Book #174: Beauchamp Hall by Danielle Steel

 

Beauchamp Hall

Danielle Steel

 Released: November 20th, 2018

My 40th book for 2026 was Danielle Steel’s Beauchamp Hall.  

This is another book that I have had for several years now and have just gotten around to reading.

I've always heard of Danielle Steel and knew several people who enjoyed and collected her giant collection of books she has written.  Her writing is good, and I enjoyed the pace and narrative.

In this book, Winona Farmington lives in a small town and works for a printing company.  After a white elephant gift exchange nets her some DVDs of the TV show Beauchamp Hall, Winnie binges the seasons and falls in love with the show.  Shortly after, she endures the lost of a deserved promotion and catches her boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend in her own bed.  She quits the job, ends the relationship with both, and sets off to England to visit the set of Beauchamp Hall and how to catch a glimpse of filming.  Once there, she takes up a steady residence and even lands a job as a personal assistant to several of the cast.  As she works her way through various challenges, she faces various love interests.  Faced with a sudden dead end, Winnie must find a new way to breathe new life into a town that is sure to go to waste once filming wraps, and production leaves the town.  This leads her to find a greater calling far beyond fandom, and the story becomes one of finding one's true purpose in the world by following our dreams.

The entire reason I read this book comes from chance and a random connective factor.  In Ian Fleming's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, James Bond's arch-nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld is hiding out in the Swiss Alps and is attempting to legally obtain the rights and privileges of the Beauchamp coat of arms.  When I saw this book, and the castle on the front reminded me of Switzerland, I took a liking immediately.

I related a good bit to this story.  I too came from a small town where the local economy was not great.  I fell in love with a different part of the world where it feels more like home than where I began my life.  I love the themes of finding greater purpose in places that show deeper connections.

Winnie makes the difficult decision to leave her family and small town behind, but finds something better for her in a new place where they come to need her as opposed to just host her.

The book reads well, and I enjoyed it.

Here is what I learned:

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• To my wonderful children, Beatrix, Trevor, Todd, Nick, Samantha, Victoria, Vanessa, Maxx, and Zara.  May you always have the courage to pursue your dreams, and may all your dreams come true!  I love you with all my heart and love, Mom/d.s.

• Winona Farmington lives in Beecher, Michigan.

• Beecher is a small town 2 hours north of Detroit.

• Beecher has a population of 10,000.

• Winona’s boyfriend is Rob.

• Rob works at a meat processing plant.

• Winona co-owns her mother’s old house with her sister Marje.

• Marje and her husband Erik already own their own home so they let Winona live there.

• Erik owns a busy plumbing company.

• Winona goes by Winnie.

• Winnie attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

• Winnie left school to take care of her dying mother over 7 years.

• Winnie’s mom died when she was 27.

• Winnie and Rob have dated for 11 years.

• Marje is rumored to have had affairs.

• Erik coaches Little League.

• Winnie is a voracious reader.

• Winnie also has a passion for horses and is known as a “horse whisperer” for abused horses.

• Joe Wilson (R-SC) yelled “You lie!” During Obama’s speech.

• Winnie has flannel pajamas.

• Rob likes to drink beer.

• Winnie’s mother was widowed at 33.

• Her father died in a hunting accident.

• Hamm Winslow is her boss.

• He treats his employees poorly.

• He owned the printing company.

• Barb is Winnie’s best friend and coworker.

• They have known each other since middle school.

• Barb is dating Pete.

• Winnie receives 2 seasons on DVD of Beauchamp Hall.

• There are 7 seasons of the show.

• Rob spends holidays with his own family.

• Winnie’s boss promotes a new 21-year old over her.

• Winnie catches Rob and Barb having an affair in their bedroom.

• Winnie feels betrayed by her boss, boyfriend, and best friend all in the same day.

• Winnie plans a trip to the village of Burnham Market in North Norfolk.

• It is a 3-hour drive north of London.

• This is where they film Beauchamp Hall.

• Rules is the oldest restaurant in London.

• Common sights in London are the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace for Changing of the Guard, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate galleries, Hyde Park and Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.

• Prudence Flannagan is a good B&B to see the cast and crew film the show.

• A week’s rent was barely more than the price of a good dinner back home.

• Winnie felt a pure peace when she saw the filming. 

• The British pronounce “vitamins” [vit-tuh-mins].

• Winnie meets Lady Beatrice Haversham, the owner of the castle at the pharmacy.

• Winnie gets a job working on the set.

• Nigel is a nomad.

• Bill Anders is known for having affairs.

• Elizabeth Cornette is known for sleeping with her leading men.

• Winnie goes to work with Edward Smith when Elizabeth decides to leave.

• Nigel is jealous of Edward.

• Edward drives an Aston Martin.

• Winnie flies back to Detroit when her nephew Jimmy goes into a coma.

• “And as they drove down the street, everything looked familiar to Winnie, but she suddenly realized she had no attachment to it. It didn't feel like home anymore. It felt like someone else's town, her mother's, her sister's, but no longer hers. Something inside her had come unhooked, but she didn't mention it to Marje. It would panic her sister if she thought Winnie wasn't coming back. Winnie didn't know if she would or not.  But it was interesting being here, and being aware of how little she felt. It was good seeing Marje, Erik, and the kids, but not much else.”

• "An old dream," she answered him honestly. "I always wanted to get out of my hometown. It was just as small, but not as charming as this. In fact, it's not charming at all. Most people there settle for jobs they hate, men they don't really love, or not enough, and a life I never wanted. I was hoping for a job in publishing in New York, as an editor. My mother got sick, I dropped out of college to take care of her, and it never happened. I did what everyone else did, got stuck in a job I hated with a bad boss, and a boyfriend I didn't want to marry, who turned out to be a bigger jerk than I’d thought. Then one day, it all fell apart. The job, the man, my best friend. I felt sorry for myself for a while, and then on the spur of the moment, I came here to watch them film the show. I learned a lot from it, about good people and bad people, and having the courage to go after what you want. That's what they do on that show." Matthew wrote the plot and characters so well, which was why people loved it.

• "It's funny how you find your right place accidentally.  I thought New York would be it for me.  But it turns out to be here."

• Winnie calms the horse Black Magic.

• Beauchamp Hall would be syndicated and shown for years, but there would be no new episodes. It made Winnie's heart ache to think about it.

• It had started with two DVDs in the white elephant game at Christmas in Michigan a year before. They had turned out to be the best gifts she had ever received and the key to her future. The dream had become a reality once she had the courage to pursue it. Who could have known? Who could have dreamed it or imagined it? Beauchamp Hall had changed her life. And in turn, she had come to Haversham and changed the lives of those who lived there. Reality had turned out to be so much better than her dreams.

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Overall, good read.  Romance, and lighter subjects, some adult themes, but otherwise a decent read.

Recommended

On to Book #175: Out Of The Corner by Jennifer Grey.

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Need to catch up?  See previous blog post: A Promised Land.