Middlemere by Judith Lennox is a novel that follows a number of characters that have a connection to an old farmhouse called Middlemere. Romy was a little girl when her family was evicted from the home she loved. Her father’s tragic end and her family’s downfall all came about from being forced to leave the place. Evelyn Deaubeny is the wife of the owner of Middlemere, trapped in a loveless marriage she had no idea that Romy’s family were evicted in order that her husband could house his mistress, Betty Hesketh. Caleb, Betty’s son, had no idea that his mother and the landlord, Mr. Deaubeny were involved at one time.

Covering a number of years from the late 1940’s into the 1960’s, the story follows the lives of these three characters. Romy goes on to work at and then manages an exclusive hotel, Caleb becomes a well know landscape and garden designer and Evelyn works through her problems and creates a meaningful life for herself. Although this long book did read quickly and mostly held my interest, I did find it a little too predictable.

Middlemere claims to be a story about family loyalty, revenge and redemption but I didn’t think it managed to convey enough strong emotion to make the reader have any deep feelings for the characters or the story. Although I found this a mediocre read, I am delighted to get this one off my shelves as it’s been sitting there for many years. ( )