Flambards (Flambards 1)

When Christina Parsons, an orphan, is sent to live with her Uncle Russell and cousins Mark and Will at Flambards, a rambling and decaying mansion in the heart of rural England, she finds herself in a strange, brooding household dominated by her crippled uncle’s passion for horses. Christina learns to love horses and fox hunting, too—and there are many superb scenes of riding to hounds. But she also discovers the reasons for the dark discords that divide the family. Although this novel is set in Edwardian England, its theme of the misunderstanding between generations speaks directly to the young people of today. Uncle Russell refuses to see that he cannot force his outmoded way of life on his sons. But the boys and Christina are growing up in a different world, where automobiles and airplanes are replacing horses, where social conscience is replacing snobbery, and where World War I is looming ominously. The conflicts in the household—between the two brothers, between Will and his father, and especially between the ways of life, the old and the new—form the basis for an outstanding story, beautifully told with strong and unusual characterizations, and a fine picture of an earlier era not so very different from our own. When Christina is sent to live in the country house, Flambards, she is not sure what to expect. Once there, she meets two young men, Mark and Will, and a household charged with emotion and rivalry. Feelings are running high between the brothers and Christina comes to realize that it's only a matter of time before she'll have to make a choice. Twelve-year-old Christina Parsons is sent to live with her fierce uncle and his two sons, Mark and Will, in their decaying mansion, Flambards. Christina discovers a passion for horses and riding but finds herself part of a strange household, divided by emotional undercurrents and cruelty. 1st book in the Flambards series.