The Oak Apple (Morland Dynasty) [Paperback]

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2001 | Series: Morland Dynasty (Book 4)

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 1630, and when civil war destroys the long years of peace in England, the clash between King and Parliament is echoed at Morland Place. Richard, the heir, brings home a Puritan bride, while his dashing brother Kit joins the Royalist cavalry under prince Rupert, leaving their father, Edmund, desperately trying to steer a middle course.  As the war grinds on, bitterness replaces early fervor and divisions grow deeper, and through it all Edmund struggles grimly to protect his inheritance and keep Morland Place intact.

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 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award with EMILY. She has written over 50 books including 29 volumes of the Morland Dynasty, which she will be taking up to present day.

Product Details

• Paperback: 403 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0751506419
• ISBN-13: 978-0751506419
• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 4.2 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #409,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unputdownable, June 21, 2001

By 

silke cormican (ccormican.aol.com) (München) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oak Apple (Morland Dynasty) (Paperback)

Following "The Founding", "The Dark Rose" and "The Princeling", this is the fourth book in the MORLAND DYNASTY series.

After many years of peace and prosperity, the reign of Charles I brings brutal civil strife to England.

With their century-long history of fighting for what they consider a just cause, the Morland family is drawn inevitably into the bloody fighting. While the oldest son Ralph brings home a Puritan wife, thus creating a schism between himself and his father, his younger brother Kit joins the Royalist cavalry under Prince Rupert. Before leaving for the war, Kit marries his cousin Hero, thus making a lifelong enemy of Hero's brother Hamil. When the two cousins meet during the war, albeit fighting on the same side, the death of one seems inevitable.

There are so many more stories in the book concerning the various branches of the Morlands that it is impossible to go into more detail. For the first time, the author includes Colonial America in the story, telling of the desperate struggle of a young couple to survive in a harsh New World.

The characters are believable and the stories, which have been well researched, are full of rich historical detail. I simply could not stop reading until I reached the last page and then I rushed on to the next book. I have read the first six books in the series and have not yet been disappointed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Morlands brave civil war, June 7, 2006

By 

S. Becker "sminismoni" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Oak Apple (Morland Dynasty) (Paperback)

In the fourth installment of the Morland dynasty books, the family are confronted with civil war, as king and parliament fight for control of England in the 1640s.

The civil war divides the family - Roundhead against Cavalier, Puritan against Catholic/Anglican. The family members are torn between family loyalty and individual conscience. As with previous books, the fortunes of the characters are well blended with actual historical people and events. The Morland heir Richard marries a Puritan, while his brother Kit fights for King Charles I and gives up his life at the battle of Marsden. Their cousins are sent to Virginia to claim land for the Morlands, and become American pioneers.

There is a large time gap between this book and the previous one "The Princeling". Characters that had just been born in the last few pages of book 3, are now middle aged adults with children of their own. It took some time to connect the current family members with those in the last book, but the family tree at the front was helpful.

This book also had more to offer than it's predecessor in terms of characters too. It wasn't just a series of births, death and marriages. The characters were individuals and tied to real events, something that was lacking in "The Princeling". In particular, the reclusive and mysterious cousin Ruth was a nice change to the line up. The Morlands have once again found their place at the forefront English historical fiction.

3.0 out of 5 stars Bored with this one., September 3, 2011

By 

Tina Rodie - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Oak Apple (Morland Dynasty) (Paperback)

After reading the first three books in the Morland dynasty, I couldn't wait to start this one. It started out promising but by the end I kept checking how close I was to being done. I felt a disconnect with this book and never felt like it was as engrossing and exciting as the others. None of the characters seemed to develop for me as they have previously. I usually feel like I know them inside and out; in this case I kept getting people confused because she jumped back and forth so much. I am starting on book 5 now. Fingers crossed it will be more like the first three books.