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Flambards #4
Flambards Divided
This is the final book in the best-selling Flabards series. The First World War is over and Christina marries Dick, who was once the groom at Flambards. The local gentry refuse to accept the couple socially and, with Mark Russell due home from the war, Christina is forced to face the consequences of her decision. And in the end it is Christina who is as much divided as Flambards, in her feelings for two very different men. This title was reissued in the Oxford Children's Modern Classics series earlier this year, and is now being issued in a mass-market paperback format.
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1982
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About the author
K.M. Peyton
109 books149 followersKathleen Wendy Herald Peyton MBE, who wrote primarily as K. M. Peyton, was a British author of fiction for children and young adults
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
October 26, 2022
"Flambards takes everything it wants, and discards it when it no longer needs it."
So many readers seem to dislike this book, and while I respect that, I'm surprised by it as well, because this was my favourite of the series. I understand that not everyone shares my love of Mark, but I don't quite understand the feelings that his relationship with Christina seems unlikely or forced or a poor fit. In the first book, it's Mark that she spends most of her time with, and they've always had a sort of connection. He in particular was always very clear about it -- after all, he proposed to her in the first book and told her in the third that he would rather marry her than Dorothy. And Christina's continual jealousy of any woman Mark ever showed an interest in, and the sense of loss she feels when he isn't in her life indicates that it's not out of nowhere for her either. Although I think she was right to pick Will, that brilliant moment at the end of Flambards where Will drives her away in the car and Mark chases after them on Woodpigeon, does indicate a depth of feeling from Mark that made me briefly wonder if she shouldn't have stayed. Of course the Mark of this book has grown as a person. He's still frustratingly arrogant most of the time, but having lost his father, his brother, his horses (one of the reasons he joined the army in the second book was so he wouldn't have to separated from Treasure) and having sustained a life-changing injury, he has a bit more sense, and to be honest, even if he didn't I would love him anyway. I think (though I am aware I'm in the minority here) that he and Christina have always been well suited.
There is a focus on how, even if they wanted to, Christina and Mark cannot marry -- it is against the law for a man to marry his dead brother's wife. In the previous book, Violet is married to her dead husband's brother - while this could have been an unintentional error on Peyton's part, I did consider the possibility that Violet may not be legally married to this man, but calls him her husband.
There is a lovely moment in this novel where Dick finds Christina's old horse, Sweetbriar and buys her back. Sweetbriar is in foal, and the wonderful joy of that scene almost made me feel guilty for preferring Mark to Dick. But then Dick sells Christina's horse Pheasant without telling her, which I was appalled by. I think their marriage was doomed anyway, because Dick wants a wife who will maintain the house and have children and do little else, whereas Christina wants more. She loves being a mother, but she wants to do other things too -- her fairly independent upbringing at Flambards (there's a certain kind of equality on the hunt field, even in the 1900's) and then the time she spent married to Will, an equal in that marriage, whether she liked it or not(!) means she's very much her own person--- and why should that stop just because she is married? There is an interesting clash of both class (Dick having previously been a servant, with Mary and Fowler unwilling to accept him as their boss) and also worldview. If they were struggling with just the one, the marriage may have been salvageable, but both, with the constant presence of Mark to contend with as well, and it's no surprise that it fell apart almost right away. This is where dating would be useful, or living together. I know that wouldn't have been feasible at the time, but if they'd cohabitated for even a month or two, it would have been clear that marriage was not going to work.
There are a few quotes about the poorly thought out marriages of Christina and Will, and Mark and Dorothy:
Dick's face was tense, his eyes very blue and direct. 'I think you married me out of sense, for Flambards, for the children. It was right all ways round, and with love of a kind, and it works. But I can't compete with Mark.'
*******
"Mark had admitted at the time that he loved her more. She had supposed herself in love with Dick, but perhaps she had been in love with the idea of having a man at the head of her ready-made home and family, a man who had appeared to fit the role so exactly? Perhaps both Mark and herself had married dreams which had dissolved when exposed to the hard grind of reality. Certainly they had both married in haste."
*******
"They had married on the strength of their adolescent dream-love, and the fact that it had been convenient - convenient for Flambards. The old place had a lot to answer for, in the way it had dominated its inmates: none of them had been happy there except Mark, and he was the one who had actually had to sell it, yet they had all put it first in their lives, arranging their affairs to keep the place going. Even he now - in spite of all that had happened- he wanted to make Flambards into a good farm. He did not want to go away."
The ending felt perfect to me. Mark and Christina are not yet able to marry, but with the hope that soon the law will be changed. Their failed marriages ended as kindly as possible. The option to keep Flambards while perhaps living at Mark's house is one I am torn over. Perhaps breaking away from that house would be good, though I can't help loving it.
With this, I finally got to experience the entirety of Flambards a story I've been wanting to read all the way through since I was a child. What's funny is, I think if I'd read this book as a kid I would've been in agreement with the people who wanted the third book to be the end. It's a much more adult book, and there is a lot of disillusionment and regret over loss and poor decisions. Like Flambards in Summer it ends with hope, but it feels more grounded and worked for. Christina has the memories of her happy marriage to Will, and the possibility of another happy marriage with Mark -- and the final page is Christina galloping on Ceasefire, back toward Flambards, and the hope of that happiness.
I think I will read The Key to Flambards by Linda Newbery, as I do feel curious about it, but having read some reviews, I think there will be aspects that will bother me greatly. Of course I want to confirm that for myself, but I have a feeling I'm right about that. Still, I can't resist... and I will remind myself that whether I like it or not will make no difference to the four books K.M. Peyton herself has written. I know this is a series I will read again if I get the opportunity - heck, there is a part of me that could start again right now, and I would if I didn't have such a pile of unread books waiting for my attention, as well as several new additions from my recent birthday. But I don't want to leave it too long --- perhaps I will try to return to them every two or three years?
I have to admit that I delayed my attempts at writing these reviews for a while. I probably need to try and rework my review of the first one in particular. I knew that whatever I wrote would pale in comparison to my deep love of these books, these characters, that strange house. I adore them unreservedly -- to say they are amongst my favourite books feels like such an understatement. I think all books have an impact on the reader, but there are some that, once read, seem to become a part of you in a more complete way. Not just poignant lines or brilliant moments, but the book in its entirety taking up residence in your head or heart or both. Which sounds a bit trite, but I think readers will know what I mean. Actually, not just readers, and not just books, because it happens with films and songs too. I suppose it's stories really, in whatever form they take, that can become a part of you in a way that's not so easy to articulate. It's probably why we continue to be so drawn to them.
Updated after 2022 reread:
I do still love this one the best. I completely understand that the change in tone doesn't work for all readers, but I adore it. I'm very drawn to the idea that rebuilding day-to-day lives after the war is more complex than Christina expected. The idea that you crave peace after such an event, only to find you are poorly suited to it does intrigue me.
I found Christina's memories of Will, and the times when he appears before her, half remembrance, half ghost particularly touching. The reality of moving on, rather than the mere idea of it from the previous book, is understandably painful.
Funnily enough, Christina's marriage to Dick reminded me of an Elizabeth Taylor quote, vaguely recalled, when she discussed her second marriage to Michael Wilding - - that he was mature and sensible and wise, all the things she craved and most wanted herself to be. A hopeful ideal, but not enough to build a marriage upon. (This is my rewording by the way, not a direct quote as I cannot remember which biography I read this in!)
I do love K. M. Peyton's books above all others - she's one of the few authors that I wish I could meet, to talk to her about her work, her stories etc. Flambards in particular, of course! 🐴
So many readers seem to dislike this book, and while I respect that, I'm surprised by it as well, because this was my favourite of the series. I understand that not everyone shares my love of Mark, but I don't quite understand the feelings that his relationship with Christina seems unlikely or forced or a poor fit. In the first book, it's Mark that she spends most of her time with, and they've always had a sort of connection. He in particular was always very clear about it -- after all, he proposed to her in the first book and told her in the third that he would rather marry her than Dorothy. And Christina's continual jealousy of any woman Mark ever showed an interest in, and the sense of loss she feels when he isn't in her life indicates that it's not out of nowhere for her either. Although I think she was right to pick Will, that brilliant moment at the end of Flambards where Will drives her away in the car and Mark chases after them on Woodpigeon, does indicate a depth of feeling from Mark that made me briefly wonder if she shouldn't have stayed. Of course the Mark of this book has grown as a person. He's still frustratingly arrogant most of the time, but having lost his father, his brother, his horses (one of the reasons he joined the army in the second book was so he wouldn't have to separated from Treasure) and having sustained a life-changing injury, he has a bit more sense, and to be honest, even if he didn't I would love him anyway. I think (though I am aware I'm in the minority here) that he and Christina have always been well suited.
There is a focus on how, even if they wanted to, Christina and Mark cannot marry -- it is against the law for a man to marry his dead brother's wife. In the previous book, Violet is married to her dead husband's brother - while this could have been an unintentional error on Peyton's part, I did consider the possibility that Violet may not be legally married to this man, but calls him her husband.
There is a lovely moment in this novel where Dick finds Christina's old horse, Sweetbriar and buys her back. Sweetbriar is in foal, and the wonderful joy of that scene almost made me feel guilty for preferring Mark to Dick. But then Dick sells Christina's horse Pheasant without telling her, which I was appalled by. I think their marriage was doomed anyway, because Dick wants a wife who will maintain the house and have children and do little else, whereas Christina wants more. She loves being a mother, but she wants to do other things too -- her fairly independent upbringing at Flambards (there's a certain kind of equality on the hunt field, even in the 1900's) and then the time she spent married to Will, an equal in that marriage, whether she liked it or not(!) means she's very much her own person--- and why should that stop just because she is married? There is an interesting clash of both class (Dick having previously been a servant, with Mary and Fowler unwilling to accept him as their boss) and also worldview. If they were struggling with just the one, the marriage may have been salvageable, but both, with the constant presence of Mark to contend with as well, and it's no surprise that it fell apart almost right away. This is where dating would be useful, or living together. I know that wouldn't have been feasible at the time, but if they'd cohabitated for even a month or two, it would have been clear that marriage was not going to work.
There are a few quotes about the poorly thought out marriages of Christina and Will, and Mark and Dorothy:
Dick's face was tense, his eyes very blue and direct. 'I think you married me out of sense, for Flambards, for the children. It was right all ways round, and with love of a kind, and it works. But I can't compete with Mark.'
*******
"Mark had admitted at the time that he loved her more. She had supposed herself in love with Dick, but perhaps she had been in love with the idea of having a man at the head of her ready-made home and family, a man who had appeared to fit the role so exactly? Perhaps both Mark and herself had married dreams which had dissolved when exposed to the hard grind of reality. Certainly they had both married in haste."
*******
"They had married on the strength of their adolescent dream-love, and the fact that it had been convenient - convenient for Flambards. The old place had a lot to answer for, in the way it had dominated its inmates: none of them had been happy there except Mark, and he was the one who had actually had to sell it, yet they had all put it first in their lives, arranging their affairs to keep the place going. Even he now - in spite of all that had happened- he wanted to make Flambards into a good farm. He did not want to go away."
The ending felt perfect to me. Mark and Christina are not yet able to marry, but with the hope that soon the law will be changed. Their failed marriages ended as kindly as possible. The option to keep Flambards while perhaps living at Mark's house is one I am torn over. Perhaps breaking away from that house would be good, though I can't help loving it.
With this, I finally got to experience the entirety of Flambards a story I've been wanting to read all the way through since I was a child. What's funny is, I think if I'd read this book as a kid I would've been in agreement with the people who wanted the third book to be the end. It's a much more adult book, and there is a lot of disillusionment and regret over loss and poor decisions. Like Flambards in Summer it ends with hope, but it feels more grounded and worked for. Christina has the memories of her happy marriage to Will, and the possibility of another happy marriage with Mark -- and the final page is Christina galloping on Ceasefire, back toward Flambards, and the hope of that happiness.
I think I will read The Key to Flambards by Linda Newbery, as I do feel curious about it, but having read some reviews, I think there will be aspects that will bother me greatly. Of course I want to confirm that for myself, but I have a feeling I'm right about that. Still, I can't resist... and I will remind myself that whether I like it or not will make no difference to the four books K.M. Peyton herself has written. I know this is a series I will read again if I get the opportunity - heck, there is a part of me that could start again right now, and I would if I didn't have such a pile of unread books waiting for my attention, as well as several new additions from my recent birthday. But I don't want to leave it too long --- perhaps I will try to return to them every two or three years?
I have to admit that I delayed my attempts at writing these reviews for a while. I probably need to try and rework my review of the first one in particular. I knew that whatever I wrote would pale in comparison to my deep love of these books, these characters, that strange house. I adore them unreservedly -- to say they are amongst my favourite books feels like such an understatement. I think all books have an impact on the reader, but there are some that, once read, seem to become a part of you in a more complete way. Not just poignant lines or brilliant moments, but the book in its entirety taking up residence in your head or heart or both. Which sounds a bit trite, but I think readers will know what I mean. Actually, not just readers, and not just books, because it happens with films and songs too. I suppose it's stories really, in whatever form they take, that can become a part of you in a way that's not so easy to articulate. It's probably why we continue to be so drawn to them.
Updated after 2022 reread:
I do still love this one the best. I completely understand that the change in tone doesn't work for all readers, but I adore it. I'm very drawn to the idea that rebuilding day-to-day lives after the war is more complex than Christina expected. The idea that you crave peace after such an event, only to find you are poorly suited to it does intrigue me.
I found Christina's memories of Will, and the times when he appears before her, half remembrance, half ghost particularly touching. The reality of moving on, rather than the mere idea of it from the previous book, is understandably painful.
Funnily enough, Christina's marriage to Dick reminded me of an Elizabeth Taylor quote, vaguely recalled, when she discussed her second marriage to Michael Wilding - - that he was mature and sensible and wise, all the things she craved and most wanted herself to be. A hopeful ideal, but not enough to build a marriage upon. (This is my rewording by the way, not a direct quote as I cannot remember which biography I read this in!)
I do love K. M. Peyton's books above all others - she's one of the few authors that I wish I could meet, to talk to her about her work, her stories etc. Flambards in particular, of course! 🐴
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2018
K.M. Peyton surprised many devoted fans of Flambards by returning to her beloved trilogy many years after its publication to write this controversial fourth book. As far as I can tell, readers love it or hate it (and some wish she had never written it because it is somewhat disillusioning). Yet to me, Christina's continuing saga rings oddly true and I grew to love this installment as much as the three previous books. Note that I do not recommend reading this series (or even comments about it) out of order.
June 8, 2013
I read Flambards Divided twice. Once over fifteen years ago and then just a few days ago. I am truly impressed. At the first reading, I was overwhelmed by the intense emotional ride but upon reading it again, I realize how realistic a portrayal it is of young relationships, especially after World War I.
To have lost William in a devastating War that took countless young lives, was raw and painful for Christina. Completely understandable. Also, to have Mark severely wounded and, as Dorothy says, he will not make it to old age. That was also a devastating blow. On the second reading of the book, I realized that K.M. Peyton was trying to convey the terrible losses in that dreadful war. Marrying Mark will have its heartache because he will never regain his health and she may have to grieve his loss all over again.
It was profound to me for Peyton to not have the marriage with Dick read like a fairytale. William had told Christina of the injustice of the class system but I am glad that Peyton took a realistic and believable look that the innate challenges that Dick and Christina faced. Yes, Dick was unbelievably stubborn in his limited view of a wife's role and he was just too young and inexperienced to do any better. Also, Mark brought out all of Dick's insecurites. Christina and Dick's was a believable struggle because of their different innate characteristics. They needed each other for a time to bring life back to Flambards and restore each other's losses, but they did not have what it takes for a happy marriage.
The aftermath of WWI was chaocic, the losses staggering. I thought Peyton, through Christina, truly addressed the intense and painful emotions of that time. I loved how Christina managed to follow her heart and her true identity in the end. Though the ending image really made my heart ache. But who in this life has unceasing and secure happiness. Certainly not the majority of us. I love how Peyton draws us into the character's thoughts, feelings and perceptions.
Flambards Divided was an emotional roller coaster ride but I felt it addressed a too simple ending in Flambards In Summer and left Christina, Mark and Dick in completely believable places in the end.
I love the warmth and detail of Peyton's writing, though this book did seem a little rushed compared to the original trilogy.
To have lost William in a devastating War that took countless young lives, was raw and painful for Christina. Completely understandable. Also, to have Mark severely wounded and, as Dorothy says, he will not make it to old age. That was also a devastating blow. On the second reading of the book, I realized that K.M. Peyton was trying to convey the terrible losses in that dreadful war. Marrying Mark will have its heartache because he will never regain his health and she may have to grieve his loss all over again.
It was profound to me for Peyton to not have the marriage with Dick read like a fairytale. William had told Christina of the injustice of the class system but I am glad that Peyton took a realistic and believable look that the innate challenges that Dick and Christina faced. Yes, Dick was unbelievably stubborn in his limited view of a wife's role and he was just too young and inexperienced to do any better. Also, Mark brought out all of Dick's insecurites. Christina and Dick's was a believable struggle because of their different innate characteristics. They needed each other for a time to bring life back to Flambards and restore each other's losses, but they did not have what it takes for a happy marriage.
The aftermath of WWI was chaocic, the losses staggering. I thought Peyton, through Christina, truly addressed the intense and painful emotions of that time. I loved how Christina managed to follow her heart and her true identity in the end. Though the ending image really made my heart ache. But who in this life has unceasing and secure happiness. Certainly not the majority of us. I love how Peyton draws us into the character's thoughts, feelings and perceptions.
Flambards Divided was an emotional roller coaster ride but I felt it addressed a too simple ending in Flambards In Summer and left Christina, Mark and Dick in completely believable places in the end.
I love the warmth and detail of Peyton's writing, though this book did seem a little rushed compared to the original trilogy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2014
I have such mixed feelings about this final Flambards book! I love K.M Peyton's writing, and the way she portrays her characters, but I hated how this novel was basically about two failing marriages, and all the convoluted relationships, and I just found it all a bit depressing. I feel like, at the end of the third Flambards book (which was originally the end to a trilogy, until Peyton wrote this fourth one some twenty years later), that Peyton intended for it to be a happy ending - that Christina marrying Dick was a good thing, and that they would be happy. I can believe and understand why, in the fourth book, this isn't the case; the class difference is too big, and both Dick and Christina refuse to change and compromise to make the marriage work. I get it. But I DON'T get, and can't believe that Christina would ever fall for Mark! MARK! All they ever do is argue! He's a complete cloddish cad! Sure, he's been through the war, and then starts to actually work with Fergus etc., and he has changed a bit, but in essentials… honestly, I can't see that Christina and Mark would work any more than Christina and Dick. I felt like it was a forced thing on Peyton's part, to do that to the story, and surely, when she wrote the original trilogy, something she never dreamed of.
Also, there's a big thing in this novel about the law being changed so it becomes lawful for a man to marry his dead brother's wife (so Christina and Mark can have a future together, finally), but I'm pretty sure in Flambards in Summer, Violet says she married her first husband's brother, after the first husband died… so a bit of a slip up there!
Also, there's a big thing in this novel about the law being changed so it becomes lawful for a man to marry his dead brother's wife (so Christina and Mark can have a future together, finally), but I'm pretty sure in Flambards in Summer, Violet says she married her first husband's brother, after the first husband died… so a bit of a slip up there!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2022
If you write a novel that shows people inherently unable to change their ways, that depicts women unable to get away from men who don't respect them, that suggests there is no way to challenge the status quo, then why are you writing? This book's treatment of class and sexism in the early 1920s isn't unrealistic: Christina's struggles to cope with men trying to dominate her, and the fact that though she is demonstrably as capable as any man, she cannot see past the role society has dedicated for her, ring very true. But the way the book presents them without question is so frustrating: I don't want to read something so pessimistic, that forces people into such narrow roles.
Peyton is juggling a lot of adult emotion, and this time her simple dialogue and rapid prose let her down. She can't contain the complexity she's trying to deal with. This series would have been much better left as a trilogy.
I'm also annoyed that this is supposed to be a horse series, and I've now read one book about aeroplanes and one book about motor-cars.
Peyton is juggling a lot of adult emotion, and this time her simple dialogue and rapid prose let her down. She can't contain the complexity she's trying to deal with. This series would have been much better left as a trilogy.
I'm also annoyed that this is supposed to be a horse series, and I've now read one book about aeroplanes and one book about motor-cars.
August 27, 2022
Perhaps the author was embarrassed that her character was not more plucky/feminist, and so in the sequel she changed Christina's personality. Other characters are fundamentally different too. It's like the Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I understand that change happens -- a person's perspective might change, or the kind of experiences they can empathize with. They might become more humble or more confident. But I don't think a grown person's basic character can alter, not to the extent suggested here. I ADORED the original Flambards stories when I was a teenager, and I loathed this sequel.
August 22, 2009
First read this when it was published in US ('82?) because I am a MAJOR fan of the Flambards trilogy and the TV series based on it. Recall being very shocked and saddened by what happened to my beloved characters so my feelings about the book were not totally favorable.
Reread in 2001 because an online Flambards group was discussing it and found as a more mature reader that I appreciated it a lot more and there was an essential "rightness" to how it finished off the story. I am still not completely happy with the feet of clay that were revealed in my favorite character but I can definitely see how the story would evolve in that direction given the essential personalities involved.
Must read all four books again one day.
Reread in 2001 because an online Flambards group was discussing it and found as a more mature reader that I appreciated it a lot more and there was an essential "rightness" to how it finished off the story. I am still not completely happy with the feet of clay that were revealed in my favorite character but I can definitely see how the story would evolve in that direction given the essential personalities involved.
Must read all four books again one day.
January 9, 2010
Gee, I really hated this book. It's everything I don't want to read- melodramatic romance with Mary Sue and all the men in the world who can't live without her. Gack. And yes, I read the whole damned thing but only because I had no other book to hand and I was in bed and it was too cold to get up and get a decent book. I would have been much happier if I'd stopped after the first book in this series.
Read
July 27, 2015I loved the way Flambards in Summer ended so it was hard for me to see the purpose of a fourth book. As the story went on, however, I really came to see how much depth and richness this fourth volume adds to the story. Technically, it’s a better written book and it seems to have a broader awareness of the larger world. The intervening time definitely served to improve craftsmanship. Additionally, while it broke my heart, in the end it made sense that Dick and Christina weren’t successful as a couple, especially with his history as lower or working class; his history with Mark and the trials he must have endured when he was first dismissed from Flambards. I was more disappointed that Christina wasn’t more giving on the points of class, but then the point of the unconventional nature of their relationship was never to bring her down, and no matter how she’d tried she would always have been the one with money.
And Mark had grown up a little bit. I could see, for the first time, the possibility of him being a good match for Christina so that transformation was well done. And, of course, Mark and Dorothy were never going to last. I didn’t even believe that when they got married.
So it was sad, and hard, but in the end I really like it. And I thought it was a beautiful portrayal of the depth of the ways the war affected life in Britain and affected the individuals who had to live through all that: all the death, the maiming, the exhaustion; the extreme shortage of young men; the tendencies to want to move forward; and the strong urges to go back, to return to a happier time.
And Mark had grown up a little bit. I could see, for the first time, the possibility of him being a good match for Christina so that transformation was well done. And, of course, Mark and Dorothy were never going to last. I didn’t even believe that when they got married.
So it was sad, and hard, but in the end I really like it. And I thought it was a beautiful portrayal of the depth of the ways the war affected life in Britain and affected the individuals who had to live through all that: all the death, the maiming, the exhaustion; the extreme shortage of young men; the tendencies to want to move forward; and the strong urges to go back, to return to a happier time.
February 6, 2008
You would be better off imagining your own book.
August 1, 2013
I really struggled with this book, but limped to the end. What a disappointing sequel to such a great first book! Blerk.
March 10, 2018
This was a good ending to a great series. Although this book was bar far the saddest, it provided the most realistic turn of events. Ending "Flambards in Summer" with Dick and Christina beginning a romantic relationship just felt forced an unauthentic to me. They had childhood interest in one another, but it was clear their personalities weren't compatible and, due to their background, would never have a successful marriage. In "Flambards Divided", Peyton finally gets around to a realistic, rather than idealistic, turn of events and we watch as the marriage of Christina and Dick crumbles. And finally, Christina begins a romance with Mark. I'm so happy Peyton decided to write this into the last book. I always felt from the beginning of the series that she belonged with Mark--they had the most in common and he treated her like a valuable equal, unlike William or Dick. Christina's intense love for William always seemed so flat and forced to me and I grew sick of her rolling over to him and giving up her personality so he could pursue his flying. Similarly, Christina rolls over to Dick with farming Flambards and adapting to a homemaker role. But finally in the final book we see Christina's character come full circle, which is the true shining point of this novel. She has confidence in herself and identifies her dreams, refusing to allow society or a marriage to dictate those for her. "Flambards Divided" is finally the logical ending that I wish Peyton had written all along.
February 1, 2010
Chapters: 15 // Pages: 285
See my critique for the first in series. Will reiterate, however, that I couldn't stand this book. It was a disappointing ending to a story and characters I had come to know and like in the first three stories.
See my critique for the first in series. Will reiterate, however, that I couldn't stand this book. It was a disappointing ending to a story and characters I had come to know and like in the first three stories.
Read
June 26, 2007This book is apparently the Godfather III of Flambards so I am going to follow many other fans of the original trilogy and pretend it never happened.
September 16, 2014
Enjoyed the first three Flambards books? Want to find out what happened next? Prepare for disappointment ...
To be fair, it's probably a realistic account of what happened next - real life isn't 'and they lived happily ever after', and things do get messy. All the marriages are entirely believable but what struck me this time, which completely passed me by when I first read it (because I was too young), is that the marriages which in the end work do so because the people in them have changed.
Although I can't bring myself to like this book very much I do actually think that in some respects it is a much better book than its predecessors - there is more showing and less telling, and the entwining and disentangling of the various relationships is well-drawn. And once again KMP captures the period and the place really well. So if this was a stand-alone book I would probably rate it more highly. Sadly, it's not a stand-alone book, so it has the effect of spoiling the happy ending of the original trilogy. This wasn't how it was supposed to be!
So, I have no regrets about saying good-bye to Flambards. I'm glad I came across them, twenty years ago; and I'm glad I've read them again, now, because the final book makes much more sense. But I can't feel enough affection for the series for the books to be keepers.
To be fair, it's probably a realistic account of what happened next - real life isn't 'and they lived happily ever after', and things do get messy. All the marriages are entirely believable but what struck me this time, which completely passed me by when I first read it (because I was too young), is that the marriages which in the end work do so because the people in them have changed.
Although I can't bring myself to like this book very much I do actually think that in some respects it is a much better book than its predecessors - there is more showing and less telling, and the entwining and disentangling of the various relationships is well-drawn. And once again KMP captures the period and the place really well. So if this was a stand-alone book I would probably rate it more highly. Sadly, it's not a stand-alone book, so it has the effect of spoiling the happy ending of the original trilogy. This wasn't how it was supposed to be!
So, I have no regrets about saying good-bye to Flambards. I'm glad I came across them, twenty years ago; and I'm glad I've read them again, now, because the final book makes much more sense. But I can't feel enough affection for the series for the books to be keepers.
April 6, 2021
4.5 STARS
I know this is everyone's least favourite and some people pretend it doesn't exist, but I really enjoyed it - it felt like such a realistic ending for the realistic, flawed, beloved characters. They were products of their time, not modern people with modern freedoms and mentalities, and there was real growth throughout the whole series for all of them. And as always, beautiful description, emotion and charecterisation.
EDIT: But for anyone who reads this, my highest recommendation out of all K.M. Peyton's wonderful work is Prove Yourself A Hero - go and check it out, it's a thrilling, emotional, thoughtful coming of age book that doesn't get enough love!
I know this is everyone's least favourite and some people pretend it doesn't exist, but I really enjoyed it - it felt like such a realistic ending for the realistic, flawed, beloved characters. They were products of their time, not modern people with modern freedoms and mentalities, and there was real growth throughout the whole series for all of them. And as always, beautiful description, emotion and charecterisation.
EDIT: But for anyone who reads this, my highest recommendation out of all K.M. Peyton's wonderful work is Prove Yourself A Hero - go and check it out, it's a thrilling, emotional, thoughtful coming of age book that doesn't get enough love!
February 12, 2010
It took years before I liked this last installment of Flambards, mainly because I so badly wanted Dick and Christina to be happy. It wasn't till I read it again as an adult that I realized that society and circumstances had stacked the deck against them, and that the marriage - as portrayed - was more realistic. That didn't mean I liked it! but I do appreciate the rigidity of circumstances and that sometimes you just can't be happy the way you thought. So now I read the series with a different view, watching the characters change from the original book, and I understand.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2020
I loathe this book. It never should have been written. I love the first three Flambards books, which were all written close together. In this monster from 13 years later, the author vandalizes her own series, ripping up the happy ending of book 3 and turning it inside out. Something horrible must have happened to her in that time. My response was to cry and rip up and recycle the book. Pretend it doesn't exist - it's better for everyone.
February 3, 2013
Favourite childhood author who read my first attempt at a book when I was 17, despite having never met me!
May 25, 2021
K. M. Peyton is one of the most impactful authors I have read. Her stories generate a real, emotional response in her readers - for good and ill!
I was a little girl when I watched the Flambards series on TV and, as a horse-mad child it engrossed me. I found the books about 15 years ago and loved them too, but the fourth book floored me. The inversion of the happy ending, the real heartache in it... I was so upset by it I didn't return to the stories until this last week. Reading them with adult eyes has helped, seeing the difficulties in hasty marriages and failed relationships with more sympathy.
With WWI, injuries, death and horror, all of the characters crash landed at the end of book three, meaning that the happy ever afters were always a pipe dream. This book deals with that fallout unflinchingly, but honestly.
I was a little girl when I watched the Flambards series on TV and, as a horse-mad child it engrossed me. I found the books about 15 years ago and loved them too, but the fourth book floored me. The inversion of the happy ending, the real heartache in it... I was so upset by it I didn't return to the stories until this last week. Reading them with adult eyes has helped, seeing the difficulties in hasty marriages and failed relationships with more sympathy.
With WWI, injuries, death and horror, all of the characters crash landed at the end of book three, meaning that the happy ever afters were always a pipe dream. This book deals with that fallout unflinchingly, but honestly.
March 15, 2021
This is the final part of the Flambards Quartet which I decided to re-read this year.
In this book Christina struggles with the war and realising how complicated being a grown up is. She learns what she wants and ends up having to make a difficult choice towards the end of the book.
I remembered that this was the most uncomfortable book out of the 4 and I didn't understand the ending when I was a teenager. As an adult, I totally get it. K.M Peyton does a brilliant job capturing how marriage is much more complicated than just loving each other and how we can change a lot in our early/mid 20s.
An excellent finale to the quartet.
In this book Christina struggles with the war and realising how complicated being a grown up is. She learns what she wants and ends up having to make a difficult choice towards the end of the book.
I remembered that this was the most uncomfortable book out of the 4 and I didn't understand the ending when I was a teenager. As an adult, I totally get it. K.M Peyton does a brilliant job capturing how marriage is much more complicated than just loving each other and how we can change a lot in our early/mid 20s.
An excellent finale to the quartet.
December 24, 2012
I just don't know how to feel about this, I was satisfied with Christina and Will, especially after the dramatic get away in the first book - yet I always wondered what became of Dick, the third book wrapped that up nicely and I was so happy, I always loved Dick ...I wish it stopped there! The last book completely destroyed Dick's character due to his vile and controlling behavior, not to mention his infidelity and I felt Christina's miscarriage was unnecessary and I didn't really know how to feel about Christina and Mark as a couple, particularly as he was married to Dorothy - my advice would be not to read this one and just pretend there's a happy conclusion after the third book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2017
Sob, the Flambards series is over. I finished this last one this morning. And since the author died years and years ago, there will definitely be no more. If you love horse-y "county" English books set before and after WW II written in a beautiful impassioned style, do investigate.
October 30, 2008
A re-read; first read sometime in my teens. My least favorite in this series, it becomes too much of a soap opera. *Everyone* loves Christina.
June 5, 2024
I’ve given this five stars, not as a stand alone book, but as the final book in a series I read over 50 years ago aged 11. The first book in the series was a set text at school and it so captivated me I immediately borrowed the next two from the library. I loved the trilogy and when I discovered there the fourth book in a charity shop 50 years later I had to read it and was not disappointed. An excellent set of books which started my love of reading. 5 stars for nostalgia!
October 4, 2018
I've twiddled my thumbs over writing this. Like many other reviewers, Flambards holds a special place in my heart, particularly the 1979 TV series (Downton Abbey with aeroplanes!) My mum absolutely despises this instalment because it shattered her illusions.
Me? I'm on the fence. Yes, I was underwhelmed, but that has nothing to do with the "controversial" twist - that Christina ends up with Mark, her obnoxious brother in law. It's more to do with plotting/pacing; I feel the novel meanders through unimportant sections and rushes through vital ones. If you hadn't read the rest of the series, you might be under the impression that Christina falls for Mark because she doesn't have anything better to do. Mind you, boredom is often a trigger for extramarital affairs!
Let's commit sacrilege: I never believed her marriage to Dick would last. Not only is there the class divide, they have nothing in common, and the man is as dull as ditchwater. Their relationship, as it was, was forged mainly through him teaching her to ride, and that he was the only person at Flambards (other than Will) to show her kindness. Indeed, I'm convinced she married him out of guilt for the way the family treated him, but also because Will would have preferred it. While I'm on the subject, I don't believe her marriage to Will would have been happy, because he was far more intelligent and besotted with his machines.
Meanwhile, she and Mark do have that connection. They both like to ride, they enjoy each other's company, they're intellectual equals. Anyone holding Christina up as a feminist icon has misjudged the woman: although she likes her fun, she's conservative to the core. She's annoyed when Dick passes judgement on some of the things she does - riding astride, wearing makeup - but is shocked whenever Dorothy does anything genuinely radical. Indeed, can I say that *Dorothy* is the heroine of this one? She knows who she is, what she wants and hates hypocrisy - a modern woman stranded in the post war years. Though may I say I hate it when women with no interest in children are called "selfish?" If anything it's the complete opposite.
I don't see her love for Mark as a volte-face but more that they've grown up and lost their idealism. She has been widowed and divorced, he has been invalided out of the war and (gasp!) actually worked for a living. She always had a lurking attraction to him, but dreaded the thought of him turning into Uncle Russell; thankfully that crisis has been averted. And in his favour, he truly loves her - more than you can say for the other men in the story.
This may be due to me reading everything with a queer filter, but I kept hoping against hope that Christina and Dorothy would ditch their respective men and shack up together. And it may have been written years before civil partnerships/equal marriage were a twinkle in a legislator's eye, but I couldn't help thinking of that every time someone mentioned the law changing - and Dick rambling on about how Christina and Mark's love was unnatural and against the Church. Screw you, Dick!
PS: Will's 'ghost' was nail bitingly twee. Gah.
Me? I'm on the fence. Yes, I was underwhelmed, but that has nothing to do with the "controversial" twist - that Christina ends up with Mark, her obnoxious brother in law. It's more to do with plotting/pacing; I feel the novel meanders through unimportant sections and rushes through vital ones. If you hadn't read the rest of the series, you might be under the impression that Christina falls for Mark because she doesn't have anything better to do. Mind you, boredom is often a trigger for extramarital affairs!
Let's commit sacrilege: I never believed her marriage to Dick would last. Not only is there the class divide, they have nothing in common, and the man is as dull as ditchwater. Their relationship, as it was, was forged mainly through him teaching her to ride, and that he was the only person at Flambards (other than Will) to show her kindness. Indeed, I'm convinced she married him out of guilt for the way the family treated him, but also because Will would have preferred it. While I'm on the subject, I don't believe her marriage to Will would have been happy, because he was far more intelligent and besotted with his machines.
Meanwhile, she and Mark do have that connection. They both like to ride, they enjoy each other's company, they're intellectual equals. Anyone holding Christina up as a feminist icon has misjudged the woman: although she likes her fun, she's conservative to the core. She's annoyed when Dick passes judgement on some of the things she does - riding astride, wearing makeup - but is shocked whenever Dorothy does anything genuinely radical. Indeed, can I say that *Dorothy* is the heroine of this one? She knows who she is, what she wants and hates hypocrisy - a modern woman stranded in the post war years. Though may I say I hate it when women with no interest in children are called "selfish?" If anything it's the complete opposite.
I don't see her love for Mark as a volte-face but more that they've grown up and lost their idealism. She has been widowed and divorced, he has been invalided out of the war and (gasp!) actually worked for a living. She always had a lurking attraction to him, but dreaded the thought of him turning into Uncle Russell; thankfully that crisis has been averted. And in his favour, he truly loves her - more than you can say for the other men in the story.
This may be due to me reading everything with a queer filter, but I kept hoping against hope that Christina and Dorothy would ditch their respective men and shack up together. And it may have been written years before civil partnerships/equal marriage were a twinkle in a legislator's eye, but I couldn't help thinking of that every time someone mentioned the law changing - and Dick rambling on about how Christina and Mark's love was unnatural and against the Church. Screw you, Dick!
PS: Will's 'ghost' was nail bitingly twee. Gah.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2021
Flambards Divided by K.M. Peyton is the final book in the marvellous YA historical Flambards series.
In this book the First World War is drawing to a close but not before it has blighted more young men’s lives. Men are killed, injured or battle scarred. For some the scars are visible, for others they are buried inside. War changes everyone.
Class barriers are beginning to break down. “There’s no class distinction in dying.” At home old habits die hard. Former servants whose status is now elevated find it hard to adjust and cannot lose their work ethic. Those who used to lord it over them, cannot accept that now they are on an equal footing. In Flambards it seems that the status quo will never change. Old tensions rise as relations are strained.
Cars are coming into fashion. Some still prefer horses. The need for speed unites them both as they find it exhilarating.
Life is hard. Tears are shed for the losses, the future hopes that have been dashed.
I have loved this Flambards series of four books. It has been fascinating to witness the social change as Britain enters the modern age. It has been heart breaking to see the losses and the futility of war.
Flambards gives us a glimpse into a bygone age that is teetering onto the edge of the new. It has been a fabulous series.
In this book the First World War is drawing to a close but not before it has blighted more young men’s lives. Men are killed, injured or battle scarred. For some the scars are visible, for others they are buried inside. War changes everyone.
Class barriers are beginning to break down. “There’s no class distinction in dying.” At home old habits die hard. Former servants whose status is now elevated find it hard to adjust and cannot lose their work ethic. Those who used to lord it over them, cannot accept that now they are on an equal footing. In Flambards it seems that the status quo will never change. Old tensions rise as relations are strained.
Cars are coming into fashion. Some still prefer horses. The need for speed unites them both as they find it exhilarating.
Life is hard. Tears are shed for the losses, the future hopes that have been dashed.
I have loved this Flambards series of four books. It has been fascinating to witness the social change as Britain enters the modern age. It has been heart breaking to see the losses and the futility of war.
Flambards gives us a glimpse into a bygone age that is teetering onto the edge of the new. It has been a fabulous series.
January 29, 2022
4/4. The one where she's married to Dick, FINALLY, but then falls in love with Mark, FINALLY and really you just wish Will had never been a thing and she could've just been with Dick and then Mark. Or the other way round. But also Christina is becoming pretty cold and hard so you don't really like her anyway.
January 15, 2024
I love this. Partly because so much is not pretty. How do you cope with a changed world? What happens when dreams don’t come true? I think it’s also why I like the Shrek movie series… what happens after and they all lived happily… well maybe not.
The bright young things make a brief appearance. But this is about the rebuilding of ties in a changed world.
Its a this part I’d long for a Jeffrey Archer or Diana Gabaldon scope taking the story further through the 20s and 30s as the children, Tizzy and Isabella reach maturity just as the second world war begins.
However isn’t that what imagination is for?
The bright young things make a brief appearance. But this is about the rebuilding of ties in a changed world.
Its a this part I’d long for a Jeffrey Archer or Diana Gabaldon scope taking the story further through the 20s and 30s as the children, Tizzy and Isabella reach maturity just as the second world war begins.
However isn’t that what imagination is for?
May 23, 2025
I was somewhat reluctant to read this book after reading the reviews and of course the preceding three volumes. I’m glad I did though, finding it a very satisfying if not a happy ending. Don’t steer clear because of the reviews if you have read the first three books, which is where it might have ended happily but for so many reasons, especially the war. It’s got so much more depth to it than a girl’s book about horses and in many ways, especially for teenagers who perhaps they were initially aimed at, they are in my view and adult series, more so as the story progresses. I am going to miss peeping in to the characters lives.
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