God Is an Englishman: 1 (Swann Family Saga)

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His late 60’s dissection of English politics culture and economics during the last two or three centuries, from the height of the Empire to its decline and Britain’s nod toward Europe is highly critical of high-brow, stuck up England (the south), finds English yeomanry (the north) praise-worthy, though strangely passive and mimicking concerning the south and is spot on when he suggests its flirtation with Europe will ultimately be rejected. Adam Swann, a commissioned soldier is brought down, but survives and discovers a ruby necklace of great value. 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. This first volume in the trilogy follows Adam Swann as he decides to leave the army and start a business back home. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

I particularly enjoyed the series of vignettes in the middle of the book, showing how three of Adam’s employees distinguished themselves. Then there is a third strand – an elegant, potted social and cultural history of 1980s and 1990s Britain, told in the broad, sweeping manner of a prime-time BBC television history series, presented by an off-duty newscaster, full of wonderfully evocative (for those of a similar generation) references to Bucks Fizz records and Morecambe and Wise catchphrases. 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. This is a feminist novel for the 1970’s: it has strong, capable women, but they are more than willing to subjugate themselves if they can only find a man who is yet stronger and more capable.

The Colonel came to see him then and told him that Henrietta had been flirting with a neighbor and had almost gotten herself raped. The novel also includes workers’ strikes and the changing attitude towards employment going on around this time. Adam Swann is a very interesting and smart character and his aims to build his own place in the world are a kind of microcosm of how industry and entrepreneurism changed the world in the mid-1800s. Adam told her about the business he had in mind and she suggested a logo for him of a Swan on Wheels.

The average Brit was in fact a relative of a peasant who had been tossed by need into the provincial towns or London, just like so many ’internal immigrants’ who arrived in Catalonia from (other) parts of rural Spain in the 1950s and ‘60s. Where most authors would be happy for a paragraph length aside to describe the goings on, Delderfield spends a number of pages to relate the humorous anecdote. What helps set great historical fiction apart from the average is the little details of everyday life and, probably the most important aspect, credible dialogue. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I feel so thoroughly entrenched in 19th century England right now from reading Vanity Fair and working on the Bronte canon.It is the first of a trilogy of books about Adam Swann, a soldier turned businessman in Victorian Britain. Delderfield draws a detailed map of the territory, county or city that he will cover, placing the houses where his characters will live and adding the place names and details that will build up into a rich and convincing background.