God Is an Englishman: 1 (Swann Family Saga)

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Adam becomes a business-owner of a different sort, treating his employees and managers as full team members. He reveals the politicking and doubtful, but only too human motives that swirl round and through the sieve of a small local paper. A major dispute and turning point between Adam and Henrietta comes about because of the suffering of a chimney sweep. I read a few smaller books in between, but I just adored spending so much time in Victorian England. I recently read an exceptional book titled ‘God is an Englishman’ published exactly 50 years ago, and all the way through it the Australian author Donald Horne, (who also wrote the well-known book ‘The Lucky Country’ about his own homeland) shows as much penetrating insight into who exactly the English are as anyone else I know of.

When they bellowed out Land of Hope and Glory the British thanked God for making them mighty and then asked him for more. I liked that the men and women are essentially well-matched in strength and intelligence although their roles end up being traditional.I think this is why my reading of Delderfield's book Long Summer Day came more easily to me because the center of it is a country house that is very much a home. Adam Swann, a 31-year-old cavalryman in the service of Queen Victoria’s army, decides to break off with his family’s military tradition and gives up his soldierly life in lieu of starting anew in England as a businessman. I believe they are important in giving you a real feel for the time and place, adding geographical variety as well as interesting personalities.

I felt a little uneasy with the fact that Henrietta’s character changes because Adam pushes it to do so, but as the novel progressed it became clear that he’d just given her an opportunity rather than actually pushing her at all; that was just how he thought of it.The whole Swann on Wheels business makes for a great story, but in the end, I'm rather a typical woman (ha! I got tired of sitting in my miserable old computer chair (a dining table chair that's pretty much reached the end of its days) and moved the DVD to my laptop so I could flop against some pillows to read.

It manages to deal with these variations without growing cynical or using the struggles as an excuse to veer off into infidelity. I loved, loved, loved that this was set in Victorian England and didn’t just focus on London, but the entire country, and more so that specific issues are highlighted and addressed.I have to admit that I skimmed some of these sections, though, because I wanted to get back to the main story and the details got a bit much for me at times. We have, he concludes, found "new soul" in a mishmash of multiculturalism, spiritual relativism, environmentalism and collective despair at the sheer hollowness of life, suffering and death when stripped of any contemplative, transcendent urge. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. This will perhaps prove to be the north’s greatest folly as it blew it’s best chance at early liberation from the grip of Britain’s “public school mob”rulers. Much of the book examines (which could be boring to some) the business growth, with some time being spent on his family.