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Eve Williams #3
Eden Falls
An extraordinary cast of characters play out their dramas amongst the chaos of the emerging modern world ...Jamaica 1909. Millionaire Silas Whittam is struggling to bring his dream of a luxury hotel to life. He's relieved when his sister, Eve, arrives - basking in the success of her Yorkshire pies and puddings business. But as Eve befriends the staff, secrets hidden by Silas begin to emerge. In England, the Earl and Countess of Netherwood try to hide their empty marriage, as they enjoy the whirlwind of the London season. Yet the Earl's suffragette sister, Lady Henrietta, could disgrace them all. And for new Labour MP Amos Sykes, times are tough. Especially with his wife decorating the homes of the very aristocrats he would like to see ruined
495 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 2013
6 people are currently reading
300 people want to read
About the author
Jane Sanderson
8 books118 followersJane Sanderson was born in South Yorkshire in 1962. She studied English at Leicester University, then after graduating she became a journalist. After a series of jobs with local newspapers she joined the BBC where she worked as a producer for Radio 4, first on the World at One, and then on Woman's Hour. She lives with her husband, the Independent journalist and author Brian Viner, and their three children in rural Herefordshire.
Jane's first novel, Netherwood, is published by Sphere. She is now working on the sequel, Ravenscliffe, to be published in 2012.
Jane's first novel, Netherwood, is published by Sphere. She is now working on the sequel, Ravenscliffe, to be published in 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 18, 2014
*Special Content only on my blog, Strange and Random Happenstance during Downton Denial (February 2014)
Eve's brother Silas is trying to make a go of his luxury hotel in Jamaica. He even has his nephew Seth working for him as his second in command. But things aren't going well. The staff is surly, the customers are fleeing, and Silas is desperate. He thinks that perhaps his sister Eve could help him, but it's not like he's going to ask her, that would be demeaning. Instead Silas writes a letter for Seth to send to his mother, pulling on her heartstrings, and she inevitably agrees to come, despite her husband pointing out the fact that the letter was obviously penned by her own brother and not her son. Yet Eve goes to Seth and tries to fix Silas's problems... though she will fix them in her way not his, which causes yet more strife.
While back in England Eve's family misses her so much it hurts. Even her dear friends miss her. Anna and Amos are at loggerheads. He, as an elected MP for Labour, doesn't view it right that his wife should not only befriend, but work for the upper classes. Their honeymoon is certainly over. While the Earl of Netherwood, Tobias, and his faithless wife Thea are actually coming back together, having a second honeymoon. But the one person making the most news is Lady Henrietta Hoyland, Tobias's elder sister, who is making headlines for her work with the suffrage movement, and for her attack on Downing Street that has lead to her imprisonment. This is just what the youngest Hoyland, Isabella, didn't need when she's coming out; her family in tatters. Yet through the tribulation and strife, the things that really matter, family, love, will be all that remains at the end of the day.
What I have loved most about this series is the minutiae, the day to day details of these characters lives and how from the lowliest pit ponies to the Countess herself, they all flitted in and out of each others lives in Netherwood. This book is completely different from the two proceeding volumes, instead painting the lives we have come to love in broad strokes with the result being that rich, deep characters, have become one note caricatures. Whereas before we were treated to the insights of the Dowager Countess's maid, Flytton, she gets one measly mention in this installment. I'm not sure if this tone shift is because Jane wants to take the books in a different direction, perhaps to lure in more readers, or if she has reached the point wherein she has so many characters that she is unable to successfully juggle them. My money is on the later, mainly because for this volume we were given four pages of dramatis personae, poor Flytton is even excluded there. But I will not discount the "new readers" because there seemed to be a bit too much explaining of people and situations that readers of the series would easily remember.
The narrative has always been linked by a common location, Netherwood, so that people flowed in and out of each others stories easily. By pushing them so far apart distance wise, it seems like when they do show up it's not natural but fate forced to make the story still work as before but within this new rickety framework. The narrative style needs to change if the characters are going to continue to be so geographically dispersed. Maybe the answer is individual books for certain characters. Or being willing to let some characters go or take a backseat for a book or two. Because the lack of detail, the willingness to gloss over things and speed ahead, made this a messy book that left me dissatisfied and wanting more. Plus, if we are to follow every character and then Eliza's journey to France is just mentioned in a sentence or two... well, either you stick to your new style completely, or just abandon it as the failed experiment it obviously is.
One thing that was really missing from this novel was the food. In the previous volumes Jane has lavished attention on the food, making my mouth water and making me wish I had a cook to bake those ambitious recipes in the back of the book for me, or at least Eve's shop around the corner to visit. Gone even are the recipes, and gone is the heart and soul of this book. While food is still important, much like many of the characters, it's just mentioned quickly and pushed aside. This I think is symbolic of what has really happened with this series. As Eve says, you have to put love into your cooking. The ritual of making the humblest pie to the most elaborate feast all comes down to the love put in. I felt like the love was gone, in some cases, like Amos and Anna's bickering, literally gone.
But what ripped out my heart and jumped on it was that I still love these characters, and all the new ones as well. To see them so briefly and in such circumstances hurt me more then if I hadn't seen them at all. Unlikeable characters ran riot, with Silas becoming so horrid it was almost unreadable. And likable characters like Amos who were complex and many sided became one dimensional and mean. Plus Seth! What the hell! There was such progress with Seth at the end of Ravenscliffe and then it's not just two steps back but who the hell is this evil little Silas wannabe, he's a shit. Everything was cookie cutter without the joy of making the cookies. The plot was predictable, Henrietta's being literally an episode of Upstairs, Downstairs, while Silas and his Jamaicans... that wasn't obvious... not in the least (rolls eyes and sighs). I'm just exasperated. A book that I had so looked forward to picking up has basically broken my heart.
I also wonder, at the end of the day, if Jane was trying to thrust some "morality play" into this mess. With the very vehement hatred of the government from the likes of Amos and Henry, to the dissatisfaction with the monarchy, and then the brouhaha with the Tsar, all on top of which men like Silas, who embody all that is wrong with the empire... was Jane being heavy handed with the war is inevitable to fix this broken world? That revolt is not just coming but inevitable? With our foreknowledge of what is in store, the upheaval and insurrection, she is lending all events portents of doom. I kind of hate this in books. Yes, we know where all this leads, but you know what, people at the time didn't know exactly where it was going. To be basically giving them prophetic abilities seems too much to take in. Plus, if the next book is anything like this one, well, I don't know if the series can even make it to the outbreak of war if it continues this rabid downward trajectory... unless Jane does another time jump...
Eve's brother Silas is trying to make a go of his luxury hotel in Jamaica. He even has his nephew Seth working for him as his second in command. But things aren't going well. The staff is surly, the customers are fleeing, and Silas is desperate. He thinks that perhaps his sister Eve could help him, but it's not like he's going to ask her, that would be demeaning. Instead Silas writes a letter for Seth to send to his mother, pulling on her heartstrings, and she inevitably agrees to come, despite her husband pointing out the fact that the letter was obviously penned by her own brother and not her son. Yet Eve goes to Seth and tries to fix Silas's problems... though she will fix them in her way not his, which causes yet more strife.
While back in England Eve's family misses her so much it hurts. Even her dear friends miss her. Anna and Amos are at loggerheads. He, as an elected MP for Labour, doesn't view it right that his wife should not only befriend, but work for the upper classes. Their honeymoon is certainly over. While the Earl of Netherwood, Tobias, and his faithless wife Thea are actually coming back together, having a second honeymoon. But the one person making the most news is Lady Henrietta Hoyland, Tobias's elder sister, who is making headlines for her work with the suffrage movement, and for her attack on Downing Street that has lead to her imprisonment. This is just what the youngest Hoyland, Isabella, didn't need when she's coming out; her family in tatters. Yet through the tribulation and strife, the things that really matter, family, love, will be all that remains at the end of the day.
What I have loved most about this series is the minutiae, the day to day details of these characters lives and how from the lowliest pit ponies to the Countess herself, they all flitted in and out of each others lives in Netherwood. This book is completely different from the two proceeding volumes, instead painting the lives we have come to love in broad strokes with the result being that rich, deep characters, have become one note caricatures. Whereas before we were treated to the insights of the Dowager Countess's maid, Flytton, she gets one measly mention in this installment. I'm not sure if this tone shift is because Jane wants to take the books in a different direction, perhaps to lure in more readers, or if she has reached the point wherein she has so many characters that she is unable to successfully juggle them. My money is on the later, mainly because for this volume we were given four pages of dramatis personae, poor Flytton is even excluded there. But I will not discount the "new readers" because there seemed to be a bit too much explaining of people and situations that readers of the series would easily remember.
The narrative has always been linked by a common location, Netherwood, so that people flowed in and out of each others stories easily. By pushing them so far apart distance wise, it seems like when they do show up it's not natural but fate forced to make the story still work as before but within this new rickety framework. The narrative style needs to change if the characters are going to continue to be so geographically dispersed. Maybe the answer is individual books for certain characters. Or being willing to let some characters go or take a backseat for a book or two. Because the lack of detail, the willingness to gloss over things and speed ahead, made this a messy book that left me dissatisfied and wanting more. Plus, if we are to follow every character and then Eliza's journey to France is just mentioned in a sentence or two... well, either you stick to your new style completely, or just abandon it as the failed experiment it obviously is.
One thing that was really missing from this novel was the food. In the previous volumes Jane has lavished attention on the food, making my mouth water and making me wish I had a cook to bake those ambitious recipes in the back of the book for me, or at least Eve's shop around the corner to visit. Gone even are the recipes, and gone is the heart and soul of this book. While food is still important, much like many of the characters, it's just mentioned quickly and pushed aside. This I think is symbolic of what has really happened with this series. As Eve says, you have to put love into your cooking. The ritual of making the humblest pie to the most elaborate feast all comes down to the love put in. I felt like the love was gone, in some cases, like Amos and Anna's bickering, literally gone.
But what ripped out my heart and jumped on it was that I still love these characters, and all the new ones as well. To see them so briefly and in such circumstances hurt me more then if I hadn't seen them at all. Unlikeable characters ran riot, with Silas becoming so horrid it was almost unreadable. And likable characters like Amos who were complex and many sided became one dimensional and mean. Plus Seth! What the hell! There was such progress with Seth at the end of Ravenscliffe and then it's not just two steps back but who the hell is this evil little Silas wannabe, he's a shit. Everything was cookie cutter without the joy of making the cookies. The plot was predictable, Henrietta's being literally an episode of Upstairs, Downstairs, while Silas and his Jamaicans... that wasn't obvious... not in the least (rolls eyes and sighs). I'm just exasperated. A book that I had so looked forward to picking up has basically broken my heart.
I also wonder, at the end of the day, if Jane was trying to thrust some "morality play" into this mess. With the very vehement hatred of the government from the likes of Amos and Henry, to the dissatisfaction with the monarchy, and then the brouhaha with the Tsar, all on top of which men like Silas, who embody all that is wrong with the empire... was Jane being heavy handed with the war is inevitable to fix this broken world? That revolt is not just coming but inevitable? With our foreknowledge of what is in store, the upheaval and insurrection, she is lending all events portents of doom. I kind of hate this in books. Yes, we know where all this leads, but you know what, people at the time didn't know exactly where it was going. To be basically giving them prophetic abilities seems too much to take in. Plus, if the next book is anything like this one, well, I don't know if the series can even make it to the outbreak of war if it continues this rabid downward trajectory... unless Jane does another time jump...
March 8, 2014
Having read "Netherwood" and "Ravenscliffe", I was looking forward reading "Eden Falls" (the sequel to "Netherwood" and "Ravenscliffe".
I was pleased to see that there was a prologue in "Eden Falls" because although I had read the previous 2 books, I found it useful as I read a lot of fiction since then so I wasn't able to clearly recall what exactly had happened in "Netherwood" and "Ravenscliffe" which had lead Anna and Eve to their current position in life.
I was also pleased to see that (unlike the previous 2 books but like many books of this genre) there a list of main characters as there were a number of characters in this book.
This book picks up the story of Anna and Eve in 1909 - 3 years after the previous book ended. The book moves away from the colliery town of Netherwood and most of the action takes place in Jamaica and London with the Lady Henrietta (the late Earl of Netherwood eldest daughter) taking up the suffragette cause in London and Eve taking a trip to Jamaica to help in her brother's failing hotel.
This book could be enjoyed as a standalone book but I think it would be best reading the previous 2 books before just so that the characters and story line can be fully appreciated.
An excellent, easy read and I hope that Jane Sanderson will write a further book in this series.
I was pleased to see that there was a prologue in "Eden Falls" because although I had read the previous 2 books, I found it useful as I read a lot of fiction since then so I wasn't able to clearly recall what exactly had happened in "Netherwood" and "Ravenscliffe" which had lead Anna and Eve to their current position in life.
I was also pleased to see that (unlike the previous 2 books but like many books of this genre) there a list of main characters as there were a number of characters in this book.
This book picks up the story of Anna and Eve in 1909 - 3 years after the previous book ended. The book moves away from the colliery town of Netherwood and most of the action takes place in Jamaica and London with the Lady Henrietta (the late Earl of Netherwood eldest daughter) taking up the suffragette cause in London and Eve taking a trip to Jamaica to help in her brother's failing hotel.
This book could be enjoyed as a standalone book but I think it would be best reading the previous 2 books before just so that the characters and story line can be fully appreciated.
An excellent, easy read and I hope that Jane Sanderson will write a further book in this series.
May 3, 2014
The move in scene from Yorkshire to Jamaica was a little disappointing - I so enjoyed Ravenscliffe (previous book in the series) due to its capacity to show the cares and struggles of a mining community in Edwardian England. Not sure that Jamaica is portrayed as vividly - she really grabbed Yorkshire by the throat in Ravenscliffe. Less likable characters have much of the stage in Eden Falls, which also means that much of the warmth which characterises Ravencliffe is lacking. Hopefully there will be a return to Netherwood in future.
September 16, 2019
A complex story set in the early 20th century with a complex set of characters of several social standings in the fashion of Downton Abbey and spanning from England to Jamaica.
A thoroughly enjoyable read just in time to get the reader into the mood and mindset for the new movie.
This is the third book of a series and I really did like it. When I first read the summary of the first two books and saw the intineary of all the characters I expected to be confused.
Indeed I was but the author switched between the setting and characters and thus eased the way into her complex world.
I saw several likeable characters interwoven through shared history and by social standards. As I said above it reminds of Downton Abbey where you see characters acting as a result of the path they have chosen. You can compare it with two set of characters. Eve and Silas are siblings and grew up poor and had to fight for their place in life. Both set up their own business. Yet...Silas is looking down at the staff on his banana plantage and his hotel. Compared to his sister Eve who set up her own business yet stays down to earth and shows compassion to all around her be it servants or family.
The other pair that is heading in different connections are the siblings Tobias and Henrietta Hoyland, the earl of Netherwood and his rebellious sister. He enjoys his freedom and privileges in an carefree way. His marriage to his wife Thea reflects the way he sees life and even though he is the heir he doesn't act according to his responsibilities. His sister Henrietta manages the estate for him and fights for women's right to elect. But even she gets privileges but she gets frustrated with them in reaching her political aim. But in the course of the story she is about to see herself confronted with the boundaries of her privileges. Maybe being a Lady isn't so bad after all?
Those two comparisons show (partly) what the story is about but there are even more layers and plots but I do not want to spoil it for fellow readers.
I really did enjoy the book and can full heartedly recommend it. I intend to get book one and two.
A thoroughly enjoyable read just in time to get the reader into the mood and mindset for the new movie.
This is the third book of a series and I really did like it. When I first read the summary of the first two books and saw the intineary of all the characters I expected to be confused.
Indeed I was but the author switched between the setting and characters and thus eased the way into her complex world.
I saw several likeable characters interwoven through shared history and by social standards. As I said above it reminds of Downton Abbey where you see characters acting as a result of the path they have chosen. You can compare it with two set of characters. Eve and Silas are siblings and grew up poor and had to fight for their place in life. Both set up their own business. Yet...Silas is looking down at the staff on his banana plantage and his hotel. Compared to his sister Eve who set up her own business yet stays down to earth and shows compassion to all around her be it servants or family.
The other pair that is heading in different connections are the siblings Tobias and Henrietta Hoyland, the earl of Netherwood and his rebellious sister. He enjoys his freedom and privileges in an carefree way. His marriage to his wife Thea reflects the way he sees life and even though he is the heir he doesn't act according to his responsibilities. His sister Henrietta manages the estate for him and fights for women's right to elect. But even she gets privileges but she gets frustrated with them in reaching her political aim. But in the course of the story she is about to see herself confronted with the boundaries of her privileges. Maybe being a Lady isn't so bad after all?
Those two comparisons show (partly) what the story is about but there are even more layers and plots but I do not want to spoil it for fellow readers.
I really did enjoy the book and can full heartedly recommend it. I intend to get book one and two.
September 24, 2023
I enjoyed this book very much, though I feel it needed to be at least a hundred pages longer, to truly complete the stories. A few things seemed to be a bit rushed through, to get to the ending of the book.
I first read both "Netherwood" and "Ravenscliffe", and I loved both books. The characters were varied and fascinating. The character development was quite good, also. There had been a new character introduced in the second book, Silas, and he was not very likable; we readers were left with a sense of foreboding about him and what might happen in the third book. "Eden Falls" was about him & Jamaica & the new characters we meet there. The book switched from Jamaica to England, as we continued to read about Eve & Anna, as well as the Hoyland family & others. By the third book, there were quite a lot of characters. I was pleased with the author's giving us a list of characters in the beginning of the book, breaking it down to the various locations, reminding us who is in which place. That helped me a lot.
I didn't give the book 5 stars. As I briefly mentioned earlier, we needed a fuller story in this book. I would have loved to learn more about Anna & her earlier life in Russia. I would have liked to find out what will happen with Eve's son, Seth, as well as her brother, Silas. And Amos could have been developed a bit more. The Hoylands, too; Henrietta, in particular, was interesting to me. As I am writing this, I realize it feels as if things were left "hanging," a bit, not completely finished.
In spite of my criticisms, I do feel the book is a good one and definitely worth reading. I do not think this is a good book to read as a stand-alone novel. The reader will have missed so much that is essential to really understanding the story. And, the first two books are so good that it would be worth it to start at the beginning.
I do hope Ms. Sanderson will continue this series. A fourth book would be wonderful to read.
I first read both "Netherwood" and "Ravenscliffe", and I loved both books. The characters were varied and fascinating. The character development was quite good, also. There had been a new character introduced in the second book, Silas, and he was not very likable; we readers were left with a sense of foreboding about him and what might happen in the third book. "Eden Falls" was about him & Jamaica & the new characters we meet there. The book switched from Jamaica to England, as we continued to read about Eve & Anna, as well as the Hoyland family & others. By the third book, there were quite a lot of characters. I was pleased with the author's giving us a list of characters in the beginning of the book, breaking it down to the various locations, reminding us who is in which place. That helped me a lot.
I didn't give the book 5 stars. As I briefly mentioned earlier, we needed a fuller story in this book. I would have loved to learn more about Anna & her earlier life in Russia. I would have liked to find out what will happen with Eve's son, Seth, as well as her brother, Silas. And Amos could have been developed a bit more. The Hoylands, too; Henrietta, in particular, was interesting to me. As I am writing this, I realize it feels as if things were left "hanging," a bit, not completely finished.
In spite of my criticisms, I do feel the book is a good one and definitely worth reading. I do not think this is a good book to read as a stand-alone novel. The reader will have missed so much that is essential to really understanding the story. And, the first two books are so good that it would be worth it to start at the beginning.
I do hope Ms. Sanderson will continue this series. A fourth book would be wonderful to read.
April 9, 2020
Eden Falls by Jane Sanderson is the final instalment in the Netherwood trilogy, which I have been really enjoying this year, after picking up the first one randomly in a charity shop. Unfortunately, I didn't really like the last one much. It creates lots of unnecessary conflict between characters who were perfectly happy at the end of book two, causing marital strife between Eve and Daniel, and between Anna and Amos in a way that felt contrived and out of character. Henrietta's suffragette storyline went to some interesting places but then kind of just petered out, and the shenanigans of Silas showed him to be a truly appalling person, which was rather a shame. I did like the introduction of Ruby and Roscoe in the Jamaica storyline, and would have liked to see how they eventually fared on their trip to Yorkshire, but there doesn't appear to be another book in the series, so that's apparently not going to happen. Hey ho - the writing was still good, and the evocation of Jamaica was well done. But it was a shame the series went so far downhill, as I loved the other two books.
February 2, 2022
So I didn't read the 1st 2 books in this series however this was a very good read. Although it would have been beneficial for me to have read the 1st 2 books I find it was not completely necessary.
This book reads like a BBC series toggling between characters and stories that somehow intertwines.
The characters are interesting no matter how you feel about them you still want to know more. I think that's what makes this such a good read because you can't wait to find out more.
This book reads like a BBC series toggling between characters and stories that somehow intertwines.
The characters are interesting no matter how you feel about them you still want to know more. I think that's what makes this such a good read because you can't wait to find out more.
April 19, 2019
Not as good as the previous two books in the series, but interesting enough.
May 4, 2019
This book was the third in a trilogy. I am so sorry that I can not see what else happens in their lives. The characters had become friends. I quite enjoyed this.
June 5, 2014
The third book written by Jane Sanderson, I loved the other two books immensely. With this book being set partly in Jamaica, it didn't have the homely feel of the last two. Some great characters, and an insightful telling of the era of the suffragettes and their treatment during their time in prison.
March 11, 2016
I hope there will be more books to come in this series. I'm absolutely loving them.
In EDEN FALLS I especially loved the Jamaican storyline.
In EDEN FALLS I especially loved the Jamaican storyline.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews