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The Golden Fleece
In the Autumn of 1817, the arrival of the Ipswich coach and its occupants - a strange, ill-assorted company - changed the lives of those who lived at the Fleece Inn forever... Will Oakley, landlord and host, with his two daughters, beautiful Myrtle, and the repellent Harriet, waited to receive his guests. Along with the usual farmers, merchants and the "quality", there were others who fitted into none of these categories. Like the handsome foreigner with the scarred face, and the fat man who appeared to be gloating over some malicious secret of his own...
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published February 12, 1977
46 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Norah Lofts
108 books310 followersNorah 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 14, 2015
On a particularly chilly morning in the autumn of 1817, Will Oakley - the proprietor of a roadside inn called 'The Fleece' - is just beginning his day. He is a forty-four-year-old widower; the father of two fully-grown daughters - Myrtle and Harriet - who also help their father run the inn. When a coach from Ipswich arrives at 'The Fleece', the Oakley family and their servants have absolutely no idea how much their lives will forever be altered by meeting its passengers. A strange, motley company of individuals is discharged from the Ipswich coach and each person within that group has the potential to irrevocably change the lives of everyone who calls 'The Fleece' their home.
Despite his hospitable position of landlord, Will Oakley is a quiet, secretive man. He is seen by others as being slightly standoffish, but he is actually a man who is more than what he seems; a man with a past that he has kept carefully hidden. Jonathan Smail has recently arrived at 'The Fleece', and is delighted to have become reacquainted with his old friend, Will. He knows all about Will's deepest, darkest secrets actually, and is quite willing to make his good friend pay...by any means necessary.
Myrtle is Will's older daughter. She is a beautiful, generous, and bright-spirited soul - pleasant and witty, and hopelessly in love with a man she can never have. Roger Moreton is young, aristocratic and careless. He may love Myrtle, but a simple innkeeper's daughter would never do for a marriage proposal. Roger sought a wealthy wife to pay his debts.
Harriet, Will's younger daughter, is practical and level-headed; so different from her sister, Myrtle. She may not be as vivacious or as winsome as her sister - she is certainly no beauty - yet she is far more courageous than many people would expect.
I have to say that as surprising as it may seem, this is one of the very few novels by Norah Lofts that I haven't read before. In my opinion, it seemed slightly different from her typical writing style, but I couldn't quite pin down why. The story was beautifully written and well-developed, and as with the majority of Ms. Lofts' work, she has completely captured the time period.
Personally, I had a little bit of trouble getting into the story, but once I did, I was completely swept away by Ms. Lofts - as usual. I will certainly be keeping this book to read again; but I give this book a full-fledged A+!
Despite his hospitable position of landlord, Will Oakley is a quiet, secretive man. He is seen by others as being slightly standoffish, but he is actually a man who is more than what he seems; a man with a past that he has kept carefully hidden. Jonathan Smail has recently arrived at 'The Fleece', and is delighted to have become reacquainted with his old friend, Will. He knows all about Will's deepest, darkest secrets actually, and is quite willing to make his good friend pay...by any means necessary.
Myrtle is Will's older daughter. She is a beautiful, generous, and bright-spirited soul - pleasant and witty, and hopelessly in love with a man she can never have. Roger Moreton is young, aristocratic and careless. He may love Myrtle, but a simple innkeeper's daughter would never do for a marriage proposal. Roger sought a wealthy wife to pay his debts.
Harriet, Will's younger daughter, is practical and level-headed; so different from her sister, Myrtle. She may not be as vivacious or as winsome as her sister - she is certainly no beauty - yet she is far more courageous than many people would expect.
I have to say that as surprising as it may seem, this is one of the very few novels by Norah Lofts that I haven't read before. In my opinion, it seemed slightly different from her typical writing style, but I couldn't quite pin down why. The story was beautifully written and well-developed, and as with the majority of Ms. Lofts' work, she has completely captured the time period.
Personally, I had a little bit of trouble getting into the story, but once I did, I was completely swept away by Ms. Lofts - as usual. I will certainly be keeping this book to read again; but I give this book a full-fledged A+!
September 29, 2024
There’s a magic about this novel that makes me want to re-read it every year on the Feast of Michael and All Angels, which is actually today! It’s something about the symbolic turning of the seasons that happens on this day - the warmth of summer months changing into dark nights and crisp, misty mornings.
I love the way that this specific day - 29 September - is absolutely central to the novel, just as much as 16 June (“Bloomsday”) is to James Joyce’s “Ulysses”. (I wonder if this is the first time anyone’s linked Norah Lofts with James Joyce!)
Other reviews here summarise the plot of the novel far more succinctly and helpfully than I could do. So I’m going to limit my ramblings just to Michael and His Angels - as this is a bit of a hobby horse of mine!
The entire action of the novel takes place very specifically on 29 September 1817, exactly 207 years ago today. This day is the Feast of Michael and All Angels, still celebrated in the High Anglican Church with candles, incense and liturgical capes. In fact, the Church gets two bites of the cherry on Feast Days such as Michael and All Angels, with celebrations starting the evening before (in this case yesterday, 28 September) as the “Eve” or “First” of the big day itself.
Michael is top angel (Archangel) with a special private army of the heavenly host, ready to take on the devil and defend God. You wouldn’t want to pick a fight with him. He’s usually depicted in stained-glass windows as a warrior with spear or sword. And looking very fierce indeed. I’ve seen him carved on war memorials, protecting the war dead and looking himself like a muscular, chisel-jawed SAS officer.
Oh, by the way, older readers might remember the old Marks & Spencer (M&S) brand, St Michael. In fact, technically Michael’s not a saint at all, because he’s an angel not a human elevated to saintly status.
Michael, the warrior angel, is so important in his defence job that the early Christian Church wanted to celebrate him by giving him a very special day of the year for his Feast. Interestingly, these very special days (like Christmas) usually already existed in the pre-Christian calendar as hugely important events like the solstices. So the Feast of Michael and All Angels is celebrated pretty much at the same time as the autumn equinox and pre-Christian harvest festivals.
As well as its significance to the Christian Church, the Feast of Michael and All Angels was also an important date in academic and administrative calendars.
The autumn term in many schools, colleges and law courts was usually called Michelmas (St Michael Mass) until relatively recently. And at the time the novel is set, Michelmas was very important as being one of the four Quarter Days in the year, when financial accounts were traditionally drawn up and settled.
This has a particular relevance in the novel, with its intriguing moral themes of the past catching up with the present, of the good and the bad being weighed up, and of people being held to account for the way they’ve lived their lives.
One of the special joys for me of reading Norah Lofts is that she was local to where I now live. I love to think that the routes the stage coaches follow in her novel are now the A-roads connecting our local market towns. And it’s great fun working out where exactly the “Fleece” coaching inn might have stood - and is it still a roadside hostelry today?
Much of the charm of this novel is the precise historical detail within a specific regional setting. And central to the East Anglian colour is the use of Michael and All Angels as the fulcrum for the unfolding events. For while this Feast Day would have been an important Quarter Day across all England, in East Anglia it was especially significant.
This was because Michaelmas was the annual date when employment contracts and tenancies traditionally began and ended - something which features prominently in the novel. On this day of the year, the whole of rural East Anglia would be on the move, as agricultural workers moved from farm to farm and job to job, their families and scanty belongings strapped onto carts and wagons, the lanes chokka with life in transit. The perfect backdrop for Norah Lofts’ story about souls adrift.
This is the sixth novel by Norah Lofts that I’ve read. I think she is a truly wonderful writer and very much overlooked. Well, not just overlooked. Positively looked down on and disdained. The manager of my local second-hand bookshop puts Norah Lofts’ first editions in his pound box (from where I gleefully rescue them).
Is it because “historical romance” is a genre sneered at by more intellectual types? Is it because Norah Lofts was just too successful in her own lifetime - a female writer commercially popular in a way that critics don’t like? Or is it because she’s considered “regional” with many of her novels set distinctively in East Anglia (“regional” being only one step up from “provincial”)?
Well, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed re-reading “Michael and All Angels” today on the Feast of Michael himself. And I’m giving it the top rating of Five Stars because I want to share my delight and encourage others to discover the pleasure and charm of Norah Lofts.
PS. If you fancy looking at a picture of Michael, the warrior archangel, you can’t do better than google “Prince Albert Victor stained glass window” - a much lamented Prince of Royal Blood memorialised as our archangel complete with moustache, cod piece and Teutonic cheekbones.
I love the way that this specific day - 29 September - is absolutely central to the novel, just as much as 16 June (“Bloomsday”) is to James Joyce’s “Ulysses”. (I wonder if this is the first time anyone’s linked Norah Lofts with James Joyce!)
Other reviews here summarise the plot of the novel far more succinctly and helpfully than I could do. So I’m going to limit my ramblings just to Michael and His Angels - as this is a bit of a hobby horse of mine!
The entire action of the novel takes place very specifically on 29 September 1817, exactly 207 years ago today. This day is the Feast of Michael and All Angels, still celebrated in the High Anglican Church with candles, incense and liturgical capes. In fact, the Church gets two bites of the cherry on Feast Days such as Michael and All Angels, with celebrations starting the evening before (in this case yesterday, 28 September) as the “Eve” or “First” of the big day itself.
Michael is top angel (Archangel) with a special private army of the heavenly host, ready to take on the devil and defend God. You wouldn’t want to pick a fight with him. He’s usually depicted in stained-glass windows as a warrior with spear or sword. And looking very fierce indeed. I’ve seen him carved on war memorials, protecting the war dead and looking himself like a muscular, chisel-jawed SAS officer.
Oh, by the way, older readers might remember the old Marks & Spencer (M&S) brand, St Michael. In fact, technically Michael’s not a saint at all, because he’s an angel not a human elevated to saintly status.
Michael, the warrior angel, is so important in his defence job that the early Christian Church wanted to celebrate him by giving him a very special day of the year for his Feast. Interestingly, these very special days (like Christmas) usually already existed in the pre-Christian calendar as hugely important events like the solstices. So the Feast of Michael and All Angels is celebrated pretty much at the same time as the autumn equinox and pre-Christian harvest festivals.
As well as its significance to the Christian Church, the Feast of Michael and All Angels was also an important date in academic and administrative calendars.
The autumn term in many schools, colleges and law courts was usually called Michelmas (St Michael Mass) until relatively recently. And at the time the novel is set, Michelmas was very important as being one of the four Quarter Days in the year, when financial accounts were traditionally drawn up and settled.
This has a particular relevance in the novel, with its intriguing moral themes of the past catching up with the present, of the good and the bad being weighed up, and of people being held to account for the way they’ve lived their lives.
One of the special joys for me of reading Norah Lofts is that she was local to where I now live. I love to think that the routes the stage coaches follow in her novel are now the A-roads connecting our local market towns. And it’s great fun working out where exactly the “Fleece” coaching inn might have stood - and is it still a roadside hostelry today?
Much of the charm of this novel is the precise historical detail within a specific regional setting. And central to the East Anglian colour is the use of Michael and All Angels as the fulcrum for the unfolding events. For while this Feast Day would have been an important Quarter Day across all England, in East Anglia it was especially significant.
This was because Michaelmas was the annual date when employment contracts and tenancies traditionally began and ended - something which features prominently in the novel. On this day of the year, the whole of rural East Anglia would be on the move, as agricultural workers moved from farm to farm and job to job, their families and scanty belongings strapped onto carts and wagons, the lanes chokka with life in transit. The perfect backdrop for Norah Lofts’ story about souls adrift.
This is the sixth novel by Norah Lofts that I’ve read. I think she is a truly wonderful writer and very much overlooked. Well, not just overlooked. Positively looked down on and disdained. The manager of my local second-hand bookshop puts Norah Lofts’ first editions in his pound box (from where I gleefully rescue them).
Is it because “historical romance” is a genre sneered at by more intellectual types? Is it because Norah Lofts was just too successful in her own lifetime - a female writer commercially popular in a way that critics don’t like? Or is it because she’s considered “regional” with many of her novels set distinctively in East Anglia (“regional” being only one step up from “provincial”)?
Well, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed re-reading “Michael and All Angels” today on the Feast of Michael himself. And I’m giving it the top rating of Five Stars because I want to share my delight and encourage others to discover the pleasure and charm of Norah Lofts.
PS. If you fancy looking at a picture of Michael, the warrior archangel, you can’t do better than google “Prince Albert Victor stained glass window” - a much lamented Prince of Royal Blood memorialised as our archangel complete with moustache, cod piece and Teutonic cheekbones.
December 3, 2015
Historical fiction at its best!!! Fine details of place and time, characters whose relationships and psychology are memorable and fascinating, and a deeply powerful story of family loyalty and conflict, blackmail and murder. I have loved novels by Norah Lofts since I was 14, and I've read this one many times. I highly recommend this book, and other books by her.
October 24, 2025
Another great book from Norah Lofts. This book gave you snippets of information about each character. You were left guessing until the author was ready to reveal the full story. I don't usually read mysteries and I would not call this a mystery, but the story had that flavour to it.
There are detailed sections of descriptive writing depicting the physical appearance of each character. The opening page is a long description of a chilly autumn morning. I found it hard to imagine what she was describing. In some of her books, she sketched the characters with a few key details, which I prefer.
I loved all the characters. Effie, Will and Harriet emerge as heroic figures, despite being unimpressive at first. There is hope for us all.
I am from Ipswich: Suffolk born and bred. This made the bits of Suffolk dialect a bit easier to read. I was alert for clues, but I could not place the Fleece Inn in a specific geographical part of my county.
There are detailed sections of descriptive writing depicting the physical appearance of each character. The opening page is a long description of a chilly autumn morning. I found it hard to imagine what she was describing. In some of her books, she sketched the characters with a few key details, which I prefer.
I loved all the characters. Effie, Will and Harriet emerge as heroic figures, despite being unimpressive at first. There is hope for us all.
I am from Ipswich: Suffolk born and bred. This made the bits of Suffolk dialect a bit easier to read. I was alert for clues, but I could not place the Fleece Inn in a specific geographical part of my county.
February 22, 2021
I love the way the characters are portrayed in Norah's books. One of those I didn't want to put down! Didn't quite get the title, obviously reference to angels and heavenly powers vs darkness. But really enjoy her books.
December 2, 2024
This book is truly a hidden gem. It is set over the course of 24 hours in a cozy English inn in 1815 with an excellent three dimensional cast of characters. I found myself savoring each page, not wanting the story to end. I’m already looking forward to reading more from this author.
December 18, 2024
This is another engaging Norah Lofts novel with an interesting plot and vivid characters.
Like some of her other works, this one takes a while to get going, but once it’s up and running, the relevance of the earlier slower pages becomes clear.
The three main characters are Will and his two grown-up young daughters Myrtle and Harriet. The sisters are complete opposites in their personalities, largely because Myrtle has grown up beautiful, whereas a childhood attack of the pox has left Harriet with a permanently scarred face, leaving her bitter. Harriet is all efficiency in the running of her father’s inn, and while Myrtyle is much less dedicated to hard work, she has the more caring nature.
Other characters are introduced along the way, which at length leads to conflict with the family.
It would take a long time to assess all the different plotlines and the contribution each character makes to the story, so I’ll sum it up by stating that it fits together like an attractive jigsaw.
It does lack that something special that would’ve made it a five-star read for me. I think the main conflict needed more drama and suspense. Although nothing was resolved easily, more complications or elements of threat would’ve elevated the read from engaging to compelling.
It took me a while to realise that the story’s setting is the same as one of the author’s other novels, namely the excellent ‘Esther Roon’, the title character of which is mentioned a few times, as are a few other characters from that fantastic book. If I recall correctly, ‘Michael and All Angels’ is set fifty years after the events in ‘Esther Roon’, so this is a thinly veiled sequel.
So, while this is not a classic Norah Lofts book, it’s still an excellent read.
Like some of her other works, this one takes a while to get going, but once it’s up and running, the relevance of the earlier slower pages becomes clear.
The three main characters are Will and his two grown-up young daughters Myrtle and Harriet. The sisters are complete opposites in their personalities, largely because Myrtle has grown up beautiful, whereas a childhood attack of the pox has left Harriet with a permanently scarred face, leaving her bitter. Harriet is all efficiency in the running of her father’s inn, and while Myrtyle is much less dedicated to hard work, she has the more caring nature.
Other characters are introduced along the way, which at length leads to conflict with the family.
It would take a long time to assess all the different plotlines and the contribution each character makes to the story, so I’ll sum it up by stating that it fits together like an attractive jigsaw.
It does lack that something special that would’ve made it a five-star read for me. I think the main conflict needed more drama and suspense. Although nothing was resolved easily, more complications or elements of threat would’ve elevated the read from engaging to compelling.
It took me a while to realise that the story’s setting is the same as one of the author’s other novels, namely the excellent ‘Esther Roon’, the title character of which is mentioned a few times, as are a few other characters from that fantastic book. If I recall correctly, ‘Michael and All Angels’ is set fifty years after the events in ‘Esther Roon’, so this is a thinly veiled sequel.
So, while this is not a classic Norah Lofts book, it’s still an excellent read.
October 27, 2013
The scene of Hester Roon many years later.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews