Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I enjoyed this more than the first book from Paulson-Ellis but the work still suffers from needless repetition. The continual mentioning of the pawn ticket, at one point, made me want to scream. I don't know why there was so much waffle but so much could have been cut, making a snapper story. The other irritant was how simple Paulson-Ellis implies genealogy is. It's really not. I liked Solomon but the way everything he wanted just existed with no real effort was stretching reality. I think I have one more of Paulson-Ellis' books and I'm nervous now to read it.

The Inheritance Of Solomon Farthing is a tale set over two timelines, present day Edinburgh and 1918 France.

During WW1 the story is of the soldiers in France, their camaraderie, tragedies and determination……

In present day Edinburgh, there is the mystery of a £50.000 inheritance after a ticket is found in funeral clothes, so a hunt begins to find living relatives…..

As the search begins we find what a small world we really live in as people and their secrets are linked.

This is not an easy read as I found it jumped around between the timelines a bit too quickly, not giving you time to get to know the characters. (I have to admit I skipped a few pages at times as I was just lost). I did like the historical fiction more and I found that an emotional read. Unfortunately it wasn’t really for me.

I am in charge of the senior library and work with a group of Reading Ambassadors from 16-18 to ensure that our boarding school library is modernised and meets the need of both our senior students and staff. It has been great to have the chance to talk about these books with our seniors and discuss what they want and need on their shelves. I was drawn to his book because I thought it would be something different from the usual school library fare and draw the students in with a tempting storyline and lots to discuss.
This book was a really enjoyable read with strong characters and a real sense of time and place. I enjoyed the ways that it maintained a cracking pace that kept me turning its pages and ensured that I had much to discuss with them after finishing. It was not only a lively and enjoyable novel but had lots of contemporary themes for our book group to pick up and spend hours discussing too.
I think it's important to choose books that interest as well as challenge our students and I can see this book being very popular with students and staff alike; this will be an excellent purchase as it has everything that we look for in a great read - a tempting premise, fantastic characters and a plot that keeps you gripped until you close its final page.

interesting novel based in both 2016 and the dying days of the first world war and a secret with the blue ticket when the son of the gang dies. takes awhile to get going

I absolutely loved this. I am often drawn to historical mysteries - some favourites include Golden Hill by Francis Spufford, The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O'Donnell and The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson - and I can now add this to the list.

So, Solomon Farthing is an heir hunter trying to track down the relatives of a recently deceased man who left 50k and a pawn ticket, in order to get a share for himself. This ties in with his grandfather's experiences in WWI though many small objects that turn up and change hands way too often in the course of the years between 1918 and 2016.

I thought the story was contrived and was filled with coincidences. The language was also fuzzy where at times it was unclear who said what to whom. Sometimes I had to read a sentence three times to conclude that you can only understand it if you already know what she means.

A group of Great War soldiers is waiting for orders. During the last skirmishes of the war, men are still dying. Will the men receive orders to retreat or advance? Who will live or who will die? There are two strands to The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing by Mary Paulson-Ellis and the title refers to the second. A contemporary man in Edinburgh, an heir hunter, finds a pawn ticket amongst the possessions of Thomas Methven, an old soldier who died alone.
This is a detailed story with many layers and many characters introduced as the two strands are told and hesitantly connected. At times the detail became confusing with so many descriptive repetitions I found myself skipping forwards. Paulson-Ellis writes scenes so well – the soldier’s gambling scene with the chicken is totally believable, and her portrayal of the foundling school in NE England is heart breaking. As Solomon tracks the life story of the deceased soldier, we see flashes of his own story, orphaned at seven and sent to live with his grandfather. Though interesting I found this distracting, it took me away from the story of the soldiers and added even more characters and family trees to remember.
The message is that the debts of the past do not disappear. Captain Godfrey Farthing is waiting, always waiting; to live to die, to advance, to retreat. He is simply trying to keep his men safe to the end of the war, which they suspect may come at any time. But Farthing’s intentions may be wrecked by enemy attack, by orders to attack, or by his own men themselves who are confined and bored. ‘A strange peace was coursing through his veins; that terrible calm that comes when a man knows the end is coming, but not in the way he had imagined when he began.’
Gambling is a continuous theme throughout the WW1 strand, and I lost track of the treasures gambled, won and lost, coveted, stolen and hidden. There are 11 soldiers involved, surely too many. Like The Lord of the Flies, the boredom of the men, their jealousies, petty rivalries and guns come to dominate their world, as if the war is already over. The treasures they gamble can be the smallest thing which to us may seem irrelevant but in war is crucial. Not monetary value as known at home, but representing an emotional or practical value.
Different rules apply during wartime and items that are significant then are cast into the spotlight when they survive across the generations to be found by modern day relatives. I admit to confusion about who was related to who and perhaps the cutting of a few peripheral characters would help. Given my interest in family history and WW1, I expected to love this book but longed for a firmer editing hand.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

Literary fiction at its best so beautifully written a book that goes from the present to the past.Characters that come alive so emotional I was so involved didn’t want it to end.#netgalley#panmacmillan

Mary Paulson-Ellis created wonders with The Other Mrs Walker - it had an atmosphere that seeped from the page, and she's struck again with The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing. A soldier dies alone in his Edinburgh nursing home, with no known relatives or Will. And so, Solomon takes on the task as readers dive into their lives. Eloquent and strong, it's a tale of loss, grief and love that's profound. A great second novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. There’s not one thing I’d change. Paulson-Ellis has created characters that make you fall in love with; and that you root for throughout the story. No spoilers but I would highly recommend this as an example that love conquers all!!

Thank you a Netgalley and publisher for this book.

This was not a book I would normally have read but I liked the sound of it.

Well written, great characters and a really different story going fro present day to WW1. I really enjoyed this and was surprised I did. The only downside for me was it was a bit slow.

I loved this book. Really well written and full of wonderful characters. I just wanted to keep reading. This is a beautifully woven story over three generations and from World War 1 to 2016. The scenery and the characters are so well described. I love historical fiction and I was totally caught up in this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This novel is set in the present day, 2016 in this case, and also just before Armistice during the First World War. I am intrigued by the secrets heir hunters must uncover and love books set during the First World War, so this book was one that I was looking forward to.
Solomon isn’t the most likeable of characters, he’s down on his luck, in debt and up in front of a judge for breaking into a house when his case is dismissed. He soon discovers that he has to repay the debt to DCI Franklin and is given four days to solve the mystery why Thomas Methven has £50,000 sewn into his burial suit and what the pawn ticket in his pocket is for. As Solomon tries to find answers the reader learns about his own grandfather, Captain Farthing and his part in the war as he and his men spend their time as they wait for their orders to go over the top.
This is a beautifully written book, but was a little confusing at times.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

This book should without a doubt be on some prestigious lists. It is a superbly told story and Paulson-Ellis is a spectacular storyteller. The way she weaves the individual threads through the timelines and the story, is done in such a subtle way you almost don't realise she is doing it.

The story takes place in the present with the heir hunter Solomon Farthing and in the past with his grandfather in the First World War. Whilst the story bounces back and forth it also takes pit-stops in the years in between. Connections are drawn from the small group of soldiers to the same men in the future and their offspring. The result is a well-plotted narrative about guilt, brotherhood, loyalty and a question of conscience.

There is a parallel between the betting games the soldiers play to pass the time and to fight the fear and anxiety, and the veterans who connect with each other after the war, specifically the items they place as bets. Each one of them brings something, leaves an item and then takes another thing with them. A spool of thread, buttons, walnuts, fruit, cap badges and a pawn ticket. Anything can become one man's treasure in a setting where every single item can become as precious as a cave full of gold.

At times I had tears in my eyes, it's emotional and nostalgic, especially because the author brings realism and authenticity to the table. As a reader you can't help but think about the young boys and men who died under appalling circumstances. Often following the orders that meant they knew they were nothing but bullet fodder for the enemy. Nothing but numbers for their own country.

Would you lead your brothers in arms into death - on a suicide mission? Would you risk death to ensure others cheat death? Of course disregarding an order meant death by firing squad. The crimes of cowardice, pacifism and just pure trauma took far too many victims in the war.

It's historical war fiction, literary fiction and simultaneously a story filled with unanswered questions and mysteries. It is an excellent read. A book that belongs on best books lists.

This book was beautifully written, but somehow the gist of it all escaped me. I just could not really see why there was so much fuss about a pawn ticket and a cap badge. I liked the Edinburgh locations, very atmospheric . The characters were well drawn, but the narrative seemed vague to me, sometimes it was hard to tell exactly what was going on. Not for me I am sorry to say.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan/Mantle for granting my wish for an eARC via NetGalley of Mary Paulson-Ellis’ ‘The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing’ in exchange for an honest review. It was published on 5th September.

Edinburgh, May 2016. Heir Hunter Solomon Farthing is rather down on his luck and in debt to a shady character. After an old soldier dies in a nursing home with no will or known relatives, the funeral home is surprised to discover £50,000 in used notes sewn into the lining of his burial suit. Solomon is offered the opportunity to claim the 20% fee if he can locate the soldier’s closest living relative. However, he is given a strict deadline of four days and only a pawn ticket belonging to the man. This sets him on a journey where he discovers links to between the soldier and his own family history.

This novel is another one that takes place in multiple time periods. While Solomon is running about seeking answers, other chapters explore the experiences of a small group of British soldiers on the cusp of the November 1918 armistice. The unit has commandeered a farmhouse and are waiting for either their orders to go over the top or for it all to be over. They are bored and personalities are clashing.

They are led by Captain Godfrey Farthing, Solomon’s grandfather, who after returning home from the war opens a pawnshop in Edinburgh.

A few objects are present in both the past and present including the pawn ticket, a battered sixpence, a silver regimental cap badge, and the burial suit. These seemingly insignificant items act as tokens linking the characters over time. Rather sweetly in both 1918 and 2016 two small dogs act as companions and influence events.

It is a gentle mystery that reveals its secrets slowly. Mary Paulson-Ellis does a masterful job in creating memorable characters and bringing her settings vividly to life.

It is quite a complex tale that requires close reading. I found myself caught up in this moving tale. I will likely recommend it to my reading group next year as it is the kind of novel that can reveal more in a second reading and there is a lot of scope for discussion alongside its interesting story.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Felt this had a great promise but didn’t deliver for me. I have a great interest in family history and archival information but felt that the story based around Solomon Farthing an heir hunter whose relative was involved in the last stand of the First World War. I lost interest halfway through and struggled to finish it.

I loved this book. The characters in the modern day and throughout the past were excellently written and connected together. I loved the human element of the story.

This was a real mystery of a story. Solomon Farthing heir hunter, the lead in bridging the past with the present on the hunt for the heir of a dead man with money stitched into his funeral suit. We go back in time to the first world war, following a unit commanded by Godfrey Farthing and reading everything from love, heartache, to insubordination and death. Their life on the front line, described in detail by a profit and loss account of their items kept in a book by an accountant. The story started slow but it gripped me towards the end. My eyes watered when characters I enjoyed left the pages, and the sadness carried by these men after the war I felt also. I enjoyed reading how their lives were still intertwined even when the war was finished. I loved following Solomon's story through the present mirroring Godfrey's in the past, and how certain characters have lingered with me even when I have put the book down. It's a beautifully written story that makes you realise the sadness of today's political society after all the lives lost to bring Europe together in the world wars. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for this authors work in the future.