In the third book, "Jeremy Poldark", Ross has to face the trial for the actions he took after their little daughter Julia died. What happened is that one of the Warleggan's ships run aground in a storm, carrying the life-necessary cargo, and Ross was the one who awakens the entire neighborhood, encouraging poor people to take whatever they can from it with the excuse of tradition which states that cargo belongs to him because the ship grounded on his Hendrawna beach. However, the situation escalates into violence when people from the nearest village come to the same beach and starts fighting between each other. And although Ross manages to offer shelter to the captain and a few officers, George Warleggan's cousin Sanson is found dead on the ship which is another unfortunate event Ross gets accused of.

The trial happens to be on the same day as the election in Bodmin and becomes highly popular, attracting people from all classes including Ross's cousin Francis, his wife Elizabeth, cousin Verity, freshly presented new character- an heiress Caroline Penvenen- as well as common folk from Nampara who came to testify for and against Ross.

Ross is completely aware of his situation and that the evidence against him is strong. However, that doesn't stop him from being righteous in explaining his intentions when he saw the ship on his beach. He takes the risk and admits that he woke up the neighborhood and told them to take whatever they can but says he's not guilty of Sanson's death and the violence. His well-spoken speech about the tradition of their county and what poor people of Cornwall has to endure in order to provide bread for their children hit hard the jury and everyone in the courtroom. Even though we thought this was the end for him we learn that the jury recognizes his quality as a citizen and find him not guilty of any of the charges.

The end of the book breathes us new hope for Poldarks with the birth of their second child Jeremy, but it doesn't leave us completely satisfied for we already know George's hunger for power and extreme hate toward Ross won't be extinguished so quickly.

From another writer's point of view, I'd say this book is good for developing your own writing style. I always thought that to be a great writer you also need to be a great reader and it is novels like this that can help you with your own writing style, characters development, conflicts and resolutions in the story.

Once again, Winston Graham didn't shy away from poetical descriptions of his beloved Cornwall and the beach. You really get the feeling of love for his hometown. This isn't your ordinary historical romance novel. Yes, you will root for the relationship between the main characters, you'll want to read about their moments together but the other aspects of the book will also let you yearn for more. Each and every one of the characters is unique and developed to the point you'll feel like they are real people. This is something I admire for in Graham's "Poldark" saga- the ability of the writer to make you care for each character doesn't matter if they're newly presented or not.

I wanted to move on to the next one. In "Jeremy Poldark" book we are left with a desire to see how the relationship between Dr. Enys and newly presented character, Caroline Penvenen will develop. They share two major encounters which will, I believe, lead them into something more significant.

Dwight Enys's character is presented in earlier books where we learn all his qualities as Ross's friend and Cornwall's doctor. He is a loner in previous books, someone who is dedicated to his work, a man of worth and someone who is easy to love and respect.

Caroline Penvenen at first seems as another rich, spoiled brat but as we go further into a book she softens and shows the other side of her. She's, in fact, a bit sarcastic and straight-forward when expressing her opinions so I believe this is the reason why she might seem harsh on first. Anyway, the spark between her and Dwight seems to be turning into a fire so I can't wait to see what happens to them.

Winston Graham was the author of forty novels. His books have been widely translated and his famous series has been developed into two television series shown in 24 countries. Winston Graham was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and in 1983 was awarded the OBE.

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Created May 17, 2019 at 8:26am • Submit your own review...