I absolutely loved the author’s previous novel After the Party so was thrilled to have the opportunity to read Bad Relations. I really enjoy multi generational family stories and this covers three generations beginning with William and set during the Crimean war and ending with his descendants in the twenty first century. I knew very little about the Crimean war and it isn’t a period of history I’m drawn to reading about but I did find this section interesting particularly reading the point of view of William’s wife. The novel then jumps to the 1970s and as it moves into the twentieth and twenty first centuries it felt like a separate novel as the style of writing also changed. It felt like there was a section of history missing and I’d have loved to read more set in the years in between. Despite this I really enjoyed all sections of the novel and felt drawn into the family relationships. Connolly writes beautifully and I did feel transported back to the nineteenth century. Another excellent novel that I’d recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Goodness me is this really written by the same author that brought us After The Party? Having read that some years ago I was quite eager to get my teeth into this one, but am left feeling depressed and disappointed.

The story starts in the Crimean war, which I must admit, is not a period of history I have had any interest in and most probably fell into a stupor during long, boring history lessons in school. That and the Napoleonic Wars leave me absolutely cold, so, it probably didn’t help that the first past of this book takes place during the Crimean war. It focuses on William’s ex[experiences and how they shaped his life.

Move forward a few decades and we are now in Cornwall with William’s descendants….and I’m afraid that this is where I stopped reading….

There is noting wrong with the writing, it’s simply the topic which left me cold, as did the characters. Such a pity, as I was expecting as good a read as I got with After the Party.

I was asked by Netgalley to review Bad Relations because I had enjoyed Cressida Connoly's first novel After The Party. Sometimes a second novel can be a letdown, not in this case.
The story is told in three time lines beginning with a soldier in the Crimean War and following his descendants through the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. We tend to not know much about wars before the Great War and it was interesting to see the effect War had on young men in a restrictive age such as Victorian times. Long before PTSD was known about the sights seen in the field of battle lived on changing lives.
William Gale the soldier in the first part of the story sees the death of his younger brother and has to deal with the practicalities of sending news to his parents. Already a War hero he is awarded the Victoria Cross and it is this medal that we follow down the years.
This is a book that is difficult to put down a true page turner and I am so glad that I have had the chance to read and review it.

The first thing to say is that if you looked at the cover without reading the blurb you might be surprised to discover the first part of the book, making up nearly one third of the story, is set during the Crimean War.

I found these early chapters particularly powerful, depicting as they do the mismanagement of the campaign and the needless loss of life both as a result of the conflict and of disease. An officer in The Royal Welch Fusiliers, William Gale returns from the Crimean war to a hero’s welcome but is a changed man. Whether as a result of the trauma of his experiences or the manipulation of others, he makes a rather inexplicable decision that has longlasting repercussions for his family, especially for his wife, Alice, and their young son.

The novel than makes a massive jump in time – from the 1850s to the 1970s. I found myself rather disappointed that I wasn’t going to learn more about what happens to William and Alice (particularly Alice, who comes across as a really interesting character) or their descendants over the next century. Instead we find ourselves in the 1970s, generations later, with a story that explores family dynamics in an insightful way but which seems quite different from what went before. Having said that, I have to admit the author does a great job of matching her writing style to the different periods: the formality of the Victorian age in the first part of the book and the more vibrant and liberated spirit of the second part, all ‘sex and drugs and rock’n’roll’.

The connection between the first and second part of the book felt a little tangential. Although it features descendants of William and Alice Gale, it could really have involved any family group to which an outsider is introduced. In fact, I think the second part of the novel could have made a book in itself because the story is compelling, insightful and ultimately rather sad. To me, the third and final part of the book felt a little like a prolonged epilogue, a way of tying up some loose ends, in particular regarding an object that features in the first two parts. And I’m not sure that I would categorise the book’s conclusion as ‘a terrible reckoning’ – more some expression of home truths – and I felt it ended on quite an uplifting note. Some of the characters who reappear in the final part of the book were a lot less likeable than when we first encountered them. For example, the beautiful Cass seems to have been transformed from coolly unattainable to rather cold and avaricious, especially when the prospect of an unexpected fortune presents itself. This contrasts with one of the new characters, Stephen’s sister Hazel, who despite being treated with a degree of snobbery comes across as entirely open and honest in her intentions.

At times Bad Relations seemed to me like three separate books. (I confess I did have the uncharitable thought that the author may have come up with three ideas, couldn’t decide which one she liked best and so put them all together.) In a way I felt the same about Bad Relations as I did about the author’s earlier book, After the Party, that whilst I admired the skilful writing and there were bits of it I enjoyed, overall I was left with a slight sense of disappointment.

This was a really good novel. I found following the different family members and generations really interesting and I liked how everything ties up together. I feel I got quite attached to Alice and William, the first generation we meet in 1855 with William fighting in Crimea and I would have liked to know more. The middle story - 1977 Cornwall - interested me less than the others, and I really enjoyed the 2017 part with relatives meeting up and sharing stories about the previous generations. It was well written, each period felt convincing. It reminded me a bit of Anne Tyler's generational stories and novels but with larger gaps between the characters. It was really good and I read it in one afternoon.

‘Families don’t always bring out the best in people’

I found this to be a wonderfully written, multi generational historical story set between the Crimean war, 1970’s Cornwall and modern day Australia and England. The story telling is controlled and beautifully paced. It only took me a couple of summer days to read this, a pace that is rare for me. The story took turns that I never expected, which I always like.

I was actually a bit wary of this before I received it - wasn’t sure if I wanted a family epic spanning the generations - I’d already had the behemoth that was Hanya Yanagihara’s ‘To paradise’ to do me. But this was much tighter, shorter and more compact, and really nothing like that book. I always trusted the author - it felt like she was in control and would have trusted her in whatever direction she took the story.

The book begins in Crimea, with William Gale mourning the loss of his brother in the war, cutting a lock of his hair for his parents. His wife Alice waits for him, but when he returns he’s not the same man and his actions then have consequences which reverberate through the ages.

I found the middle section in the seventies particularly poignant, and you really got the sense of a golden, carefree summer and the joy of being a teenager. Stephen arrives from Australia, meeting up with some distant relations to work for the summer. The setting was incredibly evocative and it was easily to imagine the family and the ramshackle farm house. Stephen is a good narrator and was an especially engaging character for me, and I liked the interplay between him and Georgia and Cass, the two sisters. But there are dark clouds in the summer sky.

The characters felt all too human - they were always shifting, moving, revealing themselves. Some of them are colder than others, others complicated, but they always felt real. Cecelia, the mother of the two sisters, is especially removed and distant, something which also has an effect later.

The book is really good at looking at grief and loss within a family, and it felt like Cressida Connolly really understands the dynamics that exist, especially between siblings. She really ramps up the tension in the final third of the book - such a cliche, but I couldn’t put it down.

It’s funny how decisions, big and small, ripple down through the ages. Bad feelings linger, pushed down only to surface again. There’s one storyline involving a family heirloom that does have consequences, and I suppose the story had to be tied up somewhere, but I really didn't want it to end. Just really masterful storytelling in a book I thoroughly enjoyed, a proper page turner, with wonderfully crisp prose and taut storytelling.

Thanks to Netgalley and Viking for the ARC

This multi-generational historical family saga fell completely flat for me. It’s not a bad book, by any means and it’s obvious that many have thoroughly enjoyed it. But for me it felt just ordinary. There’s nothing original or particularly insightful here. The writing is competent on the whole although the dialogue sometimes failed to convince. But it’s written on the outside looking in and I remained unengaged and distanced from the characters, all of whom largely conform to stereotype. A great disappointment following After the Party – I know Connolly can do better than this run-of-the mill effort.

Bad Relations spans multiple generations of a family from the Crimean War to current times from the battlefields, to England, Australia and back. The opening left me wondering if this was the book for me as it was heavy with detail of the Crimean War and life in the trenches, without any dialogue. However, once the story go to the letters between William and Alice I was hooked. I found the lack of transition between each time period quite jarring and was left wondering about the characters from the previous time period, until the links and consequences between the generations were eventually revealed. Whilst jarring it did serve to condense what could otherwise be a 500+ page family saga to the succinct 300ish pages it is. Despite the length the author deftly creates a sense of place and time in each era. William’s Victoria Cross earned in the war and the pervasive theme of loss is what links the generations. I really enjoyed Bad Relations and will now seek out Connolly’s other works.
#Badrelations #PenguinUKBooks #VikingBooksUK #netgalley

The premise of intergenerational trauma that we see affecting generations to come with different timelines is a trope I usually enjoy which Is why I initially requested for a copy of Bad Relations.

However, I did not seem to care all that much about the characters and as it sometimes goes with different timelines I did enjoy the past better as it felt more researched and thought through.

My main issue though was the characters felt a bit flat and the writing disjointed at times which did not improve the reading experience sadly.

I guess the is just one of those instances where the book and I did not get along very well I am afraid.


Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this e-arc!

I really enjoyed "after the party" and was looking forward to reading this book. The writing gave it an easy to read style and I always enjoy a family saga demonstrating how the actions of one generation have, often unforseen, consequences on the family for many years to come
However, in the end, I didn't really feel particularly connected to the characters or have strong feelings about what happened to them
Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Books for an advance copy of this book.

I loved jumping through time in this enchanting story, that really captured my heart. The repercussions of one man’s actions, many years ahead. Beautifully told, this was captivating.

Historical fiction is very often hit or miss for me. I really liked the writing but the pacing i felt was a bit off, and the plot was a bit boring for my taste. However, I do think people who really enjoy historical fiction would love this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin UK for sending me an advanced copy

Split into three parts, Bad Relations takes us through the generations of a family, encapsulating the butterfly effect.

Part One is set in 1855 during the Crimean War, following William and his wife Alice. In Part Two, we travel to Cornwall in the 1970s and meet Stephen, who is a descendent of Alice and William. We follow him on his journey from Australia to visit his distant cousins. Finally, in Part Three we skip forward to 2015 where the two families meet again.

I loved the writing in this and feel like the three parts worked really well. Part Two was probably my favourite and the part were I felt the most engaged. I did feel like something was missing and can’t quite put my finger on what, however overall I really enjoyed it!

A novel about ancestry and actions that reverberate through the generations. This was quite an easy read and the topics covered were interesting. However, it lacked a lot of depth for me. The ideas were there but the prose and character building felt very two dimensional unfortunately. At points I also felt it strayed into the territory of war glorification which seemed problematic amongst the mental health and PTSD storylines that were presented.

A thoroughly enjoyable book that is a real study in the choices we make and the legacy they leave behind. Starting on the battlefields and moving quickly onto the more present day - there is still a battlefield but one that is less obvious but equally harsh. I really enjoyed the character traits that transcended time and the subtle ways that Connolly alluded to the influence of ancestry something the reader is only privy to. A good story.

Firstly thank you to @netgalley @viking and of course Cressida Connolly for gifting me this ARC

This was a very unusual read for me and was really a book of two half’s . At the beginning i felt it was a little slow but once I got to Stephen’s story I was hooked . It was a little jumpy between the gaps of years which I found a little hard to adjust to but the confidence of the authors writing was mesmerising.

This is a beautiful lovely yet tragic story
with a rich plot full of vivid characters. There was so much in terms of context/information that it is easy to not be able to put this book down (I read half in one sitting!)

I would love to read more from this author and will definitely be recommending!

a beautiful multi-generation story within a family. My favourite storyline was that of Stephen, it was so heartbreaking and raw that I felt true emotion reading it.

Bad Relations is a poignant look at the complicated branches of a family tree. Doing genealogical research builds a picture of dates, places and people but the stories, motivations and historical background gets lost.
The narrative moves from the 1853 Crimean War to 1970s Britain and then 2017 telling the stories of a fractured family.
The characters were nuanced and interesting and kept my interest in the narrative. There were no acknowledgements or afterword in the pre-published edition I read but I can imagine that the author had a family connection with the Crimea themselves, as well as relating some experiences from the 70s.
I was left ruminating about how heirlooms are passed down and the different ways in which people are memorialised so that their lives mean something to future generations who may not have had any contact with them.

Bad Relations was an interesting read for me - I came into it very excited at the prospect of a multi-generational story, something I have been really enjoying recently. And it certainly was that, though I personally didn’t enjoy the large jumps between generations (it took me a sec to mentally switch from the 1850/60s to the 1970s!). Cressida Connolly has an absolutely beautiful writing style, and her ability to write so convincingly in the vernacular of the time period the generation is situated in bolsters this book so much. I definitely enjoyed the first generation the most, and only wished we got more time with Alice - a character with a lot of depth, which I would have liked to have seen more of. I did enjoy the guesswork the reader had to put in to figure out what happened to Stephen until everything was fully, although very hastily, revealed in the final part and all the loose ends were tied up. If anything that final part felt slightly rushed, and it wasn’t helped by the fact that I felt the structure of the generations to be a little jumpy. The modern characters we join in 2015 don’t feel as developed and as soulful as the others we’re introduced to earlier in the novel; even Cass and Georgie seem a little off, although I think their combined reactions to their mother are perfect (and I liked the sense of justice they provided!!). Ultimately, what shone for me in Bad Relations was the gorgeous, intricately crafted writing which slotted into generation after generation, and made every different setting very animated. I equally enjoyed how I, unknowingly, developed quite a hatred for some characters by the end - William, Celia etc - I think Connolly sneakily persuaded you to hate them bit by bit before revealing the true extent of the actions in the final part, so it feels rewarding to have your dislike for them affirmed! Overall, a really enjoyable read however I found it slightly jumpy, which created a disconnect in the whole generation lead framework.

A masterful and confident novel that spans three time periods. The story is punctuated by three acts of thoughtless cruelty and one, late, act of kindness. Something is broken in the family that is passed on from generation to generation. The cruelty in each case is breathtaking and brought tears to my eyes as beautiful and innocent people are betrayed. I loved how the book resolves itself in the present day allowing some hope for the future.