The House of Lanyon (Exmoor Saga) [Kindle Edition]

Valerie Anand (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The War of the Roses rages around the Lanyons in Exmoor, England, prosperous tenant farmers of the landed Sweetwater family. Peter Lanyon and his wife, Liza, bridle at his father Richard's attempts to run their lives as Richard, who hides a dark secret, tries to raise the family's station. Through war, intrigue and natural disaster, Peter and Liza love each other in their fashion, though each has a great lost love, and their mistakes come back to haunt them. As the Lanyons find favor with the Duke of Gloucester (who will be Richard III), it may be a case of being careful what you wish for. There's not enough historical detail to place the Lanyons in their time and place, and the book's pace is slow, but Anand, who writes the Ursula Blanchard mysteries as Fiona Buckley, has a light touch that carries this family saga. (Nov.)
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Product Description

Medieval. When two ambitious families occupy the same patch of English soil, rivalry is sure to take root and flourish. A glimmer of initiative swells into blind desire, and minor hurts, nursed with jealousy, fester into a malignant hatred. When a bitter feud is born the price for this wild and beautiful piece of ground will take more than three generations to settle.

Richard Lanyon answers to no one save the aristocratic Sweetwater family, owners of the land he farms. His bitter resentment is legend within the bounds of their tiny Exmoor community, but as their tenant, Richard Lanyon must do their bidding. Still, even noblemen NULL the power to contain ruthless ambition, and the Sweetwaters are no exception. Driven to succeed, Richard is prepared to take what is not his, and to forfeit the happiness of his family to claim the entitlements he lusts for.

But no family can grow and succeed without the nurturing hand of a woman, and even Richard Lanyon knows this. Better still if the woman is clever and hardworking and can bear many sons, and with this in mind Richard arranges a marriage for his only son, Peter. But matches based on pragmatism often hide a multitude of sins, and so it is within the house of Lanyon. Although Peter and his bride, Liza Weaver, settle into marriage, each harbors a broken heart, lost dreams and unspoken secrets. And should their secrets ever be revealed, all that Richard has worked for will be destroyed.

Surviving the betrayals of the past means keeping one foot in the present, and an eye to the future. For it is the next generation that holds the power to achieve in one moment what eluded Richard Lanyon for a lifetime.

In this epic story Valerie Anand creates a vivid portrait of fifteenth-century English life that resonates with the age-old themes of ambition, power, desire, and greed.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 463 KB
• Print Length: 592 pages
• Publisher: Mira; Reprint edition (November 1, 2007)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000W94HLW
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #257,146 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good sense of "time and place" in my opinion ..., December 28, 2007

By 

P. K. Maynard - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The House Of Lanyon (Exmoor Saga) (Hardcover)

As a long time, avid reader of historical fiction, I have to disagree with the reviewer who said that this novel doesn't provide a good "sense of time or place". Very clearly set during the Wars of the Roses and the aftermath of same, it's primary focus is on the everyday lives and tribulations of the common folk during those turbulent times. Although my favorites by this author continue to be her "Gildenford" triloy, I thoroughly enjoyed "The House of Lanyon". Unlike Follett, whose historical research in "Pillars of the Earth" leaves something to be desired, Anand's research is always impeccible.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Way Things Were, October 13, 2008

By 

Lovelace (Indiana USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The House Of Lanyon (Exmoor Saga) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book took place in the fifteenth-century, The War of The Roses; arranged marriages; class systems; I thought the author did a great job telling of the lives of these people trying to make the best of what was expected of them. It was not how they wanted to love or live, but how they were expected to comply with the customs of that time in history. Four people in love, but none were allowed to marry who they wanted. It was not heavy with battle scenes, just enough to let you know how and why the wars were fought. Mostly about the people in three family's and the interaction between them, all starting because of a man's resentment to the class he was born into. I thought this was a very good book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The House of Lanyon/Exmoor Sage, April 17, 2009

By 

Mikki Mac "Mikki" (Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The House Of Lanyon (Exmoor Saga) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read both books by this author in the Exmoor series, enjoyed both, good description of the time in which story takes place, look forward to more books like this from the author.