Give Us This Day, Part 1 of 2

by R.F. Delderfield

Part One Of Two Parts

Delderfield's third novel in the trilogy that includes GOD IS AN ENGLISHMAN and THEIRS WAS THE KINGDOM is a towering novel that brings the Swann family to the brink of WW I. The last remnants of the titanic energy that fueled Victoria's Empire was about to be wasted on the bloody fields of Flanders.

At the center stands Adam Swann: aging but still indomitable and still as much in love with Henrietta as he was when he first lifted her on his horse and carried her away. They are now surrounded by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Through their eyes we see the ferment of a country moving into the modern world.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

Audio Cassette

Published January 1, 1988

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

[Roger Brandeberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book 3 in a trilogy of the Swann family which takes place in England. I happened upon this book in an antique store, read the synopsis, and it sounded interesting. The volume I read has a copyright date of 1973, a year after the author's death, by his widow. Even though I haven't read Books 1 and 2, I found this book was readable as a stand alone. It was well written and a satisfying read. I enjoy any book with an English setting and this one didn't disappoint.

[Deane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story....part of Swann family series

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part One: There are times when I envy readers who live where they can see the places an author's stories happen and this is one. I've listened while my my husband has described complicated hauls and right now we have a run on idiots who don't check the height of their load before driving under overpasses. The evening news is always entertaining when this happens but I imagine there are a few drivers who have lost their jobs. Reading in this book about the haulage of a gun turret (6 tons, really?) across half of England I had a lot of sympathy for all concerned, although I agree with George that if the Navy refused the shipment for late delivery they were idiots because better it be there late than not at all and who else would cast it for them? It is hard for me to envisage the roads, though, because I've only seen hedged roads once (in Northern Ireland) and in England we were mostly on trains. Still, haulage is haulage and I know exactly what the younger men see in Adam, that file of information about everywhere and everything that he kept in his mind. My husband did the same and had all of British Columbia in his head. It's what his business was and that is what Adam was doing, too. You can't begin to quote on a load if you don't have a good idea right at the start of any problems that may be involved so you build up an awareness of problem sites and difficult loads as well as the equipment and drivers available..
We also get the Boer War, the Boxer Rebellion and a start at settling into Ireland so we'll be ready for the First War when it comes and Ireland goes up in flames.
The first reaction to the plotting is to want to scream at the Empire Builders that they've no right to go stomping into other people's territory just because there are business opportunities. Free trade certainly did damage to the British farmer, some of whom came out and built the Canadian farms that shipped the tons of grain that destroyed the price in Britain, even allowing for the shipping costs.
The shift to mechanised transport is clearly dealt with, too.
After the first book in this series this is my next favourite one. Very satisfying.

Part 2: Reconnaissance (end of July) This is a separate book in my collection and the 385 pages deal with events winding up at the beginning of August 1914. There is a lot to cover and a couple of tragedies to settle all the family and determine how the company is going to start the war period. George makes the right decision and he should see them nicely through it, although goodness knows how his sons would do and whether Gisela would find herself suffering for her Austrian birth.
Helen throws her entire inheritance into Irish independence and who knows how she ends up personally. Delderfield is clearly on the Irish side in this one and we have to remember that Henrietta's Mother was from the Irish south. Joanna would be on the losing side in Ireland and would probably have to retreat to England with Clint and the children and what about those two boys they have? If Alex is posted to Ireland - supposing he survived the war - all bets would be off and his son Garnet would be 18 by the end of the war so he could be lost as well as anyone his sister Rose married.
Giles would have to live through the handling of the war and his son David could easily end up in the thick of it. I don't think Delderfield minded not having to write about that section of British parliamentary history.
Hugo and Sybil would have lots of therapy work to keep them busy and their son should be out of it. Edward will be set working in the firm and Margaret will be settled in her Welsh Valley. It's a long run from Adam's horseback ride through England and Delderfield finished his career and life rather magnificently with this final segment.
If Adam survived the tremor at the end of the book he would not survive the War and while Henrietta would likely live to see the war end she would not have a fun time of it with Tryst possibly having a spell serving as some form of officers' recuperation facility; perhaps with Hugo on its staff.
This is one of my favourite series and I always read the whole thing if I start it.