BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 24 July 2018 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – ASHTON PARK by MURRAY PURA

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – ASHTON PARK by MURRAY PURA

THE BLURB:
For fans of the hugely popular Downton Abbey series, comes this equally enthralling story of the Danforth family of Ashton Park.
Among the green hills and trees of Lancashire, only a few miles from the sea, lies the beautiful and ancient estate of Ashton Park.
The year is 1916. The First World War has engulfed Europe and Sir William’s and Lady Elizabeth’s three sons are all in uniform—and their four daughters are involved in various pursuits of the heart and soul.
As the head of a strong Church of England family for generations, Sir William insists the Danforth estate hold morning devotions that include both family and staff. However, he is also an MP and away at Westminster in London whenever Parliament is sitting. During his long absences, Lady Elizabeth discreetly spends time in the company of the head cook of the manor, Mrs. Longstaff, who is her best friend and confidante. This friendship includes visits to a small Baptist church in Liverpool that exposes Lady Elizabeth to a less formal approach to Christian worship and preaching than she is used to and which she comes to enjoy.
Readers will follow Ashton Park’s charming upstairs/downstairs characters through the perils of war and the affairs of the heart with relish—and with an eye to the sequel coming in Fall 2013.
Book One in The Danforths of Lancashire series
THE AUTHOR:

Murray Andrew Pura was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and has traveled extensively throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Ordained as a Baptist minister in 1986, Pura has served five churches in Canada and headlined numerous speaking engagements in Canada and the United States. He has five books published, was a contributor to the Life With God Bible, has been a finalist for The Paraclete Fiction Award, The Dartmouth Book Award, and The John Spencer Hill Literary Award, and has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2010 Kobzar Literary Award of Canada.
MY REVIEW:
Such a magnificent, sweeping tapestry! Seven siblings, each with their own intrigue. The Great War and its immediate aftermath. The Irish uprising, and tangents to riots in Jerusalem. A broad scope with a masterful telling of details that brings the reader right into the midst of the story.
Each of the cast of characters is as individual as a snowflake, with their own peculiarities and tastes and traits; this reviewer enjoyed meeting each one of them.
As in the magnificent tapestries that hang on castle walls, so, too, has Mr. Pura woven his colourful and variegated and seeming disparate threads into a compelling and passionate story. I look forward to spending more time with these characters in the next book.
ROBIN’S FEATHERS:

ALL | THE | FEATHERS!
I purchased this book on Amazon. I offer my review of my own free will, and the opinions expressed in my review are my own honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Ashton Park, Murray Pura, The Danforths of Lancashire, Beneath the Dover Sky, London Dawn
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