The Twisted Sword

The Poldark Saga #11

by Winston Graham

11th in the series

Cornwall 1815. Demelza sees a horseman riding down the valley and senses disruption to the domestic contentment she has fought so hard to achieve. For Ross has little option but to accept the summons—and travel to Paris with his family, as an "observer" of the French armed forces. Parisian life begins well with an exhilarating round of balls and parties. But the return of Napoleon brings separation, distrust, and danger to the Poldarks . . . and always for Demelza there is the shadow of the secret she does not even share with Ross.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Romance, Classics, Historical Romance, Audiobook

645 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 1990

About the author

Winston Graham was an English novelist best known for the Poldark series of historical novels set in Cornwall, though he also wrote contemporary thrillers, period novels, short stories, non-fiction, and plays. Born in Victoria Park, Manchester, he moved to Perranporth, Cornwall in 1925 and lived there for 34 years. Graham published his first novel, The House with the Stained Glass Windows, in 1934 and married Jean Williamson in 1939, who inspired the character Demelza in Poldark. During World War II, he joined the Auxiliary Coastguard Service. Graham became a member of the Society of Authors in 1945, serving as chairman from 1967 to 1969, and was a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, receiving an OBE in 1983. His Poldark series began with Ross Poldark in 1945 and concluded with Bella Poldark in 2002. He wrote 30 additional novels, short stories, and non-fiction works, including the acclaimed thriller Marnie, adapted by Alfred Hitchcock in 1964. Several other novels, including The Walking Stick and Fortune Is a Woman, were adapted for film. Graham also wrote plays, some adapted from his novels. His works have been translated into 31 languages, and his autobiography, Memoirs of a Private Man, was published posthumously in 2003.

Reviews

[Candi · Rating 4 out of 5]

“She was filled with dread for the future; all the warm hopes of last year were gone and she lived in a spider’s web of sadness and suspicion. Everywhere where there had been certainty there were shifting sands. She had never felt so much alone in an alien world.”

Two things got me through Thanksgiving:

1. The Twisted Sword

2. A serious laugh out loud moment when I pulled out the vilest looking innards (liver, heart?!) from the turkey’s cavity before popping it in the oven for an overnight slow roast. I’ve done this before, but never in my life have I found a turkey neck to more closely resemble a part of the male anatomy than I have this year.

Thanks to Mr. Everhart’s turkey farm for that much needed belly laugh. And thank you to Winston Graham for this treasure of a book series that has kept me entertained through eleven books so far. Yes, eleven! Now I’m getting even more mileage out of The Twisted Sword by procrastinating the wrapping, food shopping, and other last minute holiday preparations in order to share the above juvenile thoughts!

Let me change tone for a moment, however; because I really want to share my love affair with the Poldark series. I have read and reviewed all ten previous books. It becomes increasingly difficult to say something after this long without giving away plot points that would spoil it for potential readers. Instead, I can only tell you that if these people came to my door Christmas morning (any number of them), it would be the most joyful of surprises. I would let them into my home, as if they’d been here all along. After all, it truly feels like they have by now. I would ask how they were faring. I would say that I hope with all my heart that their children, or even their grandchildren, were thriving. I’d ask after the state of the mines. Are they still yielding enough profit? Are the conditions of the miners improving a bit? Has the pain from their personal sorrows dulled some? I do hope so. What are their greatest desires for the future? Perhaps a return to Paris someday when the dust has settled after Napoleon’s return from exile and the second restoration of King Louis the XVIII? And last but not least, I would ask Demelza to sing "I’d Pluck a Fair Rose" as she did on that first Christmas with Ross. I don’t have a parlor or a piano, but no worry. She doesn’t need either as she performs naturally with beauty and grace. I’ll never forget that scene that hooked me on the series to the end. Friends, take a look on Youtube for Eleanor Tomlinson singing this. Consider it my Christmas gift to you all!

I'd a pluck a fair rose for my love
I'd a pluck a red rose blowin'
Love's in my heart, I'm tryin' so to prove
What your heart's knowin'

I'd a pluck a finger on a thorn
I'd a pluck a finger bleedin'
Red is my heart, wounded and forlorn
And your heart needin'

I'd a hold a finger to my tongue
I'd a hold a finger waitin'
My heart is sore, until it joins in song
With your heart matin'

If you love stories with soul, then please get started with book one. I have one left to go, and then I vow to start all over again one day.

"This was an evil year; there would be others that must be better. Life was to be lived – it had to go on."

[Diane Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This eleventh book in the series has done several things. It put me squarely in the middle of the battle of Waterloo, of which, of course, I knew about in a general way, but not the whys and the hows. I experienced the carnage and the cost of war, the bravery of men on both sides, and the aftermath. It proved that a character I had not particularly cared for in previous books was just as bad as I thought. It developed the personality of 13 year old Bella Poldark, who will be the star of the next book. And it broke my heart.

This family is my family now, though we are 200 years apart and different nationalities. Their happiness is my happiness, their misfortunes are my problems, their grief is shared by me. I have lived with the Poldarks for 32 years in book time and 11 months in real time. I don't know that I have ever been so involved in a fictional world. Winston Graham is a sorcerer masquerading as an author, and his magic spell has charmed me and changed me. What would Ross and Demelza do? has become my mantra, especially as they have aged and mellowed with time. I am already worried about living life without them, but I still have one more novel awaiting me.

[Mech · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judas God. I have never been so relieved that a major character has finally been bumped off. Stephen Carrington: Worst. Boyfriend/Husband. Ever.

[Andy Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was about as beautifully written a novel as I have ever read. Even for Winston Graham, it was outstanding. The final conversation between Jeremy and his father had me in tears.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume, the eleventh in the series, is a sword that twists in your heart. Set in the last days of Bonaparte’s reign, it captures all the tension and fear that war can produce when it spills over into and affects the lives of so many people in so many countries. On a personal level for Graham's characters, it highlights all the missteps that await everyone and can wreak havoc in a heart and a life.

Graham continues to follow the second generation, but he does so without losing touch with the first. We see Demelza and Ross dealing with all the pressures, hopes and heartaches that come with having grown children and watching them feel their own ways into the future. My mother always said it was much harder having grown children than having small ones. When they are small we fear they will hurt themselves, but most of the perils are within our control. When they are grown, all the perils and choices are their own, and we often watch with a heavy heart as they seem to make all the wrong choices we have warned them against.

I will not reveal any of the plot of this book, as I have tried to reveal nothing of the specifics in any of the previous ten. I will say that I closed it with a broken heart, that mirrored the hearts of so many of the characters I have come to love. My time with the Poldarks is rapidly coming to an end and I am going to miss them. I have grown to genuinely love these very human individuals, who display all that is wonderful in humanity and all that is flawed. Winston Graham has an ability to see into the soul and not once in all these pages has he lost the thread of the story, made a character do something “out of character”, or written a superfluous word. That is approximately 5500 pages of excellent storytelling so far, and that is quite an accomplishment.

I want to thank my reading companion, Lori, who has traveled this road with me, step by step, and has made a pleasurable reading experience all the more so for being there to share it with me.

[Lori Keeton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, my time in Cornwall is getting short, and so much just happened in the 11th installment that I can’t foresee how it will end. I have one more book to look forward to before the end of this year, and then the Poldark saga will sadly be over. What a pleasure it has been to live the lives of these characters in these pages. The Twisted Sword did just that with my heart. Be ready when you get this far for spending time with the aging Ross and Demelza in Paris during the Napoleonic Wars, and the Battle of Waterloo is particularly highlighted. There is political upheaval and well as emotional turmoil to be endured by the characters and the reader because, as you know, while you read this saga, you are right there with everyone you love and those you love to hate. I won’t go into details so as not to spoil the plot for anyone. If you have not started this series and have been thinking about it, just go for it! These are pure pleasure reading, especially for fans of historical fiction and family sagas! Plus, there’s Cornwall, that magical setting that so many of us want to experience for ourselves someday!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS

Deliver my soul from the sword, My only life from the power of the dog.

Somehow I should have known by the title. For it seems that Winston Graham has a real knack for choosing them. Here we have another heartbreaker in the series. There is no way to describe the feelings I have about the turn of events in the story without giving away key events in the plot. So I will leave that mystery for the reader.

You must know that this is Book 11 in a series of 12 books. And I must stress that these books must be read in order. One of the things I find quite interesting is that the author has written this series over the span of a lifetime. With the first book being published in 1945 and the last in 2002. And yet somehow he captures the same intensity, and the same writing style in each book. The story goes on as true to the events in the previous book as if they were written in quick succession. They follow the same characters over the span of a lifetime. His lifetime. That is Ross Poldark's. Dragging you, the reader right along with him.

I can't tell you how invested I have become in the series. I can't explain the addiction. I can only validate it's existence. I only have one book remaining, and I relish arriving at the end of the story as much as I dread it. If you decide to embark on the series yourself, I hope you enjoy the richness of this incredible story as much as I have.

I haven't reviewed every book in the series, as I was often so anxious to start the next book that I couldn't be bothered with the time for a review.

One of the things I will say about this particular book, is that there are a good bit of tedious accounts of war, that is Napoleon's war with Europe, ending at Waterloo. They are fairly detailed and incredibly heartbreaking. And while that is not normally the subject I choose to read about, the accounts were quite interesting and paramount to the story. I was shocked and awed by the dedication of these men. And heartbroken by the massive and seemingly unnecessary loss of life.

"If there was ever a battle fought as savagely as this, I have never known it or want to hear of it."

We often gloss over the very personal feelings of grief each casualty of war leaves behind. But this story brought it very close to home for me. And the graphic recollections of the survivors is beyond words.

Ok, I've said enough. I'm depressing myself just recalling it all. I will say I LOVED the ending of the book. And I'm anxious yet again to take on the next one. And sad, knowing it will be the conclusion of the series.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

**This review actually refers to five books in this series: Stranger From the Sea, The Miller's Dance, The Loving Cup, The Twisted Sword & Bella Poldark**


I really have no clue what rock I was living under....I have no excuse. But, up until recently, I had no idea the Poldark series on television is based on a series of books! I love sweeping historical family sagas. I have no earthly clue how I missed this one! Rectifying the situation immediately!

There are 12 books in the Poldark Saga, written by Winston Graham from 1945-2002. The books are set in Cornwall, starting with Ross Poldark in 1783 and ending with Bella Poldark in 1820.

It's official -- I love this series! And I'm reading my way through all of the books before I watch the television series. I have a rule that before I can watch a film or television adaptation, I have to read the books first. Then I'm acquainted with the characters and can see what they changed/added/kept true to the original, etc. There are actually two Poldark television series. One from BBC in the 1970s that serialized the first seven books. And then the newer series that started in 2015. There have been five seasons of the new show. I can't wait to watch it! Still reading my way through the books first...and enjoying every page!

The four books listed here are books #8-12 of the series. I had review copies of all 5 novels and read them cover to cover. Binge read them, to be honest. I love the characters...the setting....the history. I had to stop periodically and look some things up as I'm not familiar with the time period or history of Cornwall at all. The one problem with reviewing books is that I'm under a deadline. With historical fiction or family sagas, I like to take my time and let the story sink in and savor the characters. But with five books to read, and not having read the first books in the series beforehand, I was a bit lost in names, places, etc. The story was enough to carry me through! I loved every book!

I'm backtracking now and reading the series from the start....and I will re-read these books when I come back around to them. I will have an even better understanding of the characters and history during my second reading! And then I can watch the television show. I'm curious which books it has already covered and which ones are upcoming -- whether it stays true to the books or goes off course, etc.

Great books! I highly recommend this series to any readers who enjoy historical fiction, family sagas, and just history in general!

Love, love, love! :) Here are some extra exclamation points in case I did not make it clear that I enjoy this series: !!!!!!!!

**I read review copies of these novels from St Martins Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In honor of the new BBC series based on Winston Graham's Poldark novels, I decided it was time to finish reading the series. I thought I had finished it decades ago, only to find out that Graham managed two write two more prior to his death in 2003. Lucky for me, because the 11th in the series, The Twisted Sword, was fabulous.

The book opens in the year 1815, when Ross Poldark is sent to Paris by the English government, to observe the political situation there. The family immerses themselves in the Parisian lifestyle, excited for an Easter reunion of extended family and friends. Then Napoleon Bonaparte, escaping from his island prison, returns to Paris and France is thrust into another war, with England opposing the returned dictator.

The Twisted Sword is a page-turner, with far more excitement and heartbreak than I would have thought possible for the 11th novel in a series of 12. There's never a dull moment with the Poldarks, and Winston Graham proved a seasoned novelist with a gift for storytelling. Loved it! 4 1/2 stars!

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a continuation of the Poldark saga into the years circa 1814-1817. It's three or four storylines. All have some part of their context in the politico roles adopted by Ross and Demelza. Their position as observers in Paris and within connection to the English government during the last Napoleonic years is the starting point. Demelza is in her mid-40's and Ross about 10 years older. He becomes titled. There may be some spoiler hints now, so read no further. It's the crux of the book these ends, and these transitions.

But the family! Despite the commercial and societal success, both of these do continue- but they occur with years of deep familial price. There are deaths, and there are births. This book did not engage me as some of the earlier books did- although it had much action, and more than a few reveals. But I was never intrigued by Stephen or their oldest daughter's captivation with him. Nor was I much bedazzled by Jeremey in his choices, either. He always seemed rather disingenuous to me and not having enough risk averse logical nuggets of wisdom as his father owns so well.

It ends with adjustments to the missing and transitions to a new age. But also having George experience a huge surprise, and it doesn't seem much to his liking.

IMHO, the Poldarks were more interesting poor than they are either middle class or rich. This one holds high costume for drama if it was ever made into a movie or continuation of the series. High budget surrounds. Riding to the hunt and sea voyage segments- with particular dire outcomes here? They would be quite the visuals.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe Winston Graham did that. I am very emotionally compromised now and will refrain from making any major life decisions for the next few days. Evidently, it's fine to write an insanely long historical fiction series, often focusing on marrying off various characters, until one runs out of marriageable persons, and then start killing them off. It's fine. I'm fine. There was still a wedding in The Twisted Sword. And, of course, a certain ABBA song was stuck in my head for a good portion of the book, which completely clashed with the tone of the novel, but still. The song is 16 years older than the novel, so we can't assume Graham didn't have the same earworm.

Now that I'm actually facing the final Poldark novel, I'm beginning to see how finishing this beloved series might open up my reading life. Maybe I'll finally have the bandwidth to tackle Hilary Mantel's Cromwell books, or crack open an Edith Pargeter series. Or I might mope for a while, because of course the books conclude when the historical period starts being of genuine interest to me. (Try as I do, the long 18th century is just not my favorite period of history.)

[QNPoohBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

In early 1815 all of England is relieved peace has come at last. Lord Liverpool wants Ross to go on a little unofficial spying mission to Paris, bringing his family as a cover. In Paris there are new friends, new delights and a budding romance but danger lurks around the corner when Napoleon escapes from Elba. His dramatic escape causes trouble for the Poldarks and their friends and life will never be the same again. Back in Cornwall, Clowance's husband harbors secrets and George Warleggan weaves his evil web.

This is the hardest book to read since The Four Swans. The plot picks up and there's a lot to read here. There's so much heart-stopping action in this novel. I had to skim ahead to see what happened and go back and fill in the blanks. There are some gorgeously written and thought-provoking passages about war that touched my heart and broke it. If you know and love the Poldarks from the show or the books, you will experience everything they experience in this book. The ending is heart-wrenching but yet I feel it's somewhat optimistic as well. Life goes on and you learn to live again and accept change. There will be light in your life again even in the face of overwhelming grief. Winston Graham does an amazing job of taking the readers on this emotional journey.

I skipped a lot of the history of the Battle of Waterloo. I've read An Infamous Army and War and Peace. I didn't need to read all that blood and carnage again. I just wanted to know what happened to the characters and less of the history. I think Winston Graham was writing the French Revolution as someone who lived through WWII and the Cold War. The Jacobins were the Communists of their day. It's an interesting take on the French Revolution I hadn't thought of when the Revolution was shoved down my throat in high school both in French class and history class.

Ross, at 55, just wants to settle down in Cornwall with his family and farm. Wheal Grace is failing but Leisure is prospering. Yet, there's a little itch left in him, a yearning for adventure. He's not dead yet so why stop? I think Cannning and Liverpool know this and exploit it for their own political benefit. This time at least Ross keeps Demelza in the loop and takes her along. No more secrets between them except for one big one. She only has an intuition to go on but it's not a good feeling. This is something no one, not even Ross, can ever know. Ross finally confronts the issue of Valentine at the end of the book after trying to ignore it for years. I can't imagine that a man so active and intelligent could possibly be that stupid but he keeps pushing the thought away again and again until he can't anymore. He doesn't tell Demelza because she doesn't really need to know and she knows anyway. She is amazingly aware of what her husband is up to and what he's thinking. She's been so strong and so supportive of him for so long. I love how Demelza is his rock. He's finally treating her better.

Demelza continues to be incredible. She runs the household, the farm and manages the family mostly on her own. Yes there are servants but she'll never ask someone else to do for her what she can do herself. Yet a small part of her is still insecure about her origins and fears she isn't good enough or smart enough. All her fears are for naught of course because every single time she goes into Society she is sexually harassed and Paris is no exception. Her main focus is her family and making sure they are all happy. The children are growing older and away from her. Jeremy is in the army, happily married to his beloved Cuby and expecting their first child. Clowance is married to Stephen and discovers he has a secret love child he never told her about! She's not totally happy in her marriage yet she loves him very much. Demelza worries about her older children more than the younger two.

Bella is now 13 and precocious. She makes a splash in Paris with the young men thinking she's at least 16! Bella picks up her first suitor, a Lieutenant Havergall. Bella is a free spirit, a wild child. She is the only one of the four who really resembles Ross. She has the same restless energy and passion. Her particular passion is for music. I like Bella but I think she's a spoiled brat. Little Henry, age 2 and a bit, isn't in the story much. The governess, Mrs. Kemp, takes good care of him. He has his mother's calmness and an easy going nature.

There are many new characters to meet here, some real life figures and others made up for the novel but seem very real. Brigadier Gaston Rougiet becomes a good friend to Ross. Rougiet's feelings about equality are similar to Ross's and he shows that a Frenchman and an Englishman can agree to disagree on some things and still respect each other. Lieutenant Christopher Havergal is a charming young man. He's funny and good with children. Joseph Fouché and M. Tallein are real life figures from the French Revolution. They are the villains Ross despises. The ones who wield power and abuse it, the ones who provoke violence and bloodshed as a means of achieving their goals. Joseph Fouché is truly evil. If you watched the final season of the show, one character from this novel was incorporated into the show. M. Tallien is the villain with the eye patch that made Ross turn traitor and fought a duel in which Demelza tries to save the day. Remember way back in 1795 when Dwight was a French POW and Ross went to free him? In the book Ross went along with a contingent of real life royalists who tried to mount a counterrevolutionary movement and failed. While Ross was busy getting Dwight out of that hellhole, Tallien oversaw the massacre of 800 royalists! Ross holds Tallien responsible.

Ross meets Tallien in Paris in 1815 before Napoleon's return. Tallien makes Demelza very very uncomfortable. Ross comes home to find Demelza on the edge of her seat looking miserable and Tallien trying to "make love" to Demelza. Ross goes ballistic as usual, Tallien challenges Ross to a duel, sort of. He backs off a bit when Ross accepts. Ross forgets all about it for the time being.

Demelza makes a new best galpal in Paris, a woman who helps Demelza navigate Parisian Society. I love Jodie de la Boche. I love her most especially because she was a Bourbon spy but also for her kindness in taking Demelza under her wing. French women can be intimidatingly sophisticated but Jodie is warm and loving. She reminds me of how Verity was to young, inexperienced Demelza when Demelza first married Ross. Demelza really needs a friend in Paris and I'm glad she found such a nice one. I want a whole novel just about Jodie because she seems like she was a real person! Her story is so intriguing I was surprised to learn she's not real and I can't look her up.

I still don't like Clowance's choice. I do sort of understand her explanation for her attraction to the man but I do not like him. Yes he's idealistic and energetic like Ross but he's also brash, a braggart, rough and rude. He omits to tell her some very big, important facts about his past and that sows seeds of doubt in her mind. Stephen still doesn't care to spend time with people a generation older than himself but will go along with Clowance because it's important to her to be close to her family. He does have some finer feelings but I don't feel sorry for him and only slightly bad for her. Jeremy's choice is a little better, or at least she's matured and is now devoted to him.

George is a complicated character. He's sounding more and more like Ebenezer Scrooge as he ages. Determined to make more money AND be related to the aristocracy, he makes some really weird choices. He still lacks understanding of what a gentleman is and how to behave as one. He has his own moral code and just doesn't get that gentleman don't think about money. It's all about "breeding" and living a relaxed lifestyle. Even after all these years he doesn't yet understand that money may buy titles and estates but it can't make you a gentleman. If he listened to his wife more he'd know that. Lady Harriet is a really bad match for George. She spends her time hunting with her hounds and loves them more than him. She loves money almost as much as he does but more for what it can buy her. If he spent more time hunting and being idle and less time counting his money perhaps he may be accepted by the gentry. I have less sympathy for him after the last book.

Valentine is a really horrid young man. He's selfish and cruel but in a different way than George. I feel very bad for Selina. She must be really unhappy to slit her wrists. Her story shows that the problems we have today are not new ones. Their plot is tough to read and I worry about what will happen.

A subplot running through the books that was removed for the show revolves around the Martin-Carter family. Zacky Martin has been Ross' right-hand man in the mines through good times and bed. He's elderly and ill now but his presence is much felt. His daughter Jinny Carter briefly worked for Demelza and Jim Carter, her husband, was arrested for poaching with horrific consequences. (Remember Launceston jail?) Jinny's eldest daughter Katie works at Place House where Music Thomas is a groom. "Music" as he is called, is a simple man who has become known as the village idiot. With Dwight's help, Music is trying to become a "real" man to win Katie's love. Katie has higher expectations. Poor Music is such a sympathetic character. Who hasn't been bullied and wanted to make themselves over? The villagers are massively cruel to Music and their bullying is horrifying. He's sweet, kind and loves animals and babies. I can see why Katie isn't attracted to him but she's terribly mean to him and I don't think he deserves it. I love Music. He's a sweet man who deserves a kind woman to look after him and his "chets" (cats). I adore this look at Cornish working-class people and reading their dialect. Winston Graham peels back the nice layers of the 19th-century we all love to romanticize to show us what life was like for ordinary people.

Dwight is really making a name for himself. He deserves it because he's always been so thoughtful and scientific. He keeps his patients' secrets and works hard to help them. I like his compassion towards Music Thomas. Caroline isn't in the story much but they seem to be happy but living separate lives. She's busy with domestic matters and he with his job.

If you just want spoilers, read ahead
Ross is made a baronet, a hereditary title making George envious as he is only a knight. Yet since George disowned Valentine, he doesn't really want Valentine inheriting anything.

Joseph Fouché detains Ross while Ross is trying to leave France in search of his family who fled when Napoleon was on the march to Paris. Ross has more lives than a cat. I thought for sure his luck had run out this time. Ross has friends in high places too and was given better treatment and more freedom so he is able to make his escape. He steals 2 silver candlesticks, some food, wine and coins, a discarded uniform and makes his way through the lines until he finds a British spy who is able to help him. Ross, of course, wants to go home but naturally he enjoys being in the thick of things. He's made an aide and carries battle plans to Wellington but alas, it's too late and he doesn't have time to move camp before the French arrive. We learn later than Ross was shot in the chest (OMG) and was only saved by his late father's pocket watch! Demelza does NOT know about this.

In the blood bath of the Battle of Waterloo, Ross and Demelza's eldest son is shot in the back and ends up bleeding to death basically in Ross's arms! How heartbreaking to have your first two children die in your arms. Jeremy sent his love to his mother and left behind a letter he wrote her. He was proud to do his duty but sad for the horses. This passage is really really tough to read. Ross is devastated and has a tough time writing the news to Demelza who is home in Cornwall and naturally distraught when she learns the news. Losing Jeremy is worse than losing Julia. Jeremy was a part of the family. He was born at their lowest point and was there for all the lows and highs of his parents' married life. In addition to his grieving parents, sisters and baby brother, he leaves behind a pregnant wife!

Ross reflects on the joys and dangerous of being a close-knot family and loving one's children. How sad to have to go through all that again, just when you've raised your children to adulthood and think they're safe. (Jeremy was a sickly child and they expected him to die young). Ross has taken to the brandy bottle; Demelza, who has had a drinking problem in the past, has not; Clowance blames Cuby, Jeremy's now wife, for rejecting him and making him so depressed he joined the army (Demelza knows he had another reasons).

George is under the thumb of his new wife. He threw a tantrum and tried to bankrupt Clowance's husband, believing on flimsy evidence, Stephen was one of the three people who robbed a coach of Warleggan property. While this is true, he doesn't have proof. Lady Harriet points that out and begs him to humour her because... she's pregnant! oops! I gathered she tried to time George's conjugal visits so that wouldn't happen. She didn't think she could have children because she was a widow when she married George and hasn't conceived once. She'll give birth at Christmas at the age of 35. George doesn't want to worry her and have her give birth to a premature child. He thinks it's a son. He disinherited Valentine and he can't possibly leave his money to Ursula-she's a useless girl, but a son to carry on his name and hopefully a title, a son to carry noble blood. Joke's on George because Harriet gives birth to not just one girl, but two. TWIN GIRLS! To George this is a tragedy.

Another tragedy hits the Poldarks 4 months after losing Jeremy. This one wasn't so sad for anyone except Clowance. Clowance's husband Stephen went on a successful privateering mission to the coat of France, captured a ship, freed his 17-year-old "nephew" (teenage love child) and 2 others from prison. He arrived home flush with success ready to thumb his nose at the Warleggans bank only to die from a riding accident. Since Lady Harriet saved him from bankruptcy, he assumes she did it because she's interested in him as a man. After kissing her, she puts him soundly back in his low place with a warning. Angry Stephen with wounded pride challenged Lady Harriet to a race. His horse jumped too close to hers and fell. Stephen fell too and broke his back. He had internal bleeding too. Not even Dr. Enys could save him. Clowance is gutted. She vows to marry for money or position next time, if she marries again. Demelza is worried at how hard Clowance has become.


This is a 4 hankie read!

[Jamie Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, I’m still thoroughly enjoying this dramatic series. This penultimate entry has Ross and Demelza imperiled in France during Napoleon’s Hundred Days, and then it places all of the Poldark men - Ross, Jeremy, and Geoffrey Charles - at the Battle of Waterloo, and if you think everyone survives unscathed then this must be your first Poldark book. The title is apt, as there is more than one painful twist for this family to endure.

I’ve been yelling at Clowance not to marry him for three books now, and I feel almost guilty for being glad he’s dead.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

After have read a total of 4694 pages of the 11 of 12 books of the Poldark series, there are still 554 pages to be read with the final volume of this magnificent family saga.

As in the final part of The Loving Cup, Ross Poldark and his family travel to Paris as an "observer" of the French armed forces. As soon as Napoleon returns to Paris, a panic occurs and most people try to flee from the eminent danger.

The destinies of Ross, Jeremy and Stephen will suffer a dramatic change during the Waterloo's battle.

The final volume of this magnificent saga is Bella Poldark.

Page 43:
"The army is riddled with secret societies, he says. Many of them are Bonapartist and aim to overthrow Louis - not necessarily to restore Napoleon but to put his son on the throne. Others want Duc d'Orleans. Many of the higher officers are royalist, he says, but the rank and file cannot abide Louis and what they regard as his corrupt court."

Page 86:
"These people who have come to take over now, sir, they are attempting to dig up a corpse buried for a quarter of a century!...When Bonapoarte became Emperor he did not try to put the clock back - rather he built on what was good, established his own code of justice, stabilized a rule of law and common fealty - that was why we fought for him so well and so long! But these royalists, with their endless train of rouged and powdered countesses and duchesses and little princelings - they are arrogant, insolent, self-seeking! Wherever they go they make themselves hated. They are no longer France! They died with Louis Sixteenth!"

Page 112:
The Palace first heard only that Bonaparte had left Elba; many people thought he would go to Africa or seek asylum in Egypt. Not until the 4th March did the semaphore telegraph confirm that he was in France and moving up from the coast making proclamations as he came.

Page 119:
Mme de Stael gave it as her opinion that if by any frightful mischance Napoleon ever came back to control France again it would be the end of all liberty.

Page 134:
"Well, we have reports of Bonaparte's proclamations. He proclaims himself the liberator of this faithful subjects from a foreign-imposed Bourbon tyranny. He says his eagles are on the wing and will perch from spire to spire until they reach Notre-Dame.

Page 339 - letter of Ross to Demelza:
The carnage (Waterloo's battle) on both sides was appealing, I have never seen such ferocity in attack or such utter relentless courage in defense. Just around the farmhouse of Hougoumont, which was where Jeremy was stationed, over two thousand men were killed. In total we are thought to have lost 20,000 men, the Prussians about 7,000, the French about 30,000.

4* Ross Poldark (Poldark, #1)
4* Demelza (Poldark, #2)
3* Jeremy Poldark (Poldark, #3)
4* Warleggan (Poldark, #4)
4* The Black Moon (Poldark, #5)
5* The Four Swans (Poldark, #6)
4*The Angry Tide (Poldark, #7)
3* The Stranger From The Sea (Poldark, #8)
3* The Miller's Dance (Poldark, #9)
3* The Loving Cup (Poldark, #10)
4* The Twisted Sword (Poldark, #11)
TR Bella Poldark (Poldark, #12)
4* Marnie
4* The Walking Stick

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing part of the series - so sad, so beautifully written. Can't express the anguish this book put me through & I can't believe that I only have 1 book to go to the end - thank goodness they will all be sitting there waiting for me to read again next year. That's when the new TV series starts with the seriously gorgeous Aidan Turner as Ross. So on to Bella Poldark now

[Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no words- only tears.

[Manisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual review: 4.5

The Twisted Sword is the eleventh book in the Poldark series.

As the penultimate novel to the series, this book was surprisingly dynamic.


♥ IN TIMES OF WAR

We follow the last months of Napoléon Bonaparte’s reign, as well as the battle of Waterloo. The excitement and the heartbreak I experienced when reading this book was real.

War is not glamorised, but it’s used as a catalyst for the selfishness of others. Our favourite characters suffer through, and we the readers suffer through with them.

Maybe I would not have been as interested in a story about war had it been with other characters, but since I am heavily invested in the Poldarks and their journey, I found this novel to be heart-breaking.

And as always, I am in awe with Winston Graham and his writing. He brings in a sense of nostalgia to his novels that most authors lack.

[Sotiris Karaiskos · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the eleventh book of the series, things get very serious. Our heroes were waiting for quiet days to come but Napoleon's escape and his return to power spoils their plans and finds them at the heart of developments along the way for the battle of Waterloo. Of course, they do not lose their courage and without hesitation interfere in what is happening, with some finding an opportunity in all this turmoil. Eventually, things go their way, with losses for everyone, even for our heroes, who, however, have no choice but to continue.

One of the most exciting books in the series, with the author taking advantage of history to put his heroes in it and thus give us a full picture. But beyond that, the developments on a personal level are just as many and increase even more the interest and emotion as we see our heroes face emotionally difficult situations. So just before the end the series still offers something to the readers and makes them understand that all this long journey was worth it.

Στο ενδέκατο βιβλίο της σειράς τα πράγματα γίνονται πολύ σοβαρά. Οι ήρωες μας περίμεναν να έρθουν ήσυχες μέρες αλλά η απόδραση του Ναπολέοντα και η επαναφορά του στην εξουσία τους χαλάει τα σχέδια και τους βρίσκει στην καρδιά των εξελίξεων στην πορεία για τη μάχη του Βατερλώ. Φυσικά δεν χάνουν το θάρρος τους και χωρίς δισταγμό ανακατεύονται σε ότι συμβαίνει, με κάποιους να βρίσκουν μία ευκαιρία μέσα σε όλη αυτή την αναστάτωση. Τελικά τα πράγματα ακολουθούν το δρόμο τους, με απώλειες για όλους, ακόμα και για τους ήρωες μας, που, όμως, δεν έχουν άλλη επιλογή από το να συνεχίσουν.

Ένα από τα πιο συναρπαστικά βιβλία της σειράς, με τον συγγραφέα να εκμεταλλεύεται την ιστορία για να βάλει μέσα σε αυτή τους ήρωες του και να μας δώσει έτσι μία εικόνα για αυτήν. Αλλά και πέρα από αυτό οι εξελίξεις σε προσωπικό επίπεδο είναι εξίσου πολλές και αυξάνουν ακόμα περισσότερο το ενδιαφέρον και τη συγκίνηση καθώς βλέπουμε τους ήρωες μας να αντιμετωπίζουν συναισθηματικά δύσκολες καταστάσεις. Έτσι λίγο πριν το τέλος η σειρά εξακολουθεί να προσφέρει κάτι στους αναγνώστες και να τους κάνει να καταλαβαίνουν ότι όλη αυτή η μακριά πορεία άξιζε τον κόπο.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some spoilers may abound!

This one was very good and I felt moved much quicker than some other ones. I loved them being in Paris and even once R/D became separated (through no choice of their own), the story still moved well enough thanks to the side stories.

I for one was soooo happy to see Stephan go and I had a hunch about Jeremy as well. It was very sad, but he was never my favorite character I have to admit. I can't wait to see how this comes together onscreen though! Another side story I looooved was music and Katie! She was definitely a bitch to him most of the time, but it was nice to see her come around and stand up for him in a huuuge way! And to see him finally get his dream just made my day. I hope it all continues to go well!

So once again, another nail biter that even if some parts get boring, you are still always turning the pages to see what happens to these characters- characters I have grown to love (some more than others!) and can't believe I have one more to go before its all over!

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last couple of books in The Poldark Saga weren't quite as good as earlier installments, but The Twisted Sword which is the eleventh and next to last novel in the series is back to form. I didn't want to stop listening. While I liked the others well enough, I missed the primary focus on Ross and Demelza, Dwight and Caroline, and George and the rest. This one finds a great medium with the original cast and the next generation and it really worked well for such a family saga. I'm going to be honest though that you-know-which scene between Ross and Jeremy and Jeremy's letter to Demelza just about killed me. They were brutal. I was listening while in the car and during those sections I probably looked pretty rough to passing vehicles.

[Venus Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

11esimo volume della serie Poldark, The Twisted Sword, il cui titolo tradotto in italiano rende bene l’idea di come ci si senta giunti all’ultima pagina. Io non ho mai letto nessuno che scrive come Winston Graham; ogni suo romanzo è pura maestria d’architettura narrativa, la sua capacità di sondare l’animo umano e di interrogarsi al riguardo è commovente, i suoi personaggi vibrano, la sua prosa è pura cinematografia. In questo episodio della saga familiare ci ritroviamo nel vortice della battaglia di Waterloo, esposti ad ogni tipo di ferita. Ma alla fine, come dice Demelza, il mio personaggio preferito di sempre, la vita va avanti.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read that had me in tears During the Jeremy /Ross scene and Jeremy’s letter to Demelza ! Only one more book to read in the series now!
Poldark books are a night series that shows cornwall at its most beautiful !

[Roxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a heartbreaker in so many ways. The battle scenes at Waterloo reminded me of War and Peace, so realistic, so horrifying. Ross and Demelza have come through so much, and their love welds them together.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the stronger books in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four and one half stars.
How I love the Poldark series. Winston Graham has created such memorable characters. There are too many spoilers that could be revealed. Let me say this book is chock full of drama. Ross and Demelza head to Paris with Isabella Rose and little Henry as Ross scouts around Paris society to gauge the rumors of a new war with an old enemy of England's.

If you love the Poldark series you must treat yourself to the full story of Ross and Demelza Poldark.

[Dana Loo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una saga sempre appassionante!

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't really explain why I love this series so much. I just feel like these people are members of my family or something and I just have to find out their story. This book was every bit as good as the others. There are some detailed descriptions of battles, particularly Waterloo, and there are some truly heartbreaking moments. I'm not sure if I cried at any point in the other books but I definitely did with this one. Only one more book left in the series. I'm excited to finish, partly because I really feel like I can't read anything else until I have! But I'm also sad that this is the end. I can definitely see myself rereading these books in the future. I ended up buying the e-books because that was the only way I could find them easily (only the first three were available at the library) but I don't regret the purchases one bit.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot happens in this volume which was intended to be the final book of the Poldark epic when it came out in 1990. A full thirteen years later the author penned a post script volume which came out in 2003, the year he died. This volume is primarily an account of Napoleon's reprise and its repercussions to the Poldark family. There is at least one character who was satisfactorily, if not a bit hastily (but couldn't have been soon enough for me) written out of the script.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should I even write this.... the very very best of the series has been saved for book 11.
It’s a perfect blend of history and war and poldarks and family and tragedy and friendship and understanding.
If I could, I’d give it 6 stars.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love these characters and will sad when the saga ends. One more book to go.