Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
444th out of 563 books
—
443 voters
The House Of Lanyon (Exmoor Saga #1)
When two ambitious families occupy the same patch of English soil, rivalry is sure to take root and f lourish. A glimmer of initiative swells into blind desire, and minor hurts, nursed with jealousy, fester into a malignant hatred. When a bitter feud is born the price for this wild and beautiful piece of ground will take more than three generations to settle.Richard Lanyon...more
Hardcover, 586 pages
Published
November 1st 2007
by Mira Books
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
187)
This so called "epic story" from Anand that offers a supposed "vivid portrait of fifteenth century English life" (to quote from the book jacket) is to this reader as flat, lifeless and bland as a piece of cardboard. The basic premise of the story is of the Lanyons who are tenants to the aristocratic Sweetwaters and bear a decades long hatred for each other and in the case of Richard Lanyon feeds an ambition to better their lot in life and to wreak revenge on the hated Sweetwaters. **Yawn***. Eve...more
The House of Lanyon has its fair share of secrets and hidden lies. Richard Lanyon, the patriarch, wasn't much of a family man. His business was his life. His wife was a weak woman in his eyes. All but one of her children died due to feebleness. Peter, the one that survived was hardly a suitable heir. If the boy had his way, he'd have married that fishermen's daughter. That is had she not mysteriously disappeared.
Perhaps, the match that Richard arranged wasn't much better. Time would tell on tha...more
Perhaps, the match that Richard arranged wasn't much better. Time would tell on tha...more
I reviewed this book for Library Journal and it is historical fiction, but it was a departure from the type of historical fiction that is packing the market these days. This book is about a family, (or two families, really) and it focuses on their lives, even though it takes place in England during the War of the Roses. Richard III and Henry VII manage to get mentioned, but they are really just set dressing - the meat of the story settles around Peter Lanyon and Liza Weaver - two young people wh...more
As Valerie Anand also writes under the pseudonym Fiona Buckley in the fabulous Ursula Blanchard series, I wanted to like this book. Although, I read it to the end, I mostly found it flat with little to send me on to the other books in the series.
very disappointing, personal plot line interesting, but is not set well in the period, takes place in Exmoor in 1400s.
The word that epitomises this book would be 'average'. There were a few sections that had promise however for the most part I had to force myself to persevere.
Jo - Historical Romance Review
Jo - Historical Romance Review
very good, will have to get the next one.
An interesting book, not great. I will not read any more in the series.
Jan 29, 2008
Jennifer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Historical saga fans, especially Tudor or War of Roses Fans
Recommended to Jennifer by:
Reading the Past
Shelves:
historicalfiction
This book started a little slow but was really engaging as the story went on. At first, the author's style of introducing something and then going into the past was disorienting, but once I was used to it, I found it worked well.
If you like late medieval historical fiction (War of the Roses and the like), this was a good read. It was also nice that the subjects of the books were farmers rather than kings and queens.
If you like late medieval historical fiction (War of the Roses and the like), this was a good read. It was also nice that the subjects of the books were farmers rather than kings and queens.
It started off real slow. I thought it was going to be like a grown-up version of a Little House on the Prairie book, and I HATED Little House books. Anyway, it got more interesting after the first 100 pages or so, so I'm kind of glad that I stuck with it. I like the relationship evolving plots. It's not so much about farm work in the end. :0)
The House of Lanyon is historical fiction, a family saga. I enjoyed this book.
Jul 10, 2008
Patricia
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Patricia by:
Jennifer
Shelves:
historical-fiction
If you're looking for a 100%-historically-accurate book, this is not it. Yet it's still entertaining as it follows the soap opera of the Lanyons and the Sweetwaters through three generations. Entertaining as a "beach read", but not something I'm likely to re-read any time soon.
Peter Lanyon and Liza Weaver are in love, though not with each other. Thus begins the 50-year saga of the Lanyon family in Anand’s new historical novel, set in 15th-century England.
I have always enjoyed this author, who also writes mysteries as Fiona Buckley.
I have always enjoyed this author, who also writes mysteries as Fiona Buckley.
Well, it really is a saga. It had some moments in it, but no plot to speak of. It's just telling about this family who don't have an easy life, but in the telling, even the extrordinary things seem ordinary.
forbidden love & intrigue a good enjoyable read.
Good...Looking back their were some slower parts but I didn't really notice at the time.
I liked the story, but couldn't really connect with the main character, to me she was quite weak.
May 20, 2013
Amelia
is currently reading it
Apr 22, 2013
Nancy
marked it as to-read
Mar 15, 2013
Jessica McCauley
marked it as to-read
Feb 17, 2013
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
Feb 10, 2013
Jill Ehrman
added it
Jan 31, 2013
Melissa Meador
marked it as to-read
Jan 21, 2013
Therese1974
is currently reading it
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Born in London, Valerie Anand knew at the age of six that she wanted to be an author. At the age of fifteen, she saw MGM’s film Ivanhoe. She walked into the cinema knowing that she wanted to be a novelist and walked out of it knowing that historical novels were the kind she most wanted to write.
Over the course of her long and distinguished writing career, Valerie has written many works of histori...more
More about Valerie Anand...
Over the course of her long and distinguished writing career, Valerie has written many works of histori...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
