Grab Your Edition Greater Gains (Gains, #2) Scripted By K.M. Peyton Accessible Via Document

I enjoyed this sequel to Small Gains, and read it no time at all, I'm not entirely happy with the way the story turned out, I so wanted Clara and Nat to work out, for him to become a nicer person after his awful father's death, and for her to gradually begin to love him, but no she doesn't put in the effort, and he tries to dominate and rule her, and sadly, his cruel streak doesn't disappear.
I suppose this is realistic, and it's unusual to read a young adult book where the female character has an unsatisfying marriage, so that's nice that it's original, but it doesn't stop me from feeling a wee bit disappointed! I never felt anything for her 'true love' Prosper Mayes either, I was too busy rooting for Nat.
It also seemed strange how callous Clara could be about her relations she often says she has 'no maternal instincts' and doesn't have much to do with her children, she claimed to never have loved her sister Margaret, and admits to herself that life without her younger sister Ellen is nicer! And she's quite cruel to Ellen when she returns home, but Ellen was so infuriating I didn't mind so much.
It does seem that Margaret and Ellen are rather hard done by by the author though, with hardly a redeeming feature, and they get their just deserts death by consumption, deportation to Australia, whilst favoured Clara rolls on, getting luckier in all that she wants.
Just a bit of favouritism, eh, Ms Peyton The ending all came about rather quickly too, and I don't see how Nat leaving for the navy made Clara and Prosper's situation any better she was still married.
But all in all, a cracking read! I would say the story was very different than what I thought it would be, . the whole time reading I was expecting something else and the plot turned somewhere else, . the story was simple and a bit honest in a way, . I did read it fast enough to find out what happened next so I would say I enjoyed it, What a good book. I could not stop reading it, wanting to know what would happen to the characters,
What a time to live in, with women totally subjected to the men,
I like the way the characters evolve and how events turned out impredictable, I loved the characters with their determination and failures, their silly mistakes and confusion,
In this book, Ellen Garland, the young sister ends up being deported to Australia after a silly prank turns really bad, She accidentally kills the cruel Ebenezer Grover, Clara, who has sacrificed herself to save her brother Jack from being caught from his running away after he set fire to the Gover's barns, sacrifices herself once more, by marrying Nat, Grover's son so that Jack can come back home.

Clara's feelings for Nat are mixed and confusing her, a mixture of attraction and hate, Nat himself is a confusing mixed bag: some decency mixed with pride and vain attitude, but mostly he has not found himself, being crushed by his overpowering father, Then there is Proper, the son of a richer farmer who Clara is in love with,
I want to read more books by Peyton, I was quite disappointed with this one, I did enjoy it, but it seemed rushed and badly plotted, ending on a strange note with lots of things left hanging, So unsatisfying! As with the

first book in the series, it was not at all cliched or predictable, which is always refreshing, but many things about it irritated me deeply.


. Ellen was awful! Didnt like having so much of the book focused on an unpleasant character who just kept making terrible life decisions one after the other, I couldnt bring myself to care what happened to her, I felt like if the author wanted to focus on her story she could have given her more of a character arc instead of making her relentlessly Bad to the Bone.


. SPOILERS The love/hate relationship between Nat and Clara was so intense and passionate and I had such high hopes for it, but everything fizzled right at the crucial point.
The story stopped abruptly at their wedding, then jumped to YEARS later, where were told oh, bad luck, their marriage is unhappy and unsuccessful, But why There was such potential there! They clearly found each other super attractive, and Clara kept suggesting in this book and in the last one that without the evil influence of his father Nat could become a different person.
It was hinted that there were hidden depths to his character, kindness and gentleness under layers of cultivated cold indifference because of his fathers bullying and abuse, I was so looking forward to hearing more about their marriage, how they got along together, whether he truly loved her, or if not WHY on earth he married her! He was willing to throw away a lot to do so, which to ME suggests his feelings must have been deeper than just physical attraction.
I was hoping for redemption and blossoming love between them him learning how to be a kind landlord and a kind person, their farm becoming a happier place etc.
But instead Poncy Perfect Prosper galloped up on his white mare and it was all sighing and swooning and My One True Love pah! I was not on board with that AT all.
Didnt like him and didnt feel their romance,

. Why did Clara assume Nat joining the Navy meant she was free to be with Prosper He wasnt DEAD, He hadnt divorced her or given her permission to take on a livein lover and I cant imagine anyone in the village or their families tolerating that either, no matter how permissive and accepting they are.
The whole ending just made no sense,

I feel like there is definitely a third book waiting to happen, in which we will find out what ends up happening with Nat amp Claras marriage, Propser, their kids, Ellen the Harridan, Phillip amp Charlotte amp so many others in this book who did not get any closure to their tale.
It was written quite recently, in fact! I dont know why that surprised me so much, I suppose because the Flambards series was written back in thess.
I guess K. M. Peyton has had a long and prolific writing career! In this sequel to "Small Gains," the lovehate relationship between Clara Garland and Nat Grover continues, Clara has been left a widow, pregnant with another man's child, and it seems as if things could not get worse, But soon her pretty and reckless youngest sister, Ellen, is harshly sentenced to deportation to the newly discovered land of Australia, alongside many other convicts, And back in Norfolk, Clara becomes the victim of blackmail that puts her in the clutches of the wicked Nat Grover in more ways than one, . . Will her pure love for Prosper Mayes ever survive Spanning from the gritty county of Norfolk to the wilds of Australia in the early nineteenth century, the Garlands face huge obstacles in their struggle to survive as a family.
Yet they remain as inimitable and courageous as ever, .