Review of Turner's Rage
Posted: 22 Feb 2023, 15:25
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Turner's Rage" by James Seymour.]
Imagine a place where modern technology does not yet exist. Just horse carriages rattling down cobblestone streets and a busy stir of townsfolk managing their everyday chores. Maybe you can see a group of young ladies in their lovely, colorful dresses heading to a local inn for their afternoon tea. Or perhaps you'll spot a couple of young lads running on the river bank, playing pirates as they go. You have just entered the city of Guildford, England, in 1826. The events of Turner's Rage by James Seymour take place during the years of the industrial revolution. The idyllic small city of Guildford is growing, and the traditional class society is going through a drastic change.
Bakery owner Jonathan Turner and his wife Eleanora are respected members of their society. Jonathan leads a growing business and is among the first to test the new steam engine technology. The Turner family has been blessed with eight children. Simeon, Thomas, Beth, Anne, Clementine, Madeline, Marcia, and William are their mother's pride and joy. However, even the Turner family has challenges and hidden secrets under their seemingly perfect facade. Jonathan Turner is battling severe rage issues that have grown to dangerous measures. Young William has witnessed his share of this, and the boy and the father are constantly on a collision course. While Eleanora's health is failing, the boy seeks safety and comfort from his big sister Anne.
Then a Scottish brewer, Hamish McPherson, enters the life of the Turners. This mysterious man places some tempting investment opportunities on the table, and Jonathan sees an opportunity to secure the family's future. Anne has proven herself irreplaceable to her father's business, but now she has a nagging feeling that everything is not as it seems. Meanwhile, the developing relationship between Anne and Sir Robert South places her in a difficult situation as she is trying to balance managing the family's business and society's pressures and expectations on women. What are the real ambitions of Hamish McPherson? Is there a place for a young woman in the men-oriented business world? Will Jonathan learn to control his bubbling rage? What happens to William?
James Seymour has created an astonishing, warm-spirited family saga that radiates love and cheerfulness, drawing a relatable picture of society during the years of the industrial revolution. The cavalcade of unique, lovable characters stole my heart, and the steady pace of life pampered my senses. Turner's Rage is the first installment of the series and concentrates more closely on following Jonathan, Anne, and William. The first pages include a complete list of characters, which proved helpful as I dived deeper into this colossal book of 865 pages. The massive length did not disturb me. Quite the opposite, it allowed me to spend more time with my new friends, the Turner family. The most outstanding feature of this book was undoubtedly its atmosphere, and I think the author might be onto something significant. The following two parts will show; maybe he has even created a classic.
The Turner family's loving and forgiving atmosphere was truly enchanting. Everyone who wandered through their doorstep, including me, was immediately influenced. Especially Eleanora's calmness in the middle of her circumstances was touching. However, I sometimes thought all this innocent cheerfulness was implausible. It appeared too perfect, especially given Jonathan's rage issues. In the real world, something like this would have severely wounded the whole family and left behind a group of broken souls. Besides, the foreword placed significant importance on the character of William, but too little space was given to him. Instead, the story focused mainly on Anne. In addition, the ending left many issues unresolved. Therefore, this book might not work as a standalone and should not be treated as such.
Crafting such a massive story is challenging; the author did a fantastic job overall. The minor concerns introduced above did not affect my enjoyment, and I wanted to give this book a perfect rating. Unfortunately, the editing still needs some fine-tuning. The errors were insignificant, but since I discovered more than ten, I had no choice but to deduct a star for those. Therefore, I rate Turner's Rage 4 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction and the atmosphere of 1800s England. In addition, this story will be enjoyable to those who have read and liked Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice. Notably, this is not a fully equivalent reading experience, as these books were written in different eras. However, there is undoubtedly something similar in the atmosphere of this book.
******
Turner's Rage
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Imagine a place where modern technology does not yet exist. Just horse carriages rattling down cobblestone streets and a busy stir of townsfolk managing their everyday chores. Maybe you can see a group of young ladies in their lovely, colorful dresses heading to a local inn for their afternoon tea. Or perhaps you'll spot a couple of young lads running on the river bank, playing pirates as they go. You have just entered the city of Guildford, England, in 1826. The events of Turner's Rage by James Seymour take place during the years of the industrial revolution. The idyllic small city of Guildford is growing, and the traditional class society is going through a drastic change.
Bakery owner Jonathan Turner and his wife Eleanora are respected members of their society. Jonathan leads a growing business and is among the first to test the new steam engine technology. The Turner family has been blessed with eight children. Simeon, Thomas, Beth, Anne, Clementine, Madeline, Marcia, and William are their mother's pride and joy. However, even the Turner family has challenges and hidden secrets under their seemingly perfect facade. Jonathan Turner is battling severe rage issues that have grown to dangerous measures. Young William has witnessed his share of this, and the boy and the father are constantly on a collision course. While Eleanora's health is failing, the boy seeks safety and comfort from his big sister Anne.
Then a Scottish brewer, Hamish McPherson, enters the life of the Turners. This mysterious man places some tempting investment opportunities on the table, and Jonathan sees an opportunity to secure the family's future. Anne has proven herself irreplaceable to her father's business, but now she has a nagging feeling that everything is not as it seems. Meanwhile, the developing relationship between Anne and Sir Robert South places her in a difficult situation as she is trying to balance managing the family's business and society's pressures and expectations on women. What are the real ambitions of Hamish McPherson? Is there a place for a young woman in the men-oriented business world? Will Jonathan learn to control his bubbling rage? What happens to William?
James Seymour has created an astonishing, warm-spirited family saga that radiates love and cheerfulness, drawing a relatable picture of society during the years of the industrial revolution. The cavalcade of unique, lovable characters stole my heart, and the steady pace of life pampered my senses. Turner's Rage is the first installment of the series and concentrates more closely on following Jonathan, Anne, and William. The first pages include a complete list of characters, which proved helpful as I dived deeper into this colossal book of 865 pages. The massive length did not disturb me. Quite the opposite, it allowed me to spend more time with my new friends, the Turner family. The most outstanding feature of this book was undoubtedly its atmosphere, and I think the author might be onto something significant. The following two parts will show; maybe he has even created a classic.
The Turner family's loving and forgiving atmosphere was truly enchanting. Everyone who wandered through their doorstep, including me, was immediately influenced. Especially Eleanora's calmness in the middle of her circumstances was touching. However, I sometimes thought all this innocent cheerfulness was implausible. It appeared too perfect, especially given Jonathan's rage issues. In the real world, something like this would have severely wounded the whole family and left behind a group of broken souls. Besides, the foreword placed significant importance on the character of William, but too little space was given to him. Instead, the story focused mainly on Anne. In addition, the ending left many issues unresolved. Therefore, this book might not work as a standalone and should not be treated as such.
Crafting such a massive story is challenging; the author did a fantastic job overall. The minor concerns introduced above did not affect my enjoyment, and I wanted to give this book a perfect rating. Unfortunately, the editing still needs some fine-tuning. The errors were insignificant, but since I discovered more than ten, I had no choice but to deduct a star for those. Therefore, I rate Turner's Rage 4 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction and the atmosphere of 1800s England. In addition, this story will be enjoyable to those who have read and liked Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice. Notably, this is not a fully equivalent reading experience, as these books were written in different eras. However, there is undoubtedly something similar in the atmosphere of this book.
******
Turner's Rage
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Time will show if William gets a bigger role in the next story. I loved this book and I will surely read the next one when it comes available. Actually, I hope it will again be 800 + something pages… 