Books like Warleggan

Warleggan. To a member of the Poldark family, the surname Warleggan is the equivalent of coming across a very hungry bear. The Warleggans are phenomenally rich with no intention of stopping their quest for more. And how they do so, as long as it can come under the broad general term of ‘business’, has no moral or ethical claim on their attention. Through both bad choices and bad luck, the Poldarks have been under their thumb many times.The final straw for Ross Poldark is when Elizabeth, Ross’ first love and his deceased cousin’s wife, announces that she will be marrying Ross’ nemesis, George Warleggan. Ross takes steps to dissuade her from this course, and his actions have consequences that will no doubt ripple far into the future of these two clashing families. In the process, Ross also alienates his own wife, Demelza, and when she contemplates and begins to enact retaliation, she ends up losing a good friend – one who had helped them escape from repercussions that could have, at the least, found Ross imprisoned.Meantime, Ross’ mining efforts are also failing miserably. Just when he is about to go bankrupt, an unknown benefactor pays off a debt that is sure to cause his ruin – a debt that has the Warleggan imprint stamped all over it. Although the unknown benefactor gives a reprieve, several incidents (including a collapse in the mine) mean closing it altogether. Just when it appears Ross and Demelza will become impoverished farmers, a shift takes place and not long after that, the riches begin to flow. However, George Warleggan is determined to stop that as well.There is also “the Trade” as it is called. These little villages that are part of the larger community also involve themselves in smuggling. It is difficult enough to smuggle effectively with the guards on watch; it is even more difficult when there is an informer involved.Once again, Winston Graham’s storytelling abilities found me glued to this novel. His characters are beautifully drawn from the beginning of this series, and they take on more shape and form with each novel. We are witness to their growth as individuals and as members of a small, mostly isolated community. The whims of war and peace have more impact on a small area dependent for its well-being on the selling price of a couple of metals (specifically tin and copper), and the much rarer occurrences of a smuggling operation.In the majority of communities that rely on perhaps one or two “trades”, when the poor become poorer, so do those who have businesses. There just aren’t enough well-to-do people to keep everyone afloat. Some people do try to help in whatever ways they can.Other people are constantly on the look-out for how they might take advantage, even of situations where desperation and starvation will result. Such are the Warleggans.