A review by vae
The Founding by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
3.0
First in a LONG series following the fortunes of a family from the Wars of the Roses through to the twentieth century, and I'm very glad that they're now available in ebook format because that's a lot of content!
Eleanor, ward of Lord Edmund, is married to Edward Morland, the son of a prosperous sheep farmer, and that's the start of everything. The book follows Eleanor throughout her married life, from a new bride to a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, through politically turbulent times as her ambition drives the family from relative obscurity to the point where sons of the family are placed in the royal court and she is on familiar terms with the king (first Edward, then Richard - the family are staunch Yorkists). It's refreshing that Eleanor's determination and ambition are never treated as shameful or unwomanly, instead being honoured as the support of her family, although the narrative doesn't fail to acknowledge that she is far from perfect and maintains very firm control over her children's and grandchildren's marriages and lives.
I absolutely loved this series as a teenager - re-reading it now is highlighting how much my reading tastes have changed. The plot and history and politics rattle along at a fair old pace, with even more content than I'd expect for a decently long book, and all characters are definitely supporting cast to Eleanor. I'd prefer a little more time to get to know the characters as people, who they are individually, what drives them, what delights them, but with such a large cast and so much political turmoil to fit in, that's sidelined in favour of keeping history moving on.
Eleanor, ward of Lord Edmund, is married to Edward Morland, the son of a prosperous sheep farmer, and that's the start of everything. The book follows Eleanor throughout her married life, from a new bride to a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, through politically turbulent times as her ambition drives the family from relative obscurity to the point where sons of the family are placed in the royal court and she is on familiar terms with the king (first Edward, then Richard - the family are staunch Yorkists). It's refreshing that Eleanor's determination and ambition are never treated as shameful or unwomanly, instead being honoured as the support of her family, although the narrative doesn't fail to acknowledge that she is far from perfect and maintains very firm control over her children's and grandchildren's marriages and lives.
I absolutely loved this series as a teenager - re-reading it now is highlighting how much my reading tastes have changed. The plot and history and politics rattle along at a fair old pace, with even more content than I'd expect for a decently long book, and all characters are definitely supporting cast to Eleanor. I'd prefer a little more time to get to know the characters as people, who they are individually, what drives them, what delights them, but with such a large cast and so much political turmoil to fit in, that's sidelined in favour of keeping history moving on.