Ancasta by Diana Jackson
Harriet opens a guest house but, as WW1 rolls on, it is repurposed as a convalescent home for servicemen. Each member of Harriet's family has their part to play in the war and, as each adventure, tragedy or act of bravery unfolds, Harriet is at the centre, striving to keep all she holds dear together.
Review by Michelle Randall for Readers' Favorite: Ancasta is the continuation of the family saga that began in RidunaHarriet is now a widow with four grown children. Edward is still traveling the seas, enjoying his freedom. As the world starts to change and a war looms, we follow the former childhood friends and sweethearts as they deal with the ravages and realities of war in England. No one is untouched by the war, as Harriet will watch her twin sons both volunteer for service along with her daughter's husband. It will also be a time to reunite with old friends; Jane, with whom she had lost touch will become the steady rock of a friend that Harriet leaned on before she had Joe. Now with Joe gone, Jane will again become that rock. Diana Jackson doesn't pull any punches with the tragedies and realities of war and what it was like. Still, that does not diminish the glow of the story of a family once again facing the idea that dreams change and life goes on. In first Riduna and then Ancasta, we follow Harriet and Edward, who always thought their path in life would be together, but the reality of life was that it was not meant to be. Finally, in their retirement years, are they able to realize that it wasn't them who changed but the world around them and that things happened to them to make the dreams change. Diana Jackson weaves a story that is real and true and makes you feel that you are right there living it. It is a wonderful mix of the romance and realities of life with some of the technological advances of the historical time period of the novel. It is definitely a novel of moving on and never giving up, one any reader will enjoy. Review by Michelle Randall for Readers' Favorite: Ancasta is the continuation of the family saga that began in Riduna. Harriet is now a widow with four grown children. Edward is still traveling the seas, enjoying his freedom. As the world starts to change and a war looms, we follow the former childhood friends and sweethearts as they deal with the ravages and realities of war in England. No one is untouched by the war, as Harriet will watch her twin sons both volunteer for service along with her daughter's husband. It will also be a time to reunite with old friends; Jane, with whom she had lost touch will become the steady rock of a friend that Harriet leaned on before she had Joe. Now with Joe gone, Jane will again become that rock. Diana Jackson doesn't pull any punches with the tragedies and realities of war and what it was like. Still, that does not diminish the glow of the story of a family once again facing the idea that dreams change and life goes on. In first Riduna and then Ancasta, we follow Harriet and Edward, who always thought their path in life would be together, but the reality of life was that it was not meant to be. Finally, in their retirement years, are they able to realize that it wasn't them who changed but the world around them and that things happened to them to make the dreams change. Diana Jackson weaves a story that is real and true and makes you feel that you are right there living it. It is a wonderful mix of the romance and realities of life with some of the technological advances of the historical time period of the novel. It is definitely a novel of moving on and never giving up, one any reader will enjoy. Review by Colin Van Geffen; artist and aviation historian: In Ancasta, against the background of the new 20th century, we are reintroduced to the progress of life for the next generaion from Riduna, Diana Jackson's first novel, of the Newton family, now living at Woolston, near Southampton. The author succeeds in jolting the reader's emotions to give a clear understanding of how things were for so many 'ordinary' people during those dark days of wartime. No families were spared the loss of sacrifice of a loved one, but life had to go on.
Diana Jackson's passion for social history is the bed-rock to all of her writing; historical fiction, mystery and memoir. It was delving into her family history which inspired Diana's first novel 'Riduna', set on the island of Alderney, and there is an element of realism in all of her work. She was influenced by the classics from Bronte to Thomas Hardy, and as an avid reader too, she has always felt compelled to write. A retired teacher from Bedfordshire, now living in Fife with her retired husband, Diana enjoys the life of an author, but she is also fully involved in community life in Kinghorn.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780957252004 |
| ISBN 10 | 0957252005 |
| Title | Ancasta |
| Author | Diana Jackson |
| Series | The Riduna Series |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Eventispress |
| Year published | 2012-07-07 |
| Number of pages | 304 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |