Title:The Cavendon Luck
Author:Barbara Taylor Bradford
Series:Cavendon Hall, #3
Narrator:Anna Bentinck
Published:June 2016, Macmillan Audio / St. Martin’s Press
Length:16 hours 11 minutes / Hardcover, 512 pages
Source:Personal copy via Audible / Publicist
From the #1 New York Times bestselling
author comes a captivating epic saga of courage and honor, following
the aristocratic Inghams and the loyal Swann family who have served them
for centuries.It is 1938 in England, and Miles and Cecily
Ingham have lead the family in bringing the Cavendon estate back from
the brink of disaster. But now, with the arrival of World War II,
Cavendon Hall will face its biggest challenge yet. It is a challenge
that will push the Inghams and Swanns to protect each other and the
villagers, and reveal their true capacity for survival and rebirth.Told with Bradford’s deft, evocative prose and featuring a beloved cast of characters, The Cavendon Luck is a story of intrigue, romance, sorrow, and joy that readers won’t soon forget.
My thoughts:This is the final book in Barbara Taylor Bradford’s Cavendon Hall trilogy and I‘m so bummed to have come to the end of this series…I really enjoyed it and getting to know the latest families and world that Barbara Taylor Bradford has created for us. While Emma Hart and The Woman of Substance Saga will forever remain as my favorite BTB series, this one wasn’t too bad…and having Emma Hart make a cameo – I loved it!!!
This latest installment picks up ten years after the prior book, just before the start of WWII. The family has brought Cavendon Hall back from the brink of collapse and now must weather the impending war. We see the impact that the war has on both families, the Inghams and the Swanns, and see that that class line that was once so distinct between the two families has slowly started to fade away.
I loved seeing the different roles that each character played during the war. Cecily and her shop and factories are at the ready for whatever clothing needs might be needed throughout the war. They have adjusted to the demands already, going from fashionable couture to ready-made clothing. Dierdre, one of the Dee’s, is back at work at the war office, working at covert operations. I loved seeing her in the role as “spy” and her interactions with her operatives were at times humorous, with all their nicknames, but had that serious tone to it.
This book, as with the other two, had its share of happiness, sadness, weddings and death. It was set during a tumultuous time in our history and the seriousness of that really comes across. We see the direct impact that the war has had on our characters and how they learn to deal with it in their everyday lives and in the aftermath.
This series was a good series, a great family saga with fun characters that you just wanted more of. My only complaint would be that it would have been nice to have had a family tree included in the books to help keep track of who everyone was – it was hard to remember, especially in the beginning, who was who. What I did love, though, was the inclusion of some beloved characters from Barbara Taylor Bradford’s previous books – especially Emma Hart and Blackie O’Neil…so much so, that I am seriously considering rereading the Woman of Substance saga again!!!
Audio thoughts:I so enjoyed Anna Bentinck’s narrations of this series…I thought she did a great job with the voices throughout the three books, staying pretty consistent from book to book, as far as I could tell. Her pacing and tone were good and she infused just the right amount of humor and seriousness when needed. I will definitely be checking out what else she has narrated!
Books in this series:
- Cavendon Hall
- The Cavendon Women
- The Cavendon Luck
