A beautifully written story in a setting I've read so little about - I highly recommend and very much enjoyed this. I will be reading more by Cressida Connolly definitely

Bad Relations - Cressida Connolly (2022)

Jumping across generations, Bad Relations examines the butterfly effect of a single decision.

Initially, we meet William and Alice Gale, as William prepares to return from service in the Crimean War, a decorated veteran whose brother was killed in the trenches. The decisions he makes upon his return home have repercussions which will play out over the next two centuries.
In the 1970’s, young Australian artist Stephen heads to Cornwall, to spend time with his distant cousins. A dreamy, hedonistic summer comes crashing to a halt, and will bring two families together from across the globe for a dramatic confrontation.

I won’t lie, I found this book to be a bit of a slog. I couldn’t immediately identify what exactly I didn’t like, but I didn’t feel excited to pick it up at any point.

Just as I began to become invested in characters, the timeline changed. I was really growing to love Alice and Caroline in part one, and before I had time to process that, the book jumped forward in time over a century. Part two introduces a new cast of characters. While the dreamy teenage hedonism was pleasant, I didn’t care for any of these characters really, and found the dialogue a bit flat (verging on ‘she breasted boobily’). I felt quite relieved to move forward in time by the end. Part three picked up for me, tying together the loose strands (at the very last minute!), with character development and humanity that felt far more authentic than the previous sections.

I always fear I rag on books too much; there was a lot to like here too! The author captures the vernacular of the different time periods in a way that feels authentic and fluent. I enjoyed finding out more about the Crimean War, something I previously knew nothing about except the name. The genealogy aspect was also fascinating, and it’s inspired me to get to my local library to find out more about my family tree.

Thanks very much to @netgalley and @penguinukbooks for the advance copy! Bad Relations will be published on May 19th 2022.

TW: infant death, suicide, mental illness

Overall, 3 stars from me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beautifully written and compelling read. I went into it not knowing much and I think it was the right choice because I was plummeted into the story without expectations. Very interesting characters and story, highly recommend!

I found this book quite unexpected and very interesting. William fought in the Crimean war and survived unlike his brother. When he came home he love that he had had with his wife Alice slowly soured and became bitter and hostile. Generations later the two strands of the family meet unaware of that acrimonious split between ancestors. Initially things went well but an accident forces emotions and suspicions to cause further pain. It is well conceived and well written and I recommend this book. Definitely worth a read.

What an engaging book - Connolly truly knows how to suck you in to a family tale. Part shocked me, parts made me cry - but I loved it. I loved the character of Stephen and I wanted his sisters to get more answers. (Sorry, no spoilers to explain that).
Connolly's story, like with 'After the Party' leaves me with a lot to think about. Her stories are never over for me with the end of the book; thoughts-wise and research-wise. It was conveyed so strongly that the things we find so important in our lives are so easily lost within a couple of generations - or less if they don't overlap. Those "fussy" people who dig into family trees to keep details alive are owed a lot of gratitude or how whould we know anything of our roots or memories of relatives?
A superb story. There are some 'Bad Relations' indeed within these pages. Thank god for the good ones - who deserved more. This book will stay in my thoughts; and it deserves a re-read when I feel like giving myself a treat!

I deliberately did not read a synopsis or a review of ‘Bad Relations’ before I started. So I approached it with an open mind and it drew me straight in. The narrative style is sharp and on point yet emotionally sensitive. The novel moves from the Crimean War to the late 70s and then finishes in the present day. Although it’s not classic historic fiction it weaves a story that originates in the Victorian era into contemporary times - and does so with flair and interest. It’s a book that you’ll race through!

First of all, this writer is a treat. As the book shifts between the three different timelines, so does her writing. She really does excel in giving the reader so so much context and information as each scene begins all the while keeping us fully engaged.

Another pro is that her characters are very animated and feel real. I was really bemused by Alice in the first of the three stories and her friendships as she navigates William and Mrs Lockwood’s conspiring, unfortunately when these chapters ended so did a lot of the joy in this book. None of the other characters even when given more time than Alice seemed as vibrant to me on the page.

I have a few friends who I think would enjoy this book more than I did, just as it’s not my typical genre in reading. I do want to keep an eye out for future releases because I did really enjoy her prose but unfortunately the plot of Bad Relations wasn’t enough to stay with me.

A beautifully written saga from Cressida Connolly which starts in the Crimean war, moving through the mid-twentieth-century in Australia and England. a beautifully written and very compelling read. The narrative flow and the characters are deftly crafted to really engage the reader. I loved and demolished this book over a few days, very engrossing.

I devoured this book over 2 days when feeling a little under the weather. It was just perfect and kept me engrossed. The story follows two branches of William Gale's family. Gale is an officer who wins the V.C. in the Crimea campaign in the 1850's but is altered on his return and wants to change his life. The story then jumps forward to 1977 and explores the story of Australian teenager, Stephen, one of Gale's descendants as he comes to stay with descendants of Gale's second wife who live in Cornwall. The action jumps forward one last time to the near present as Stephen's sister, now retired visits the Cornish family in search of answers and to take a controversial action. The narrative just flowed and I wasn't sure where it was going to take me. It was a really satisfying read with historical detail, humour and heartbreak.

Connolly's novel, despite being set in two different timelines reads quickly and that is because of the prose that is both delicate and sharp. Well-researched and well-written, "Bad Relations" is the ideal historical read for anyone who wants to get familiarized with the events of the Crimean War through its fictional depiction.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the author structured the narrative across three generations, adding a lot of depth and intrigue as I was eager to see how everything would tie together. The writing is so descriptive I could clearly picture the setting across each time frame, further drawing me into the story. I found the characters and the drama that unfolds really engaging, particularly the storyline around Stephen. It also made me reflect on how little I know about my own family history, and how easily this can be lost or unappreciated across generations.

This is essentially a family saga that starts during the Crimean War and which travels through time and distance. I found the writing distancing, not helped by the often 'told' nature of the story - for example, we're about 10% in before there's any dialogue, everything else has been exposition. This is a style which can work brilliantly but I found myself impatient and uninvolved here. I've liked Connolly before but sorry to say this book just didn't work for me.

To improve on After the Party was always going to be quite a task. Bad Relations is quite different in tone and style but a thoroughly good read nonetheless. I look forward to what comes next. I am now a committed fan of Ms Connolly.

Part historical, part coming-of-age novel, part family saga, this is the story of one family whose branches spread out and then come together again. Connolly always does bohemian upper-middle class very well but in this book she introduces the Australian part of the family and deals with them in just as nuanced a way. The heart of the book is the Summer that Aussie Stephen spends with his English second cousins in Cornwall. It’s set in the 70s and is a lovely evocation of teenage crushes, parties, languorous hot summer days and shifting loyalties. Either side of the central part of the book the story moves back in time to the Crimea and forward to the present day. Connolly captures perfectly the ambiguities in every story when viewed from a different time, the secrets, the loose-ends and the differing interpretations that can be put on people’s actions when they are no longer there to explain their motivation. At heart her story is about what remains as a memorial to people when they die. Tender and touching.

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.

Another fascinating story from Cressida Connolly. It's a bit of a tease, this one, as the reader doesn't know how the various strands will tie up until very near the end. However, the author is so competent there is never any doubt that we will get answers the questions we inevitably ask.

Starting in the Crimean war, with a medal won and a marriage lost, we move on to a mid- twentieth century meeting of distant cousins, all related to the nineteenth century recipient of the Victoria Cross in question. We then move through tragedy in London, to Australia and, nearer the present time, back to England. This is when things begin to tie up and we see the progression of the plot start to make sense.

Beautifully written, compelling and a powerful story.

Well researched, well written with interesting characters. The book is set in three different time frames, and each has its moments of brilliance. The parts are all linked around a Victoria Cross, one of the first awarded for the 1855 battle of Alma in the Crimean War.

It was okay, but not outstanding - to me anyway - it may be perfect for you.

Thanks to Netgalley I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, hone..st and my own opinion.

Connolly writes so well. In the first section she’s taken the trouble to have her characters talk in vernacular peculiar to the time. Her description of the feisty wife and her husband, traumatised by the Crimean War, the mismatch between their two experiences and their ultimate failure to create a life with two such different experiences is finely wrought and moving.
Then the book abruptly shifts time and a new cast, their descendants, appear. And just as we’re understanding them, there’s a third break and another group.
Connolly’s prose, her attention to detail, her masterful understanding of humanity can carry us but only so far.. I wanted to give 3.5 not 3 stars

This is a lovely but tragic story of the repercussions of families through generations. The first section of the novel follows William during his time in the Crimean War and his correspondence with his wife Alice at home in the UK. In his absence Alice, a strong minded intelligent woman has become involved in groups against the war and supporting soldier welfare. The characteristics that initially drew him to Alice, begin to rankle with William. On his return from the war, Alice begins to notice a change in his personality and their relationship. A promise made to a fellow soldier, William changes their lives irrevocably.
In the Second part of the novel brings us to 1970s Cornwall where we meet Stephen a descendant of Alice and William having arrived from Australia to spend a summer with his distant cousins that ultimately ends in tragedy. The story culminates in the English and Australian families meeting again in present day.
This was a very enjoyable read and the author created very detailed and engaging time periods. I enjoyed the description and factual nuggets of the Crimean War. The author captures the speech pattern of each time period wonderfully and in particular for William and Alice's section very engaging characters.
Cressida also caught the beauty, selfishness and recklessness of youth in the second section and Stephen was an endearing and sympathetic character.

I really enjoyed this book, I loved the historical aspects of it, as I have not read much set during or about the Crimean war and I feel that the dual timeline really added something extra to this book. It was well written with relatable characters.
I found some parts of the narrative more engaging than others, with me racing through some parts and feeling like others dragged unneccesarily but overall a good read.