FOR FANS OF THE FORSYTE SAGA, DOWNTON ABBEY AND THE CAZALET FAMILY CHRONICLES. Spanning from 1854 to 1954, Jalna tells the story of the Whiteoak family living on an estate in Southern Ontario. The novels in the series were not written in sequential order. Each of them can be read as an independent story. “Jalna” is the name of the fictional estate where the Whytock family lives. The title of the series comes from Jalna, a city in Western and Central India where the British garrison was located. In the prequel novel, the house was built by a retired British Army officer who served in India. Jalna is loosely based on Benares, a house in Mississauga, Canada. Benares was built in the late 1850s for retired British Army officer James B. It once occupied a large estate where Mazo de la Roche lived for a time. "Benares" is an alternative name for Varanasi, a city in India that was garrisoned by the British. In 1972, a television drama miniseries based on the novel by Mazo de la Roche was released in Canada. The series was popular not only in Canada, but also in the UK and France. The writer admitted that the characters appeared on their own from the very beginning. Their source is her imagination and family memories. The grandmother, Adeline Whiteock, refused to remain a minor character, but, supported by her sons, came to the fore. Mazo de la Roche died in 1961. By that time, at least 12 million copies of books about the Whiteoak family had been sold, beloved by readers all over the world. The history of the Whiteoak family begins in 1854 and ends at the end of the 20th century. In the world of the Whiteoaks, as in real life, people live and die, achieve success and fail. But there is something that remains unchanged - the family mansion. Its walls preserve the memory of generations, their dreams and hopes, love experiences and bitter disappointments. Here is the second part of the cycle, which brought the Canadian writer Mazo de la Roche worldwide fame and recognition. Mazo de la Roche takes us back to the world of the Whiteock family, which has found a new house on Canadian soil. The year is 1863, and the Civil War is in full swing on the other side of the border. Curtis and Lucy Sinclair come to Canada from the States, and the Whiteoaks quickly realize that the guests are keeping a terrible secret. And while the Whiteoak children enjoy a carefree and carefree time, the family mansion becomes a place where an amazing story is made. “An Outstanding Canadian Cycle.” – Amazon.com “I recommend it to fans of family sagas, adventures and brave deeds.” – Goodreads