Demelza (Poldark, #2)

by Winston Graham

Demelza is the second book in Winston Graham's hugely popular Poldark series, which has become a television phenomenon starring Aidan Turner.

Demelza Carne, the impoverished miner's daughter Ross Poldark rescued from a fairground rabble, is now his wife. But the events of these turbulent years test their marriage and their love.

Demelza's efforts to adapt to the ways of the gentry – and her husband – bring her confusion and heartache, despite her joy in the birth of their first child. Ross begins a bitter struggle for the rights of the mining communities – and sows the seed of an enduring enmity with powerful George Warleggan.

Demelza is followed by Jeremy Poldark, the third title in this blockbuster series set in 18th century Cornwall.

• ISBN10: 1447281535
• ISBN13: 9781447281535
• Publish Date: 12 February 2015 (first published 1 January 1960)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 25 May 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Imprint: Pan Books
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 544
• Language: English

Reviews

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

Sadly, when I hear the name Ross I automatically think of Friends Ross Geller. Poor pathetic Ross who for ten years pines over Rachel. Ross Poldark could have easily fallen into this mold, pining for Elizabeth for the next ten books, but fortunately we are spared.

I am a sucker for melodrama, especially in the form of tv, which has made it so difficult to stay away from the PBS series to keep myself out of the know. With love, rivalry, and class struggle this was a recipe of perfection. As engrossing as the storyline was, I liked the attention to detail Graham provided even more. I could vividly picture Ross and Rachel Demelza and the scenery was something to salivate over. But Graham provides a good solid story with characters who count and scream to have their stories be told.

Overall, Poldark is the beginning of an interesting Odyssey of a series and look forward to reading the rest of the Poldark saga.

[lindsey]

The Goodreads blurb is short and sweet, but it definitely sums up the book.

I have to be honest and admit that I had never even heard of this series until the new Masterpiece series was advertised. I watched the first episode and was immediately hooked. Apparently the Poldark series is a well-known and beloved thing, so maybe I'm one of the few people new to it.

I think it helped that I watched an episode first (even though I usually do just the opposite) because I already had the main characters and landscape in my head when I started reading. I'm afraid the book would have started off a little slow and dull if I hadn't already been invested in the characters. After a couple of chapters, however, things picked up, and the rest of the book was interesting and enjoyable. I really liked the characters of Ross and Demelza. All of the characters are well-written, but those two were definitely my favorites.

I didn't realize this was first published in 1945 until I was almost finished with the book, but it has held up well over the years. Winston Graham's writing is beautiful and descriptive, and it was easy to get lost in the story. I loved the character development of the main characters, and I had a hard time putting the book down. I am definitely planning to read the rest of the series.

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