Confusion: A Novel (Cazalet Chronicle Book 3)

I am loving this series by Elizabeth Howard...this is #3 and I finished it at 3:00am...could not put it down..I kept thing I would read a few more pages and then a few more and on it went. The characters of the Cazalot family are so well developed I feel I know them personally. I feel their joy and sorrow and their love attachments and the secrets they only share with Archie. I am so thankful for the family tree in front of the book since I am mostly reading about the grandchildren of the matriarch and patriarch at this point . The family has a country house, called Home Place, in the country for escape during WWII. They seem to take in anyone who needs a place to lay their head fit them into the family while doing so. Hugh and Edward continue to run the family business as the father, William. is blind and does not add much to his once wood/sawmill business in London. They are all getting older, even the chauffeur, the cook, the maids, etc. as the war continues. Rupert continues to be missing in action and the speculation is he is dead. Churchill is not re-elected; Roosevelt has died and the war is winding down except in the Pacific. There is an intriguing surprise regarding Zoe's new love; another surprise come at the very end of the book. I got my book from Amazon at a good price and have loved it so much I don't want the series to come to an end but can't stop reading them. This is a great escape if you want a great read.

Although I liked this novel slightly less than the previous two, I really love this series. The writing is so good, and the characters interesting and believable. In this installment, World War II is over but England has not recovered and the English are a bit at sea — when will things return to the way things were, pre-war? The answer: never. Some of the story lines took a while to get going, and the author clearly has some favorite characters who never seem to come to harm. Because the first two novels in the series are set just prior to and during the war, they had a certain dramatic tension that this one lacked. However, overall it was an interesting dip into the lives of London men and women whose lives have changed forever.

I have only recently discovered Ms Howard's books. (Yes I know I'm way late doing this). I can't praise her novels enough. The Cazalet Chronicles are fabulous. I hated to have them end, but there are several other Howard books that are great too. I am a belated but avid fan!!