The Tangled Thread (Morland Dynasty 10): by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

tangledthread

The story moves to France for the duration of the French Revolution, a bloody and terrible time in France’s history. We became acquainted with Henri in the last book, a hopeless womanizer who at last meets the love of his life but lost her before her realized it. His daughter, Heloise is the subject of the book and we follow her from bright happy childhood, to an unhappy marriage to a man who is all for Napoleon’s dynastic schemes. Heloise continues to be an important figure in future books, and she is one of those whose life is fun to follow.

In England, the focus shifts from the matriarch of Morland Place, Jemima, and following the theme of these books, begins to explore the personalities of her children, the future main protagonists. Of particular interest is Lucy, a tomboy to heart who according to history, not entirely improbably, disguises herself as a boy and runs away to sea.

This particular volume was filled with the particular charm that comes and goes according to character, yet wading through the French Revolution was at times tiring, as the author involves many real-life characters and situations through conversation and that can get old; especially if like I, you are reading for the character interaction not the historical context. I know, for me that is shocking- but Harrod-Eagles would not be my first choice for historical fiction although I enjoy my greater understanding of events in Britain’s past through her books, it simply isn’t what her specialty is.

Come for the characters, give or take the historical action, and stay for the story. I’m keeping these short because it would be exhausting to really try to convey the huge amount of time and events Harrod-Eagles is capable of covering in one novel! Also I must admit, I’m on book 20 :/

About Deanne

I was born and raised out on the fringes of the rainy Pacific Northwest on fishing boats and cold beaches with only a dog and kittens for company, and so my love of reading and creating stories started very early. My dad would illustrate my early stories and I would listen to him ramble about European history and warfare, eagerly asking questions about Kings, Queens and our own family history. In my adult life I am wife to a brilliant and hilarious web designer and mother to two wonderfully weird children whom I am trying to pass on to my love of learning about the world. I'm an amateur genealogist, amateur photographer and amateur history major haha. I'm good at doing amateur stuff lol. During the last couple years I finally turned my life-long urge to write into a serious endeavor and finished my first novel called (for now) The Stone and the Stars, about a dying dystopian society, and one girl trying to escape it before it collapses. While I finish cleaning up the edges on my novel for the umpteenth time, and before I send it out into the world, I've lately begun a novel about utopia, this time on Earth. I'm finally living up to the nerdy book-worm title my family 'lovingly' pinned on me from the time I was small, and finally doing that one thing I feel like I was born to do. Cliche and silly? Yes!
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