Scan barcode
paulsnelling's review against another edition
2.0
Needed editing, over complicated but with a satisfying ending. Spoiled by some implausibilities.
greybeard49's review against another edition
3.0
A great concept for a book and cleverly constructed but overly longgg! and repetitive in the telling. Some of the scenarios stretched belief and therefore devalued the whole. Pity.
sarahrosel's review
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
portybelle's review against another edition
5.0
Solomon Farthing is an heir hunter, someone who tries to find distant or estranged relatives of deceased people in order that they can inherit. And, of course, get a cut of that inheritance himself as a fee. When Thomas Methven passes away with no apparent heirs and with £50,000 sewn into his burial suit, Solomon has his work cut out for him. All he has to go on is a very old pawn ticket found among the old man's belongings. Solomon was brought up by his grandfather, Godfrey, who had a pawn shop and there the first of the connections began.
Because for me this book was all about connections. Connections to the past, connections to people, even connections to The Other Mrs Walker. Margaret Penny from that book gets a few mentions and makes an appearance, though is usually referred to in a disparaging way as that dreadful Penny woman! Thomas Methven has links to a group of soldiers in the 1st World War and so does Godfrey's grandfather. Solomon at one point muses that "Everyone was connected, one way or another, that was what he thought. "
There were so many echoes of the past linking with the present throughout the novel from phrases such as "his second best shirt", to the items that the soldiers used for gambling resurfacing at significant points: a centime, a tanner, a spool of pink cotton, a walnut shell, a cap badge. As Solomon investigates Methven's family tree he slowly begins the unpacking of the mystery and uncovers "a line that ran parallel to Solomon's own, connected by blood at the top, divided by secrets at the bottom." Fleshing out the story, we also hear from Godfrey Farthing's men in the last days of WW1 and then at various points in between then and the present day.
This was a book which appealed to me on so many levels. New Register House in Edinburgh, where Solomon carries out some of his genealogical research is a place I'm familiar with having researched my own family tree there. I recognise the thrill of discovery - "this was what he liked most about his profession - that moment when the dead waited for the living to wake them, bring them home again" - or the frustration of not being able to track someone down in the records. At least two of my great uncles served in WW1 in the Royal Scots which is the regiment Godfrey Farthing and others are part of. I very much enjoyed the parts of the book set in Edinburgh with the descriptions not only of familiar places but also the Edinburgh Ladies and Edinburgh Men - those capitals are deliberate!
The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing is a superb story, very cleverly told. It's a book which reminds us again of the futility of war and the repercussions affecting the soldiers and their families for years to come. Mary Paulson-Ellis writes with great insight about the way the men coped or didn't after their experiences in the Great War. It's a well-crafted and compelling piece of historical fiction with a fascinating mystery to be resolved. I loved following Solomon in his in investigations and finding out the stories of the men during and after the Great War, even though they were sometimes sad. I highly recommend this book.
Because for me this book was all about connections. Connections to the past, connections to people, even connections to The Other Mrs Walker. Margaret Penny from that book gets a few mentions and makes an appearance, though is usually referred to in a disparaging way as that dreadful Penny woman! Thomas Methven has links to a group of soldiers in the 1st World War and so does Godfrey's grandfather. Solomon at one point muses that "Everyone was connected, one way or another, that was what he thought. "
There were so many echoes of the past linking with the present throughout the novel from phrases such as "his second best shirt", to the items that the soldiers used for gambling resurfacing at significant points: a centime, a tanner, a spool of pink cotton, a walnut shell, a cap badge. As Solomon investigates Methven's family tree he slowly begins the unpacking of the mystery and uncovers "a line that ran parallel to Solomon's own, connected by blood at the top, divided by secrets at the bottom." Fleshing out the story, we also hear from Godfrey Farthing's men in the last days of WW1 and then at various points in between then and the present day.
This was a book which appealed to me on so many levels. New Register House in Edinburgh, where Solomon carries out some of his genealogical research is a place I'm familiar with having researched my own family tree there. I recognise the thrill of discovery - "this was what he liked most about his profession - that moment when the dead waited for the living to wake them, bring them home again" - or the frustration of not being able to track someone down in the records. At least two of my great uncles served in WW1 in the Royal Scots which is the regiment Godfrey Farthing and others are part of. I very much enjoyed the parts of the book set in Edinburgh with the descriptions not only of familiar places but also the Edinburgh Ladies and Edinburgh Men - those capitals are deliberate!
The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing is a superb story, very cleverly told. It's a book which reminds us again of the futility of war and the repercussions affecting the soldiers and their families for years to come. Mary Paulson-Ellis writes with great insight about the way the men coped or didn't after their experiences in the Great War. It's a well-crafted and compelling piece of historical fiction with a fascinating mystery to be resolved. I loved following Solomon in his in investigations and finding out the stories of the men during and after the Great War, even though they were sometimes sad. I highly recommend this book.
dhall58's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
gaga2203's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I cannot recommend any novel by Mary Paulson-Ellis enough. An absolute treat.
aineg's review against another edition
3.0
The premise was good but the delivery flawed. I nearly gave up several times as it was so confusing. Suspension of credibilty is required as some of the scenarios are totally unbelievable.
Pat Barker does a much better job writing on a similar theme.
Pat Barker does a much better job writing on a similar theme.
marloureads's review
1.0
Did not finish. After the first 100-ish pages I found myself simply not caring about the characters, feeling unattached about their issues and didn't really care how they would progress. And I told myself I would stop torturing myself with reading books that I don't fall in love with or like enough to finish, so I did.
anneliesb's review
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan/Mantle for the free copy
So, Solomon Farthing is an heir hunter trying to track down the relatives of a recently deceased man who left 50k and a pawn ticket, in order to get a share for himself. This ties in with his grandfather's experiences in WWI though many small objects that turn up and change hands way too often in the course of the years between 1918 and 2016.
I thought the story was contrived and was filled with coincidences. The language was also fuzzy where at times it was unclear who said what to whom. Sometimes I had to read a sentence three times to conclude that you can only understand it if you already know what she means.
So, Solomon Farthing is an heir hunter trying to track down the relatives of a recently deceased man who left 50k and a pawn ticket, in order to get a share for himself. This ties in with his grandfather's experiences in WWI though many small objects that turn up and change hands way too often in the course of the years between 1918 and 2016.
I thought the story was contrived and was filled with coincidences. The language was also fuzzy where at times it was unclear who said what to whom. Sometimes I had to read a sentence three times to conclude that you can only understand it if you already know what she means.