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The Legacy

"A captivating and thought-provoking family drama set over a weekend as three siblings try to decide how to dispose of their father’s estate."

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LoveReading Says

LoveReading Says

Penetrating and emotionally intense this is a fabulously compelling family drama. Jonathan Coulter’s will simply stipulates that his three children should decide how to dispose of his estate, this causes arguments and increasing tension particularly given that no mention has been made of their mother or their father’s new partner. Caroline Bond excels in creating dramatically readable novels that delve into what it is to be human. She also writes with incredible empathy as she explores thought-provoking subjects and allows the reader to arrive at their own conclusions. There are five main characters here, they feel as real as can be, with intricate layers slowly exposed to allow us to see who they truly are. This is an incredibly intimate tale, with the majority of the novel taking place over a weekend in Scarborough. As the tale progresses and the walls close in on the discussions taking place, the few excursions that take place out of the house release tension. The focus firmly remains on the emotions that swing and swerve as grief and loss in the immediate aftermath of death is explored. A story about love and family, The Legacy really is a wonderfully stimulating read, and it’s been chosen as a LoveReading Star Book.

Liz Robinson

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Reader Reviews

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Perfectly crafted, The Legacy delivers a most unputdownable story about financial wealth pervading grief and the often-churlish way adults behave when it comes to the subject of inheritance.

I knew just a few pages in that I was going to love this book – and love it I did for I devoured it on my weekend off!
A domestic setting it may be, but this is domesticity at its rawest, most brutal, and indeed most honest. This is all about the nitty-gritty of family life and the unpleasantness that unfortunately so many people will experience when it comes to inheritance.
The reading of Jonathan’s will starts you off on an emotional journey – for me more so for what he leaves out as much as what he puts in. You then veer through numerous emotions as a reader from anger, annoyance, and despair until finally understanding the predicament of all the members caught up in this unnerving situation.... Read Full Review

Clair Chaytors

A fascinating story about family ties and tensions, and secrets and lies.

This story begins with the reading of the will of newly deceased Jonathan Coulter in which he stipulates that his three children should jointly decide how his not inconsiderable estate should be dispersed, and in the event of them not being able to reach an agreement, then the whole estate should be donated to his chosen charity.

The three siblings meet for one weekend at their old home to carry out his wishes, but old tensions between them are bubbling beneath the surface, and they are all hiding secrets in their lives, and have very different opinions about the dispersal of his estate. Their decision is further complicated by the fact that their parents had divorced some years prior to their father’s death, and the question of whether their mother and their father’s new partner should be recipients of part of his estate.... Read Full Review

Doreen McKeown

Love, loyalty and learning we can't change the past. A poignant and moving novel and one I didn't want to end.

The talented Caroline Bond tackles a difficult and sensitive subject amongst a whirlwind of emotions. With her fluid writing style she vividly portrays the seesawing of family dynamics and repercussions.

The Legacy concerns the final wish of a newly deceased father. Rather than decide himself how his estate should be divided, he leaves an unusual request with his solicitor. When the three adult children arrive at the reading of their father’s will they’re stunned to hear they will be the ones to decide how the estate is to be shared. A final directive adds that until a mutual decision has been reached they cannot hold his funeral.

We are then introduced to those who have been given this enormous task; his three adult children who all must play their part.... Read Full Review

Caroline Highy