Christmas Awards 2011

Friday 17 August 2012

The Lonely furrow






THE LONELY FURROW,



BY



PAMELA KAVANAGH,



PUBLISHED BY



ROBERT HALE.



ISBN NUMBER 978-0-7090-9637-5..













This story which is centred on the Drummond family, begins in Glasgow. The young man who begins the story is walking from his home, in Langsdale Avenue; it is a big imposing house, to his father’s Grocery store which is on Argyle Street.



He is in a very happy state of mind, swinging his silver topped cane as he walks. He has his life very much in order and has everything to look forward to. He is engaged to Isobel Mcnair, a beautiful and rich young lady, who was shortly returning home from a country visit and he is longing to see her. He will next year be starting at the Glasgow University, to read for his degree in engineering. Life is good and he couldn’t be happier. But this sublime feeling of happiness and contentment was about to come to an abrupt end.



As Nathan Drummond walked briskly through the park, a short cut to town and his father’s store, he heard the news boys cry, ‘read all about it City bank collapses’.



Nathan’s heart jerked and he rushed to buy a news paper. It was true, the bank where his father was an investor had fallen, taking many of its investor’s with it, his father included. Rushing up to his father’s office he handed the paper to his father, with shaking hands.



Balfour Drummond took the paper and bowed his head, he had heard the news. Straitening his back he said.’ It is bad, devastating news, but if we sell everything we own, we should be able to pay all our creditors and hold our heads high.'



Nathan looked at his father, he seemed to have aged suddenly. ‘Sell everything,’ he echoed. ‘Will we have nothing left father? His father shook his head. Thoughts of Isobel and his University place rushed through his head, they were ruined, and all his father had worked for in the last thirty year was gone.



The Family were in shock, where would they go and what would they do if all had to be sold?



Balfour Drummond told his wife that they must sell her inheritance from her uncle. This was a farm in Shropshire. Glebe Farm was just outside of the village of Hadnall, it had not been inhabited for a long while. But Florence Drummond refused to do so, she decided that they could all go to England and make a home at Glebe Farm and work the land.



The family were stunned by the plan their mother had outlined for their future, Balfour demanded that she obeyed him and sold the farm, but she was adamant they should move to England where no one would be aware of their shame.



The next day Nathan made his way to see Isobel, expecting to see the same sad story again in the Mcnair household, but he was surprised when his visit was very different to his expectations. Mr Macnair had apparently sold all his shares in the bank just in time and his fortune was safe.



Isobel was very cold towards him and said that had she had only a few minutes to talk to him as she was going out with her parents. Nathan said that perhaps they should no longer be betrothed because of his altered circumstances, and to his surprise Isobel handed him the ring back and left him alone as she went to meet her parents.



Will the Drummond family move to England and make a home at Glebe Farm and will they all settle there to make a new life or will Balfour have his way and stay in Glasgow?



Read this powerful story and find all the answers, you won’t be able to put it down; it pulls you into their lives and keeps you there. There are highs and lows in this book, but it is compelling right to the last page. AS





I award this book 4.5 roses.





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