Saturday, April 12, 2014

The Phoenix - Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

I love this series called the Morland Dynasty that I was introduced to by my friend, Teddi.  It's the history of England from the 14th century and the War of the Roses up through this volume, which begins in 1931.  It has taken a while to get here, this being the 35th book in the series!

The author uses the fictional Morlands and the evolution of their family to reveal the history of each age.  It's sort of like Downton Abbey covering seven centuries.  I enjoy how the continuity of family perseveres through wars, economic downturns, and societal changes.  Like Prairie Home Companion, all the women are strong, all the men are handsome and all the children are above average.

Since about 1850, the books have gone from covering a lifetime of 50 years or so to focusing on less than 5 years.  This has brought greater detail to the historical recounting but the characters lives change much less.

The rumor is that this is the last of the series, though there's no tidy summing up and one can imagine the Morland's lives going on even to the present day.

Published: 2013  Read: April 2014  Genre: Historical fiction

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