Review: Rutherford Park by Elizabeth Cooke

Intrigue and scandal with so many interesting characters!
Rutherford Park by Elizabeth Cooke
Genre: Historical Fiction, 20th Century
Pages: 336
Source: Audible
Time Period: 20th Century, pre-WWI
Setting:Yorkshire, England

My Rating: 5/5

For the Cavendish family, Rutherford Park is much more than a place to call home. It is a way of life marked by rigid rules and lavish rewards, governed by unspoken desires…

Lady of the house Octavia Cavendish lives like a bird in a gilded cage. With her family’s fortune, her husband, William, has made significant additions to the estate, but he too feels bound—by the obligations of his title as well as his vows. Their son, Harry, is expected to follow in his footsteps, but the boy has dreams of his own, like pursuing the new adventure of aerial flight. Meanwhile, below stairs, a housemaid named Emily holds a secret that could undo the Cavendish name.

On Christmas Eve 1913, Octavia catches a glimpse of her husband in an intimate moment with his beautiful and scandalous distant cousin. She then spies the housemaid Emily out in the snow, walking toward the river, about to make her own secret known to the world. As the clouds of war gather on the horizon, an epic tale of longing and betrayal is about to unfold at Rutherford Park….

Favorites:

• Beautifully Written, Vivid and Picturesque: Elizabeth Cooke proves she is a master of "showing, not telling."  Each page is full of breathtaking description which makes you feel like you have stepped back in time.  Her ability to weave and craft different story lines is impeccable.  You feel truly invested in each character and not a single character falls short of development.  
• Intriguing Character Development: Each character has their own qualities and characteristics which makes them different and compelling.  The characters are layered and each plays a vital role in progressing the storyline.  Be sure to pay attention to each one -you never know what twist or turn Elizabeth Cooke has in store for you!
• Twists and Turns:  Elizabeth Cooke has crafted a story which constantly keeps you guessing and the stakes rising for the characters.  You never know what scandal lies on the next page.  Each character has their own plot, but at the end of the day, the characters are a family, and one scandal affects not one, but all of them.

Would I Recommend? YES!  If you are a fan of Downton Abbey, this novel is for you.  With a multitude of interesting and developed characters all kept in play by a masterful storyteller, Elizabeth Cooke's novel will keep you reading well into the hours of the night!

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