The Daughter of Hardie

The Daughter of Hardie tells the story of a girl born in to a wine merchant family. Grace loves her home especially her tower bedroom but who really owns the property?
When her father goes exploring and the war takes her siblings to the front line, secrets are at last uncovered.

All Grace thinks she wants is a husband and children but is this really what she wants?

I enjoyed this story and now note there is a previous book which I will be reading to find out more about the lives of the Hardie family.
I really liked some of the characters particularly Jay and Midge, hoping there's a next instalment!

The Daughter of Barrie is a great historical book. I enjoyed the plot and characters. The writing is good. I would read more by this author.

The Daughter of Hardie by Anne Melville. The Hardie Family Series. Agora Books, 1988, 2019.

In this rerelease of the second volume of a trilogy originally published in the 1980s, we become reacquainted with Gordon, Lucy and Midge Hardie, three of the main characters from the first. The story is set mostly at Greystokes, the Hardie’s estate near Oxford and begins with stories of Gordon and Lucy and their children, Grace and her four brothers.

After Gordon leaves on a scientific expedition, as war begins to affect the family business and each member of the family, Grace’s life develops in unexpected ways.

I loved reading this well-written and engaging glimpse of life in early twentieth century England.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Daughter of Hardie for free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy and Gordon had a big family of boys and one girl. Lucy was intrepid and courageous and daring. She ran away to be with Gordon who was in "trade" despite being in the wine business, still below Lucy's background. She adapted to her life of being wife and mother though what she longed for was the expeditions to China, looking for that elusive specimen.

Their daughter however was mild, subservient and at times for want of a better word a plodder. Despite changing times, WW almost upon them, the position of women becoming more and more important, conscription into the military depriving her of her brothers, Grace seemed to be cocooned into a small world of her own. She did not hanker for change, for excitement, she felt that marriage and children would naturally follow and when a "suitable" partner appeared she accepted his proposal.

Grace came into her own much later as a young woman. Single, independent, determined to make her own way and save the family firm almost single handedly. From being a wishy washy individual she became a confident person.

Though Grace's story was rather simple, the setting and accompanying background was anything but simple and this carried the story till the adulthood of Grace came about. Then it became all systems go and almost beamed with anticipation for what the next page would bring

The author did a brilliant job of capturing the time period in this novel. The characters and plot were also well written. This was a great piece of historical fiction!

I read all books in this series so far. They did not dissapoint! From a mystery to romance and from a surprising ending that will keep you waiting for more!