The Property of a Gentleman
The story centres around Thirlbeck, home of the Earls of Askew. The 18th Earl, Robert Birket Catherine Gaskin first published this book in hardback in and now it is available for the first time as an ebook. The 18th Earl, Robert Birkett, has reluctantly returned, needing money and has asked his old school friend, Gerald, to visit with the purpose of valuing and selling off the art and antiquities. Gerald has worked for Hardy's, a large auction house in London for many years and mentors a young woman called Joanne.
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She accompanies him to Thirlbeck, acting as his assistant and driver. Her life is more interwoven with Thirlbeck than she ever imagined. The house and farmland now need vast amounts of investment to restore the estate to its former glory. The characters are wonderful, especially Tolson, a strange man, just the sort of character you would expect to find in an old house such as this.
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Tolson has cared for the house for many years in the absence of the Earl and in many ways looks upon it as his home, with his own relatives employed on the estate. This book, although of its time, is so well written. The descriptions of the characters, the house and the surrounding countryside are quite evocative. Gaskin describes everything in great detail, but that doesn't prevent the reader from using their imagination.
I particularly like the pack of family pet dogs, interwoven in the story, who became almost mystical in their behavour. The story builds slowly and inexorably, with many twists and turns. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading other Catherine Gaskin ebooks. I don't think I have ever read a Catherine Gaskin book and it won't be my last.
I love unlocking puzzles as this story goes between the inhabitants of Thirlbeck the stately home of the Earl of Askew and the past and present residents. Lots of legends and interesting treasures with a dark shadow from a few centuries ago. If you were wondering, the title of the book comes from that world, and I thoroughly enjoyed the related nuggets of information scattered throughout the book: The Property of a Gentleman Kindle Locations However, I have to say that I felt a bit let down by the romance subplot.
Although the eventual romantic interest was telegraphed clearly to any romance reader, there was something lacking — I was left thinking it could have been more.
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A version originally published on my blog: Couldn't get into this. I gave up a quarter of the way through. Something I rarely do. May 05, Amy Reed rated it it was amazing. This is my favorite book by Catherine Gaskin and one I can read over and over again. A really good read If you like historical fiction with a mystery mixed in, you'll want to read this book. Lots of surprises and I never guessed the end! Great Tale Art, mystery, romance, scandal, family secrets, and a wonderful plot. This writer is awesome and looking forward to reading note! Jun 28, Deborah Wren rated it it was amazing.
I was trying to remember which historical novels I loved as a teenager, and saw this book and remembered it. Jun 15, ChrisGA rated it it was amazing Shelves: Older book but still intriguing romantic suspense. The story stays within you I first read this book over 30 years ago and never forgot it.
The Property of a Gentleman by Catherine Gaskin
I have re-read it several times, and pleased that when I had the urge to read it again that I could do it on my kindle. A marvelous telling of an old English family's history and quest for normalcy and acceptance as well as love. Jul 22, A. Her mother Vanessa, is also in antiques and her father is an abstract painter who lives in Mexico. The home is Thirlbeck in the Lakes District. Unoccupied and filled with what could be junk or treasure, but Gerald and Jo will know it when they see it.
But the house and the area exert a pull on Joanna. A pull that she finds out may have also worked on her mother. Her mother left, will Joanna stay? When Gerald has a heart attack they are all forced to extend their time at Thirlbeck. This is an old world where people smoke all the time, of privileged English gentry who have manservants who have devoted 30 years of their life to looking after their employer and have panic attacks at the thought of them being alone or ill without them.
A world of phone booths and the slower passage of news. When the book was published. George Tolson is the estate manager, a jealous guard of the house and the items within, and the breeder of the enormous hounds that promptly abandon him for the Earl. Generations of Tolsons look after the house and the grounds. This is also a time of high estate taxes, and death duties when any number of stately homes were left un-repaired. You can see hundreds of them in the images on abandoned aesthetic pages. Over the years, the family have moved back from the Orient with all their collectibles , married Dutch women with a dowry of paintings, and so on.
The collection of rare snuff boxes is of note for him merely because he broke the display case playing cricket inside once. Every instance of bad luck for the Earls has been blamed on the curse of the Spanish lady. Every attempt to steal the huge diamond necklace has ended in tragedy and death. The estate that he strains to the max by refusing to live on and manage. His most recent lover is a gorgeous Spanish woman, referred to as Condesa. With out a child of his own, the heir to the estate is a local farmer, Nat Birkett.
Jo is more pro-active than Gothic heroines usually are. Even if sometimes that just means not answering the phone. I did like the way more than a few tiny details became very relevant. Feb 03, Beth Haren rated it really liked it. This is a nostalgic episode for me. I know it isn't high literature, but it is so representative of the era in which it was written, I just love it. The mystery is fun, but the little dip into the world of estate auction and hidden treasures of old family collections is great.
The Property of a Gentleman by Catherine Gaskin
It's worth a read for fun. Dec 26, Charles rated it liked it Shelves: It's supposed to be "romantic Suspense" but I don't have a shelf for suspense. It's one I picked up as a teenager reading everything I could get my hands on. It was probably one I borrowed from my sister. Frankly, I can't remember a thing about it. Dark yet Brilliant Brilliant mystery within mystery. Plot is exceptional as is character development.
There are twists and turns within the plot. There is a darkness to the story which adds a luster to the diamond of a story. Jun 28, Patricia rated it really liked it Shelves: This book has a special place in my heart from when I borrowed it from my mom's collection when I was in my early teens. Golden eagles, Irish wolfhounds, classy auction house, haunted manor house in the lonely Lake district Dec 14, Lucy rated it it was amazing.
Dec 09, David Bryan rated it it was amazing. This is the first novel i ever read back in the early eighties. I eventually read nearly all of her books in the subsequent years and so began my journey into literature. Apr 01, Tracy Johnson rated it it was amazing.
One of my favourite books of all time, and one I will read again and again. Mar 01, Diane Wachter rated it liked it. A daughter must marry a man she despises when her father wills his property to his business partner instead of his daughter. Feb 18, Rachel rated it liked it Shelves: I was caught up in the story about the house and the treasure hunt feel to it, but not by the characters. Anne Mary Bower rated it liked it Aug 07, Sylvia Adams rated it it was amazing Feb 06, Gayle lemmon rated it it was amazing Feb 03, Customers who bought this item also bought.
Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. The Summer of the Spanish Woman. A Falcon for a Queen. Product details File Size: Corazon Books December 5, Publication Date: December 5, Sold by: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention catherine gaskin lake district property of a gentleman mary stewart years ago historical fiction well written great read twists and turns earl of askew thirlbeck the home read this book good read gaskin is a great great story romance kindle mystery gothic art.
Showing of 43 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. If you enjoy the work of Mary Stewart then you are sure to appreciate this gothic, suspense, gentle romance. This is the story of Joanna Roswell who is apprenticed at Hardy's an antiques firm of renown.
The estate has fallen on hard times and their task is to evaluate a painting by Rembrandt. Thirlbeck is a house filled with secrets, unknown treasures and a curse that must be resolved. I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding the young Spanish Woman and the Lake District with it's mists and dangerous fells. Some of the story lagged in places, and the romance certainly wasn't as pronounced as I would have liked. However I thought it was an interesting offering from an underrated author of a bygone time. I was thrilled to find this book on Kindle after never forgetting it from the first time I read it years ago.
The mountains and tarns of England's Lake District come to life all on their own. Descriptions of great art and furnishings, auction houses, artists and forgers add realism, and whose heart isn't touched by an eagle's nest that needs guarding, and an attentive pack of Irish wolf hounds? Nat is a great hero, and Joanna's own life begins to burst with as many secrets as the historic earldom crumbling around her. Suspense, mystery, history, a quick dash to London This book has it all. I first read Gaskin's books as a young woman. I loved the way she shared information on the realities of life in different work careers and the importance of love relationships all tied up in a gothic romance Now, at 86 years old I am so glad to once again meet up with Catherine Gaskin and to enjoy her excellent writing on my Kindle.
One person found this helpful. This was a very well written book that centers on the Lake District in England. It was one of those rare stories that I couldn't get enough of, I was reading the book at every available moment during my day. If I could, I would have given it 4. I will probably go back and read it again in a few months. I think I missed a few pieces. The plot twists were clever and always a surprise. Overall, it was a well told story. I first read this book as a Reader's Digest Condensed book and enjoyed.
The unedited version dragged and seemed to take forever to get through the plot. Background information on some of the characters was excessive and did not advance the story. Having read this book in the past, I found myself impatient to get to the more interesting portions of the novel and ended up setting it aside to read another time. I felt the condensed version was much better. I remember Catherine Gaskin from years ago. She provides a rich context and plot for Property of a Gentleman within a fascinating industry. She needs to be rediscovered!