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An Inheritance
This is the story of the orphaned Orlando's struggle to persuade his paternal grandfather to take an interest him; the illegitimate grandson he has never known. Over twenty years we see love, sex and a dubious frienship getting in the way.At the appearance of Roger, the true heir to the estate, Orlando's life is turned upside down.
- GenresFiction
336 pages, Paperback
First published May 12, 1997
42 people want to read
About the author
Caro Fraser
18 books45 followersCaroline Georgiana ("Caro") Fraser was a novelist.
Fraser began her career as an advertising copywriter. She became a commercial and maritime lawyer, and practised until 1992, when she became a full-time writer.
Fraser began her career as an advertising copywriter. She became a commercial and maritime lawyer, and practised until 1992, when she became a full-time writer.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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November 15, 2012Didn't finish this one - just couldn't get into it so it's off to the Canberra Bookcrossing Uncanvention :)
August 27, 2025
Different characters and a different story from her other books, but very recognisable as Caro Fraser.
Although first published in 1996, it is set in the 1980s, with the final scenes played out against a backdrop of (although the candidates are not named) the US 1988 Presidential election. But in spite of references to “modern” things like park-and-ride, the story has a distinctly old-fashioned feel to it – all about whether an illegitimate child, brought up by poor(-ish) relatives, is going to inherit his grandfather’s huge estate instead of the drug addict legitimate heir.
Caro Fraser excels at writing about upper-middle class relationships, including the petty jealousies, lusts, and so on that make life interesting. Here she’s particularly good on Orlando’s relationships with a prostitute, with his first love, and with the aforementioned legitimate heir.
Not everything rang true, though: I couldn’t believe that Orlando would bump into both his first love (not seen for many years) and the legitimate heir (never met before) at the same dinner dance! But it was another easy, very enjoyable read for me.
Although first published in 1996, it is set in the 1980s, with the final scenes played out against a backdrop of (although the candidates are not named) the US 1988 Presidential election. But in spite of references to “modern” things like park-and-ride, the story has a distinctly old-fashioned feel to it – all about whether an illegitimate child, brought up by poor(-ish) relatives, is going to inherit his grandfather’s huge estate instead of the drug addict legitimate heir.
Caro Fraser excels at writing about upper-middle class relationships, including the petty jealousies, lusts, and so on that make life interesting. Here she’s particularly good on Orlando’s relationships with a prostitute, with his first love, and with the aforementioned legitimate heir.
Not everything rang true, though: I couldn’t believe that Orlando would bump into both his first love (not seen for many years) and the legitimate heir (never met before) at the same dinner dance! But it was another easy, very enjoyable read for me.
September 28, 2023
Rating it highly but still unsure about it. The author makes liberal use of omniscient narrative which can feel a bit spoon fed at times, and some of the writing lacks depth, but I found myself feeling oddly connected to the characters throughout. Explores privilege in an obvious and ordinary way, and the last third of the book picks up significantly.
December 6, 2019
Quite good. Quite enjoyable. Some good characters and some fairly horrible ones too...
June 12, 2020
Enjoyable book about youth of Leonardo and the obstacles to gaining an inherited estate . Set amongst secrets, intrigue , misunderstandings, pride and stubbornness of character and sex.
October 2, 2020
Disappointing. Nicely written. But seems to have forgotten to another with an actual plot.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews