British Family Sagas (L to Z)

What is a British Family Saga? Generally, they are books which take place between the mid-1900s and current day. The setting is usually the countryside of Great Britain, with forays into the city. The books are beautifully written with detailed descriptions which make them easy to read.

The characters in these books are strong but charming and soon become “friends” to the reader. They are faced with problems that everyone can relate to. To solve these dilemmas often calls for great strength of character. So, brew a cup of tea, get out the shortbread and scones, relax and enjoy!

The Summer House by Alison McLeay

Brought up in the Lake District, Chrissie Ascham was totally unprepared for the arrival of the Dunstan family from industrial Manchester and the sequence of passion, tragedy and betrayal that accompanied their trip together to Venice in the summer of 1913.

A Clean Break by Anne Melville

When Hedda’s husband Sandy breaks the news that he is taking early retirement, she is taken aback but sympathizes when he tells her that the alternative is to relocate to Liverpool. Hedda can see why Sandy has chosen the easier option - until she hears he wants to move to a Cotswold village.

Far From Over by Sheila O’Flanagan

Gemma is considering how to end the moribund marriage she is caught in. When she makes the decision to go it alone with two kids, she finds herself surprised that she is so resentful when her career-obsessed ex-husband David re-marries.

The Tea House on Mulberry Street by Sharon Owens

Behind the chocolate cappuccinos at Muldoon’s Tea Rooms are the stirrings of a revolution that will heal troubled hearts and reveal to the proprietors what truly matters in life and love.

Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

The story is told, chapter by chapter, from the perspectives of an eclectic array of characters. As one after another must learn to live with their own kinds of loss, they find themselves collectively spirited northwards, from Sussex to Scotland, by way of Cornwall.

Kelly Park by Jean Stubbs

Kelly Park is a decaying Cornish country house belonging to Flavia Pollard’s oldest friend, Humphrey Jarvis, and who better than Flavia to restore it. But when Tom Faull, ex-sailor and family friend of Humphrey’s turns up, Flavia finds that he has wormed his way into her heart.

Night Shall Overtake Us by Kate Saunders

In Edwardian England a vow of friendship is a thing of innocence. Even when tested by the passionate militancy of the suffragette movement or the rigorous demands of the Season, the bonds between Rory, Eleanor, Jenny and Francesca hold fast. But nothing can withstand the onslaught of World War I.

Nobody’s Children by Judith Saxton

The saga of twins, Megan and Marsha, separated at birth but drawn together by an intangible bond, and of their mother, Madeleine, the beautiful, unhappy child bride, forever searching, forever unsatisfied.

That Awkward Age by Mary Selby

The single women in the village of Bumpstaple are agog when the handsome, 40-something and recently divorced vicar moves in.

A Green Darkness by Anya Seton

This unforgettable story combines mysticism, suspense, mystery, and romance that stretches from 16th-century England to the present day. Richard Marsdon marries a young American woman named Celia, brings her to live at his English estate, and all seems to be going well. But Celia is constantly haunted by a vague dread. When she suffers a breakdown and wavers between life and death, Celia travels back 400 years in time to her past life.

The New Rector by Rebecca Shaw

When Peter Harris arrives in Turnham Malpas as the new rector, he finds the village people welcoming but set in their ways. Yet despite his own weaknesses and the sadness of his childless wife, he comforts and advises his new parishioners, growing more and more involved with the rural way of life.

Strangers by Rosie Thomas

This love story follows the lives of two people thrown together in the aftermath of a terrorist bomb blast. Annie and Steve are from different worlds: she is a wife and mother, he a wealthy executive. But as they lie trapped in rubble a bond is created between them.

Return of the Stranger by Reay Tannahill

Set in Victorian times, Tassie’s childhood is disrupted when her long-lost brother re-appears at home to claim his inheritance, but she soon begins to adore him. There is more to brother Max than meets the eye, and he has made powerful enemies - not least the man with whom Tassie falls in love.

Bird of Passage by Nicola Thorne

This story, set in Dorset, is about a mysterious woman returning to her home village. However, she has a past which she is trying to conceal from her family.

The Rector’s Wife by Joanna Trollope

For 20 years Anna Bouverie, as a vicar’s wife, had served God in a diversity of ways. When her husband failed to gain promotion and retreated into isolated bitterness, she rebelled and took a job in the local supermarket. Soon she found herself admired by three very different men.

Mislaid Magic by Joyce Windsor

A tale of the upper classes and the enchantment of theatre. Lady Amity Savernake - neglected, rather plain, and youngest daughter of the Earl of Osmington - was only seven when her stepmother (known to the family as Soapy Sonia) took her to London. A delightful book with whimsical humour and great characters, the story is seen through the eyes of the heroine, a child.

Summer Frost by Elizabeth Walker

When Mary Squires is widowed she is left with two small children and a heavily mortgaged farm. Facing destitution, she is forced to sell both the farm and her promising young horse. With no money and no home she decides to accept Irish show jumper Patrick Brogan’s offer to become his housekeeper. They embark on a relationship which struggles to survive amidst the problems of horses, children and their isolated life in the country.

List prepared by Sandi Hall (December 2005)