Demelza by Winston Graham
Demelza Carne, the impoverished miner’s daughter Ross Poldark rescued from a fairground rabble, is now his wife. But the events of these turbulent years test their marriage and their love.
Demelza’s efforts to adapt to the ways of the gentry – and her husband – bring her confusion and heartache, despite her joy in the birth of their first child. Ross begins a bitter struggle for the rights of the mining communities – and sows the seed of an enduring enmity with powerful George Warleggan.
GUIDE
THEMES
Demelza fights to be accepted by the gentry.
SETTING
Set in Cornwall, England, in the 18th century.
SERIES
Book 2 in The Poldark Saga which is better read in order.
Review
Demelza is the second volume in the Poldark series and as you might expect, the book expands on the character of Demelza as she continues to transform herself into a lady. The characters of Ross and Demelza continue to be the backbone and heart of this series, I would’ve said Ross was ahead of his time in regard to how he rails against social injustice but the French revolution is underway during this novel so maybe he’s more a man of his time than you would think.
Although Ross will probably always harbour feelings for Elizabeth, you can’t help but feel he has made the perfect match in the wild and unpredictable Demelza who follows her heart regardless of the consequences. Demelza does a lot of naive things but she reacts mainly on instinct and genuinely believes she is doing what is best for her loved ones even if they do not agree.
Curiously enough, while everyone is condemning Blamey for murdering his wife for which he claims to be making reparations, the plot is mirrored in the story of Mark Daniel, a local miner, who marries Keren, an actress in a travelling company. Mark falls in love with Keren, eventually persuading her to marry him, but Keren is a selfish creature who never seems content with her lot and it isn’t long before she is having an affair. When Mark discovers the betrayal, he flies into a rage, choking her to death, but everyone takes his side and even Ross helps him evade the law. It seems a little hypocritical for everyone to look the other way for Mark, although Blamey’s situation is a little more complicated in that Ross doesn’t want to cause problems with his family.
While Demelza is playing cupid, Ross has started a company with a number of influential mine owners who are working in secret to drive up the prices of copper to ensure everyone gets a fair deal. The established businesses don’t like the competition and it isn’t long before the identity of the investors is revealed and their livelihoods threatened by the Warleggan family who have their fingers in many pies. The feud between the Poldarks and the Warleggans begins to take shape as Ross is facing financial ruin and is desperate to claw his way out from under them. Ross’s hatred for society continues to grow and matters are made worse with the death of Jim Carter, the young man Ross was trying to save from prison.
Times are harsh, and Ross struggles to watch as his tenants fight starvation and illness on a daily basis which just increases his resentment for the upper classes. No longer able to contain his disdain, Ross becomes more and more alienated to the point he is picking fights at social gatherings and generally making himself unpopular. Ross seems to be burning a lot of bridges in this book, and I have a feeling it may backfire on him spectacularly soon.
While some storylines carried over from Ross Poldark are resolved, the seeds for new plots are sown at a regular basis which means this saga still has plenty of adventures to explore.
