[Looking to tie up loose feedback ends on my NG profile for books I was approved for via email communications, and also for books I received on NG for podcasting purposes.]

My review was sent over email. The link is here: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/anne-melville-the-daughter-of-hardie/

Thanks to Agora Books and Netgalley for an Advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book in the series and the first one I have read. The story follows the life of Grace Hardie, the only daughter of a well-to-do merchant family with aristocratic family connections. Grace is a sickly child and is often left out of family games because of her illness and gender.
To be honest, she isn't a very nice person - certainly not a character that I could connect with. And while the story was interesting, spanning the First World War and aftermath, I couldn't bring myself to care about what happened to this family.
Perhaps if I had read the first book, I would have felt more invested in the storyline, but parts of it were unbelievable and other parts made me frustrated with the characters and struggling to like them.

This book was better than the last book however I could not find a character that I really cared about. The story moved a little slow for me but the plot was interesting so I did not mind the slow pace.

Historical fiction, slow at times but good plot.
This is the second book in the series and I'd like to read the others in the series as well.

Pub Date 15 Aug 2019
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I read all books in this series so far. They did not dissapoint! From a mystery to romance and from a surprising ending that will keep you waiting for more!

"She was as frightened as he was when she said goodbye , and spent sleepless hours that week trying to see into the future."
Interesting book. England 1898. Near Oxford. Clean read. Mostly about Grace, who because of her health has a special gift that benefits her and her family. Taking them from when she is six until 30, it explores her world, why and how she feels what she does, thinks like she does. They have a family winery, but her father is a botanist who has gone on a trip back to China and not come back. This is the area where her mother had gone with him just after getting married. As the story unfolds the war starts and affects them all, of course. Different twists and turns as it goes along. It does make you want to read the next one.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
#NetGalley #TheDaughterOfHardie

The Daughter of Hardie, originally published in 1988 as Grace Hardie, is the second in Anne Melville’s trilogy of novels following the story of a family of English wine merchants throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I think this book does stand alone quite well as it concentrates mainly on the younger generation of the Hardie family, but I would still recommend starting with the first one, The House of Hardie, if you can.

This second novel opens in 1898 with Grace Hardie growing up at Greystones, the family estate in the countryside near Oxford, where they have their wine shop. As the only girl in a family of boys and considered an invalid due to her severe asthma attacks, Grace is struggling to find her place in the world but she finds happiness in exploring the grounds of Greystones and playing with her beloved cat, Pepper. Then, one day, a tragic accident destroys Grace’s happiness and things are never quite the same again. Meanwhile, 1914 is approaching and with it the beginning of the First World War. With five brothers, four of whom are old enough to fight, there could be more tragedy ahead for Grace and her family..

I enjoyed the first Hardie novel, but I thought this one was even better. I wasn’t sure about it at first – I found the scenes describing the accident I alluded to earlier quite harrowing and I almost stopped reading at that point, but I’m pleased I didn’t because as the consequences of that incident and its impact on Grace and her brothers became clearer I started to understand why it was depicted in that way. By the time war broke out halfway through the novel I had been fully drawn into the story and was genuinely worried for the characters as they either went off to fight or were left behind to wait for news of their loved ones.

Anne Melville manages to cover almost every aspect of the war you could think of – men sent home from the front wounded, men left suffering from shellshock, gas attacks and zeppelin raids, conscription and desertion, women stepping into roles vacated by men, and the difficulties of keeping a large estate running during and after the war. This could easily have felt overwhelming, but it doesn’t…all of these storylines arise naturally from the stories of the various characters and the types of people they are.

But this is not just a book about war. One of the main themes of the first novel, women’s education, was at the forefront of this one too. Midge Hardie, my favourite of the ‘first generation’ characters, is now a school headmistress – a job she loves, even though she had been forced to make an unfair choice between marriage and a teaching career, as married headmistresses are considered ‘unacceptable’. Grace herself is not as certain as Midge about what she wants to do and it was interesting to follow her internal struggles over whether to marry and have children or to pursue a more independent way of life.

There was so much to enjoy in this book that I really don’t think the two big plot twists that come towards the end of the book were at all necessary. One in particular felt unbelievable and just a way of trying to tie up loose ends that didn’t need to be tied. That was a shame because otherwise I had loved the book, after that uncertain start. Despite those reservations, though, I will definitely be reading the final part of the trilogy, The Hardie Inheritance, and will look forward to finding out how the story ends.

This book picks years after the first book entitled The House of Hardie which you can read about here. I have to say, I always enjoy dropping back in on characters I’ve grown to adore and I love meet new ones along the way!


I found myself in a whirlwind while reading this book; it was a complete roller coaster of emotions. Grace and her family experience losses early on and you see through incredible character development how those losses impact their decisions growing up and even as adults. It really shapes much of the story and yet the story is not at all predictable.

Another thing that I really enjoyed was the author’s exploration of the expectations of women during that time period. I’m curious if there really were young children, teens and adults who so deeply questioned why women had strict life parameters the way they did in this book. Granted, that would be hard to do since none of us were alive then but it piques my interest! It’s also a somewhat subtle exploration. For example, a young Grace asked about why her aunt couldn’t be married if she was the head of the school. It seems like something a child would ask very innocently but ultimately it has a big impact.

All in all, The Daughter of Hardie will strike a chord in your heart on many different levels. You’re sure to find yourself thinking about the people in the story even after you finish. Make sure you have a box of Kleenex with you! I’m awarding it a four-star rating. Be sure you head over to Goodreads to add it to your TBR or Amazon to pick up a copy!

Thank you to Agora Books for providing me with the opportunity to read this lovely book. I have voluntarily read it and the thoughts expressed in the review are my own.

Back in July, my friends at Agora Books reached out to ask whether I would like to read the second book in the Hardie Family Series by Anne Melville (pseudonym for Margaret Edith Newman), originally published in the late 80’s/early 90’s. (I reviewed the first title, The House of Hardie, here.) Of course, I enthusiastically accepted the offer and downloaded a complimentary e-galley of The Daughter of Hardie. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm found itself tucked into a dark and dusty corner and I just got around to reading it despite a publication date of August 15th. Yikes!

Here is the publisher’s description, touting this title as “a poignant and moving Victorian saga.“

Grace Hardie has grown up in a sweeping estate on the outskirts of Oxford. But her life has been a far cry from a fairytale. Ailing and asthmatic as a child, she never really found her place – not with her brothers, not with any friends – always on the outside. And when tragedy strikes twice in the same day, Grace’s world, and her place in it, is turned upside down. Ungainly and lonely at sixteen, could the bloom of first love be the guiding light she needs? Or is the history of The House of Hardie bound to repeat itself? As class once again threatens to tear the family apart, so too does the Great War: sweeping away this budding romance before it’s had a chance to begin. Through heartbreak and betrayal, longing and loss, Grace Hardie must adapt to this changing world and struggle to find her own way.

My thoughts on this title, in a nutshell, is that it was even better than the first! The centralised storyline revolving around Grace was charming. As with the previous novel, it is not a quick-paced, fast-moving adventure – it’s more of a slow walk through the woods on a perfect autumn day… or akin to catching up with friends while enjoying a tea on your couch in your comfies. It was wholesome and warm and engaging.

The strong female character(s) once again take shine dominantly, challenging societal norms and the expectations of family. Tragedy and triumph escort you through a lifetime, and you may find yourself annoyed by some of the secondary characters (leads from the first – some questionable decision making arose.) The Daughter of Hardie is an absolutely enjoyable way to while away a few lazy (winsome) evenings and I highly recommend. It’s available now to purchase!

My thanks to the publisher for sharing this delightfully empowering tale via NetGalley.

This was a slow story to me but once I got used to the tempo I started to enjoy not only this great story but the characters became real to me and feeling for Grace. Her world is upside dow,incredible and finding herself! You will enjoy this book,received through Net Galley! Will be reading more from this author!

It was a good story , even though I couldn't connect with the characters that much ...
But It was enjoyable .
The writing style was good too .

The author did a brilliant job of capturing the time period in this novel. The characters and plot were also well written. This was a great piece of historical fiction!

Anne Melville's The Daughter of Hardie is the second book in The Hardie Family series and follows on from The House of Hardie which I reviewed on the blog last month. It focuses on Gordon and Lucy's children and, as the title suggests, their daughter, Grace.

First up, I feel the need to say something about the cover. I know this is a reissue of a previously published series but I don’t think the covers do it justice; while they indicate that the books are historical fiction, they don’t give any sense of the dynamic characters and places within. (I would have liked to have seen the family home, complete with the tower Grace loves so much and possibly even some family members, feature on this one, and the family wine merchants, with either a running shop boy or someone loading wine crates, on the first one.) Now, back to the book.

The Daughter of Hardie provoked a surprising range of emotions in me: I railed at Gordon and felt for Lucy, his children and the employee he placed so much reliance on to manage the family wine business; I reflected upon how the Hardie children were shaped by the differing expectations put on them due to their sex (and class), two particular events in childhood that resonated (with some more than others) well into their adult lives, and later again as the war changed the demands upon and the direction of those lives.

I was happy to see Midge feature, and couldn’t help but feel that Grace is a little harsh in her judgement of her towards the end of the book. She’s a character who I admired as much as Grace did, and I thought she deserved to celebrate her long-overdue day of recognition and have a little more understanding of her (later) life choices after long years of frustration, loss and sacrifice. I didn’t see it as the betrayal that Grace did, which I put down to her youth and limited experiences.

That small blip aside, I found The Daughter of Hardie to be as engaging as its title bearer, Grace. I was, in turn, hopeful, upset, frustrated, anxious and ultimately relieved as Grace takes her time and makes her own meandering way around her Oxfordshire hillside, growing up among the many Hardie brothers, experiencing her first loves, becoming an adult and feeling even more the pull between duty and love, expectation and fulfilment, while trying to find her purpose in the post-First World War world.

Grace's story is hopefully far from over but she's found what works for her by the end of the book and her path there is an exciting one for someone who doesn’t want to venture far from home. I enjoyed seeing how she comes to determine what it is she both wants and, more importantly, doesn’t want out of life, while discovering that the best life advice and inspiration often come from the most unlikely of sources.

Lucy and Gordon had a big family of boys and one girl. Lucy was intrepid and courageous and daring. She ran away to be with Gordon who was in "trade" despite being in the wine business, still below Lucy's background. She adapted to her life of being wife and mother though what she longed for was the expeditions to China, looking for that elusive specimen.

Their daughter however was mild, subservient and at times for want of a better word a plodder. Despite changing times, WW almost upon them, the position of women becoming more and more important, conscription into the military depriving her of her brothers, Grace seemed to be cocooned into a small world of her own. She did not hanker for change, for excitement, she felt that marriage and children would naturally follow and when a "suitable" partner appeared she accepted his proposal.

Grace came into her own much later as a young woman. Single, independent, determined to make her own way and save the family firm almost single handedly. From being a wishy washy individual she became a confident person.

Though Grace's story was rather simple, the setting and accompanying background was anything but simple and this carried the story till the adulthood of Grace came about. Then it became all systems go and almost beamed with anticipation for what the next page would bring

The Daughter of Hardie is the second book in the Hardie series by Anne Mellville. The epic picks up with daughter, Grace. Suffering from ill health due to asthma, Grace is raised in the shelter of the family’s palatial estate Greystones knowing little of life beyond its boundaries. As she matures with WWI as a backdrop Grace begins to experience a broader understanding of life which comprises love, loss, and responsibility.

I was unaware at the time of selection that this was the second book of a series. The story does not depend on the first but would no doubt be enhanced by knowledge of the foundational plot. As a stand-alone book it lacks the depth needed to carry engagement. The story while interesting enough, did not for me engage an emotional tie to the characters. I found it to be a little flat and can only contribute that not reading the first book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

This was first published as 'Grace Hardie' in 1988 so I am not sure about the new name apart from the liking for Victorian/Edwardian family sagas based in big country houses which since Downton Abbey play so well. The author Anne Melville died in 1998 so I am not sure if she would have approved of the re-branding of The Hardie Series which consists of 1. The House of Hardie 2. Grace Hardie 3. The Hardie Inheritance
Melville also wrote the Lorimer Family saga and up to 55 romance, mystery and children's novels as well as short stories.
So who is Grace Hardie?
She is the great grand daughter of the Marquess of Ross whose daring daughter had died giving birth to Grace's mother. Lucy. But when Lucy fell in love with Gordon Hardie, a wine merchant (in trade) she was refused permission to marry so they eloped to China where he followed up his love of botany.
When the House of Hardie wine merchants owner John (Gordon's father) dies in his fifties Gordon inherits the business and returns to England. When the Marquess at 86 years old visits the house is full of children, Frank (the eldest), Philip, Kenneth and Philip (twins) and young Grace. The Marquess is taken with the charm and vulnerability of Grace but also fears for her because she is very ill with her breathing. He vows to "build her a house. A gift of land is given and an architect employed -Patrick Faraday- to build a fairytale place for her in which she even has a tower bedroom and stays the first night on her own with her nanny and her new kitten.
At the start of this story I did wonder where we were headed with the story and after the Marquess's death and the strange family set up the characters didn't seem very well rounded and the plot a little light.
But as we head into WWI and the boys in the family join up - either by choice or reluctantly- the dynamics changed especially as the father, Gordon had strangely decided to return to China on another botanical adventure which I can't think was the best plan.
The female characters come into their own now and the return of Aunt Midge (Lucy's sister) was one of my favourite characters. A teacher with an independent mind who doesn't want to marry and takes Grace under her wing on subjects which her mother doesn't seem to want to discuss. Love has been blossoming in many forms, Grace with Andy the son of the gardener who then leaves for the army. Midge with Will the wine shop manager but then more importantly Patrick the architect. The author clearly wants to show us the emancipation of women during WWI and Grace's ability to move from tender doll like girl to independent feisty business woman and head of the household is interesting to observe.
The defining fall out to the men who survive the war is also well described and the last third of the novel reads the best I find and I wanted to see what happened at the end.
Death is core to many twists that take place in the plot in surprising scenes and there is a huge family twist at the end that I wasn't expecting. My version on Kindle had the prologue of the next part of the series ( The Hardie Inheritance) which shows there are more surprises for Grace to discover.
Possibly a bit too long in the writing and yet with good characterisation once set in the war years. Lovers of family sagas will be intrigued I guess.

The Daughter of Hardie by Anne Melville. The Hardie Family Series. Agora Books, 1988, 2019.

In this rerelease of the second volume of a trilogy originally published in the 1980s, we become reacquainted with Gordon, Lucy and Midge Hardie, three of the main characters from the first. The story is set mostly at Greystokes, the Hardie’s estate near Oxford and begins with stories of Gordon and Lucy and their children, Grace and her four brothers.

After Gordon leaves on a scientific expedition, as war begins to affect the family business and each member of the family, Grace’s life develops in unexpected ways.

I loved reading this well-written and engaging glimpse of life in early twentieth century England.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Daughter of Hardie for free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Picture turn of the 20th century England. A titled young woman, Lucy, elopes with a wine trader's son, Gordon Hardie. They honeymoon in China so he can study flowers unknown in England and bring seed back. Lucy's family vow to never have contact with her again. As her grandfather nears the end of his life, he travels Oxford to see her. He finds a frazzled young mother with four sons and one asthmatic infant daughter, Grace. In the grandfather's will, he leave money to build a grand house on a hill so Grace's health will improve, but the house will belong to Grace. The father's heart is still with exploring for new plants,, so he leaves the family business with his manager, Will.

The Daughter of Hardie is the story of this family as they grow and mature in the country around Oxford. The boys love playing in the woods in the estate, but when David and Kenneth kill Grace's cat, the family dynamics change somewhat. World War I has a profound impact on the family. Fred is killed; Phillip is gassed and has "shell shock;" Kenneth refuses to carry and gun and deserts the Army; and David serves as a military lawyer. Grace's fiancee has to recover from serious wounds, and she searches herself to see if she really knows him at all. It's an interesting book that will have you pondering your own family dynamics. It does leave you in limbo at the end, but never fear, a sequel is in the works. If you like stories in historical settings, you'll enjoy this one.

I was able to read this on Net Galley. The book is scheduled to be released August 15.

The Daughter of Barrie is a great historical book. I enjoyed the plot and characters. The writing is good. I would read more by this author.

The Daughter of Hardie tells the story of a girl born in to a wine merchant family. Grace loves her home especially her tower bedroom but who really owns the property?
When her father goes exploring and the war takes her siblings to the front line, secrets are at last uncovered.

All Grace thinks she wants is a husband and children but is this really what she wants?

I enjoyed this story and now note there is a previous book which I will be reading to find out more about the lives of the Hardie family.
I really liked some of the characters particularly Jay and Midge, hoping there's a next instalment!