Netherwood: A Novel
A slow start hampers this Upstairs, Downstairs–like debut by British writer Sanderson, although period fans may flock to this thick tome. Eve Williams lives in 1903 Yorkshire, married to a coal miner and raising three children. Lord Netherwood of Netherwood Hall bases his fortune upon the miners’ backs as well as the sundry but necessary details of life then, such as human waste disposal. The hardscrabble yet loving days of Eve and her fellow community are in sharp contrast to the life of ease and sometimes biting social intrigue the Netherwoods carelessly enjoy. When tragedy touches Eve’s life in a predictable yet most unwelcome manner, her life shifts direction as she casts about for a way to support her family in a time not especially accommodating to independent women. The upper-class Netherwoods are more sketchily drawn than the working-class Williamses, and the plot sometimes plods, but well-researched details should please a discerning audience. Catherine Cookson readers likely will appreciate this more than Downton Abbey devotees. --Julie Trevelyan--This text refers to an alternatePaperbackedition.