Rutherford Park by Elizabeth Cooke Book Review

I love reading and I have been a voracious reader my whole life. I have always leaned towards woman’s fiction and usually it is in today’s time. I have been enjoying many books lately that are based in the past. The book I am reviewing for you today is set in 1913 England and I thoroughly enjoyed this story and cannot wait to share it with you.

RUTHERFORD PARK by Elizabeth Cooke
Berkley; July 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-425-26258-0

In the style of the wildly popular television series Downton Abbey, comes RUTHERFORD PARK, an utterly compelling, beautifully written historical novel that plays out against the backdrop of Rutherford Park, a gorgeous British country house, in the year before World War I.

For the Cavendish family, Rutherford Park is much more than a place to call home. It is a way of life marked by rigid rules and lavish rewards, governed by unspoken desires. As the clouds of war gather on the horizon, an epic tale of longing and betrayal unfolds in this new historical novel by Elizabeth Cooke, RUTHERFORD PARK.

Lady of the house, Octavia Cavendish, lives like a bird in a gilded cage. With her family’s fortune, her husband, William, has made significant additions to the estate, but he too feels bound — by the obligations of his title as well as his vows. Their son, Harry, is expected to follow in his footsteps, but the boy has dreams of his own, like pursuing the new adventure of aerial flight. Meanwhile, below stairs, a housemaid named Emily holds a secret that could undo the Cavendish name.

On Christmas Eve 1913, Octavia catches a glimpse of her husband in an intimate moment with his beautiful and scandalous distant cousin. She then spies the housemaid Emily out in the snow, walking toward the river, about to make her own secret known to the world. As the clouds of war gather on the horizon, an epic tale of longing and betrayal is about to unfold at Rutherford Park…

My Thoughts:
I have to say that I loved this story. The story is about aristocrats that are basically bored to tears and the mess that is created by the son, daughter, husband and even the wife. It is a story where the servants know everything that goes on in the household, yet nothing is told to the family. Secrets are kept by the servants and the family alike. But when they start to unfold is when the story gets good.

In the story you meet many of the servants that work for the Cavendish family and the family itself. In a few places, I did get a bit lost with all of the names and had a hard time remembering who was who. I had to flip back a few times to refresh my memory but overall the story was fresh and held you captivated to the very end. I was very enthralled with Lady Octavia and her woes and felt her pain as she tried to figure out her life and what she had to do. Then the beginnings of the WWI started rearing its ugly head and more issues came to befall the Cavendish family.

This is a saga of a family that has issues, just like every family does. The secrets will soon come to a head and change everything this family knows. The war makes an impact with the family too and soon everything they know has changed.

I loved the authors writing style and the book flowed well. It was easy to read and I thought it was a fabulous story line overall. I hope that the author decides to write a sequel as I would love to know what is next in line for the Cavendish family and their lovely estate, Rutherford Park.

Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.