Satchfield Hall By Pauline Barclay

Satchfield Hall by Pauline Barclay is an outstanding piece of writing. For all of you who remember the Mallen Streak, this is exactly who our main villain of the piece reminds me of - Thomas Mallen. Henry Bryant-Smythe is the heartless, ruthless and loveless squire of Satchfield Hall. He is unlucky in business and constantly has money worries. He treats his wife and daughter like they are something he has trodden on, and treats his staff as playthings for his own sick gratifications. When his young daughter Celia brings 'shame' onto his family name by conceiving a child out of wedlock, Henry sets off a terrifying and heartbreaking chain of events that have consequences for Celia and all those she loves. Consequences that will continue to change the lives of everyone for many years.

This book is a good old fashioned family saga about love, power, heartbreak and good old revenge and I very quickly become totally engrossed in it. It follows Celia from the time of the second world war when she was just 17, right up until she is a middle aged woman. It is heartbreaking in places and made me sob! It is also maddening in places and Henry is the type of villain you just love to hate! He is such a horrible man and Pauline has created a wonderfully intriguing character in him! He literally made me want to scream!

 All of the characters in the book are introduced and developed so well and you very quickly get caught up in what is happening to them and can almost feel their pain. I found this book very hard to put down. It is definitely a real page turner where you are desperate to find out what happens next because you care about the characters so much. The lives of the central characters are interwoven and Pauline's writing style ensures that each of her characters are equally interesting. By the final chapter I was sobbing over my Kindle. I'd recommend this book! Perfect for sitting down with a cuppa, a chocolate biscuit and a box of tissues because I can guarantee you will be sobbing too by the end!