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Quick answer: If you like Susan Howatch, read her Penmarric and Cashelmara, then Rebecca, Gone with the Wind, A Woman of Substance and The Forsyte Saga. All are rich family sagas with strong characters, scandals and long timelines.
Susan Howatch is a British author known for family sagas such as Penmarric, Cashelmara and The Rich Are Different, which mix history, drama and rivalry among powerful families. Her readers enjoy the long timelines and the complicated emotional lives of her characters. The books below offer similar sweeping family stories with ambition, love and secrets.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penmarric | Susan Howatch | Adult | her family epic |
| Cashelmara | Susan Howatch | Adult | Victorian saga |
| The Rich Are Different | Susan Howatch | Adult | wealth and betrayal |
| Rebecca | Daphne du Maurier | Adult | gothic classic |
| Jamaica Inn | Daphne du Maurier | Adult | Cornish adventure |
| Gone with the Wind | Margaret Mitchell | Adult | epic of survival |
| A Woman of Substance | Barbara Taylor Bradford | Adult | rise of a tycoon |
| The Forsyte Saga | John Galsworthy | Adult | family chronicle |
| Ross Poldark | Winston Graham | Adult | Cornish saga |
| The Pillars of the Earth | Ken Follett | Adult | historical epic |
| Katherine | Anya Seton | Adult | medieval romance |
| The Other Boleyn Girl | Philippa Gregory | Adult | Tudor intrigue |
| The Far Pavilions | M. M. Kaye | Adult | epic romance |
| The Shell Seekers | Rosamunde Pilcher | Adult | family saga |
| Forever Amber | Kathleen Winsor | Adult | Restoration romp |
1. Penmarric by Susan Howatch
A Cornish estate and its family are followed across generations in a Shakespearean-style saga. Dramatic and absorbing.
Best for: her family epic.
2. Cashelmara by Susan Howatch
An English family and an Irish estate collide in the nineteenth century. Big and emotional.
Best for: Victorian saga.
3. The Rich Are Different by Susan Howatch
An American heiress is caught in a world of money and power. Fast and glamorous.
Best for: wealth and betrayal.
4. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
A young bride is haunted by her husband's first wife. Moody and brilliant.
Best for: gothic classic.
5. Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
A young woman discovers a smuggling gang at her aunt's inn. Atmospheric and tense.
Best for: Cornish adventure.
6. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Scarlett O'Hara survives the Civil War and its aftermath. A sweeping and controversial classic.
Best for: epic of survival.
7. A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford
Emma Harte rises from servant girl to business tycoon. A long and satisfying saga.
Best for: rise of a tycoon.
8. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
A wealthy English family over generations. A classic of the saga form.
Best for: family chronicle.
9. Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
A soldier returns home to a ruined estate. The start of the long Poldark series.
Best for: Cornish saga.
10. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Builders, monks and nobles struggle through twelfth-century England. Vast and gripping.
Best for: historical epic.
11. Katherine by Anya Seton
The story of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt. A classic of historical romance.
Best for: medieval romance.
12. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Mary Boleyn tells her story at the court of Henry VIII. Dramatic and juicy.
Best for: Tudor intrigue.
13. The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye
A British officer raised in India falls for a princess. Grand and romantic.
Best for: epic romance.
14. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
An elderly woman reflects on her life and her three children. Gentle and absorbing.
Best for: family saga.
15. Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor
A country girl rises through Restoration London. Racy, fast and once banned.
Best for: Restoration romp.
How to Choose
For more Howatch begin with Penmarric or Cashelmara. For gothic family secrets choose Rebecca or Jamaica Inn. For British sagas pick Poldark, The Forsyte Saga or The Shell Seekers. For historical romance read Katherine, The Other Boleyn Girl or Forever Amber. For big, ambitious epics try Gone with the Wind or The Pillars of the Earth. These books are long, so audiobooks and holiday reading help. Howatch later wrote a series of novels set in a fictional cathedral city, the Starbridge books, which explore the Church of England and spiritual questions; readers wanting her family-saga side should start with Penmarric. Howatch's novels reward patient readers who like history as a backdrop for family drama. If you enjoy her use of Shakespearean and royal parallels, look for readers' guides that point them out. Library copies of the older paperbacks are easy to find.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Susan Howatch best known for?
Family sagas such as Penmarric, Cashelmara and The Rich Are Different.
Where should I start?
With Penmarric.
Are her books historical?
Many are, though some are modern.
Is Penmarric based on a true story?
It draws on the story of Henry II and his sons, reimagined in a Cornish family.
Are her books long?
Yes, often 500 to 700 pages.
Is she similar to Barbara Taylor Bradford?
Both write sweeping family sagas, but Howatch leans more on historical parallels.
Are her books romances?
They include romance, but the focus is on family and power.
What should I read next?
Try Rebecca or A Woman of Substance.
Is Susan Howatch still writing?
Check current listings for her latest books; her best-known sagas were published decades ago.
Which book here is best for gothic classic?
Try Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, which suits readers looking for gothic classic.