• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

R. L. Stedman

Writer

  • My Books
  • My Story
  • Contact
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • Giveaways
  • All Books
  • SoulNecklace Stories
  • Middle Grade

Book Review – Local Books: Forbidden Love

November 14, 2017 By Rachel Stedman

Forbidden Love: A Book Review of The Larnachs

I thought it would be fun to do a series of posts based on the local literary scene.

writer's notebook
Notebook – Image from Pixabay

Side note: I live in Dunedin, a UNESCO city of literature, where we’re blessed with an extraordinary amount of books, novels, authors and artists.

You can find out more about the scene through Beverly Marshall’s literary tours

The Larnachs by Owen Marshall

The Larnachs

The Larnachs, by Owen Marshall.

Here’s my review from Goodreads:

The Larnachs is a beautifully told tale of a forbidden love affair. This story is based on the true story of Constance Larnach and her step-son, Dougie Larnach, and her husband, William Larnach, a self-made millionaire, politician, and dreamer. Larnach’s now mostly known for his eponymous Castle, but in the days of the disastrous affair, he was a member of parliament and a well-known figure in Dunedin.

The story moves between Dougie and Constance’s point of view, and as the narrative moves inevitably to its terrible ending, the reader can’t help feel sympathy for the star-crossed lovers. I particularly enjoyed this book as its set really close to me, so I know the locations well.

Marshall’s done a lovely job of interweaving local lore with historical fact, but The Larnachs never slips into drily-told history.

I thoroughly recommend this book, partly because of the historical context, but also because it poses a central question: what to do when you fall in love with someone totally off-limits? Can love really conquer all?

Local Setting

Larnach’s Castle still stands today. Want to see the castle Larnach built?


Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Book Review, Literature Tagged With: Book Review, Dunedin

About Rachel Stedman

Award-winning author Rachel Stedman lives in Dunedin, New Zealand with her husband and two children. Her first novel, A Necklace of Souls, won Best First Novel at the New Zealand Post Book Awards 2014. In 2012 Rachel was the winner of the Tessa Duder Award and was shortlisted for the Tom Fitzgibbon Award. If she's not got her nose in a book, she's on instagram or twitter (@rlstedman) or at her local library. Her website is www.RLStedman.com.

Primary Sidebar

Escape into Enchantment (click on the image to download your FREE read!)

Read My Story

RL Stedman: My story

This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Tags

About my Books A Writer's Life Behind the Scenes Book Review Books Children's Books Dunedin Fairytales Fantasy Ghost Stories Holiday reads How To Inner Fire Just for Fun Movies Personal Personal thoughts Publishing Reading Recipes Self-publishing Short Stories Teen Reads The Business of Writing The SoulNecklace Stories Travel TV Series Upon A Time Urban Fantasy Writing Tips

Books so Far

Alice
Ghostly Melodies
A Necklace of Souls

Footer

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Our Privacy Policy

rose100

Facebooktwitterinstagram

Privacy Policy | Website Disclaimer | Terms & Conditions of Sale
Copyright © 2018 R L Stedman. Website: Arts Net
This website uses Affiliate Links: as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...