#22: Covers 1870-1874

The Mirage continues the story of the Morland family, but it focuses on the next generation. Benedict Morland dies of a fever in Egypt, and his son, George, remains at Morland Place to carry on the family name. He marries Alfreda Turlingham, an older woman with skeletons in her closet and a profligate brother. George’s sister, Henrietta is rushed into a marriage with a much older man; and Charlotte’s daughter Venetia begins her quest to become a doctor, despite the fact that all of society is opposed to it.

This is another very strong installment to the series, although the history of the era takes a backseat to what’s going on within the family circle. There’s the usual quota of shady characters in this book (what Morland Dynasty book would be complete without one?), but I found Venetia’s story much more gripping. What’s wonderful about this series is how Cynthia Harrod-Eagles manages to interweave the history of the period with the stories of the family, creating compelling, interesting characters as she does so. Venetia is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters of the series, especially of this generation. ( )

This book begins in 1870, not long before the Franco-Prussian War, which gets some attention in the novel, although most of the space is devoted to the Morland family and how changing social mores are affecting them. The action is split between London and York, which means the book lacks the tight focus of some of my favorites in the series, but it doesn’t have the scattered feel of the books that try to cover too much.

Harrod-Eagles also makes the transition between generations more effectively than she sometimes has. A few novels in the series have served mostly as transitional pieces in which not much happens except the transfer of interest from one generation to the next. Here, instead of making a gradual shift from Charlotte, Fanny, and Benedict to Venetia, George, and Henrietta, she starts off the novel with a new generation just coming of age. That’s not to say that the parents are absent, but the driving force of the action comes from the young, right from the start of the book.

Probably the least compelling storyline was the one about George and the changes to Morland Place. The stories involving Henrietta's marriage and Venetia's plan to become a doctor were fascinating. As always, Harrod-Eagles does a great job showing not just what people did but how they thought.

See my complete review at Shelf Love. ( )

This started off a bit slowly, but improved with Venetia's story. The last 100 or so pages was very dramatic! ( )