The Morland Dynasty

When I bought my new Kinde Fire I was please to discover they had improved the text to speech function so that it's listenable.  Not as good as audible but it makes listening to any book in Kindle possible.  This is a re-do for me.  I read the entire series as they were published but decided to revisit some of my favorite characters   So I'm listening to the 1/3 of the Morland Dynasty.  I started with The Promise which is where my favorite characters come of age so to speak and start to become main characters in the drama.  And just like before I was sucked right in.  I have finished The Promise, Dream Kingdom and The Restless Sea, The White Road. I'm now listening to The Burning Roses

The Question  5 stars

 I started with The Question  which is where my favorite characters come of age so to speak and start to become main characters in the drama. 

On the brink of a new century, the great stability of Victorian England is under threat. Europe is dividing into armed camps, while at home socialism and the suffragette movement challenge traditional values. At Morland Place, Teddy begins to restore the estate to its former glory, while his sister Henrietta's family fill the house with life, and nephew Bertie finds a haven from the strictures of his own home. As Victoria's reign draws to a close, war with the Boers becomes inevitable. Young men volunteer in droves, among them Henrietta's beloved extra son Bertie. The Tommies march off singing, eager for a scrap; but what horrors will face them under the burning South African sun, and which of them will come marching home again?I

The Dream Kingdom  5 stars

In the height of Edwardian splendor,  Jessie and Violet share a sparkling London debut. At Morland Place, Teddy's business is expanding and he brings home a new wife, to the anxiety of his sister Henrietta who knows there can't be two mistresses of the house. England is a land of confidence and opportunity but below the surface troubles are stirring. The death of the King brings to a head the constitutional crisis, while abroad the flexing of Russian and German might are an ominous sign of the dangers that lie ahead.

The Restless Sea   5 stars

England still conducts herself with Edwardian confidence; but beneath the surface cracks are breaking society apart. Socialism, strikes and riots, social unrest, and then the disasters of the Titanic and Captain Scott shake the ordered world. Among the Morlands, Jessie and Violet struggle to adapt to the demands of married life; Jack, unlucky in love, designs aeroplanes and trains pilots for the new Royal Flying Corps; and Anne, as the struggle for the Vote becomes more violent, takes comfort in the friendship of an unusual young woman. Meanwhile, the war no-one wants comes ever closer.

The White Road  5 Stars

The outbreak of war is greeted with euphoria. Thousands flock to volunteer. Everyone believes the war will be over by Christmas, so there’s no time to waste. Bertie, a reservist, is one of the first to go to France; Jack is invited to join the Royal Flying Corps, and Ned joins one of the new ‘Pals’ units. The brutal reality of Ypres dispels illusion, but only fuels determination, as the war comes home to everyone, in ways they have not expected.

The Burning Roses   5 stars

The euphoria of the first days of the war has faded, but the nation is more determined than ever to win. While the Morland men go overseas, the women play their part at home, but it is a strange and emotional time for all. And with the Eastern Front at stalemate, all now depends on the new offensive on the Western Front at Loos...

To Be Continued . . . .