Moederziel

by Judith Lennox

India, 1915 . Terwijl op het Europese continent de Eerste Wereldoorlog in volle gang is, geniet de jonge Bess Ravenhart met volle teugen van haar leven. Ze is gelukkig getrouwd en heeft net een zoontje gekregen, Frazer. Maar dan staat haar bestaan opeens volledig op zijn haar man komt om bij een tragisch ongeval. Verdoofd van verdriet reist Bess met haar zoontje af naar Schotland, waar haar schoonouders wonen. Eenmaal daar aangekomen blijkt er geen einde te zijn gekomen aan Bess’ haar schoonmoeder eist Frazer op en zet haar schoondochter het huis uit.

Schotland, eind jaren derti g. Ondanks de dreiging van een nieuwe oorlog heeft Bess tegen al haar verwachtingen in weer het geluk gevonden met een lieve man en kinderen, maar haar hart blijft pijn doen door de wond die het verlies van Frazer heeft achtergelaten. Tot op een dag Frazer opnieuw in haar leven verschijnt. Komt Bess’ verlangen naar een hereniging alsnog uit, of zal het gevaar dat Frazer met zich meebrengt alles wat haar lief is op het spel zetten?

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical, Scotland, Novels, Chick Lit, India

578 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Aka Judith Lennox-Smith

Judith Lennox lives in Cambridgeshire, England with her husband and three sons.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed Judith Lennox and this book was no exception. I love a LONG, wordy novel with great descriptions of people, places, and things and this book delivered. It's definitely a "Family Saga" which covers approx 70 years or so. Maybe it's just me, but I sure love the way English authors spin a story. It kept me interested all the way to the end. I will definitely read more by this fantastic author!

[SANDRA GARNER · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. An epic saga of a family which starts in India, comes to Scotland via London, contains many twists and turns, secrets, lies and love. We'll worth a read.

[Rachel Renfro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was given to me in a box of old books and I thought it looked interesting. Sure enough I really enjoyed it!

It was a multi generational story that was really easy to follow and not too complex. It kept me engaged and I couldn’t wait to see what happened to the characters next. I liked how the author followed several different characters so we could see the story from different perspectives.

[Luu Hazel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein gutes, zeitweise herrlich fesselndes und vereinnahmendes Buch. Zum Ende hin habe ich allerdings die Detailtreue, die mich zuvor fasziniert hat, etwas vermisst. Auf einmal ist mir etwas zu viel in etwas zu kurzer Zeit passiert- ganz zum Schluss erschien die Erzählung jedoch trotzdem rund.

[Rooserd · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://www.lekkerboek.nl/moederziel-...

De jonge Bess Ravenhart verliest in India tijdens een dramatisch ongeval haar man. Overmand door verdriet laat ze zich door haar schoonmoeder Cora overhalen om terug te keren naar Engeland, en de zorg voor haar zoon over te laten aan haar schoonouders.
Wanneer Bess weer in staat is voor haar zoon te zorgen, wil Cora haar kleinkind niet meer afstaan. Wanhopige pogingen om hem terug te halen lopen op niets uit. Als ze alle hoop op een hereniging heeft opgegeven, staat haar zoon ineens voor de deur. Zijn komst stuurt het leven van Bess en haar nieuwe gezin volledig in de war want hij is gekomen om zijn geboorterecht op te eisen: het ongenaakbare en imposante landgoed Ravenhart House.

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https://books.google.be/books?id=xdlp...

[julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

an uninteresting story, nothing specific happened until the end, felt like reading a factual text.
there were moments when it got slightly interesting but then it became shallow and boring again.
the story took a turn in the last ~100 pages, though, which i enjoyed. however, (SPOILER ALERT) i was hoping for frazer and maxwell to fall in love and run away together, but i was left disappointed.

[Okidoki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ödets vägar, 2007:
Vi får följa Bess Ravenhart och andra medlemmar av hennes familj. Boken har en ganska intressant uppbyggnad med en del tidshistoria invävd. Romanens upplösning är riktigt dålig. En lättläst underhållningsroman vars människor inte riktigt griper.

[paul c hitches · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I selected this book because the story intrigued me what I was not prepared for was the twist and turns that kept the story moving and the book very interesting.
Judith Lennox is good storyteller and keeps you on the edge of each turning page

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant read - like a more modern day Jane Eyre - spanning two generations of a sprawling family and those they come into contact with. Yet easy to read and a pleasure to read. I loved it, would definitely recommend it, and will look for more books by Judith Lennox.

[ROCKY · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was outstanding!! I love stories like this with family lives that are told over a span of years & eras, Inheritances, hidden secrets & war. I wish more books were written like this I can't believe I hadn't read this book years ago.

[Sonja Breininger · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 Sterne

[LadyH39 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book so much that I have kept it to reread...

[Maria Antonietta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Momenti in cui la lettura è stata più intensa e coinvolgente e altri in cui si rivelava piatta e poco stimolante. Comunque una bella storia di vicessitudini familiari, forse con un titolo sbagliato!

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sehr berührend.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok at the beginning but soon became tiresome and the ending seemed rushed and quite frankly ridiculous

[Anyah Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es ist das Jahr 1915 als Elizabeth „Bess“ Ravenhart durch einen tragischen Reitunfall zur Witwe wird und ihren kleinen Sohn Frazer in Indien bei der ungeliebten Schwiegermutter Cora zurücklassen muss. Zunächst möchte sie sich in ihrer alten Heimat Schottland eine neue Existenz aufbauen und dann natürlich ihr Baby nachholen. Doch das Schicksal will es anders, Bess begibt sich auf die Suche nach einem neuen Ehemann, denn ihr ist klar, als mittellose Witwe kann sie ihren Lebensunterhalt nicht allein bestreiten und tatsächlich verliebt sie sich erneut. Unterdessen schreibt sie zwar Briefe nach Indien, aber sie bleiben unbeantwortet. Als es dann nach Jahren zu einem Wiedersehen zwischen Mutter und Sohn kommt, verläuft das nicht so wie Bess es sich in ihren Träumen vorgestellt hat.

Auch in diesem Buch beweist die Autorin Judith Lennox erneut ihre unfehlbare Fähigkeit, Lebensräume und Charaktere darzustellen und sie authentisch für uns Leser herüber zu bringen. Von Beginn des Buches an war ich gefesselt und diese Spannung und Intensität konnte die Autorin bis zum Schluss aufrecht erhalten. Ihre Sprache ist anspruchsvoll und erwählt, zusammen mit dem unverwechselbaren Schreibstil ergibt sich ein Roman der Klasse und Niveau in sich vereint. Das Tempo, das Judith Lennox verwendet ist annehmlich der Geschichte angepasst. Perfekt gewählt finde ich die Erzählform, die die Autorin in diesem Buch verwendet, durch verschiedene Blickwinkel auf die Charaktere erfahre ich als Leserin mehr Hintergründe. Ausgesprochen gut kann Judith Lennox die Gefühle ihrer Figuren transformieren.

Von Herzen gerne vergebe ich diesem Buch fünf von fünf möglichen Sternen und empfehle es absolut weiter. Leser anspruchsvoller historischer, großer Familien-Romane und Liebesgeschichten werden es lieben. Ich fühle mich von dem Buch wunderbar unterhalten, es ist perfekt für kuschelige Lesestunden auf dem Sofa. Ich bin schon seit langem ein Fan der Autorin, und wie von mir erwartet, wurde ich auch dieses Mal nicht von ihr enttäuscht.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read other titles by Judith Lennox, and again this does not disapoint as she quickly sweeps you up into her tapestry of flawed characters all played out against the rich background stage of early to mid 20th Century history. Storylines were not initially as predictable as I imagined on reading the first few chapters and the little hints of mystery and family intrigues being laid down over the years kept me engaged to the end. Conversely I did experience some irritation with the pace of the book towards the end as perhaps a few too many loose ends were rushed to be tied up and the believablity factor needed to be suspended - an over-abundance of newly grown-up characters coming in from the wings in the last quarter felt clumsy.

[Vania · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really hard getting through the middle of the book, especially when the reader started experiencing the story from other points of views. I did manage though to get through the whole thing (and therefore 3 stars), but would not recommend it to anyone. In spite of all the drama, I finished reading it more out of curiosity to know what really happened to Frazer and Max. I wish the author would have some how summed the ending up from Kate's point if view, or at least shown her reaction from another characters point of view.

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book very much as I found many parts of it unbeleivable. I found the characters weak and didn't sympathise or emphathise with any of them! Not a book I would recomment to anyone - and I struggled through the last quarter a sI don't like to give up on books. It wasn't worth it though as the end was even more unbelievable.

[Ariele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't say this was my favorite book ever, but it was over 600 pages and I read it in 4 days so it obviously captured my attention. It was a family saga that spanned several generations and told from multiple perspectives.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a heartbreaking story. And although it was a very slow read and a little boring at the beginning the overall storyline was great. I loved the ending and all the characterdevelopment in this book.

[Paula P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the reviews for this book put me off a bit, but I really enjoyed it and didn't think it was confusing. Although the chapters were related to different characters, the story continued smoothly.

[Suzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started this book I struggled. However something told me to persevere and within a few chapters I was still struggling, but this time, it was to put the book down and turn out the bedroom light.

[Karen Hogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family saga that takes place in Scotland, England, and France. It did start losing steam for me somewhere in the middle (book is over 600 pages). I did want to finish it though, to find out what happened to Frazer and Max. It was a good book, but not one I would put on my favorites list.

[Vivien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read family sagas but thoroughly enjoyed this one. We started with the mother in 1914 and moved through her daughter and then one of the next generation to end in the 1960s. Although nothing that happened was a huge surprise I found it a good satisfying read.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good. Couldn't make up my mind whether to make it 4 star or 5 star. But the 5 star won in the end couldn't put it down.

[Sujaritha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-Nov-2010 : Moves at an average pace. Nonetheless likeable.
17-Nov-2010: I gave up eventually. Could'nt cross 300 pages. Seems to have slowed down to a snail's pace.

[Liana Stergiopoulou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story, good book, easy to read.
Keeps repeating though in many parts, and has many details in
non immportant things about the characters!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reading, a continuity to it that doesn't leave you hanging and getting bored.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love a family saga - hence I loved this book. Its my second Judith Lennox novel, and I'm looking forward to reading more.