Customer Reviews

The House Of Lanyon (Exmoor Saga)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The focus of this 15th century English novel is one man's obsession with the nobles who demand the allegiance of their tenants on Allerbrook Farm. Richard Lanyan long nurtures a resistance to his state and the superior position of the Sweetwater's, longing for the finances that would allow him to challenge landholders who dictate crops selections and whether he or his son will be called to fight in the king's army. The rift is made deeper the day of Richard's father's funeral, when the Sweetwater's ride wildly through the mourners' procession in pursuit of game, hardly bothering to ascertain the damage to the entourage. While the coffin is saved from the river, Richard's mistress is not; she dies soon after from a chill taken when saving the old man's remains from the water. Vindicated in harsh judgment of his betters, Richard happily devotes his life to revenge.

While the peasants care little for the affair of state, the War of the Roses rages in England, drawing the villagers into the fray at the behest of their lords, who have a right to demand their service. The country evolves, from Edward IV to Richard III to Henry Tudor, the merchants and tenants following whatever royal is in power, a fact that will come back to haunt them when loyalties are tested and deeds weighed. Meanwhile, at Allerbrook, Richard is confronted by a son who demands to marry a beautiful young woman from a fishing village, when the father has already begun arrangements with Liza Weaver, the daughter of a local merchant. Deciding the settle the matter of Peter's affection on his own terms, Richard engineers an extraordinary tragedy, his natural hubris and temper creating an impossible conundrum.

But Richard gets his way, Peter wed to Liza, who has another mate in mind as well, the pair forced to make due with one another and the impossible demands of a man who is never satisfied with his lot in life or the lack of grandchildren from his daughter-in-law. Wreaking havoc on the family as he uses all financial profits to expand the family dwelling, Richard is relentless and cruel, Liza struggling under the burden of an irascible father-in-law who is quick to judge others but never himself. In war and peace, the family plods under Richard's oppressive yoke, none daring to deny the man, Peter forcing himself to honor a dishonorable father. As the family's fortunes change, so too do the Sweetwater's, each in unexpected ways and with telling results, Richard wallowing in the fruits of his hatred.

Dysfunction is the hallmark of The House of Lanyon, Richard poisoning the relationships of his family, their futures ambiguous at best when left to the mean-spirited decisions of this patriarch. Indeed, Liza and Peter suffer, as do their children, peace only purchased at great cost. While the family does prosper, the road is treacherous, the past defining their direction far more than the future. In this historical setting, the significant events occur locally, Richard's pretensions acted out in the rural setting of Allerbrook farm and the surrounding territory. While the War of the Roses comes to an end, the war of the Lanyon's does as well, but one far more embittered and tragic than the country, a sad tale of greed, obsession and too little repentance. Luan Gaines/ 2007.

If you are looking for big battles and machinations of the royal court, this book doesn't have much of that.

What it does do, and do well, is to reflect the life of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times. This author does this very well. I also recommend Nora Lofts, who is my favorite at this type of material.

First of all, I believe British authors are better at writing English history than the tudor wannabes we are getting these days. There is just a feel to the everyday life of an English yeoman family you get there you don't get with American authors of British history.

What is engaging about this story is that how the political fortunes of shifting alliances can allow a ordinary farmer to ascend upward.

That's why I disagree that it could be set in ANY time and place. Except for the time of Stephan and Maud (mother of Henry II) this was one the most disruptive period of English history of the middle ages. It might have been set in the English Civil war time, too, but I feel it needed the strong abrupt changes in fortune brought about by powerful benefics able to change a man's life, or give a yeoman famer several exposures to royal favor, on which the movement of the story turns.

I have now read this book twice and enjoyed it both times.

It is also the story of how a chance event can change several families history.

I enjoy a book that pretty much keeps to the language of its time and still is readable. I was reading a Tudor that was pretty good, but when they referred to Ann Boylen's "high profile at court" that just too modern a verbage for me. I prefer Norah Loft's language "thass as may be".

One of my particular favorites of my entire reading history is the series Bridge over Time by this author. Her earlier works are excellent.

Finally, I put these reviews here for the regular reader like me. I am not a paid reviewer that writes a polished piece but someone who wants other readers to have my opinion of the book. We all pick up a nook kindle or book with different desires and expectations of what we want so this book may not work for you but I enjoyed it!

I really enjoyed this historical saga of love, greed, ambition and lust in 1400 England. There was enough historical references to the wars to give it an historical flavor in my opinion. As well as the references to apprenticeships and guilds that also lent historical references. However, the story really grabbed me from the beginning with the family feuds and the story of the overbearing male Lanyons. However, I could not reconcile myself to Peter Lanyon never really continuing to claim Nicky as his son. I would have liked to see Peter claim Nicky as his son since he did raise him even if Nicky was not his "blood". I gave this a 5 star rating because I could not put it down until I saw everything come together at the conclusion.

In Exmoor, England Richard Lanyon always resented the fact that his father was a tenant farmer working for aristocratic affluent Sweetwater clan. Richard wants to be free by owning his land not slaving for someone else to gain the profits of his toil; as the case with his recently deceased dad. Ambitious, he will shape the future through his son.

His goal seems achieved when he arranges for his offspring Peter to marry wealthy Liza Weaver. However, Peter loves Marion Locke and his fiancée loves someone else. Neither are pleased with the arrangement, but both accept the inevitably of their marriage as they understand their duty to family. Meanwhile the widow Richard is attracted to Marion. While his brokenhearted son and equally despondent daughter-in-law struggle together, Richard has a dark secret that fosters a deep guilt that haunts his gut and a fear that if revealed THE HOUSE OF LANYON will topple like a deck of cards.

This is an interesting family drama that sprawls across the late fifteenth century. The story line provides a fascinating look at the dysfunctional relationship between social classes especially outside of London. However, the historical tale targets those readers who enjoy a Barbara Taylor Bradford like saga occurring prior to and during the War of the Roses era.

Harriet Klausner

I like a good historical novel--a book that gives you a sense of time and place. I'm not too fussy--I enjoy Delderfield, Malcolm MacDonald, Gabaldon, Martin Cruz Smith's Rose, Steven Saylor's mysteries set in ancient Rome, etc. So I was hoping for some good things about 15th century Exmoor. But after 25 pages I was getting uneasy, and by 50 pages I was distinctly unhappy. There wasn't anything that was giving me a sense of time and place. What I was reading could, by changing a few sentences, have been anywhere from, say 500AD to 2007, and the location almost anywhere in England, Canada, the U.S., etc. For example: early in the book a man is dying and so a priest is sent for. Here, someone goes on horseback: this could be anywhere from 500AD to the early 1900's. Change about 4 sentences and a car could be sent or the man's son calls the priest on his cellphone. Changing another few sentences could have moved the locale to Manitoba or Montana or Wales.

I'm currently also reading Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth, which is a good (but not great) historical novel set in 12th century England. By the end of the first page in that novel, there's a good historical flavor, unlike in House of Lanyon. There are eventually in Lanyon a few battle scenes of the War of the Roses, but by that time these don't add much to the book. The basic story is about two people who are married to each other but who both would have preferred someone else: without a good historical sense to it, and without a lyrical writing style, this makes for a pretty thin gruel to carry you for almost 600 pages.

When you get to the Author's Note at the end of the book, things become much clearer, but not in a good sense. It would appear that Anand had the setting (Exmoor) and (probably) the basic plot idea in mind for many years when her agent called to say that he had a publisher who wanted a historical novel with a regional setting. So my suspicion is that with a bit of tweaking we got a 15th century story. If the publisher hadn't specified a historical novel, a little different bit of tweaking might have made it 20th or even 21st century. Even the dust cover is rather generic--although there are no telephone or power lines or satellite dish visible (power and phone lines could be buried and the dish is behind the house). You might argue that the story is timeless, but to me timeless means that it is capable of capturing people's interest over a long period of time.

So--a disappointment. Try Gabaldon, Galland, Durant, Yoshikawa, Powys, Cecilia Holland, etc instead.

This so called "epic story" from Anand that offers a supposed "vivid portrait of fifteenth century English life" (to quote from the book jacket) is to this reader as flat, lifeless and bland as a piece of cardboard. The basic premise of the story is of the Lanyons who are tenants to the aristocratic Sweetwaters and bear a decades long hatred for each other and in the case of Richard Lanyon feeds an ambition to better their lot in life and to wreak revenge on the hated Sweetwaters. **Yawn***. Every twist and all too predictable plot turn in the story one could see coming a mile away. I had a very hard time sticking with this book until the final and not too surprising finish especially since there was not one character in this book that I even cared about.

I wholly agree with the other reviewer who stated that with this story could have been placed in any century, there just was no sense of time or place as one might expect in a historical novel. Worse yet, the back story of the battle for supremacy between the Lancasters, Yorks and eventually Tudor houses was virtually non-existent, even though Richard and eventually Peter went to serve during the wars -- even the battle at Bosworth Field only got about four or five pages worth of coverage.

All in all a very mediocre book, and I'm having a hard time believing this book comes from the same author who wrote The King of The Wood. If you are dead set on reading this for yourself, I strongly urge you to get it from the library first, and then buy it if you love it. Side note, if you want to read a couple of excellent books on the history of this period and The War of the Roses, try Sharon Kay Penman's fabulous The Sunne In Splendour and Meredith Whitford's Treason.