Review of Susan Howatch The Wheel of Fortune

Susan Howatch is the author of several books centred on conflict within families. Some of these are about religious conflicts, the so-called Starbridge Novels inspired by living in Salisbury (like Sins of the Fathers and Mystical Paths), or about family feuds, often spanning generations like The Rich are Different. Her first novel, I think, was Penmarric but her work greatly matured after this. They usually involve some kind of psychological conflict or obsession, and stretch over several generations.

The Wheel of Fortune (Hamish Hamilton Ltd, London, 1984 represents the last of her books and is long (some 1,100 pages). It covers the period before the First World War to the late 1960s. I have read it twice now separated by several years. This is the synopsis from Alibris:

"Robert Godwin's tumultuous ride on the Wheel of Fortune begins with his passion for his sensual cousin Ginevra, as they waltz to 'The Blue Danube' beneath the chandeliers at Oxmoon, his beloved family home in Wales. As Robert discovers, his rational, well-ordered mind will be forever altered by his obsession for Ginevra, and his destiny will be forever linked to Oxmoon by the skeletons which lurk in the family closet...For fifty years, from the sinister summer afternoon of 1913 to the 1960s, the Godwin family are sucked into a maelstrom of passion, disorder, madness and murder. Fortunes rise and fall in this sweeping, compulsive tale, until the Wheel of Fortune finally comes full circle."

I find her books dark, gothic and fascinating. They have a devoted following but are little known or appreciated. I tried to join a Yahoo Discussion Group on her work, there are two groups and both are full so can't be joined.

I read Cashelmara and found it to be quite good--though that was some time ago. I think she loosely based the story on the lives of Edward I, Edward II, and Edward III. However, the characters were not kings and it was set in a later time period. I think it would be considered a bit of a chick book, but I thought the characters were well developed and sympathetic...and the plot was strong and held together well. This is the only thing of hers I read.

My wife has read all the books of Susan Howatch and says that the author has developed a lot since the early books, Penmarric and Cashelmara. I have read some of the six Starbridge series about churchmen, but religious matters are not my prime interest. I was lucky enough to read The Wheel of Fortune first of all. This was, I think, her last novel, or perhaps the penultimate. I have just finished reading The Rich are Different, a strange novel about Paul and his relationships to women, first published in 1977, seven years before The Wheel of Fortune.

Its a matter of luck which book one starts with, but the two more recent books probably are among the best. Then again, it is also a matter of personal taste and preference.

True. I often find that I prefer the less popular titles of an author. I don't know if that means I am contrary. For instance, with Dickens--I prefer The Old Curiosity Shop and Little Dorrit. With Edgar Allan Poe, I actually preferred his mysteries to his better known horrors.