Bad Relations

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.