The Suffolk Trilogy: Knight's Acre / The Homecoming / The Lonely Furrow

Suffolk #1-3

by Norah Lofts

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

848 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Norah Ethel Robinson Lofts Jorisch (27 August 1904–10 September 1983) was a 20th century best-selling British author. She wrote over fifty books specialising in historical fiction, but she also wrote non-fiction and short stories. Many of her novels, including her Suffolk Trilogy, follow the history of a specific house and the residents that lived in it.

Lofts was born in Shipdham, Norfolk in England. She also published using the pseudonyms Juliet Astley and Peter Curtis. Norah Lofts chose to release her murder-mystery novels under the pen name Peter Curtis because she did not want the readers of her historic fiction to pick up a murder-mystery novel and expect classic Norah Lofts historical fiction. However, the murders still show characteristic Norah Lofts elements. Most of her historical novels fall into two general categories: biographical novels about queens, among them Anne Boleyn, Isabella of Castile, and Catherine of Aragon; and novels set in East Anglia centered around the fictitious town of Baildon (patterned largely on Bury St. Edmunds). Her creation of this fictitious area of England is reminiscent of Thomas Hardy's creation of "Wessex"; and her use of recurring characters such that the protagonist of one novel appears as a secondary character in others is even more reminiscent of William Faulkner's work set in "Yoknapatawpha County," Mississippi. Norah Lofts' work set in East Anglia in the 1930s and 1940s shows great concern with the very poor in society and their inability to change their conditions. Her approach suggests an interest in the social reformism that became a feature of British post-war society.

Several of her novels were turned into films. Jassy was filmed as Jassy (1947) starring Margaret Lockwood and Dennis Price. You're Best Alone was filmed as Guilt is My Shadow (1950). The Devil's Own (also known as The Little Wax Doll and Catch As Catch Can) was filmed as The Witches (1966). The film 7 Women was directed by John Ford and based on the story Chinese Finale by Norah Lofts.

Reviews

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story of a family's struggle during medieval times.

[Barbara Hoyland · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Suffolk Trilogy ( sometimes called the Knights Acre Trilogy) is , to my mind one of Norah Lofts' best . One reviewer here called it a 'simple but effective' tale , which does not at all do justice to the detailed and meticulous recreation of the mores and times.
The characters are distinct and real, Sir Godfrey Tallboys, that parfait gentil knight - most brave and lovable but no intellectual and certainly not worldly wise- may be the founder of the family and the builder of Knights Acre , but it is Sybilla his wife and eventually their children whose inhabiting of Knight Acre is the real story (until Sir Godfrey returns from Spain and beyond , with a most unexpected companion ............)

Sybilla and Godfrey's sons, their trials and hopes and loves are backgrounded by poverty, despite their birth.The saga is both credible and engrossing and as always with NL, the secondary characters ( the priests, the housekeeper, the villagers.. ) are fascinating, leaving you wanting a book about them too.

Much besets them all, and tragedy is not missing from this tale. But then, nothing much of anything is missing , Norah Lofts' ability to take you to the past, that foreign country, and make you feel you really are there is unsurpassed...

[Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

We moved out to rural Peck. Far from the bustle of the city. Grandma mentioned these books, so I found them in the local library. I really enjoyed them. I recall reading about Sir Godfrey Tallboys as I soaked in the blue bathtub. Funny memory.

[James Loftus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a teenager and was totally consumed by the story. The simple but effective tale and the characters who inhabit it, are an insight into medieval life, a fascinating and page-turning journey that you never want to end.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norah Lofts had it all as a fiction writer: ability to depict unforgettable characters, create page-turning plots, describe settings that one can see in the mind's eye. This trilogy captures the height of her talents. (July 2013)

I enjoyed this book even more on my second reading because of a 7-weeks-long Goodreads discussion with other Norah Lofts fans.

[Stephen Close · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again I can still remember some of the characters as they stayed a long time in the memory.