About the Book:
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reissue edition (February 5, 2013)
About the Author:
Born in Hollywood, California, Phillip Rock lived in England with his family until the blitz of 1940. He spent his adult years in Los Angeles and published three novels before the Passing Bells series: Flickers, The Dead in Guanajuato, andThe Extraordinary Seaman. He died in 2004.
My Opinion:
This is the final volume of the Greville family saga and I must admit I was sorry to see it end. I found myself quite involved with the lives and loves of the Grevilles and their circle of relatives and friends and I felt a loss when I turned the last page. I had, after all been with them for quite a few years.
This chapter takes from where Circles of Time left off – as Hitler was just starting to come on the scene in Germany. Many fear this new voice in Germany but England and France are tired from WWI and don’t want to think of another war. We all know the history; this book takes the Grevilles and the next generation through that history.
The reader gets to know the younger generation; Colin – Alexandra’s son and his friend, Derek. The three daughters of Fenton Wood-Lacy and young Albert Thaxton – Ivy’s brother. Martin Wilke has taken him under his wing and Albert is determined to become a journalist.
Times change but the Pryory goes on, solid into the future. Will it remain?
I will admit that as much as I enjoyed this last book I did find it to be my least favorite of the three. I suspect that it was because it focused on the younger generation. After two books of the older members I was invested and I wanted more of them and less of the characters of which I was less involved. That did not make for a poor read – the history and the writing was as wonderful as the first two books. In fact, I felt such a let down when I turned the last page I wished there were additional books. I truly did not want the saga to end.
Mr. Rock wrote these characters in a way that they got under my skin and I felt they were real – even when I knew darn well they weren’t. Even when I didn’t like aspects of personalities I still wanted them to succeed. And I suppose that was the lack I felt in this book – too many stories were left unfinished. Particularly with the older characters. Although as I sit and type this and consider the time in which it was written and realize that not all books had tight endings.
So I say goodbye to the Grevilles and move on to other reading. I shall miss them. I really shall.
Rating:
4
You can see the Philip Rock Tour Schedule
You can read my review of The Passing Bells
You can read my review of Circles of Time
You can purchase A Future Arrived on Amazon.com
You can purchase The Passing Bells on Amazon.com
You can purchase Circles on Time on Amazon.com
The Giveaway:
One lucky US reader will win The Passing Bells Trilogy! How do you win? It’s easy! Just hop on the Rafflecopter! Good luck everyone.
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Disclosure: I was sent the trilogy free for my honest review from TLC Book Tours. I received no compensation for this post.
