The Devil's Horse (Morland Dynasty) [Paperback]

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (Author)

Book Description

Series: Morland Dynasty | Publication Date: June 1, 1994

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 1820, and the landscape of England is undergoing sweeping change as the country pioneers the steam-driven machine age. In Manchester, Sophie and Jasper face violent opposition to their plans for rehousing factory hands; Lucy brings her sons home from their Grand Tour, brimming with ideas for their future; and Rosamund enters a bizarre agreement with her husband, with tragic consequences. And at Morland Place two brothers grow up with very different tastes and an unspoken rivalry.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

In the Morland Dynasty Series, the majestic sweep of English history is richly and movingly portrayed through the fictional lives of the Morland family. The 22 volumes that comprise this elegantly produced series offer entertainment of the most compelling kind.

About the Author

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles won the Young Writers' Award with her first novel, THE WAITING GAME and in 1992 she won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award. She has written over 50 books, including 28 volumes of the Morland Dynasty which she will take up to present day.

Product Details

• Paperback: 482 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0751500801
• ISBN-13: 978-0751500806
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #815,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, August 12, 2010

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K. Huff (Radnor, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Devil's Horse (Morland Dynasty) (Paperback)

#16: 1820-1830; covers the end of the reign of George IV, factory reform and beginning of the railways


The Devil's Horse covers a period of about ten years. In this installment in the series, we see a number of developments in England, starting with a lot of discussion over facory reform (especially prevalent in the minds of the Morlands and Habsbawms considering their involvement in it). Sophie `s life is floating on a cloud, while Rosamund's life is a little more complicated; she's carrying on an affair with Jesmond Farraline, even as she's married to Marcus. She forges a pact with her husband that has unexpected consequences. Meanwhile, in Yorkshire, Nicholas and Benedict are coming of age--one, as the heir to Morland Place, eager to gain his inheritance; and the other, a supporter of the new railways.

This is another strong addition to the series, although the author does have a tendency to jump from one thing to another in order to get everything in. It has the same kind of feel as some of the very early books in the series, which covered long time periods. Thus, you'll have two characters married in one scene, and then next thing you know, they're parents of four children. But we're introduced to some new characters as well -Fanny, who both terrorizes and charms everyone at Morland Place, and Charlotte, Rosomond's unfortunate daughter--who promise to have a larger role in further books in the series.

Nonetheless, we see a lot of character development, especially with Benedict, who promises to be the hero of subsequent books in the series. Nicholas sometimes comes across as a stock villain, but he's a very crafty, clever villain, willing to do anything to get what he wants (or sometimes he does mean things just for the sake of bringing other people down, which makes him especially unlikeable). We'll see how his character develops as the series continues. I think there's a lot of potential to develop the rivalry between Benedict and Nicholas, though I hope that Bendy will learn to stand up to his older brother!