The Restless Sea

Morland Dynasty #27

by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

1912 - The Titanic; George V

England still conducts herself with Edwardian confidence; but beneath the surface cracks are breaking society apart. Socialism, strikes and riots, social unrest, and then the disasters of the Titanic and Captain Scott shake the ordered world. Among the Morlands, Jessie and Violet struggle to adapt to the demands of married life; Jack, unlucky in love, designs aeroplanes and trains pilots for the new Royal Flying Corps; and Anne, as the struggle for the Vote becomes more violent, takes comfort in the friendship of an unusual young woman. Meanwhile, the war no-one wants comes ever closer.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Romance, Fiction

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (aka Emma Woodhouse, Elizabeth Bennett)

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles was born on 13 August 1948 in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, where was educated at Burlington School, a girls' charity school founded in 1699, and at the University of Edinburgh and University College London, where she studied English, history and philosophy.

She had a variety of jobs in the commercial world, starting as a junior cashier at Woolworth's and working her way down to Pensions Officer at the BBC.

She wrote her first novel while at university and in 1972 won the Young Writers' Award with The Waiting Game. The birth of the MORLAND DYNASTY series enabled Cynthia Harrod-Eagles to become a full-time writer in 1979. The series was originally intended to comprise twelve volumes, but it has proved so popular that it has now been extended to thirty-four.

In 1993 she won the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award with Emily, the third volume of her Kirov Saga, a trilogy set in nineteenth century Russia.

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I know it's part of a huge series but a GR friend told me I could jump in here and I wouldn't feel lost and she was right. There were one or two things I did wonder about but it didn't take from the story at all.
There's a huge cast of characters and at times I was a little confused but there's a great family tree at the beginning of the book that I used to keep up.
The story of the Morland family themselves is intriguing and diverse. The characters are all very different and go on very different paths in life.
Thoroughly enjoyed all the history of the time the story included. I've always had an interest in early flight and the aircraft being developed at the time and found it fascinating. Also the Suffragette story was very well done. I've read a lot on this subject but still learned more from this book.
Fabulous read, can't wait to start the next one.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Morland family deals with the voyage of the Titanic, the British suffragette movement, the beginning of aeronautics, and the run-up to WWI, as well as more personal concerns. Although these books are about 400 pages, I seem to be able to read them almost at a sitting, and to be almost glued to the chair until I finish. Ms. Harrod-Eagles combines a lot of historical information and complicated family trees with a narrative that just makes you want to keep reading. I'll have a hard time not moving immediately to the next book in the series since I have it on hand.

[John Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Morland Dynasty #27 covering the years just before WW1! OMG ! I have read maybe one before this, but here I am doing this review. This book gripped my interest more than others due to the Titanic incident. I really did read most of the words in the 500 pages. That's really saying something because I usually avoid long books these days.
The author's books are all too long, due to the heavy reliance on dialogue to convey situations. Historical facts are woven in, and explained by the fictional characters. Female characters are often central to the story, and they often are fighting in some way against the male dominant attitudes that seek to repress them. In other volumes I have dipped into so far, I've found I'm getting a bit sick of that, but not in this one.
Funnily enough, I'm now reading #26, which contains events leading up to this one. I can say it really makes little difference to the enjoyment. Read them in any order you like, or as found on library shelves.
Rating 4.6 for this one, congratulations Cynthia Harrod-Eagles.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not wait to read this, knowing that several characters, including Teddy, the head of the Morland family, planned to sail on the Titanic, and I was not disappointed. My interest was gripped from the very beginning. Additional plot lines include the early days of air flight; the continuing struggle for women's suffrage, as well as some of the everyday problems of life.

As always, I recommend beginning this series with the first book, to understand just how all the characters are related. Recommended.

[Teresa “Teri” · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep going!

You can’t stop following The Morland Dynasty. By now you know them so well, it’s like you’re reading about your own ancestors in whichever time period in history each book is set

[Rhona · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites in the series so far, although I think it's time to take a break and read something different!

[Justin Neville · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Titanic section of the book was superb and is good enough reason by itself to read the novel.
The rest was nothing earth-shattering but kept the family saga moving along nicely.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only undertake this if you want a lifetime project. This title is the 27th(!) in the series that goes back to Charles I and the English Civil War and according to the book jacket intends to go forward to the present day. It's a family saga, the Morland Dynasty. The books are very thick for a good reason: she tells you everything about daily life and politics and current events in the period - which is exactly what I want from historical fiction. This particular volume takes place in 1912 so you know it involves the Titanic but also the struggle for womens' suffrage, stories of early aviation, a pioneering woman doctor, emigration to the US, and the uncertainty leading up to WWI (if they only knew). I guess I'm doomed, because the characters are all engaging, the plots and subplots move right along and I just can't bear to leave this family not knowing how it all comes out.

[MaureenAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book for its mix of (familiar and unfamiliar) historical events and easy reading family saga. I am keen to read the other books in the series now that I am familiar with some of the characters. I had to use the Family Trees at the beginning of the book quite often as this was the first of this series I had read. There's a lot of intermarriage between cousins and the characters are seemingly involved in every newsworthy event of 1912/1913!

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

The description of the building and sinking of the Titanic was very moving and interesting. But, I had a hard time with this book because I didn't like any of the characters. The men are either egocentric or they are domineering. There are very few men in her books that are at all admirable. The suffragist movement was much more violent than I had any idea of and the development of air travel was excruciatingly detailed. But, I will keep reading them as long as she keeps writing them.

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another action packed chapter of the Morland family. This book looked at the Titanic sinking- an excellent piece of writing as well as votes for women and aviation. This is a brilliant series where you just happen to learn history along the way!

[Edith Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know when I was last as abosorbed in a book as I was with this one during the Titanic section! (Might have partly been because the movie was on HBO when I was reading this. Every time hubby turned on the TV, there it was, sinking again.)

[Loretto Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good