
If you think Cornwall was one of the UK’s most vibrant, culturally advanced, and innovative regions at the end of the 18th century, well, you’re wrong. Very wrong. It took exceptional courage for an author to set his epic family saga in this era. Winston Graham had that courage. And persistence. Warleggan is now the fourth part of the Poldark family saga.
Back to the Copper Mines
What can one do in Cornwall at the end of the 18th century? Besides fishing and smuggling, of course. Well, mining. The area is full of copper. The fact that copper prices have been in the gutter for about a decade doesn’t seem to bother anyone.
It’s almost comical, this stubbornness that defies all logic, with which Poldark teeters on the edge of bankruptcy and collapse, only to be granted yet another short-lived reprieve thanks to unexpected twists, allowing him to keep struggling against fate.
But there’s no need to worry. You know full well that he only needs to hold out a little longer, and once war breaks out between England and revolutionary France, prosperity will return.
And the Poldarks will become filthy rich.
Winston Graham finds his rhythm
The Poldark series is not the most groundbreaking family saga, that’s for sure. While it does highlight the social conditions of the time, its core focus is more on the private lives of the Poldarks and those who become intertwined with them.
It’s clear that a novel like this needs conflicts and dramas. As you read Warleggan, at least in the first half, you’ll discover that these conflicts are presented in just the right balance.
It’s clear that a novel like this needs various conflicts and dramas. While reading Warleggan, you’ll notice – at least in the first half – that these clashes are incorporated in just the right amount.
Moreover, several parts of Warleggan bring the excitement of an adventure novel.
And when it turns to more mundane, everyday matters, like the interactions between the Poldark couple, Graham still manages to make them interesting enough.
Love must linger!
Remember Verity and Captain Blamey’s hard-fought marriage? After they finally tied the knot following numerous obstacles, they completely disappeared from the picture. Winston Graham likely decided that filling Demelza and Ross’s married life with content was more than enough work for him.
So, Verity and Blamey exit stage left, and in their place come Dr. Dwight Enys and the fiery heiress, Caroline. Their role is essentially the same as the previous couple’s: to captivate readers with a hopeless romance.
The trick, of course, works again, and you follow their love story with nearly the same tense curiosity as you did with Verity and Blamey.
Of course, if they do end up together, they too will probably lose their appeal in Winston Graham’s eyes. And then, we’ll need another star-crossed lover, possibly with even more tenuous connections to the Poldarks…
Is Vercoe, the custom officer, next in line?
Winston Graham falls out of rhythm
Around the same time Ross Poldark, deeply troubled, sets out on an uninvited visit to Elizabeth, his former unfaithful love, Winston Graham makes a HUGE mistake. He decides his romance-soaked but still classy family saga needs to be kicked up a notch. More passion, more conflict, and even more drama. Plus, more well-justified reasons for revenge.
Haven’t Ross and Elizabeth already settled things between them? What’s in the past is in the past, right?
No! – says Winston Graham. – Absolutely not!
The forced conflict between Ross and the reluctant Elizabeth feels completely fabricated. It serves no other purpose than to sow the seeds of further discord between the Poldarks and Warleggans, ensuring enough material for the next installments.
Ross Poldark loses all sympathy
Ross has always been hot-headed but has an unshakeable moral compass. Or rather, he did. Until now.
It’s hard to tell whether Graham realized the weight of what he was doing when he completely turned a long-established and consistent character on his head. Especially one on whom the entire series heavily relies.
Personally, from this point on, I HATE Ross Poldark. I will never trust him again. And it would be a miracle if Demelza ever does.
But the worst part is how Poldark views the consequences of his actions. With total indifference. Without a hint of guilt. Completely detached, like a sociopath: “Well, it is what it is, okay, what can you do? Let’s just move on.”
But what about Warleggan?
Well, essentially, not much. George Warleggan’s role is pretty much limited to being someone for Ross Poldark to continuously clash with. Warleggan’s role is so minimal in this fourth part of the series that the title seems almost incomprehensible.
Nonetheless, Winston Graham is starting to set Warleggan up for the next installments: the businessman is pulling increasingly nasty moves and is becoming an even even bigger scumbag than before…
Maybe it would be best if these two jerks just took each other out.
Rating: 7.7/10
Warleggan (Poldark #4) by Winston Graham
490 pages, Paperback
Published in 2016 by Pan Books
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Reviews of previous books in the series:
1. Ross Podark
2. Demelza
3. Jeremy