God Is an Englishman (The Swann Family Saga: Volume 1)

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Delderfield wrote The Adventures of Ben Gunn (1956) which follows Ben Gunn from sexton's son to pirate and is narrated by Jim Hawkins in Gunn's words. It describes the life of Ben Gunn from the events which led him to leave Devon, and eventually to his presence on Treasure Island and involvement in the story told by Stevenson, and follows up with a brief summary of Ben Gunn's life afterwards.

Over the fearful spring of 1942, as the German Luftwaffe sought to bomb the allies into surrender, William Beveridge worked away on the report set to transform postwar Britain. By nature, Beveridge was a rather dry civil servant and his draft for a new welfare state looked set to be equally austere. Until, that is, his future wife Jessy Mair got hold of it. She urged him to put aside the bureaucratic language and instead insert some "Cromwellian spirit" into the prose. And so the Beveridge report became one of the most inspiring publications of the 20th century, with its call to slay the "Five Giant Evils" of Squalor, Ignorance, Want, Idleness and Disease, and to build a new Jerusalem of social justice. Curiously, Hill is more forgiving about Cromwell's conduct in Ireland. Of the 1649 bloodbaths in Drogheda and Wexford, from where Cromwell unleashed a murderous savagery out of revenge for the Irish rebellion of 1641 and to ensure there would be no Popish plots against the Commonwealth in England, Hill admits it "is not one of the pleasanter aspects of our hero's career" and he has no desire "to whitewash" his conduct. Nevertheless, "we must get the campaign and its aftermath into historical perspective, and try to see it through the eyes of Cromwell and his contemporaries". Cromwell's progression through Ireland is now widely regarded as an ugly display of bloodthirsty, even genocidal violence towards Irish Catholics. Horne was conferred with degrees honoris causa by a number of Australian academic institutions, including Griffith University (Doctor of the University), University of New South Wales ( Doctor of Letters), University of Canberra (Doctor of the University), the Australian Academy of the Humanities (Fellow), and the University of Sydney (Honorary Doctorate: 2005). [1] Adam Swann is a very interesting and smart character and his aims to build his own place in the world are a kind of microcosm of how industry and entrepreneurism changed the world in the mid-1800s. His feisty wife, Henrietta, adds another dimension to both this man and the story, and Delderfield peoples the novel with a supporting cast that feels real and substantial. While there are sections in which the building of Swann-on-Wheels, Adam’s business, can become a little laborious, the understanding of it is essential to understanding the characters and their lives.Stella, married at 18 to an impotent aristocrat who tries to imprison her in his life of shame and disgrace. Despite initial conservative views, [2] he was unorthodox and independent-minded, without a consistent political allegiance. He was, however, known through much of his public career for his republicanism, a more independent national self-image, his advocacy for the importance of the arts, and a raising in standards of public debate.

following the enormous success of God Is an Englishman. -- is a vast, engrossing novel of England at the height of her power and of Adam Swann, the adventurous founder of a mighty commercial empire, his wife Henrietta and the family of spirited, headstrong children who will carry his name and fortune into the future:

Distinctions

I decided to sample Delderfield after finishing the Poldark series and having withdrawal symptoms. I wanted another family I could sink my teeth into and become completely involved in. This novel was set in the same time frame as Poldark, but actually covers completely different issues, so I stopped comparing the two and just settled down to enjoy this story as a thing apart. That worked out fine, because there is a lot to enjoy here.