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Love & Inheritance Trilogy #2
Long Live the King
From the award-winning writer of the original Upstairs Downstairs ―the second novel in an irresistible trilogy about an Earl's family and his servants at the turn of the twentieth century.
As 1901 comes to an end, there is much to be grateful The Dilberne fortune has been restored, and the grand Dilberne Court, with its one hundred rooms, has been saved. Lord Robert's son, Arthur, is happily married to Chicago heiress, Minnie, who is pregnant and trying to come to terms with her new role as lady of the manor, and her charming but controlling mother-in-law, Lady Isobel. As Lord Robert and Lady Isobel get caught up in the preparations of the coronation of Edward VII, they debate the future of their recently orphaned niece, Adela. Isobel and Minnie want to take her in; Robert and Arthur do not. While they argue, Adela runs away and joins a travelling group of spiritualists and has a life-saving run-in with the king.
With Long Live the King , Fay Weldon continues the magnificent trilogy that began with Habits of the House. As the award-winning writer for the pilot episode of the original Upstairs Downstairs, Weldon brings her deservedly famous wit and insight to this novel of love and desire, morals and manners.
As 1901 comes to an end, there is much to be grateful The Dilberne fortune has been restored, and the grand Dilberne Court, with its one hundred rooms, has been saved. Lord Robert's son, Arthur, is happily married to Chicago heiress, Minnie, who is pregnant and trying to come to terms with her new role as lady of the manor, and her charming but controlling mother-in-law, Lady Isobel. As Lord Robert and Lady Isobel get caught up in the preparations of the coronation of Edward VII, they debate the future of their recently orphaned niece, Adela. Isobel and Minnie want to take her in; Robert and Arthur do not. While they argue, Adela runs away and joins a travelling group of spiritualists and has a life-saving run-in with the king.
With Long Live the King , Fay Weldon continues the magnificent trilogy that began with Habits of the House. As the award-winning writer for the pilot episode of the original Upstairs Downstairs, Weldon brings her deservedly famous wit and insight to this novel of love and desire, morals and manners.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
74 people are currently reading
1338 people want to read
About the author
Fay Weldon
156 books396 followersFay Weldon CBE was an English author, essayist and playwright, whose work has been associated with feminism. In her fiction, Weldon typically portrayed contemporary women who find themselves trapped in oppressive situations caused by the patriarchal structure of British society.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fay_Weldon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fay_Weldon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
May 13, 2013
Fans of “Habits of the House” by Fay Weldon rejoice! “Long Live the King”, the second installment of a promised trilogy, will soon be published and it’s another tasty morsel from “Upstairs/Downstairs” writer, Weldon.
“Downton Abby” fans who need a “fix” before the next season airs will want to tap into this trilogy depicting Robert, Earl of Dilberne, and his family, his servants, his Monarchs and his trades-people. This novel revolves around the build up to the Coronation of King Edward VII, following the death of his mother, long-reigning Queen Victoria. Times are changing after the Queen’s death; fashions and morals are getting a bit “looser” and the Earl’s family and acquaintances are not immune from these changes.
Weldon’s dry wit and ironic story-telling are again in full view in “Long Live the King”!
“Downton Abby” fans who need a “fix” before the next season airs will want to tap into this trilogy depicting Robert, Earl of Dilberne, and his family, his servants, his Monarchs and his trades-people. This novel revolves around the build up to the Coronation of King Edward VII, following the death of his mother, long-reigning Queen Victoria. Times are changing after the Queen’s death; fashions and morals are getting a bit “looser” and the Earl’s family and acquaintances are not immune from these changes.
Weldon’s dry wit and ironic story-telling are again in full view in “Long Live the King”!
April 12, 2015
Not one of those plots that made me look forward to turning on the Playaway to see what was going to happen next. I found the dithering over invitations to the king's coronation tiresome: were they burned? lost? would Rosina get to attend? And I didn't get attached to any of the characters. I like the setting (England, 1901). And the descriptions of Adela's and Minnie's naïveté about what was happening to their bodies (maturing into womanhood, pregnancy) was done with the author's usual delicacy and humor.
May 18, 2013
Book 2 of the Victorian/Edwardian aristocratic Dilberne family trilogy ends in the summer of 1902, with a coronation...after a roller-coaster ride through a pregnancy, possible kidnapping, séances, elopement, royal rumors, British politics, and menus that guarantee heartburn. I can't wait to see what the author of the original "Upstairs, Downstairs" comes up with next.
Best childbirth conversation ever... Minnie: "The doctor said to come get him when the pains are 2 minutes apart. Right now, the pains are 1 minute apart." Arthur: "Well, then let's wait until the pains are 2 minutes apart like he said." You can guess who delivered the baby.
Best childbirth conversation ever... Minnie: "The doctor said to come get him when the pains are 2 minutes apart. Right now, the pains are 1 minute apart." Arthur: "Well, then let's wait until the pains are 2 minutes apart like he said." You can guess who delivered the baby.
January 21, 2018
I really enjoyed this instalment of the Love & Inheritance Trilogy. Much more than the first book in the series, in fact. I read this one within 24 hours! The characters were better balanced at being likeable and flawed, as well as there were less awkward sexual reference. It has really set the stage for the third book, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens. There was a slight reference to something, almost an aside, that makes me wonder if that's what the title of the third book is referring to (I won't spoil it!).
September 2, 2020
Not great literature, and certainly not the level of writing of Julian Fellowes, but an OK escape read. I found the addition of the paranormal a disappointing development, but people in that era were indeed obsessed with it, so it reads fairly authentically. More descriptions of the clothes was fun.
July 28, 2017
more intriguing than the first book.
January 12, 2018
Continuing the social satire of the Edwardian upper classes and their servants, following Habits of the House. This one introduces some new characters, somewhat distant relatives of the original family, with their own eccentricities and baggage. Weldon's ability to skewer pretension is funny and seldom mean-spirited.
February 7, 2018
I like the way the characters progressed in the 2nd in the series and the storylines were fun. I'm excited to listen to the 3rd and final one!
April 2, 2020
This is the second book in a series about the British monarchy. There is little of historical significance in the story, but much about ladies fashion and customs among the entitled.
August 23, 2013
This is the second book in Fay Weldon's trilogy. It is 1901 and Queen Victoria is dead and her son, Bertie is getting ready for his coronation. Included are descriptions of the concern of the people at the expense of the coronation given the state of the economy and how as the economy improves the concern lessens. After Arthur's marriage to Minnie the finances of the family have improved along with Lord Dilberne's investments. An heir is on the way and Rosina continues to cause the family
heartache. It is interesting that the family does not go to the aid of Lord Dilberne's niece after both her parents have died and that although her Ladyship doesn't feel that this is the right thing to do, Lord Dilberne is quite comfortable in allowing the Bishop to take care of things for Adela. There are some unusual events that occur in the book so it is interesting and I will read the third book of the series to find out what happens but it is not of the quality of Downton Abbey or Upstairs, Downstairs which the author herself, wrote the pilot for. In all fairness, however, I am reading this and did not read Downton Abbey or Upstairs, Downstairs but saw them on television. That might make a difference in how much I enjoy them but I almost always prefer the written version to the movie so I am unclear on my thinking about this. The writing is solid and interesting, I am just not sure it is her best or whether these were perhaps written quickly so they could jump onto the popularity of the Downton Abbey train.
heartache. It is interesting that the family does not go to the aid of Lord Dilberne's niece after both her parents have died and that although her Ladyship doesn't feel that this is the right thing to do, Lord Dilberne is quite comfortable in allowing the Bishop to take care of things for Adela. There are some unusual events that occur in the book so it is interesting and I will read the third book of the series to find out what happens but it is not of the quality of Downton Abbey or Upstairs, Downstairs which the author herself, wrote the pilot for. In all fairness, however, I am reading this and did not read Downton Abbey or Upstairs, Downstairs but saw them on television. That might make a difference in how much I enjoy them but I almost always prefer the written version to the movie so I am unclear on my thinking about this. The writing is solid and interesting, I am just not sure it is her best or whether these were perhaps written quickly so they could jump onto the popularity of the Downton Abbey train.
September 13, 2016
There is no need to read this novel - the book blurb says it all, including the climax of the book. Adela’s “life-saving run-in with the king” occurs on page 341. The book is 344 pages long.
Luckily for me, I’ve learned to read only enough of a blurb to see if I would be interested in the book, mark it as to-read, and then NEVER LOOK AT THE BLURB AGAIN until after I have read said book. I also wait a few months to read anything I have researched, just to be sure that I don’t know too much about it. A benefit of menopause is forgetfulness.
With that being said, I thought this book was an entertaining read, even if the story itself was a bit of a disappointment.
I mostly enjoyed the historical figures that were sprinkled throughout. We got to look inside the lives of such notables as King Edward VII, Queen Alexandra, & Consuelo Vanderbilt (Duchess of Marlborough) and felt that we got to “know” them. Several others got a brief mention. I am now inspired to read about Mary Victoria Leiter (Lady Curzon). She was another wealthy American who married into the British aristocracy.
Luckily for me, I’ve learned to read only enough of a blurb to see if I would be interested in the book, mark it as to-read, and then NEVER LOOK AT THE BLURB AGAIN until after I have read said book. I also wait a few months to read anything I have researched, just to be sure that I don’t know too much about it. A benefit of menopause is forgetfulness.
With that being said, I thought this book was an entertaining read, even if the story itself was a bit of a disappointment.
I mostly enjoyed the historical figures that were sprinkled throughout. We got to look inside the lives of such notables as King Edward VII, Queen Alexandra, & Consuelo Vanderbilt (Duchess of Marlborough) and felt that we got to “know” them. Several others got a brief mention. I am now inspired to read about Mary Victoria Leiter (Lady Curzon). She was another wealthy American who married into the British aristocracy.
June 18, 2013
The second in the saga of the upper-class Dilberne family in early-1900's England, and even more enjoyable than the first. Queen Victoria has died, the coronation of the new king is imminent, and that sets events in motion toward the big day, in which the Dilbernes will play a part. In the meantime, Robert's clergyman brother and his wife have died horribly in a fire, and their daughter, 15-year-old Adela -- whom the Dilbernes have never even met, due to a falling-out between the brothers years ago -- is left an orphan. Taken in at first by the local bishop, Adela then escapes with her household's former maid to become a much-in-demand spiritualist. It is all so silly and so melodramatic and immensely enjoyable! I am SO looking forward to the next book, although that will disappointingly mean the end of this planned trilogy.
June 2, 2013
Less irritating than the first book due to less use of reported speech, so an extra star for that. Rosnia got short shrift as a character, I think maybe Fay dislikes writing about her? Her romance is completely sketched over. The portrayal of parties with the Royal family (Isobel advising the Queen about what crown to have) and a subplot about clairvoyancy were a bit well...ridiculous, but entertaining. I found Mrs. Baum the Zionist scientist far more interesting. Don't read if you want realistic anachronism free historical fiction.
June 15, 2013
This is Fay Weldon's second book in this trilogy. It's a fun series about the clueless rich families in 1900 England. Queen Victoria has died and her son Bertie is next in line. Invitations have been sent to the Coronation. Lord Robert and Lady Isobel have overcome their money problems when their son marries Minnie the daughter of an American millionaire. Isobel fears her husband Robert is having an affair but she is going through the change so she maybe overreacting. Bertie is have health issues with his overdoing everything, mostly rich food. Long Live the King!
May 31, 2013
Liked the first book in the trilogy well enough to reserve this second offering, but from the first sentence, it was a struggle. I got 2/3 of the way through and quit. I just didn't care about the characters and the book wasn't entertaining enough to warrant finishing it.
June 23, 2013
Not as good as Habits of the House. I will definitely check the final book in trilogy out from library. Not going to pay for it!
February 17, 2014
1901 London. Fun story, light reading. Enjoyed very much, found a new author.
December 28, 2017
Fay Weldon's newest novel, "Long Live the King" is the middle volume in her trilogy about Edwardian society. Weldon, known for her trenchant and witty novels of social life in England, has jumped on the "Downton Abbey" bandwagon with her trilogy. She is the author of the first, the original episode of "Upstairs, Downstairs", and knows her subject pretty well.
Weldon's first book in the trilogy, "Habits of the House", was published earlier this year and introduced the reader to the Dilberne family. Parents and two adult children, as well as a houseful of "staff", the family had fallen onto hard times financially due to some very risky investments in South Africa. A "timely" marriage to the daughter of a wealthy Chicago pork-mogul saved the family from ruin and they were able to continue in London society. This second book - set a few years later - continues the family's story, but has a sort of "rushed" feel to it. The new characters introduced are not particularly fleshed out - I'm not sure even author Weldon finds them interesting - as events just sort of "happen" to them. The characters from the first book had been written with a surer hand than those of the second. I think Weldon would have been better off continuing the story with just the characters from "Habits". The Dilbernes, the Baums, and the staff were all well-drawn.
Now, it's easy for a reviewer to comment on one book, but what of two books in a series? In this case, book one was a very good read, while book two was not particularly worth the plod. What about book three? Do we have hopes for Weldon to tie her characters and plot together in the tidy fashion she's generally known for? I sure hope so. I've already preordered book three, which will be out in mid-December. I recommend this book only to readers who enjoyed book one in the series and who hold out hope that book three will rebound to Weldon's high standards.
Weldon's first book in the trilogy, "Habits of the House", was published earlier this year and introduced the reader to the Dilberne family. Parents and two adult children, as well as a houseful of "staff", the family had fallen onto hard times financially due to some very risky investments in South Africa. A "timely" marriage to the daughter of a wealthy Chicago pork-mogul saved the family from ruin and they were able to continue in London society. This second book - set a few years later - continues the family's story, but has a sort of "rushed" feel to it. The new characters introduced are not particularly fleshed out - I'm not sure even author Weldon finds them interesting - as events just sort of "happen" to them. The characters from the first book had been written with a surer hand than those of the second. I think Weldon would have been better off continuing the story with just the characters from "Habits". The Dilbernes, the Baums, and the staff were all well-drawn.
Now, it's easy for a reviewer to comment on one book, but what of two books in a series? In this case, book one was a very good read, while book two was not particularly worth the plod. What about book three? Do we have hopes for Weldon to tie her characters and plot together in the tidy fashion she's generally known for? I sure hope so. I've already preordered book three, which will be out in mid-December. I recommend this book only to readers who enjoyed book one in the series and who hold out hope that book three will rebound to Weldon's high standards.
December 21, 2018
I began reading this right after I finished book one, Habits of the house. This story begins about a year after that first one ends, so things have shifted somewhat in the world of the Dilbernes. This book traces the continuing story of Lord Dilberne and his family -- wife Isobel, hovering around the royals as they prepare for the coronation; son Arthur and his wife Minnie, preparing for the arrival of their first baby; and daughter Rosina, continuing to exercise her unfashionable intellect, delving into theosophy. It also introduces Adela, daughter of his Lordship's estranged brother, whose tiny, sheltered life is turned upside-down by tragedy, and finds herself swept up into the powers of the persuasive, and wholly without the natural reserves of understanding and world-wisdom to resist. The two stories inch toward each other (enticingly) throughout this novel with sometimes-frustrating speed (or lack thereof), with a sense of inevitability, but also a thread of doubt. Fay Weldon continues to weave a portrait of English high society at the end of the Victorian era, the edge of modernity, the polite conflicts between the aristocracy and the working class, and every character embodies some aspect of that social construct. Fascinating and entertaining! I want to dive back in and finish the trilogy immediately, but my library holds are piling up. I look forward to seeing how the story ends.
October 21, 2019
*Dit is een boek uit de bibbox historische romans*
Koningin Victoria is dood en haar zoon Bertie zal haar opvolgen. De Dilbernes kijken uit naar de kroning, wat een moment van glorie moet worden voor deze adellijke familie. Al maakt lady Isobel zich zorgen over de genegenheid van haar man voor een jonge hertogin. Hun nichtje Adela, dat vervreemt is van de rest van de familie, maakt ondertussen een persoonlijk drama mee.
Dit boek is een tweede deel uit een serie. Het kan best los gelezen worden denk ik, maar soms had ik toch het gevoel dat beginnen bij het eerste deel beter was geweest. Of dit in geval: gewoon niet aan dit boek beginnen.
Het is in de traditie van Downtown Abbey en Jane Austen. Een relaas van een adellijke familie die hele dagen niks om handen heeft behalve drama maken. Op zich kan ik dat soort verhalen wel aan. Zo dat typische kostuumdramasfeertje. Maar dit is gewoon slecht geschreven of vertaald. Saai zelfs. Er gebeurt echt niks en dat met vlakke personages.
Ik gaf niet veel om Isobel, Minnie of zelfs Rosina, met wie de schrijfster een origineler personage wil neerzetten. Adela was nog een klein hoogtepuntje, maar zij is dan weer zo naïef.
Nope, dit is een boek dat ik heel snel zal vergeten. Ik las de laatste 80 pagina's diagonaal gewoon om er vanaf te zijn.
Koningin Victoria is dood en haar zoon Bertie zal haar opvolgen. De Dilbernes kijken uit naar de kroning, wat een moment van glorie moet worden voor deze adellijke familie. Al maakt lady Isobel zich zorgen over de genegenheid van haar man voor een jonge hertogin. Hun nichtje Adela, dat vervreemt is van de rest van de familie, maakt ondertussen een persoonlijk drama mee.
Dit boek is een tweede deel uit een serie. Het kan best los gelezen worden denk ik, maar soms had ik toch het gevoel dat beginnen bij het eerste deel beter was geweest. Of dit in geval: gewoon niet aan dit boek beginnen.
Het is in de traditie van Downtown Abbey en Jane Austen. Een relaas van een adellijke familie die hele dagen niks om handen heeft behalve drama maken. Op zich kan ik dat soort verhalen wel aan. Zo dat typische kostuumdramasfeertje. Maar dit is gewoon slecht geschreven of vertaald. Saai zelfs. Er gebeurt echt niks en dat met vlakke personages.
Ik gaf niet veel om Isobel, Minnie of zelfs Rosina, met wie de schrijfster een origineler personage wil neerzetten. Adela was nog een klein hoogtepuntje, maar zij is dan weer zo naïef.
Nope, dit is een boek dat ik heel snel zal vergeten. Ik las de laatste 80 pagina's diagonaal gewoon om er vanaf te zijn.
June 27, 2018
I didn't enjoy this second book in the Love and Inheritance Trilogy as much as the first. I found it rather flat. The build-up towards Edward VII's coronation was, frankly, rather boring. The Edwardian's fascination with the supernatural and psychics was explored, but the storyline didn't really go anywhere. The characters come alive on the page in the first few chapters, but towards the end of the novel, the narrative takes them over and the whole thing becomes plot driven. The orphan, Adela is a potentially strong character, but again, she almost falls off the page towards the end and her character is never really developed. Overall, rather disappointing!
June 19, 2017
In this second volume of Weldon's Love & Inheritance Trilogy, Lord Robert and Lady Isobel are caught up in the coronation preparations for King Edward VII, son of the late Queen Victoria. Arthur's new automobile business at Dilberne Court, Rosina's elopement and departure to Australia, and the appearance of a suddenly orphaned niece all add to the confusion and swirling chaos of the Hedleigh household. The servants' sharp-eyed observations and working around mechanisms provide a sharp social commentary to everyday life in class-divided England.
November 1, 2020
This trilogy is quite fun!
"She had married into a family of aliens who pretended no one had sex, a race who never acknowledged weakness, physical or emotional, who did not weep or get drunk at funerals, or run to the side of orphaned family members, or countenance if they fell off a horse and broke an arm, but just remounted and got on again. They demanded servitude and got it. Insisted on in equality and were not defied. She was going to give birth to another one. Well, they ran a mighty empire. It could be worse."
"She had married into a family of aliens who pretended no one had sex, a race who never acknowledged weakness, physical or emotional, who did not weep or get drunk at funerals, or run to the side of orphaned family members, or countenance if they fell off a horse and broke an arm, but just remounted and got on again. They demanded servitude and got it. Insisted on in equality and were not defied. She was going to give birth to another one. Well, they ran a mighty empire. It could be worse."
May 5, 2022
This was my first dip into the books of Fay Weldon and having heard of her many times over the years I borrowed this book from a friend and thought I'd see if it was my cup of tea. It was a pleasant enough book but rather too 'light-weight' for me - a lot of high society, mixing with royalty prior to the Coronation at the turn of the 20th Century and lots of rather air-headed characters at a time when women were brought up purely to marry well and not a lot more. Thankfully things have moved on!
August 13, 2017
As 1901 comes to an end, there is much to be grateful for: The Dilberne fortune has been restored, and the grand Dilberne Court, with its one hundred rooms, has been saved. Lord Robert's son, Arthur, is happily married to Chicago heiress, Minnie, who is pregnant and trying to come to terms with her new role as lady of the manor.
August 13, 2017
Did not enjoy this one as much as the first in the trilogy but it was still a pleasure to read. I kept looking up the historical references to philosophies, structures, dress, and custom. That definitely added a layer of admiration for Weldon and all she does to be historically correct.
April 17, 2021
This is book #2 in the Love & Inheritance trilogy. The action continues in much the same as in the first part. Fay Weldon is a good story teller, uses interesting vocabulary and masterful plots. I enjoyed this and will be reading #3 next.
February 26, 2022
I was rather bored from the beginning till the end. Nothing much happening, even slower-moving than the first volume of the trilogy. Rapidly skimmed over the last couple of chapters since I'd run out of patience. Will not read the third volume.
June 4, 2022
Found this book so boring I wondered again and again why I decided to read it. Obviously, I cannot recommend it nor will I list what I didn't like. Suffice it to say that there are few books I dislike. Most often I label them ok but this one I felt was a waste of my precious reading time.
May 14, 2017
Bravo. Fay writes humor wryly for royalty.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews