The Morland Dynasty: The Tangled Thread
The Tangled Thread by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
The Morland Dynasty: The Tangled Thread by Cyntha Harrod-Eagles
originally published 1987
Warner Books, 2000
474 pages
Genre: family saga, historical fiction, romance
Synopsis & Review: (jacket copy)
1788: the bloody revolution in France causes upheaval in the Morland family.
Henri-Marie FitzJames Stuart, bastard offshoot of the Morland family, strives to protect his daughter Heloise, his mistress, Marie-France, and their son, Morland. To this end, he binds Heloise to a loveless marriage with a Revolutionary, and allies himself with the great Danton. But in the bloodbath of the guillotine and the fall of Danton, Henri-Marie loses his head and Heloise flees to England.
She is welcomed with open arms by the family, and in Yorkshire Jemima proudly witnesses three marriages amongst her turbulent brood. At last there may be an heir to Morland Place, but the seeds of disaster have already been sown.
Holy crap, I hadn’t read the jacket copy for this volume (I rarely bother anymore with this series), and so did NOT realize there was a major spoiler right there. I mean, I kept thinking Henri-Marie might escape the Terror and see England at last. But no. Oh well, for me, the perennial peeker and spoiler extraordinaire, not knowing that sustained some of the suspense in this very entertaining continuation of the Morland Dynasty. HOWEVER! The jacket copy is seriously lacking, covering only one of The Tangled Thread’s storylines. After all, it concerns Jemima still, one of those Morland matriarchs in the vein of Annunciata (though considerably less flashy). Her beloved husband Allen finally kicks the bucket, and Jemima is terribly concerned about her children: eldest son Edward is decidedly gay and remains unmarried, second son William is definitely married to the sea, and third son James is an unequivocal rake, tearing from one affair to the next, all while nursing a tendre for a married woman. (Youngest son Henry is too young to be of much concern yet; look for him in later installments.) Her elder daughter Mary is also troublesome, living with Flora (Countess of Chelmsford), traveling about England with Society as part of her establishment, and never considering any proposal of marriage. BUT! It gets better! Youngest daughter Lucy is one of the Morland tomboys, studying medicine under a former sailor and local horse doctor, Morgan Proom. Her interest in medicine and fixing broken bodies eventually leads Lucy to RUN AWAY TO SEA AS A SHIP’S DOCTOR ON A ROYAL WARSHIP. HOW RAD IS THAT? Read the rest of this entry »
Revolutionary Road
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
originally published 1961
Vintage Books, 23rd printing, 2008
355 pages
Genre: Literature
Synopsis & Review: Frank and April Wheeler are young, bright, and beautiful. They’ve lived as though “greatness is just around the corner,” and in the meantime, they’ll make small compromises. But those small compromises become major ones as Frank takes a job he cannot stand, and they have two children, and then move out of the city. Neither one of them is happy with the concessions they’ve made, so they make do by feeling superior to the young suburbanites who surround them. Beneath their charming, joie de vivre-filled facades, Frank and April are discontented and miserable, drowning in the “hopeless emptiness” of suburbia.
While Frank slowly begins making peace with his lot, April throws herself into projects to improve her quality of life: first community theatre, then a plan to move the family to France where they can both “find themselves.” But an unplanned pregnancy jeopardizes everything.
So, like the SUPERsmart person that I am, I thought it would be a great idea to read Revolutionary Road, Little Children, and The Group right before getting married. (Cuz like, I’m not smart—get it?) After I told them I’d read Revolutionary Road, and then began wondering aloud whether I was dooming myself to a lifetime of being unfulfilled and miserable, my sisters put the kibosh on my little reading list so that I wouldn’t psych myself out of getting married. (I am too suggestible sometimes.) Wise women.
Don’t think that Revolutionary Road isn’t good, however, because it is very, very good. “Bleak” is so often applied to Yates’ work, and it is apt, but there’s a beauty to the bleakness, a stark clarity that illuminates his writing with a chiaroscuro of emotions and impressions. It is unsentimental and capable of wrenching emotion from its readers. And most curiously, despite the fifty years that have passed since it was written, it could be a novel of the twenty-first century. Read the rest of this entry »
the stacks my destination 