Product Description

Oxmoon, the rambling old mansion on a sprawling estate in Wales, has been for generations, the dream, the downfall, and the destiny of the wealthy Godwin family. Discover how these extraordinary people were caught on life's wheel of fortune, how the family legacy of madness, murder, and doomed romance, begun with 19th century Gwyneth Godwin's scandalous affair with sheep farmer Owen Bryn-Davis, pursue all of the Godwins who live and die for the memories and the beauty of Oxmoon.
"Emotion-packed."
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"The MOST marvelous book imaginable."
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #491621 in Books
• Published on: 1985-04-12
• Released on: 1985-04-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 1184 pages

Review
'Grippingly readable' Sunday Times 'Larger than life... a fascinating saga... it has all the right dramatic and romantic ingredients' Woman's Journal 'A mesmerising storyteller' Daily Telegraph

From the Inside Flap
Oxmoon, the rambling old mansion on a sprawling estate in Wales, has been for generations, the dream, the downfall, and the destiny of the wealthy Godwin family. Discover how these extraordinary people were caught on life's wheel of fortune, how the family legacy of madness, murder, and doomed romance, begun with 19th century Gwyneth Godwin's scandalous affair with sheep farmer Owen Bryn-Davis, pursue all of the Godwins who live and die for the memories and the beauty of Oxmoon.
"Emotion-packed."
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"The MOST marvelous book imaginable."
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

About the Author
Susan Howatch was born in Surrey in 1940. After taking a degree in law she emigrated to America where she married, had a daughter and embarked on a career as a writer. She left in 1976 and lived in the Republic of Ireland for four years before returning to England. She lives in London.

Customer Reviews

let the music begin! The Blue Danube!
If I had to name a favourite author, it would have to be Susan Howatch; her novels never fail to delight me and nourish my need for stories that do more than entertain. And if I had to choose a favourite Susan Howatch novel, it would have to be the Wheel of Fortune. This sumptuous novel drew me in from the very first page and soon I was lost in richness, following the drama of the Godwin family and living their lives with them in their fabulous Welsh estate, Oxmoon.
As in all of the Howatch family sagas which precede it, The Wheel of Fortune is written through a multiple third-person perspective, a structure which Howatch has mastered to perfection. Thus she leads us through the story by allowing us to identify first with one character and then with another, each time forcing us to rectify the opinions we have already formed on each indivual in turn. It's as if we move around each character, seeing him or her from a multitude of aspects, from the inside and the outside, and thus gain insight into the whole personality.

While reading Howatch I often felt that this is perhaps her way of showing her readers the necessity for compassion and understanding in our lives, for she whips away our prejudices and preconceptions about her characters simply by switching perspectives. For me this happened in the Wheel of Fortune with the character of Kester, who first appears as a thoroughly unlikeable, spoiled child, a misfit who never failed to exasperate those around him - and of course the reader. The moment Kester himself was allowed to speak, however, and I saw the situation through his viewpoint, he became my favourite character and I could identify with him completely, and appreciate him as the creative genius he is.

Then there is Robert Godwin, the personification of male chauvinism, an uptight London barrister who takes leave of all his senses when he falls for his cousin Ginevra. Ginevra herself is at first rather silly and self-absorbed, but as she grows in depth and self-esteem she develops into a warm, strong, well-rounded personality and a driving force in the novel. John Godwin is the epitome of good upbringing: his motto is "Here I have my standards, and here I draw the line!"; but then he meets Bronwen, a lower class Welshwoman who embodies the passion and mysticism that is simmering just beneath the surface of John's own consciousness, and John throws caution to the wind. Finally there is Harry, Kester's nemesis and greatest rival, the perfect public school boy . It's the rivalry between Kester and Harry, both of whom seem to mirror each other, each one having what the other most desires, rising and sinking on opposite sides of the Wheel of Fortune, which provides the foundation for this wonderful story.

Last but not least there is Oxmoon itself, their home; fabulous, haunting, living, Oxmoon: the orchestra playing the Blue Danube in its grand hall while the dancers dance beneath the glittering chandeliers. The magical atmosphere which pervades this wonderful story and draws us into the wonderful world teeming with rounded, living, breathing, characters we feel we have known all our lives.

Continuation of Cashelmara with another family ...
I love English history and I love historical novels, so I adore Susan Howatch's books, and The Wheel of Fortune is my favorite. The only thing to add to the overwhelmingly positive reviews written before me is to answer the question in the first review: the book is a continuation of the story told in Cashelmara, recast with a different family. Cashelmara is based on the story of Edward I, Edward II, and Edward III, ending as Edward III overthrows his mother's lover and claims the throne as his own. The Wheel of Fortune picks up the same story about half way through Edward III's life (he is now Bobby Godwin), and follows the story through the life of his sons Edward The Black Prince (Robert), John (John of Gaunt) and Thomas (Thomas of Woodstock), his grandsons Kester (Richard II) and Harry (Henry IV), and his great grandson Henry V (Hal).

Definitely worth reading
I've just finished Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch. (1171 pages in 5 days it was so good!) What a fascinating book. The book starts with one person's point of view and then the story picks up at the end of that section with someone else's point of view. When they reflect back on something you already know about it gives you another perspective. I don't think I've ever read a book written like this one. What is so interesting about it is that it shows that what is seen by others is not the reality in the mind of the person being looked at. What we perceive to be an ideal situation is really not so ideal at all if we knew the truth of the matter. Behavior that seems dreadful from the outside makes perfect sense when we can look inside and see why someone behaved the way they did. If we knew what others really think of us we would probably be shocked at how far off the mark they are from what we think of ourselves. It's remarkable how things from past generations that we may not even know about effect us in ways that we are not even aware of.

Another interesting thing is the idea of time. That time is not a straight line leading forward and behind us. But instead it is a circle and we can hear echos of the past and the future across the circle of time. I like books that make me sit back and say, "Hmmm" after I have read them and this one had that effect on me. The whole time I was reading the book I thought it a work of fiction. I was somewhat surprised to get to the end and read the author's note that it is a re-creation in a modern dimension of a true story involving King Richard II, King Henry IV, and King Henry V. Amazing. Wish I had read the author's note first. Oh well, I think my mind will be chewing on some of the concepts of this book for at least a few days. How well do we really ever know someone else that we think we know? Fascinating question.