Alphabet in Historical Fiction: O is The Oak Apple by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Actually O is also for the Other books I have read in the Morland Dynasty, as I have read the first four books now, but haven't reviewed any of them. So here are some mini reviews for the series so far, ending with the latest book I read, The Oak Apple.

The Morland Dynasty is a series that is currently 32 books long, and follows one family through from the War of the Roses, until the 20th century. Along the way there is triumph and tragedy, war and peace, birth and death, and glimpses into major historical events through the eyes of the fictional Morlands.

1434: the Wars of the Roses are the backdrop for the founding of the MORLAND DYNASTY.

Power and prestige are the burning ambitions of the domineering, dour Yorkshireman Edward Morland. He sets out to secure his family's future by arranging a marriage between his son Robert, more poet than soldier, and Eleanor, a ward of the influential Beaufort family. Eleanor is appalled at having to marry a mere 'sheep-farmer', but despite her passion for Richard, Duke of York, she has to obey. Yet this apparently ill-matched union becomes both passionate and tender, and their life together promises prosperity and success - though all too often mangled with tragedy as they are embroiled in the civil strife which has divided families and set neighbour against neighbour.

This remarkable marriage truly lays the foundations for the MORLAND DYNASTY.

Eleanor Courtney may be an orphan with very little in the way of dowry, but that doesn't mean to say that she doesn't have high hopes for an excellent marriage. When she finds her husband is to be a sheep farmer, albeit a very large and prosperous sheep farmer,  from the North she isn't best pleased. Eleanor is nothing but pragmatic and she is determined that she and her husband are going to start a dynasty, and that their home, Morland Place, is going to become a show home, to be passed through the generations.

The only thing that threatens the stability of these ambitions is the unrequited romantic leanings that Eleanor has towards Richard, Duke of York. With the War of the Roses raging, the Yorkist Morland's must do their part, and struggle to hold onto their growing business interests, including their new found connections to the cloth industry.

Eleanor is a strong and dominating character both within her family, and in the pages of the book, but it is really the placement of the lesser characters within the well known events that provides the most interesting facets of the story.

When we first found out about Eleanor's feelings for Richard, I just assumed that it was the future Richard III that we were talking about. It was only a bit later that I realised that it was a generation earlier, and Richard's father, that had captured her heart. I guess that assumption shows more about me than it did about the book. The events in this book cover from the mid 1430's to around the 1480's, when Richard III lost his kingdom to the usurper who we know now as Henry VII.

One of the things that I have been glad of in all of the books in this series so far is that there is a family tree at the beginning of the book, as it is easy to occasionally get a lost as you try to keep track of all the children, grandchildren, and which cousin married which cousin.

I originally read this for the Chunkster Challenge of 2009. Whilst it did qualify for that challenge, at 527 pages it didn't feel like a chunkster, and I breezed through it in 2 days.

1501: the turbulence of Henry VIII's reign brings passion and pain to the Morlands as they achieve ever greater wealth and privilege.

Paul, great grandson of Eleanor Morland, has inherited the Morland estates, and his own Amyas is set to be his heir. But Paul fathers a beloved illegitimate son, and bitter jealousy causes a destructive rift between the two half-brothers which will lead to death. Paul's niece, Nanette becomes a maid-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn, and at the court of Henry VIII she becomes embroiled in the King's bitter feud with Rome.

Through birth and death, love and hatred, triumph and heartbreak, the Morlands continue proudly to claim their place amongst England's aristocracy.

As I am sure she will do more and more, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles places the characters from the Morland family right in the midst of the action. There is a gap between the end of the last book, and the beginning of this one, and so we skip from the end of the War of the Roses, until we are firmly in the Tudor court.

The major female character in this novel is Nanette, and it is she who gives us the greatest insight into life at the court of Henry VIII, when she is appointed as lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon. She is also close friends with Anne Boleyn and Katherine Parr, and therefore we get to witness the rise and fall of the most infamous of Henry's queens, and the aftermath. The time at court is nicely balanced by the time that Nanette spends at home with her family, despite the fact that it features a highly unlikely and somewhat shocking relationship. In the end, love prevails, but that relationship, which I am not going to reveal, is probably the thing that I remember most from this whole book.

The religious struggle that Henry becomes embroiled in is well covered in this book, with the opinions of the family split. I would say that this does seem to be something that the author does very well, both in this and  and in the future novels that I have read in the series.

The head of the Morland family is Paul, and he does seem to be something of a cold fish. He is jealous of his brother, he is unable to show his own children affection, and in turn they become fierce rivals, with tragic consequences.

The Princeling is the third volume in the Dynasty series which follows the fortunes of the Morlands, a Yorkshire wool family, from the Wars of the Roses to World War II. A story which began in The Founding and continued in The Dark Rose.

The Princeling is set in the adventurous reign of Elizabeth I. The Catholic Morlands are threatened by the upsurge of Protestantism and are forced to seek new spheres of influence, through marriage.

John, heir to Morland Place, rides north to bring back the daughter of Black Will Percy, the Borderland cattle lord. But proud Mary will not have him, and John stays in Redesdale, to live the strange, savage life of the Borders, and learn through blood and battle how to win her heart.

Lettice, the second Morland, enters the court of Mary, Queen of Scots and weds the harsh, ambitious Lord Robert Hamilton. In a hostile world of treachery and tragedy, the wolfish lord teaches her how to survive and triumph.

In The Princeling, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, with her sweeping style and authoritatively researched background, has written another powerful chapter in the history of the mighty Morland Dynasty, which grows to encompass three great estates - in Yorkshire, Northumberland and Scotland.

Having survived the courts of Henry VIII our story moves forward into the Elizabethan era. Once again, love and marriage play a significant part in this novel. Paul and Nanette are back, with the latter once again taking her place at Court. This time it is the court of Elizabeth I, daughter of the woman who was once Nanette's close confidante and friend.

Paul is trying to expand the influence of the Morland family and so marriages are sought, with John trying to wed the daughter of Black Will Percy, and Lettice sent to the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. I have to say that Mary Percy was one of my favourite characters in this novel in that she was different from most female characters in the novel with her skills in fighting and hunting, possibly a little bit anachronistic, but oh so much fun.

Not all of the characters that we meet are fun to read about, and there are a fair share of unlikeable characters, but the book is once again very readable.

The Oak Apple is the fourth volume in the Dynasty series which follows the fortunes of the Morlands, a Yorkshire wool family, from the Wars of the Rose to World War II.

The Oak Apple is set in the reign of Charles I, when England has prospered under long years of peace. But peace is suddenly and violently shattered by the advent of brutal civil war between King and Parliament.

Edmund Morland seeks to steer a middle course between the opposing factions, but the family is split when his eldest son Richard, brings home a Puritan bride, while his second son Kit, rides to join Prince Rupert and the dashing Royalist cavalry.

As bitterness and disillusionment replace the early fervour, the war grinds on, severing husband from wife, brother from brother, and Edmund struggles grimly to preserve the Morland fortune intact, estranged from his sons, alienated at last, even from his beloved wife Mary.

A blazing panorama of love and death, grief and triumph, The Oak Apple sees the Morlands at war, struggling for the survival of their loyalties, and their values.

I have written before about how much I enjoy reading about Charles II, particularly his return to the English throne, but I can't remember reading anything about the events that led up to his exile to Europe, and the battles that his father, Charles I had with Parliament that led to the English Civil War. This book covers many of those events.

Edmund Morland is a throwback to earlier generations. Once again a seemingly cold man is at the head of the family, and once again, it is rivalries between brothers, and other family members, that sets in motion a series of events that once started seem to gain momentum of their own.  His eldest son Richard feels like he has been deprived of the same opportunities as his young brother Kit. When it is time for him to take his chance to attend Oxford, the last thing that anyone expects is that Richard will come back to Morland Place with a strictly Puritan bride. With the high

Edmund is conscious that his main aim has to be to preserve Morland Place for future generations, and so he treads a fine line by trying to keep in good both with the Royalists and the Roundheads. Those decisions leave no one satisfied, especially not his children and their spouses,  and drive a wedge between him and one of the few people who understand him, his devout wife Mary Esther.

Like previous heads of the family, Edmund also has his eye firmly on the expansion of the Morland landholdings, and this time his eye is on the New World. Conscious that in order to provide all of his children with land he would have to break up the current holdings, he sends one of his younger sons, who has married one of his cousins, to the new colonies of America where life is much harder than they expected.


The most fascinating character for me was one that I only recall hearing about in passing - Prince Rupert of the Rhine. He was viewed as one of the most dashing and for a long time, the most successful, of the King's Cavaliers. It was at one of his first defeats that the Morland's toll was highest.


One of the more memorable Morland characters for me from this book will be Kit, who is the second son of Edmund. When he returns home from Oxford, he is a dashing young man, and he is quickly smitten with his beautiful cousin Hero, not at all concerned about the limp that so many others cannot see beyond. When the war starts he enlists with the Royalists, and finds himself in close proximity with Prince Rupert at battle after battle and skirmish after skirmish.

The portrayal of the initial enthusiasm, which in time changes to a battle weariness that infects his whole attitude was very moving, and left me hoping that some how he would find a way back to his young family.

One of the things about this book, as easily as Harrod-Eagles introduces new characters, she is equally not afraid to kill of minor and major characters. At times this is heart breaking to read, but also helps to give the books a grittiness and realism that is not necessarily always present in novels.

Just a quick note on the cover that I have used above. When I do a review I like to use the actual cover that I had, but I looked for ages online to find an image of this one, without success. In the end I had to scan it in to be able to use it. Probably shows how long this book has been in my library system more than anything!

So there we have it. Brief reviews of the first four books in the Morland series. Now I just have to keep up with them as I read each book. I have already requested The Black Pearl, the fifth book in the series, from my library. I am looking forward to reacquainting myself with the Morlands.

By the way, Sourcebooks is in the process of rereleasing the early books in the Morland series (and I hope that they will continue to do so). If you are looking for them, then here are the covers of the first three books that have already been reissued.

C is for The Conqueror series by Conn Iggulden

It is time for the next post in Historical Tapestry's Alphabet in Historical Fiction. Unlike the last two letters where I reposted reviews of books that I have really loved, this time I am choosing to focus on the letter C in two different ways - the author is Conn Iggulden, and the series is known as the Conqueror series about Genghis Khan, and these are new reviews!

I am the land and the bones of the hills. I am the winter.

Temujin, the second son of the khan of the Wolves tribe, was only eleven when his father died in an ambush. His family were thrown out of the tribe and left alone, without food or shelter, to starve to death on the harsh Mongolian plains.

It was a rough introduction to his life, to a sudden adult world, but Temujin survived, learning to combat natural and human threats. He gathered other outsiders to him, creating a new tribal identity. It was during some of the worst times that the image of uniting the warring tribes and bring the silver people together came to him. He will become the khan of the sea of grass, Genghis.

Conn Iggulden burst onto the scene with Emperor, his series on Julius Caesar. His non fiction book, The Dangerous Book for Boys, co-authored with his brother, was the most talked about bestseller of the year. His new novel, Wolf of the Plains, is the much anticipated beginnings of the Conqueror series on Genghis Khan and his descendants; an epic story brought brilliantly to life.

As much as I love reading about European history, and I do, every now and again a change of setting is appreciated, and it is fair to say that I haven't read any historical fiction set in Mongolia before!


Our story starts out with death, and quickly moves on to exile and survival, so please don't go into these books expecting a nice, safe, happy story. That doesn't mean to say that the books aren't enjoyable and aren't happy, but they are very much stories of triumph over lots of adversity.

When Temujin's father dies as a result of an act of treachery, his brothers, mother and sister are exiled from their tribe, left to die in the harsh wilderness of their home land. Thanks to their strong survival skills and to difficult decisions made along the way, not only do Temujin and his brothers survive, but they begin to gather some of the other exiled peoples to them, to form their own tribe, and so the legend that becomes Genghis Khan is born.

I am loathe to say that there is a distinction between historical fiction for females and males, but I do think that there is a different balance between things like battles, emotional interactions and the like.  This is very much a male balance with lot of battles, and with a different emotional feel. The story is very dramatic, and given what we know from history, the story can't help but get bigger in the next book!

This was also my final book in the Chunkster Challenge for 2009.

Temujin of the Wolves has become Genghis Khan, a man who must unite the most fractious, warlike tribes on earth. He intends to forge a new nations out of the wild plains and mountains of Mongolia. It will be a bloody birth that brings a continent to its knees.


For thousands of years, his people have been kept apart by the fortress empire of the Chin, a land of vast wealth and teeming armies. His warriors have only the bow, the horse and iron discipline born from a land of ice, hunger and death. Stone walls loom over the Mongol riders and Genghis must break the ancient enemy or see his people scattered and his dreams crushed.


As well as that ancestral foe, Genghis must reconcile the restless factions amongst his own generals, mediate between his ambitious brothers and cope with his own reactions to his growing sons. The young warrior has become a victorious military commander: he must now raise his people to greatness.

Having united the tribes under his leadership Genghis Khan now looks to the lands of their traditional enemies, the modern and technologically advanced (for their times) Chin.

Once again the emphasis here is on the epic battles, some of which seem unlikely, but are apparently based on events of history. The Mongols strengths are in their horsemanship, their ability to cover vast amounts of distance over a short period, but they must learn how to deal with the strong fortifications of the Chin cities, and achieve victories which seem improbable at best.

The other main focus of the novel is the tangled relationship between his brothers as they each have different agendas that they want to have followed, not to mention the machinations of his shaman, Kokchu. Along the way, Genghis gains a Chin wife, and has to deal with the fallout of the events concerning his first wife Borte and his sons.

Genghis Khan is the leader of a nation united from the tribes. He was victorious in the long war against the Chin, the Mongolian's ancient foe. Now trouble arises from another direction. His embassies to the west are rebuffed, his ambassadors murdered.

The nation must embark on their greatest journey, through present day Iran and Iraq to the edge of India. They face enemies as powerful and ancient as any they have known, but the khan has chosen a path that will lead to victory or utter destruction.

Genghis has proved himself as a warrior and a leader. He must now face the challenges of civilisation, what it will mean for his people and those who come after him. His sons have become generals. He must choose between them before they destroy all he has built.

Bones of the Hills is the third in the Conqueror series on Genghis Khan. It is the story of a single, epic life and the nation he founded.

In the third, and in my opinion best, novel in the trilogy, Genghis sets his eyes to the west, to the lands of the Arabs, and faces one of his most able opponents.

As he continues to build his Mongol empire, Genghis suffers what to him is an unforgivable insult when his emissaries are murdered, and so he turns his battle face towards the lands of the shahs. He mainly continues his policy of beseiging the cities, but he also faces the vast armies of Shah Mohammed which includes elephants that the Mongol soldiers have never fought against previously, and the extremely talented and charismatic son of the Shah who fights like against the Khan's men like no one ever has before. He also must deal with the threat of the Assasins.

The biggest battle however is amongst his own sons. Who will inherit the mantle of the Khan when Genghis is gone? Will it be the oldest son, Jochi,  whom Genghis has struggled to accept or Chagatai with his quick temper and boastful nature. Before the matter is settled satisfactorily, there will be betrayal, there will be murder and there will be a successor. We also get to see some glimpses of Genghis as a grandfather, in particular of a little boy named Kublai.

This feels like the final book, and I suspect it was meant to be, but there is a notice on Conn Iggulden's website talking about a fourth book coming out next year. I am guessing that it is going to be about Kublai, but there isn't a lot more information at this point.

If I had to summarise this trilogy, I would say that the story of Genghis Khan is vast in scope, but Iggulden manages to handle the battles, the political machinations and the familial conflicts with aplomb, particular as the Khan grows in strength and power, and with the events that lead up to the end of his life. Well worth reading.

Now that I have read all of the Genghis novels that are available so far, I am looking forward to reading Iggulden's take on Ancient Rome.

Better late than never!

I know that we are well and truly into June now, but I still haven't done my May reading update, so now that I can get back on the net, I thought this would be the first thing that I did!

So here are the books that I read in May.

The Terror by Dan Simmons 4.5
Children of Destiny by Elizabeth Chadwick 4
Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon 4.5
The girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson 4
Fish out of Water by Mary Janice Davidson 3.5
Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas 4
The Boat by Nam Le 4
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding Anthology 4
The Sharing Knife - Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold 4.5
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton 4.5
The Dreaming Place by Charles de Lint 4
Her Only Desire by Gaelen Foley 4
Calamity Jayne by Kathleen Bacus 4
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith 4.5

As for how I am going with my many challenges, the answer is not too badly, although there are a couple that I am not sure that I will be able to finish on time.

The Book Awards II challenge finished on 1 June, and I very nearly made it. During May I read The Boat, and that left me one short of completing the challenge, but in the first couple of days of June I did finish In the Woods by Tana French which won a few awards (the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award for Best First Novel, The Strand Magazine’s Best First Novel award and Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards) so I am going to count that as completed!

I haven't managed to read any books for either the Art History Challenge or the War Through the Generations challenge. I really need to look at my reading lists and work towards reading some more for these two challenges.

Another challenge that I have now completed is the Support Your Local Library Challenge that was being hosted by J Kaye from J Kaye's Book Blog. J Kaye is also hosting the 100+ Challenge, and as at the end of May I was up to book number 61 so well on target for completing this challenge in the next couple of months.

The Victorian Challenge is another that I am going to struggle to finish I think. I am currently reading Tasha Alexander's A Fatal Waltz which will count, but that will still be one book short. I have a couple of others in the TBR pile but I am not sure I will get to them before the end of June.

Another challenge that I completed this month was the Chunkster Challenge. After April I had only one more chunkster to read, so this month I actually read two - Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon and The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson.

Not quite complete, but not too far off either, is the Pub09 Challenge. During May I read To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt and Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith. I have also read one other book in June which means that I only have one more book left to read in order to complete this challenge.

Sometimes you just seem to finish challenges without realising it. Last month I joined the Love Bites reading challenge, and this month I have read the two books that I needed to read in order to complete it - Betrayed by P C Cast and Kristin Cast, and Full Moon by Keri Arthur.

You know, my list of current challenges is looking a bit depleted. I might need to join some more!

April Update

Numbers wise my books read for this month seems to be a little down on a normal month (whatever normal is!) but for a change this doesn't really worry me that much. This is because in addition to the books listed below I also read more than 600 pages in two chunksters, which equates to 3 or 4 books.

The books I read this month were:

Tiger Claws by John Speed 3/5
The Gilded Web by Mary Balogh 4/5
Comanche Moon by Larry McMurtry 4/5
Marked by PC Cast and Kristin Cast 4/5
Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon 3/5
Don't Bargain with a Devil by Sabrina Jeffries 4.5/5
Coraline by Neil Gaiman 4.5/5
Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan 4.5/5
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner 4/5
The Swan Maiden by Jules Watson 5/5
Miranda's Big Mistake by Jill Mansell 4.5/5

The best book was The Swan Maiden by Jules Watson, and the biggest disappointment was Tiger Claws by John Speed.

I didn't do any reviews for April, although I do have a couple that are nearly ready to post! I think it is safe to say that this is a blog about books mostly these days. It's certainly not a review blog anymore!

It wasn't a bad month for reading challenges either.

I managed to read two books for the Book Awards Reading Challenge II - Shaun Tan's book was the Winner of the 2008 Aurealis Award for Best Illustrated Book/Graphic Novel, and Coraline by Neil Gaiman won a whole bunch of awards when it came out.

For the Library Challenge, I have now read 36 books, so only 14 books left to go before I have completed this challenge, and for the 100+ Challenge I have completed 49 out of the 50 books required. Given that I have more than 60 books out from the library at the moment, I should be able to read both of these targets!

This month I read 3 Chunksters - Comanche Moon is 752 pages long, The Swan Maiden is 540 pages and Miranda's Big Mistake is 475 pages long. Only one more book to go and that challenge is complete.

It was a good month for the 2009 Pub challenge as well. The Swan Maiden and Don't Bargain with a Devil are both books that were (or are going to be) first published in 2009. Five more books to go in this challenge. Silver Phoenix was also just released but because it is a YA book it doesn't count for this challenge.

This month I read five books that would count for Once Upon a Time III - Marked, Silver Phoenix, Coraline, Silver Phoenix and The Thief - so in effect I have done all the reading I need to do to call this challenge complete! Yay!

Finally, I did join one new challenge this month - the Love Bites challenge. I think that Marked fits the criteria, so that is one book down, two to go on that challenge.

I was going to do my Library Loot post in this post as well, but I think I will save that for later today instead.

March Update

This month was a pretty good one reading wise. I ended up reading 17 books, but it is fair to say that I had a very average reviewing month, with only two reviews written! I do have a couple of reviews nearly written so we will see how we go with actually posting them!

New Year's Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini (4/5)
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson (4/5)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (5/5)
The Chocolate Run by Dorothy Koomson (4/5)
Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn (4/5)
Living with the Dead by Kelley Armstrong (4/5)
Death Before Wicket by Kerry Greenwood (3.5/5)
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich (3.5/5)
Angelique and the Sultan by Sergeanne Golon (4/5)
Wife for Hire by Janet Evanovich (4/5)
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (4.5/5)
Night of Flames by Douglas W Jacobson (4.5/5)
Superior Saturday by Garth Nix (4/5)
Venus in Copper by Lindsey Davis (4/5)
An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell (4.5/5)
The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts (4/5)
Forbidden Fantasies anthology (4/5)

The end of the month means it is time to check out the progress on my challenges and to do my 'I Suck at Challenges' update.

By reading Silent in the Sanctuary, I finished the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, but I also joined two new challenges, Once Upon a Time III and The Love Bites Challenge. I have already read one of my books for Once Upon a Time III (Superior Saturday by Garth Nix) but haven't yet read anything for my other new challenge.

I managed to read two books for the Book Awards Reading Challenge - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson. You might notice that I rated The Graveyard Book as a 5/5 read - my first, and only, so far this year. I think I still have four books to read to complete this challenge.

I read another book for the War Through the Generations challenge this month as well - Night of Flames by Douglas W Jacobson, so have three more books to read before the end of the year for this challenge.

I have read 37 books for the 100+ Reading Challenge, and 27 for the Library Challenge. My target for the Library Challenge is 50 books, so I am over half way through.

One more book to go to complete the Victorian Challenge after I read Silent in the Sanctuary in March. I just picked up Silent on the Moor from the library tonight so that may well be the third book for the challenge, although I do have at least one more book that fits so maybe it will be that one instead.

Silent in the Sanctuary also fitted for the Chunkster Challenge, so I have 4 books left to go to complete that challenge. The book that I am currently reading (Comanche Moon by Larry McMurtry) fits for this challenge too.

Plum Spooky was the book I read for the 2009 Pub Challenge this month - 2 down, 7 to go!

Chunkster Challenge 2009

I swear that I am trying not to join very many more challenges, but I have been waiting very impatiently to be announced!




For the full rules, check out the Feelin Chunky blog. Here is an abbreviated version:

*A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature (fiction or nonfiction) Don't complain folks, I read all thousands of pages of the Twilight series and they were good, but not a challenge. A chunkster should be a challenge.
*If you read large type books your book will need to be 525 pages or more I asked around and the average LT book is 10-15% longer or more so I think that was a fair estimate.
*No Audio books in the chunkster. It just doesn't seem right. Words on paper for this one folks.
* You may start any time after signing up. You must complete your reads before or on Nov 15th.
*Short Stories and Essay collections will not be counted.

There are a couple of different levels to sign up for. I will be signing up for the Mor-book-ly Obese challenge.

This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to 6 or more chunksters OR three tomes of 750 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.