Diana

by R.F. Delderfield

Beautiful, resourceful, treacherous, vulnerable - she was a woman full of contradictions and he would never stop loving her. As a young girl Diana is irrepressible, untameable and, to the orphaned John, endlessly fascinating. Only daughter of a wealthy businessman, she is drawn both to a rigorous outdoor life in the west country with her horses and the glittering London society that will be her destiny. They spend a magical unconventional childhood together but Diana's ambition, her passion for life that makes her so desirable, pulls her away from all that makes her happy. The fierce friendship that grew inevitably to love, develops as inevitably to conflict and a betrayal that will mark them both - until the trials of war offers them redemption.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical, British Literature, Literature, Historical Romance

671 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Ronald Frederick Delderfield was a popular English novelist and dramatist, many of whose works have been adapted for television and are still widely read.

Several of Delderfield's historical novels and series involve young men who return from war and lead lives in England that allow the author to portray the sweep of English history and delve deeply into social history from the Edwardian era to the early 1960s.

From Wikipedia

Reviews

[Peggyzbooksnmusic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read Diana when I was 12. At that time I found the character of Diana to be very romantic. I have since re-read this book twice; once in my 20's and then last year when I turned 60. I have always loved this book, especially since it was probably the first "grownup" book I read as a pre-teen.

But now that I'm older I feel very different about the characters. Diana is truly a very selfish person and there were times when I would get so exasperated with John for putting up with her. But John does truly love Diana and sometimes we just can't help who our heart connects with in life.

I would definitely recommend this book as it is very well written and does explain the "class" structure in the United Kingdom in the pre war years.

Read again 2023.

[Sewwolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first adult romance and I read it at 13. I loved this book and the second part The Unjust Skies. This is the only book to this day that has made me cry. It is a true love story from teen to adult. I can't believe no one ever made this movie as it would have been a classic one. This is one of my top 5's of all time and I've read a lot of book spanning 40 some years.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the original BBC mini-series 'Diana' that aired in 1984.

It is based on the R F Delderfield novel of the same name.

Cast:

Patsy Kensit - Young Diana
Jenny Seagrove - Older Diana
Kevin McNally - Jan
Iain Anders - Reuben
Yves Aubert - Yves de Royden
Christina Barryk - Mary
Yves Beneyton - Raoul de Royden
Elizabeth Bennett - Mrs. Gayelord-Sutton
Jean Boissery - Rance
Fred Bryant - Luke

Directors:

Richard Stroud
David Tucker

Writers:

R F Delderfield (novel)
Andrew Davies (writer)

Diana by Delderfield



winter 2013
tbr busting
film only
under 500
twixt the wars
young romance
br>eng>devon
books about books and writing>journalism

Remember where Patsy Kensit started? Here!

...and where have you seen him before: Mackay

What about Jenny Seagrove


10 x 1 hour episodes from the BBC

[Antoinette]

Read pre GR.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure I've ever read anything quite like this. There are two parts to Diana. In the first, a young man named John falls for a girl named Diana when she rescues him from an angry gamekeeper who works on her parents' estate. He is poor and works in his uncle's used furniture store and Diana is completely out of his league. Thus begins his love, and eventually unhealthy obsession, with the spoiled only-daughter of the inhabitants of the Heronslea estate. It's clear that these two are soulmates. But Diana also loves her money and is incredibly selfish, and the plot becomes "will she choose money over her "soulmate"? This first part was beautifully written and Delafield perfectly captured the spirit of these two. You felt the gamut of emotions that John felt as he pursued Diana--joy, jealousy, elation, confusion. Delafield's descriptions of the English countryside were lovely. But eventually all this got on my nerves. I became sick of Diana's cruel and manipulative treatment of John and really annoyed by John's inability to deny her anything. It was like watching a horror movie where you can see the protagonist (John) walking right into the trap (Diana). And all the while you're yelling, "No, don't do it!" Or "No, don't go there!" Nevertheless, that's the way life goes sometimes and I was prepared to rate Diana 4 stars. Then came Part Two... All of a sudden It skips ahead many years and WWII is going on and John is married to someone else and Diana has a child and she's working for the French Resistance and the two become British spies and they participate in these confusing whacky adventures and they go on a murderous killing spree and they get involved in these ridiculous gun and bomb-filled fights with the Nazis. I'm not joking! It's like Part One and Part Two are two COMPLETELY different books smushed together (later, while reading about the author on Wikipedia, I discovered that that's exactly what happened). Part Two was stupid and ludicrous and I hated it. My rating of Diana plummeted to one star. Ultimately, I raised it to two stars because the ending returned to the beautiful writing of Part One. Diana is a long, long slog at almost 700 pages and I couldn't wait for it to be over so I could move on to something else. If I'd known how bad Part Two was going to be, I'm not sure I would have bothered with this book at all

[Sallie Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

A nostalgic piece of fiction published in 1960. The story spans eighteen years - 1927 through 1945. Poor orphan boy meets the rich privileged girl in rural England; he falls hard for his dream girl at the sweet young age of fifteen and their lives are intertwined ever thereafter.

I enjoyed this period piece very much, the latter half especially as the WWII raged and our hero and heroine made their contributions to the Allied Front. If you’re in the mood for an old fashioned romance and a WWII story, this one certainly fills the bill.


ATY Goodreads Challenge - 2022
Prompt #20 - fiction or nonfiction set during 1900 - 1951

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another Delderfiled book about the uniqueness of Pre-WW I England.... this, the story of a young woman of privilege and her life..... Yes, full of things which today we would revile and castigate as classist, repressive and arrogant examples of the social inequalities of the time...... But all I saw -read, imagined, dreamt of - was the beautiful, bucolic English countryside and apparently genteel life of its people, both working poor and land owners alike.....

[Mercedes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Diana when I was 16. It's a beautifully written reflection ofpre-WW I English society, with deep, well-dimensioned and strong characters and one of the most heartfelt love stories i've ever read amidst a fascinating recount of historic events. Close to my heart.

[Misfit]

I'm giving this one up for now and perhaps try another day. Other books are calling and not much is happening here.

[Duncan Leung · Rating 5 out of 5]

I prefer this book over Romeo and Juliet any day. This is just how teen romance should be.

[Christian Belz · Rating 4 out of 5]

First part-magical as ever; second part-maddening as ever.

[Debbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book was like plowing a rocky field. It took forever! I still had to give it 3 stars as it was a good story and was well written. I just didn't enjoy reading it because I had to work at it.

[Carolyn Agosta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Delderfield novel. Having long been a fan of RF Delderfield (the Swann Trilogy, To Serve Them All My Days, The Avenue), I was excited to find a 'new' book by him, but this story just turned me off. Diana may have come across as a romantic figure early on, but I really got tired of her constant shifts, and stopped caring what happened to the two of them. The scene where Jan watches as she distracts Rance just sickened me, no matter why she was doing it.

Delderfield has written similar characters before, particularly in the Swann Trilogy, with one of the sons (whose name I can't remember) and his willfull, spoiled rich wife. I didn't care for that character and I don't care for Diana. When I saw the direction the ending was heading, I didn't even finish the book.

One thing worth noting, Delderfield's novels always introduce some pretty interesting viewpoints on sexual relationships. Not that he spends a lot of time on describing sex scenes, not at all, but the psychology behind the sexual part of a couple's relationship. In this book, At one point, Jan seems to realize that he has a sexual reaction to Diana that he has romanticized, which is absolutely true, but it's not often that I've read a book where a man romanticizes a woman because he lusts for her. Usually it's the woman who has romanticized a man who physically turns her on, even though if she were to be honest about it, his personality is not truly loving.

[B.B. Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's so funny; I was talking to a friend about books just a couple of days ago and was trying to describe this book but couldn't remember the title or the author. Today I was browsing something else and a book by Delderfield was one of the recommendations. Yes! That's the author! Browsing through his books brought me to Diana, though the title still didn't mean anything to me, the description sounded about right. The only other thing I could remember about it was a quote at the beginning from a poem: Sennacherib. After a little investigation (Amazon look-inside, LOL) I found that this was, indeed, the book.

Why the long explanation? Well, I read this book in my early twenties (a very long time ago) and it has stuck with me. I think it was a book that I found at my husband's parents house. Anyway, it was one of those books that I didn't really like but I couldn't stop reading, and was just SO sure that it was going to have this great, culminating ending...and it didn't. Well-written? Absolutely. Interesting? I guess it must have been or I wouldn't have kept reading. But I found it ultimately depressing and anti-climactic. I have a lingering uneasiness about this book. I may have to read it again as a more mature woman and perhaps my rating will change.

[Kathleen B. Hlavac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in high school many years ago - it stuck with me all these years. For a long time, I tried to find it again, without success. I was ecstatic to see that it is back in print and also available on Kindle. I purchased both versions. Just read it again and savored every word. The book is so beautifully written. The story begins with Diana and John (Jan) as young teenagers and follows them through many ups and downs, through their lives together. One of the best books I have ever read. Highly recommend!!

[Clare Landshoft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book at least 6 times and I like others have got something different from it each time. In my younger years I saw it as a wonderful love story but on return reads the lovely Diana comes across a much different character!! The angst was all Johns, a puppet that she liked to pick up and drop at will almost from the moment they met, but he was mesmerised from day one and allowed himself to be treated that way.

[Mary Kay Wooten · Rating 5 out of 5]

English Love Story

This book grabbed me from the beginning . All I that begins in 1927 and ends in post WW2. A story of English class differences. A love story that begins at ages 14 & 15. A story of love that never dies. A story filled with ambition, humor, excitement, betrayal, tragedy, & most importantly lasting love. Now you may think this is just a sappy love story but is much much more. This is a book I highly recommend & will undoubtedly read again.

[Marilyn Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. It might have been a bit wordy in the description of things but overall a very good book with a good ending. That is something that new authors need to learn how to do....write a good ending to their books.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading again?

I know I have read this before but I have no memory of the second half. Perhaps I didn't finish? But what a prig this man was....

[Lizbenandgus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb, heart stopping.

[Kathleen Holt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book on a recommendation and settled in for a long journey. Written in 1960 by the English novelist R.F. Delderfield, this 665-page book is essentially a love story, set in rural England, between a wealthy and spoiled heiress and an orphaned boy of modest means. The story covers about 18 years, spanning from the mid-to-late 1920s to the near-end of World War II, and includes some unlikely and unexpected War adventures from both of the protagonists. It felt overly long at times and my enjoyment of the book was hindered by the problem that I did not like Diana herself all that much for most of the book. She redeemed herself in my eyes by the end of the book, and I was very curious how it would all turn out for the two lovers, who had innumerable ups and downs during their 18 years together. Delderfield is at his best when describing the incredible natural beauty of England's countryside and the abiding and deep love that John had for Diana, even when she frequently did little to deserve it.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"DIANA is a sweeping, large-canvas romantic novel.

"John Leigh was fifteen years old, an orphan, when he fist saw the beautiful Diana, daughter of the wealthy Gaylorde-Suttons, and fell instantly in love with her and with the great house that was for them along 'Sennacharib' ..."
~~back cover

It certainly is sweeping, all tight, at 666 pages! In the inimitable R.F. Delderfield style, it follows John and Diana through the course of their teenage years into adult life, and spans WWII in the bargain. In the beginning, it's a riveting read: the impoverished shy orphan worshiping the golden confident girl miles above his social strata. But as it progresses, it becomes heavier and heavier with almost predetermined plot twists, and with a good deal of excellent, excess verbiage about emotions and fears and dreams. The ending was not what I thought it was going to be -- very Camille and emotional ... with a good deal of excellent, excess verbiage.

[Nancy Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Delderfield brings to life the time between the two World Wars, set in the English countryside of Devon. I have been a fan of his for 40+ years and always enjoy being transported by his magical prose. This book is a beautiful love story.....John Leigh has two great loves: the Devon countryside which becomes his home on his 15th birthday, and the lovely Diana, a year younger but the daughter of wealthy landowners. Together they share love for the land and eventually their love for each other, with the inevitable difficulties and troubles their differences bring, right up to the early days of the Second World War. Not as long as some of his other books, it's still impossible not to get caught up in the story.....such a wonderful escape!

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well Perhaps I was a little disappointed on reading this book as it didn't seem as good as some of his other books such as "the Avenue" series which seemed to be as accurate description on that period of history. It was very slow starting and one gets the impression that the author is somewhat overawed by the Devonshire flora and fauna almost as if he becomes carried away with description and one is lost as to where the story is going I was pleased that it didn't have a smug ending this was due perhaps that he could have written a follow up; basically its a love story not really my type of reading but it does show just how versatile Delderfield was plus still able to be read in this day and age.

[Lesley Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my all time favourite book aged 19 so decades later I decided to re-read having forgotten the plot. It put me back in touch with my young self and boy was I a romantic at heart! Older and wiser I still loved the book for it is very well written and depicts life in Britain in the pre-war period and through world war 2 extremely well. As a mature adult I did find the relationship a bit annoying in its one sidedness -but I ts still a great story and evokes a love of the countryside and human relationships in a sweeping saga. It’s a long book, one in which you can become totally immersed.

[Debbie Shoulders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a reread from over forty years ago. It still holds. A classic love story, the narrative rises above the romance genre, soaring as an epic tale of two people set in a time and place. It is Devon, beginning in 1927, when fourteen-year-old John and Diana meet in a place they call Sennacherib. She is the landowner's daughter; he is of the working class. This sets in motion events that span almost two decades and a war.

Delderfield represents a type of novel not seen in modern times. Poetic and woven with passion, it was nice to revisit this world.

[Κατερίνα. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Το είχα διαβάσει πολλά χρόνια πριν. Μετά την τεράστια τηλεοπτική του μεταφορά στην μικρή οθόνη. Αυτό το τόσο βαθιά γυναικείο βιβλίο που το έγραψε άντρας είναι μοναδικό. Ο έρωτας των δύο παιδιών στην αρχή, και στην μετέπειτα πορεία της ενηλικίωσης τους ,χάραξε μέσα μου χιλιάδες συναισθήματα. Ο έρωτας πονάει. Ο έρωτας σε κάνει να προσπαθήσεις να γίνεις καλύτερος. Ο Τζαν και η Νταϊάνα ήταν δύο γεράκια. Που πότε ερχόντουσαν κοντά και πότε έφευγαν μακριά. Μα έσμιγαν κάθε φορά που εμφανιζόταν εκείνη.

Δε νομίζω να έχει γραφτεί ποτέ άλλοτε ένα τέτοιο βιβλίο πόνου,έρωτα, απόγνωσης, λύτρωσης

[Declan Dunphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the early chapters of this in my teens and was quite haunted by it, but for some reason did not continue. Now, at the age of 72, I've finally read it cover-to-cover. Its repetitive and improbable in places and does go on a bit, but I found it gripping and fell in love again with the heroine whom I found again to be as inspiring and fresh as Spring sunshine. The feeling of loss when I'd finished was palpable!

[Olivia Mehigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked most of this book, but it didn't measure up to what I consider Delderfield's masterpiece, To Serve Them all my Days. The relationship between Jan and Diana is moving, but there seemed hundreds of pages where he was stringing out the story for the sake of it, especially the war scenes, each one more terrible and bloody than the last. I stopped reading 100 (?200) pages or so before the end because I couldn't take any more. Then finished it the other day and was moved again.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bailed on this book about 57% through. I’ve enjoyed Delderfield’s writing in other books, but this one lost me. The character of Diana was fairly unpleasant for most of what I read, and her about-face during the war just wasn’t believable to me. I also tired of John’s continuing passion for Diana in the face of her unbelievable self-absorption and stupidity.

Ultimately, I lost patience with them both and gave it up.