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Morland Dynasty #14
The Campaigners
1815 - The Hundred Days Campaign and Battle of Waterloo
Napoleon's escape from Elba has convulsed Europe. The Allied Army is gathered in Flanders, and where the Army is, the fashionable world must follow. So Lucy and Heloise both take their daughters to Brussels for the most exhilarating Season ever. Romance flourishes in the warlike atmosphere. Rosamund must finally come to terms with her feelings for her cousin Marcus; Sophie meets an enigmatic French major who may change her future; and Heloise renews acquaintance with a former suitor. The looming shadow of battle only makes the dancers whirl more feverishly, but when the army marches out to face the might of the French at Waterloo, one question is in every heart: which of them will not come back?
Napoleon's escape from Elba has convulsed Europe. The Allied Army is gathered in Flanders, and where the Army is, the fashionable world must follow. So Lucy and Heloise both take their daughters to Brussels for the most exhilarating Season ever. Romance flourishes in the warlike atmosphere. Rosamund must finally come to terms with her feelings for her cousin Marcus; Sophie meets an enigmatic French major who may change her future; and Heloise renews acquaintance with a former suitor. The looming shadow of battle only makes the dancers whirl more feverishly, but when the army marches out to face the might of the French at Waterloo, one question is in every heart: which of them will not come back?
578 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
17 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
168 books493 followersCynthia 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 18, 2012
Every time I come back to the Morland Dynasty series, I feel like I'm meeting an old friend I haven't seen in a while. I really love these books & I'm thrilled that I can now read them on my Kindle. I just wish the publishers (or Amazon) would realize that errors occur when books are converted to electronic versions and they need to be proofread before release! (My dream job: proofreader of Morland Dynasty Kindle books!) I would have given this five stars if not for the many errors. Just one example that comes to mind -- three times the word "face" was printed as the word "lace." So frustrating! Still this was a page-turner and I think one of my favorites in the series so far. There was a fascinating battle over an inheritance and some incredible suspense before, during and after the battle at Waterloo.
June 22, 2010
Despite the fact that this was number 14 (Yes ! 14!) in the series it was very well written and I was able to keep up with the characters and the past very well. There was a helpful family tree at the front and together with skillfull story telling meant I could read it as a stand alone book. I was totally engrossed in it but it was a long read (took me a week - over 500 pages). It was kind of a cross between, Poldark, Austen and Elswyth Thane. It was not romantic in a Mills and Boon way but had that detached romance feel. I learnt a lot about the period of history it was set in and got to know the characters really well, made me cry in a couple of places. Excellent book. I will read more in the future.
November 29, 2013
James Morland is one of the least likable characters in my reading career.
September 26, 2021
Nach Napoleons Rückkehr aus der Verbannung hält halb Europa den Atem an, was der unberechenbare Korse als nächstes tun wird. Die britischen Streitkräfte sind in Alarmbereitschaft, doch zunächst tut sich wenig bis gar nichts.
James Morland ist das alles ziemlich egal. Der Tod seiner Tochter Fanny im Kindbett hat ihn völlig aus der Bahn geworfen. Er vergräbt sich in seiner Trauer, verrennt sich in einen verzwickten Rechtsstreit um das Erbe von Fannys Großvater und lässt niemanden an sich heran, nicht einmal Héloïse, die ihren Ehemann kaum wiedererkennt und sich von seiner plötzlich so verschlossenen Art sehr verletzt fühlt.
Ohne große Freude erklärt sie sich irgendwann bereit, mit ihrer Schwägerin Lucy nach Belgien zu reisen, damit ihre Tochter Sophie gemeinsam mit ihrer Cousine Rosamund dort ihre ersten Schritte auf dem gesellschaftlichen Parkett machen können und hofft, dass James währenddessen zur Besinnung kommt.
In Brüssel sind in Erwartung der nächsten Auseinandersetzung mit Napoleons Truppen schon zahlreiche englische Regimenter stationiert, und für Sophie und Rosamund beginnt eine aufregende Zeit mit rauschenden Ballnächten und launigen kleinen Flirts. Rosamund ist überdies unsterblich in ihren Cousin Marcus verliebt, doch der hat nur Augen für eine berechnende Society-Schönheit, ohne zu merken, dass sie bloß mit ihm spielt.
Über all den Vergnügungen schwebt aber stets das Damoklesschwert der zu erwartenden Schlacht, es fühlt sich ein bisschen an wie ein Tanz auf dem Vulkan. Die Stimmung kippt dann in der zweiten Hälfte des Buches auch komplett, wenn es sich den tatsächlichen Kampfhandlungen zuwendet mit all ihren grausigen Auswirkungen und auch die Ängste der Angehörigen um ihre Lieben auf dem Schlachtfeld viel Raum erhalten.
Eine Glorifizierung der Schlacht bei Waterloo ist das ganz und gar nicht - vielmehr zeigt das Buch sehr eindrucksvoll, dass nur eine verlorene Schlacht noch schlimmer ist als eine gewonnene, wie Wellington einmal sagte (der, wie viele andere historische Persönlichkeiten, diesmal meist militärischer Natur, sehr schön in die Handlung eingebunden wird).
Erneut verbindet Cynthia Harrod-Eagles die persönlichen Schicksale ihrer Figuren glaubhaft mit tatsächlichen historischen Ereignissen und schafft es auch im 14. Band der Reihe noch, neue Facetten ihrer Charaktere zu zeigen und neue Protagonisten in den Vordergrund zu rücken, die nicht wie Neuaufgüsse aus früheren Bänden wirken. Sophies und Rosamunds erste Verliebtheiten, Lucys Ringen mit dem Älterwerden, die pure Lebenslust und die albernen Scherze der jungen Männer, von denen viele nicht vom Schlachtfeld zurückkehren werden, James' alles verzehrende Trauer um Fanny, all das fängt die Autorin großartig ein und schafft es wieder, gleichzeitig zu unterhalten und geschichtliche Fakten zu vermitteln.
James Morland ist das alles ziemlich egal. Der Tod seiner Tochter Fanny im Kindbett hat ihn völlig aus der Bahn geworfen. Er vergräbt sich in seiner Trauer, verrennt sich in einen verzwickten Rechtsstreit um das Erbe von Fannys Großvater und lässt niemanden an sich heran, nicht einmal Héloïse, die ihren Ehemann kaum wiedererkennt und sich von seiner plötzlich so verschlossenen Art sehr verletzt fühlt.
Ohne große Freude erklärt sie sich irgendwann bereit, mit ihrer Schwägerin Lucy nach Belgien zu reisen, damit ihre Tochter Sophie gemeinsam mit ihrer Cousine Rosamund dort ihre ersten Schritte auf dem gesellschaftlichen Parkett machen können und hofft, dass James währenddessen zur Besinnung kommt.
In Brüssel sind in Erwartung der nächsten Auseinandersetzung mit Napoleons Truppen schon zahlreiche englische Regimenter stationiert, und für Sophie und Rosamund beginnt eine aufregende Zeit mit rauschenden Ballnächten und launigen kleinen Flirts. Rosamund ist überdies unsterblich in ihren Cousin Marcus verliebt, doch der hat nur Augen für eine berechnende Society-Schönheit, ohne zu merken, dass sie bloß mit ihm spielt.
Über all den Vergnügungen schwebt aber stets das Damoklesschwert der zu erwartenden Schlacht, es fühlt sich ein bisschen an wie ein Tanz auf dem Vulkan. Die Stimmung kippt dann in der zweiten Hälfte des Buches auch komplett, wenn es sich den tatsächlichen Kampfhandlungen zuwendet mit all ihren grausigen Auswirkungen und auch die Ängste der Angehörigen um ihre Lieben auf dem Schlachtfeld viel Raum erhalten.
Eine Glorifizierung der Schlacht bei Waterloo ist das ganz und gar nicht - vielmehr zeigt das Buch sehr eindrucksvoll, dass nur eine verlorene Schlacht noch schlimmer ist als eine gewonnene, wie Wellington einmal sagte (der, wie viele andere historische Persönlichkeiten, diesmal meist militärischer Natur, sehr schön in die Handlung eingebunden wird).
Erneut verbindet Cynthia Harrod-Eagles die persönlichen Schicksale ihrer Figuren glaubhaft mit tatsächlichen historischen Ereignissen und schafft es auch im 14. Band der Reihe noch, neue Facetten ihrer Charaktere zu zeigen und neue Protagonisten in den Vordergrund zu rücken, die nicht wie Neuaufgüsse aus früheren Bänden wirken. Sophies und Rosamunds erste Verliebtheiten, Lucys Ringen mit dem Älterwerden, die pure Lebenslust und die albernen Scherze der jungen Männer, von denen viele nicht vom Schlachtfeld zurückkehren werden, James' alles verzehrende Trauer um Fanny, all das fängt die Autorin großartig ein und schafft es wieder, gleichzeitig zu unterhalten und geschichtliche Fakten zu vermitteln.
October 7, 2018
Despite its length, this books covers only a few months of 1815: leading up to, during and after the Battle of Waterloo. Although it is fascinating in itself, if you haven't read the prior books in the series, you may be confused regarding the relationships among the extended Morland family, who play major roles. For that reason, I have hidden the rest of my comments.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
January 24, 2016
As this describes the Battle of Waterloo and I'm not a huge fan of military history, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed it. The accompanying map made it easier for me to follow.
Harrod-Eagles does not idolize her characters. She portrays them honestly, with flaws & actions that make you want to scream at the book, WHY are you doing that?
She has been spending more time on this set of books. Only a couple of months are examined in this particular one. This allows more time to develop the characters & view the interactions.
Harrod-Eagles does not idolize her characters. She portrays them honestly, with flaws & actions that make you want to scream at the book, WHY are you doing that?
She has been spending more time on this set of books. Only a couple of months are examined in this particular one. This allows more time to develop the characters & view the interactions.
January 21, 2018
The Morlands travel to Brussels because we can't let a war get in the way of the Season and playing matchmaker. Then men are all going to Brussels? We'll all go and have balls in between the battles!
War has changed a lot in the past 200 years, although the fact that wastes so many lives and resources hasn't. This book takes place during the end of the Napoleonic Wars. I've been to Brussels and Waterloo and I loved being able to picture both places as I read.
War has changed a lot in the past 200 years, although the fact that wastes so many lives and resources hasn't. This book takes place during the end of the Napoleonic Wars. I've been to Brussels and Waterloo and I loved being able to picture both places as I read.
January 2, 2011
I have read all the previous 13 in the series and love each one, even when I hate a character I love the story. I, of course, do see historical inaccuracies but they do not take away from the story. I greatly look forward to reading the rest of 19 or so in the series.
March 19, 2023
My friend said this was her favorite of the series and now I know why! So good.
April 20, 2025
04/20/25
July 26, 2021
As always, these Morland Dynasty books feel like visiting with old friends. These particular characters in the family are getting a little old for me (I'm sick of Heloise and James, particularly) but it's fun to read about them going through important times in history. In this book, a lot of the crew goes over to Belgium to fight Napoleon, and they participate in the famous ball on the eve of Waterloo. There are two sets of campaigners: the war campaigners and the young women campaigning for good husbands. This series is still going strong for me and I'm excited to read the next one.
September 22, 2025
Book 14 follows on the depiction of the Napoleonic Wars up to the bloody battle of Waterloo and the defeat of Napoleon. There is much sadness in this book for the Morland family, both and home and away in Belgium and the devastation of the wars was utterly heartbreaking. Another fantastic instalment.
July 14, 2015
The Morlands go to Waterloo! Harrod-Eagles gives a lot of information about the social life of Brussels before the great battle as well as battle scenes. But, read the first 13 books before this one, so you won't get too confused.
December 9, 2012
A lot of history (dealing with the battle of Waterloo) but enough soon opera style drama to keep it interesting.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews