Book Review

Basic Details:

Book Title: The Mazzard Tree

Subtitle: (Hartford Manor #1)

Author: Marcia Clayton

Genre: Historical Romance

Part of a series? Yes

Order in series: 1

Best read after earlier books in series?

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56487275-the-mazzard-tree

Overall score:

I scored this book 5/5

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Short Summary of the book:

A few decades have passed since we met Betsey. Now a grown woman with children and grandchildren, she and her husband Ned own the inn. The family in the manor remains there, and Annie, her granddaughter, works there. But nothing ever runs smoothly in this North-Devon village.

What I liked about the book:

I liked the book in its entirety. Despite her poverty and the challenges she faced, they never gave up.

What I didn’t like about the book:

There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about the book.

My favourite bits in the book:

The book was enjoyable in its entirety.

My least favourite bits in the book:

When we find out the reason behind the suspense.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and it is the first in a series.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This is a historical fiction novel.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book to the following readers:

Children No

Young Adult Maybe

Adult Yes

If you like historical fiction, this book may be the book for you.

Book Description by Author:

It is mid-Winter in 1880 and life is harsh in the remote Devon countryside.

When Annie Carter's father Tom dies of consumption her mother Sabina is left with seven mouths to feed and the family soon face the workhouse. To save them from starvation Annie steals vegetables from the Manor House garden, risking jail or transportation. She is watched by Robert, the son and heir of the Lord of Hartford Manor, but far from turning her in he befriends her.

Annie introduces Robert to a very different world to the one he knows and he is fascinated by the life she leads. Difficult though it is, they begin to spend time together and soon develop feelings they know have no future.

Harry Rudd, the village blacksmith, has long admired Annie and when he proposes, her mother urges her to accept. She reminds Annie that she will never be allowed to marry Robert. Harry is a good man and Annie is fond of him. Her head knows what she should do, but will her heart listen?

About the Author:

I was born in North Devon, in the South West of England, the daughter of a farmer, and my family has lived in this area for generations. I've always enjoyed the beautiful countryside and the peaceful way of life to be found here and would never wish to live anywhere else.

When I left school I worked in a bank for several years until I married Bryan, and then stayed at home for a few years to care for our three sons. As they grew older I returned to work, first as a Marie Curie nurse, caring for the terminally ill, and then for the local authority where I stayed until retirement.

I wrote my first book "The Mazzard Tree", in spare moments over several years as I was also working full time and raising my family. My second book, "The Angel Maker" is a sequel to the first and was written after I retired. I have recently released the third book in the Hartford Manor Series, "The Rabbit's Foot".

Set against the harsh background of the rough, class-divided society of Victorian England, this heart-warming and captivating series portrays a young woman who uses her determination and willpower to defy the circumstances of her birth in her search for happiness.