Susan Howatch, THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE

SUSAN HOWATCH has written some really excellent books, including the Starbridge Series, Penmarrtic and Cashelmara - all emminently readable, again and again. She is one of my favourite authors.

This one, THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE is beyond praise and deals with the fateful events between two cousins. It ranges from the 1890's right up to the 1960's and tells the story of a Welsh family, the Godwins,who own a manor house on the Gower Peninsula. The reasons for each characters flaws are all explained in fascinating detail.

Howatch's trick of basing a family structure on that of a medieval dynasty always works well, as she used this in the very succesful PENMARRIC, which was adapted for TV in the 1970's (I think it was then). She also tells the story from the point of view of different characters and it can be amazing to realise how different people are seen in a totally different light by others. Howatch cannot be faulted in her portrayal of this genre.

If you want a REALLY good read with a big book and it IS a long book, get this. Hope you'll love it as much as I.