70. The Dark Rose, #2

 Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Rated: 5 Stars
From:  Amazon

I read this book on the day I shoed my family off to Disney Land and had a whole day to myself.  That was a good thing since this was a "can't put down" kind of a book.

I'm not completely sure if all the historical events portrayed in this book are accurate according to what is accepted as "actual historical events" but I am really not all that concerned about it.  I pretty much take the view that all history is written either from someones point of view or authors with an agenda and therefore fiction to some extent.  So as long as it's a darn good story I can go with the flow.  I do suspect that this author did a pretty good job of going with what is viewed as "actual" events.

In the Morland Dynasty series, the majestic sweep of English history is richly and movingly portrayed through the fictional lives of the Morland family. It is 1501, and Paul, great grandson of Eleanor Morland, has inherited the estate and has a son to follow him. But he fathers an illegitimate boy by his beloved mistress, and bitter jealously between the half-brothers causes a destructive rift that leads to tragedy. Paul’s niece Nanette becomes maid-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn, and at the court of Henry VIII witnesses first hand the events leading up to the rift with Rome, her mistress’s execution, and the further efforts of the sad, ailing king to secure the male succession.

69. The Founding, #1

By Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Rated 4.5 Stars
From:  Amazon

This book, or rather this series of books was recommended by one of the members of the Historical Favorites Group.  I am not sure yet whether to thank her or blow her a rasberry.  This is going to be a good series but YIKES there are 30 books and counting in this series!!

From what I have gathered so far the Moreland's are members of the landed gentry, probably what we would call upper middle class nowdays.  They depend somewhat on the patronage various members of the aristrocracy but their main claim to fame so far is that they are very enterprising sheep farmers from whom their weath (which ebbs and flows with the times) mainly comes and their abilities to hang on to it through wars, rebellions and political unrest.

I am going to plod through this series because it is good reading although a 30 book series seems pretty daunting to me right now.  I think I will try to read one or two each month.  Since they are not stocked by my local library that means I will probably have to buy them.  It's a testimony to how much I have enjoyed what I have read so far that I am considering this since I buy very few books nowdays.  Lack of space and a fixed income have drastically changed my book buying habits.

FROM AMAZON;  "In the Morland Dynasty series, the majestic sweep of English history is richly and movingly portrayed through the fictional lives of the Morland family. It is 1434, and seeking power and prestige, ambitious Yorkshireman Edward Morland arranges a marriage between his meek son Robert and spirited Eleanor, young ward of the influential Beaufort family. Eleanor is appalled at being forced to marry a mere "sheep farmer;" she is, besides, secretly in love with Richard, Duke of York. Yet in time this apparently ill-matched union becomes both passionate and tender, the foundation of the Morland dynasty, and sustains them through bloody civil war which so often divides families, sets neighbor against neighbor, and brings tragedy close to home."

68. Zemindar

By:  Valerie Fitzgerald
Rated:  5 Stars
From:  Library

An outstanding tale of Laura the poor relation on a journey to India with her newly married cousin Emily, Emily's husband Charles (who Laura thought herself in love with),  and Charles' half brother Oliver Erskine, a Zemindar, or large land holder. I liked that neither Laura or Oliver are out and out drop dead good looking, just strong, honorable people we come to care about.

A time or two I thought maybe that Laura was just a little bit too good to be true but them I remembered Isabella Bird and decided that maybe she was just cut from the same cloth.  Victorian ladies in literature have a tendency to be either simpering idiots or indomitable women as tough as nails.

Naturally Oliver and Laura fall in love. After a harrowing escape from Oliver's estate they make their way to Lucknow.  Along the way the author sets up her stage to the Sepoy rebellion an the seige at Lucknow in Northern India.   Oliver and Laura  are separated at Lucknow where after guiding the party to safety Oliver leaves to make sure some of his other people escape to safety. When they part Oliver said to Laura, "I will come back to you, for you".   Shades of Hawkeye (Last of the Mohicans) where he tells Cora "No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you." *sniffle*

The rest of the book follows the harrowing conditions at the residency at Lucknow during the seige, the battles, deaths and brutal conditions suffered by the British. Be warned that this was a very brutal rebellion and some of the scenes described, although accurate, can be a bit gory, but important history to be reminded of and the mistakes that were made by ignorant pompous officials and the brutalities committed on both sides due to hate, ignorance and prejudice. It's unfortunate that we do not learn well from history and things are still so much the same in the Middle East in our present time.

67. The Life of Isabella Bird

By:  Anna M. Stoddart
Rated 4 Stars
From:  Inter Library Loan

The book cover I show and the product  description below are from a more recent addition, available on amazon.com.  The book I received was printed in 1908 and I am amazed that the Blackstone Memorial Library of Branford, CN actually allowed a book that was printed 100 and 1 years ago to go out on Interlibrary Loan.

Naturally the writing was dated, and in the over sentimental style of the Victorians.  Still it was a remarkable story of a woman of many accomplishments and great physical courage.  I had not realized from reading the book about her travels in the Rocky Mountains that she was in such poor physical health.  She suffered all her life from a very painful spinal condition and never let it slow her down one little bit as she traveled all over the world, sometimes in the most primitive conditions.  My hat's off to her.


Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

66. Alexandria

By:  Lindsey Davis
Rated 5 Stars
From:  Library

LIBRARY REVIEW:  Even spies age, but fortunately Marcus Didius Falco-"informer" for the Roman emperor in the first century C.E.-is aging with grace. What makes Davis's long-standing series so indelible is the expert blend of Falco's wisecracking observations and crazy family life with some masterly suspense. In this latest, Falco has taken his pregnant wife, two daughters, and brother-in-law to Alexandria on what is ostensibly a vacation. (They're staying at the house of his wayward uncle and the uncle's partner.) In fact, Falco is charged with keeping his eye on things, and indeed trouble brews right away-the Librarian of Alexandria's great library is found dead in his sealed office. There's been plenty of controversy surrounding the Librarian already, and the controversy over who will succeed him turns bloody. Who knew that the race for a top library spot could be so intriguing? The mystery is intricately plotted, the characters are well drawn, and Falco is as engaging a protagonist as ever, still tough but wiser and more reflective, too.

65. Elmer Gantry

By:  Sinclair Lewis
Rated 5 Stars
From:  Library

Sometime way back in my past life I saw the movie but only have vague memories of it.  Good thing that I saw it though because I can now picture Elmer Gantry as Burt Lancaster instead of - oh maybe that smarmy Jimmy Swaggert or one of those other con artists like Jim Bakker or Jerry Falwell.  Sinclair Lewis was either a prophet or else had a window into the future because he certainly nailed those guys.  It's amazing.

Elmer Gantry is such a despicable character that I had to stop and let my blood pressure settle down every now and then.  But it is such an accurate portrayal of the times and such a good reminder that the stupid and the gullible with be with us always that I continued on.  It's like being mesmerized by a cobra or something.

PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION ON AMAZON:  ELMER GANTRY still reads like a story of our times. Though it covers a period roughly stretching from 1902 to 1926, and America has been transformed since then, the basic idea of the novel---how a man, selfish, ignorant, bullying, and posing as a 'regular guy', can fool most of the people most of the time---is still very much relevant to us. Business was the heart of America in Lewis' day, and it still is. But a career model drawn from that sphere could be used in many other walks of life. ELMER GANTRY is about a man who uses religion and a Protestant church to rise socially, to get and abuse power for his own ends. From Elmer's evangelical college days with his drinking, womanizing, total lack of ability or interest in studies, and his lying and maneuvering to get what he wants, to the stunning but realistic conclusion to the book, Lewis paints a vibrant portrait of an unprincipled climber ; a man who will change any opinion, betray anybody, and do anything to get ahead. If we consider the sagas of TV evangelists in our days, the difference between their revealed hypocrisies and those written by Lewis is startlingly small. The sole difference was that in the 1920s, there was no television for Elmer Gantry to exploit.

64. Vision in White

By Nora Roberts
Rated 4 Stars
From:  Library

It looks like Nora Roberts has returned to her roots with this new series.  I am so happy that she has because I think she is a much better Romance writer than she was with whatever it was she was trying to write with all the paranormal, mystery mish mash that she has been writing for the last several years.  It seems like she has finally got her groove back just when Mary Balogh appears to have lost hers.  Oh well, as long as I have one Romance writer at a time to read I will be happy.

PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION:  Mackensie “Mac” Elliot had the perfect job and the best friends in the world, Emma, Laurel, and Parker. Together, the four were Vows, Connecticut’s hottest wedding-planning company. So what if Mac hadn’t found her own Mr. Right yet. Then Mac literally bumps into shy, scholarly, yet surprisingly sexy Carter Maguire when he turns up for his sister’s wedding-planning meeting, and Mac quickly discovers exactly what is missing from her up-until-now satisfactory life. After blending paranormal and fantasy elements in her last four romance trilogies, consistently engaging Roberts returns to basics and her literary roots. The result is a thoroughly charming contemporary romance that neatly showcases this reigning romance author’s flair for sharp, clever writing and realistically complicated characters in a compelling celebration of the power of friendship and love. --John Charles

63. Scandalous Risks

By Susan Howatch
Rated 5+ Stars
From:  My bookshelves

Book 4 in the Starbridge Series this re-read has turned into a long leisurly visit with a well loved series.  I will have to add though that finishing it up at the same time when I am getting into Elmer Gantry has been . . . interesting.  Not that Neville was anything at all like Gantry was there is enough hypocrisy in both books to remind each one of the other at times.  Neville does so much damage to the people whom he loves but he means well.  Gantry was just plain bad through and through.

AMAZON:  A commanding novel of substance and heart, Howatch's fourth in her Church of England series (following Ultimate Prizes ), is narrated by Venetia Flaxton, a young woman of intellect and means but no direction, and centers around her strange affair in 1963 with 61-year-old Neville Aysgarth, dean of Starbridge Cathedral. Related mainly through their letters and conversations, the progress--and explosive dissolution--of their relationship is set in the context of a real-life theological controversy in England crystallized by the publication of Honest to God , a bestselling, situational-ethics view of God's relevance to modern man. Neville and Venetia's mutual needs and fantasies are masterfully revealed by Howatch, who treats romance, sex, love and religion with the seriousness and humor of the best 19th-century novelists. Perfectly limned lesser characters, familiar from the earlier books, include Neville's superior, Bishop Charles Ashworth, and his wise enigmatic wife, Lyle; Canon Eddie Hoffenbach, who adores Venetia; the mystical, sensible Father Jon Darrow and his son Nicholas; Venetia's bumbling wonderful father and Neville's best friend, Lord Flaxton. An affirmation of the printed word, this thumping great, richly nuanced novel of ideas, morality and deep compassion offers itself as a counter to Venetia's observation that "faith had been wrecked, trust destroyed, love annihilated."

62. To Say NOTHING of the DOG

By:  Connie Willis
Rated 5 Stars
From:  Library

I loved this book.  It was deliciously quirky, full of tongue-in-cheek humor and had a satisfying, if unexpected ending.

LIBRARY SUMMARY:  In her first full-length novel since her critically acclaimedDoomsday BookConnie Willis, winner of multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards, once again visits the unpredictable world of time travel.  But this time the result is a joyous journey into a past and future of comic mishaps and historical cross-purposes, in which the power of human love can still make all the difference.

At once a mystery novel, a time-travel adventure, and a Shakespearean comedy,To Say Nothing of the Dogis a witty and imaginative tale of misconceptions, misunderstandings, and a chaotic world in which the shortest distance between two points is never a straight line, and the secret to the universe truly lies "in the details."

61. The Moonflower Vine

By Jetta Carleton
 Rated 5 Stars
From:  Library

 This was a surprise book that I can't remember who recommended but I think it must have been Kathleen.  It's just recently been reissued after being out of print for many years.  But the writing isn't dated and it has a twisty surprise ending.  Or at least it surprised me anyway.  I loved it.

On a farm in western Missouri during the first half of the twentieth century, Matthew and Callie Soames create a life for themselves and raise four headstrong daughters. Jessica will break their hearts. Leonie will fall in love with the wrong man. Mary Jo will escape to New York. And wild child Mathy's fate will be the family's greatest tragedy. Over the decades they will love, deceive, comfort, forgive-and, ultimately, they will come to cherish all the more fiercely the bonds of love that hold the family together.