Cromwell from the earnest Ely Puritan to a figure more akin to Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan. "He no longer hoped to realise the rule of God's people in England: he saw himself as a constable whose task was to prevent Englishmen from flying at one another's throats." As a scholar, Hill hides his disappointment in Cromwell's journey towards lord protector, military rule and attempts at kingship. Instead, he is resigned to suggest we are all sinners and simply abides with the judgment of Cromwell's cofferer John Maidstone: "A larger soul, I think, hath seldom dwelt in a house of clay than his was."

As I mentioned before, the whole book takes place in the 1860s, so there are some fascinating explorations of the historical/economic phenomenon that were taking place at the time. For example, the NW region of Adam's business, Swann on Wheels, gets its start hauling for cotton mills in Lancashire, but when the U.S. Civil War breaks out, the whole region is affected and Adam puts the wagons to a clever and heartwarming use. Another discussion through the book is the adaptation of both the culture and the business world to the expanding reach of railroads. There is one character in particular who remembers the glory days of coaching and coaching inns and hates the incursion of the railroad. His story has a poignant intersection with the railroad that brought me to tears. Adam Swann is hungry for success. He is one of the new breed of entrepreneurs thrown up by the Industrial Revolution, determined to take advantage of current economic conditions to build an unrivalled business empire. And he is determined to win the beautiful, strong-minded Henrietta, and persuade her to share in his struggles and triumphs. Looking for leadership: Australia in the Howard years. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin (published 2000). 2001. p.295. ISBN 978-0-670-91237-7. The University of Sydney (29 April 2005). "Citation: Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) - Emeritus Professor Donald Richmond Horne AO" (PDF) . Retrieved 20 April 2021.From master author R. F. Delderfield, the first in the beloved classic God Is an Englishman series." This is truly a Cecil B. DeMille style of book -- sweeping in its scope and diligent in its details of the lives of a whole cast of people: Henrietta's father and his mileau, All the employees of Swann-on-Wheels, the neighbors of the home the Swanns eventually bought, etc. And it was fascinating! The author wove all these disparate threads together in a saga that was so gripping it was hard to put the book down put the book down.