Annabel Dilke The Inheritance

The Inheritance

Annabel Dilke

St. Martin's, Oct 2005, $24.95

ISBN: 031233477X

In the 1960s at the grand estate of Egerton, Alice Chandler is to marry her childhood friend Edward, who is acceptable to her aristocratic father Harry, because the groom comes from a wealthy titled family. Still, eighteen year old Alice has doubts, as she does not love Edward except as an amiable kind hearted brother. She tries to tell her father that one should only marry for love, but he refuses to halt the upcoming nuptials. She has no one else to turn to, as her clever older sister Eve, concentrates on attending Oxford, while mom is buried in the weeds of pulling off the society wedding of the year.

Eve is upset that her younger, but much prettier sibling is marrying before her, though she hides her feelings while Alice's thoughts remain on Marcus, an impoverished aristocrat who is unacceptable by her family. The womanizing Harry has forced his humiliated spouse to seek solace elsewhere; lonely Eve risks her academic future on a tryst; doubting Alice begins an affair with Marcus; finally her younger wastrel brother continues to act like he has no future.

Fans of mid twentieth century aristocratic dramas will want to read the deep character driven THE INHERITANCE. Each member of the Chandler family comes across as an individual with flaws, somewhat covered up by wealth and title, but dishonest decisions impact everyone's happiness for decades to come. The storyline follows the various Chandlers over the years, but especially concentrates on the pivotal moments surrounding the wedding. Though the deep storyline contains no action, Annabel Dilke provides a potent look at the English aristocracy whose veneer of polite moral behavior begins to fade as truths surface.