Bøger i A Horseman Riding By serien

A great read for fans of PBS's Poldark and Downton Abbeyfirst in the saga of a man returning from battle to an estate in the pre-WWI English countryside. After serving his country in the Boer War, injured Lieutenant Paul Craddock returns to England to resume civilian life. But things have changed since he joined the Imperial Yeomanry three years ago. His father has died, leaving Paul as heir to a scrap metal business he has no intention of continuing. Instead, he purchases an auctioned-off thirteen-hundred-acre estate in a secluded corner of Devon. Neglected and overgrown, Shallowford becomes the symbol of all that Paul has lostand a reminder of the gentle place his homeland once was. And here, on this sprawling stretch of land, he will be changed by his love for two women: fiercely independent Grace Lovell, and lovely, demure Claire Derwent. Set in the English countryside in the first part of the previous centuryfrom the long ';Edwardian afternoon' following the death of Queen Victoria, to the gathering storm of World War ILong Summer Dayis the story of a man, his family, and a people struggling to adapt to life in a new world.Long Summer Dayis the first novel in R. F. Delderfield's saga A Horseman Riding By, which continues withPost of HonourandThe Green Gauntlet.

1942-1964 Paul and Claire Craddock have grown older in years - but not in spirit. The turbulence of war is followed by a penurious peace. Changes are taking place in the countryside, from the way land is farmed to the hopes and expectations of the men and women who live there. Paul Craddock's livelihood, his peace, and his vision of a good and noble way of life in Shallowford are all threatened. With the help of his children and his children's children, Paul starts to adapt his dreams in order to preserve the farm. To his surprise and pleasure, in doing so he comes to discover deeper, richer ties with those around him - ties that hold a ripe promise for the future.

1902-1911 An age of innocence and hope. Before the storm clouds roll over Europe. As Paul Craddock recovers from his Boer War injuries, he starts to plan a new life. As soon as he is able he invests all he has in a remote but beautiful estate in Devon, determined to make something wonderful of the place and to be at the heart of what is most real and most important. Then he meets Grace, beautiful and passionate, and mistress of the land he has so quickly grown to love. Equals in spirit and honour, their attraction to each other is undeniable, but she too has ambitions - and they may not be compatible with his. As Paul gains knowledge, contentment and stature in Shallowford it is at the price of heartbreak and bittersweet lessons learned.

1912-1940 A generation fallen. A country that will never be the same again. Nowhere in England avoids the searing loss of young men during the First World War and the remote Devon village of Shallowford is no exception. Many never return and the lives of those who do come back are changed forever. Paul Craddock must try to rebuild the estate and, with more difficulty, the bonds broken between the people who belong there. It is a time of huge social change and there are challenges in peace as hard to surmount as those of war. And before they are met, Germany once again threatens the stability of Europe and a way of life so hard won.