Lydia Fielding

by Susan Sallis

When Lydia celebrated her coming of age, the whole of her Exmoor village celebrated with her. Two men attracted her interest that handsome, ambitious Gus Pascoe, who coveted the land her father farmed; and Wesley Peters, brought up as a strict Methodist, whose seemingly upright religious family hid a terrible secret.Wesley wanted only to protect and cherish Lydia, but when his sister became the scandal of the neighbourhood and was forced to marry Lydia's brother, Alan, a bitterness grew up between the two families which threatened to keep Lydia and Wesley apart forever. In despair Lydia fled to Bristol, where at last she could free herself from the tragedy and heartbreak of her past life.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 2, 2003

About the author

Susan Sallis was the author of over twenty bestselling novels, many of them set in the West Country. She was born in Gloucestershire and lived in Somerset with her family. She died in 2020.

Reviews

[Lesley Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite choice of novel but I still enjoyed this book. Was a nice change to read something light & was a relaxing, easy read. Susan Sallis is a good writer & portrays human character, lifes difficulties & emotions with real understanding.

[Inderpal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished this one too! Read it in parts over a year, this one too, yes, sadly, but it was good! I would have loved it even more had I read it in one go, I'm sure of it. The emotions were so beautifully penned, the character development, the English country setting, the woman and her life in victorian-like era, Lydia! Oh Lydie, my darling. Such lovable character, I can already imagine her. The intricacies of all the events that are unfolding, the complexities of the love affairs, and the mental toll that it takes, how Gus is slowly revealed to be. Politics, women, unsafe abortions. This one is a goodie and very maturely written. Would have been much satisfying had the ending been on par with the level of the rest of the book. All in all a good read if you like YA.

[Meirav Berale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot, but not very well written. I only kept going because I wanted to see how it ends.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

about a third of the way through I was tempted to give up as I found it rather sordid in places. Set firmly in rural England in the mid-19th century, there are many events taken for granted which are unfamiliar as well as unpleasant: bolting horses, problems in childbirth, family feuds. But I continued and am glad I did; the novel definitely grew on me.

The main character is Lydia Fielding of the title, and I found her fairly likeable although I never felt entirely in sympathy with her. The book opens at her 21st birthday party where it becomes apparent that two very different young men are attracted to her: one a rather blustery businessman, and the other a straight-laced Methodist. The overall plot follows Lydia's emotions as she finds herself often torn between the two, and eventually realises where her heart lies.

But along the way there's much unpleasantness, a rather confusing number of other characters, and everyday life passing by. It was interesting as a piece of social history, since it also covered some political issues such as caring for 'fallen women', educating poor children, and rights for women, but I doubt if I'll be reading it again.

[Olivia Giles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read Lydia fielding over 20 times,it is still the best book I have read. I take it on every holiday And plane I go on :) It is definaty a must read!!!! The love between Lydia and Wesley is why it makes this book one of my favourite romance novels.