I would have to concur with previous reviews for this chapter of the Morland Dynasty - the 'long shadow' of the title perfectly describes my disappointment after struggling to complete the first dud in the series. If not for my overall regard for Cynthia Harrod Eagles' writing, my honest rating would be one star less.

Continuing on from The Black Pearl, Annunciata Morland suddenly becomes a despicable anti-heroine, unfortunately more Beatrice Lacey from Wideacre than Scarlett O'Hara, selfish yet beloved by all. The level of inbreeding and even incest in The Long Shadow beats the Morland family record to date! The sympathetic characters are summarily dispatched in a sentence, while Annunciata lives on, presumably by draining the happiness of those closest to her. I usually enjoy reading about strong-willed heroines, even those who are less than ethical in their methods, but I resent being told to pity such a destructive creature as Annunciata, simply because women historically lacked the same freedom as men. All the blather about Annunciata being like a caged bird, or a tethered eagle, really started to irritate me after a while. Bess of Hardwick worked her way through several husbands, amassing a fortune and considerable property, but she also managed to maintain her dignity. Annunciata wrecks lives - including her own children - and walks over men, simply because the first man she loved turned out to be her father. Any admiration I had for the character, as a worthy successor to the role of Mistress Morland once held by Eleanor and Nanette, quickly turned to disgust.

The historical narrative is equally ill-fitting, and Cynthia Harrod Eagles is usually so adept at merging fact with fiction. I learned a lot about the Popish Plot, Monmouth Rebellion and 'Glorious Revolution' of King William III during the 1670s and 80s, granted, but the names and dates of various kings and battles seemed to sit stiffly alongside the exploits of the Morland family. There was no 'personal' depth to the story, only a potted history and a wildly disturbing 'romantic' interlude.

Nerving myself to continue with book seven might take a while! ( )

In Year 8 (1980) I came across an historical novel I absolutely loved. I couldn't afterwards remember the author, but I remembered it was called The foundling. In 1992 on the Gold Coast, I decided to try to find it again. To my immense surprise I did - the library had it! It is actually quite a miracle I found the book, because the actual title wasn't The foundling at all but The founding. By some strange quirk of fate, the cataloguing librarian on the Gold Coast had made the same misreading of the title that I had. If s/he hadn't, I probably never would have rediscovered a loved book, and would as a result never have learned that The founding was planned as the beginning of a short series.

By the time I rediscovered the book in 1992, the series had become much longer than originally planned and I eagerly devoured all I could. I continued to read the new titles as they came out and learned that the author eventually hoped to bring the series up at least as far as WWII (having started in the Plantaganet era). Somewhere in the early 2000s at about title 22, I kind of lost track and the series once again slipped away from me. I have just checked - at the end of 2008, title 31 was released!

Having lost track, I decided it was a good time to start again at the beginning and remind myself of the journey. So strange to think that The founding was pretty much new when I first came across it in 1980, and the series has grown alongside me all this time. The only problem is that, for some reason, I just can't seem to get as excited about it all the second time round. It's not because it's too familiar - it's ages since I read these books and I can remember almost nothing that happens.

Despite my less than keen enthusiasm, I have managed to make it as far as book six again (okay, so my collection is missing two of the early titles which is a bit frustrating really, especially as one of the missing titles includes the great fire of London). There's still just about enough to keep me going, and I have to admit, having made it to the 19th century the first time round, it seems a pity not to make it through and read up to the 20th century! I do love some of the characterisations. Unlike, say, Joanna Trollope, whose characters reminded me of a psychology textbook (at least, I only ever read two, for that very reason), Harrod-Eagles' characters are frequently wonderfully complex without being obviously drawn from "a good understanding of human psychology". Best of all, of course, is the recurring theme of the wonderfully strong matriarchal figure. There is always a flawed but larger than life heroine who manages to be so much more than I ever could be. In The long shadow, that character is Annunciata, and I do enjoy her, even when she annoys me. But not as much as her predecessor, Nanette Morland.

I really don't know what to say about this book as an individual title - it is a passing blur in a colourful kaleidescope of historical figures for me. But I might have to read book seven... ( )

#6: Covers the reign of King James II; 1670-1689

The Long Shadow is the sixth book in the Morland Dynasty series. I’ve kind of been reading this series out of order; the first book in the series that I read was #5, The Black Pearl. Book #6 focuses on Annunciata and Ralph Morland—Annuciata continues her rise at court in London, becoming a Countess, while Ralph keeps himself at Morland Place. Their lives are overshadowed by the end of the Restoration, and the dangerous reign of James II, where the battle between Catholics and Protestants becomes more complicated than ever.

This is the third book I’ve read that has Annunciate Morland in it, and I can safely say that this novel solidified my dislike of her. At best, she’s selfish and spoiled, an indifferent and sometimes uncaring mother and wife. I liked Ralph Morland at the end of The Black Pearl, but here he seems a bit standoffish. Even Annuciata’a children are somewhat unlikable, especially Hugo. But other than the characters, I thought this was an interesting addition to the series. The Catholic/ Protestant conflict goes a bit over my head at times, but Harrod-Eagles makes history accessible once again. ( )

How despicable does a fictional heroine have to be before it stops being fun to read about her? That’s the question I kept asking myself as I was reading The Long Shadow, the sixth installment in the Morland Dynasty series. Annunciata Morland is my least favorite of the Morland heroines so far. She’s not unlike Scarlett O’Hara in a lot of ways. I grudgingly respect her inner fortitude and her ability not to let society define who she shall be, but her self-centeredness and love only for herself keep me from liking her much.

Her actions toward her children are particularly shocking. While she's not outright abusive, her behavior goes beyond disinterest and coldness. Still, like Scarlett O’Hara, Annunciata brings the melodrama, and the melodrama makes for juicy reading. And I do appreciate that Harrod-Eagles does not insist on writing characters that are wholly good or wholly bad. I suspect there are readers who really like Annunciata’s spunk and can get behind her romanticism. I’m just not one of them.

This novel begins in 1670 and continues through the Glorious Revolution, when William of Orange invaded England. I know very little about this period of British history, and so I learned a lot about the political machinations of the period. Despite my dislike of Annunciata, I still found this to be a pretty gripping read. I do look forward, however, to meeting a new Morland heroine who I can actually like.

See my complete review at my blog. ( )