Have You Read the Poldark Novels by Winston Graham?

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I re-read this series of 12 novels of life in 18th and 19th century Cornwall every few years. I was reminded of them by a response to a discussion yesterday and I wondered: When did you read them? Who is your favourite character? Do you have a favourite sub plot in the novels? Did reading the Poldark series increase your knowledge of history and/or life in Cornwall? My favourite character is Ross, although that was probably influenced by Robin Ellis' portrayal in the 1970's tv series. However, he does link everything together, and he pulls himself back from disaster more than once. My favourite sub plot is the one where Jud Paynter was supposed to be dead, and the village organised his wake. Just as they were all nicely drunk, Jud came out of unconsciousness and scared the wits out of everyone. It's a great portrayal of the attitude to life and death; feckless Jud becomes almost a saint in death, and then everyone reverts to their previous opinion when he has the nerve to resurrect himself. A great illustration of Graham's wit! I first read the books, as a result of watching the tv series, about 10 years before moving to Cornwall. I learned a lot about Cornish and European history, and also about the Cornish landscape. Though the Poldark novels didn't influence my decision to move, they helped me to quickly think of Cornwall as my home when we did make the move.