Forced to flee Revolutionary France after the brutal guillotining of her beloved father, Isabella de Savigny arrives at Nethergate, the Suffolk house of her cousin, hoping for sympathy and succour. Instead, as a poor relation, she is forced to live the life of a servant and suffer the casual cruelty of lady's maid Martha Pratt. When she is seduced and abandoned by the son of the house, Isabella is forced to marry Martha's brother, and her struggle to survive truly begins. However, her misery is lessened when her daughter is born, and for her sake she decides to fight back against this hostile world.
Sir Walter Raleigh was one of the brightest stars in the Elizabethan firmament. Born into relative obscurity in rural Devon, he grew up in company of smugglers and fishermen, listening to stories of voyages to far-flung lands. His lust for adventure was to take him from the bloody battlefields of Europe to the colonies of the New World and on to the dazzling court of Good Queen Bess. He was a naval commander against the Spanish Armada and led two expeditions to South America to search for El Dorado. This is the story of his relationship with the two women who dominated his life: Elizabeth, his queen, and Bess, her lady-in-waiting and his secret wife. It is the story of one of the greatest men in the greatest age in English history.
The Suffolk House Trilogy
The Town House is the first in a trilogy of novels by Norah Lofts about the inhabitants of a country house in Suffolk from the late fourteenth century to the middle of the twentieth. It begins with the story of Martin Reed, a serf existing under the control of a universally accepted and supported hierarchy. His rebellion, in defence of the woman he loves, casts both of them into the unknown. Freed from his acceptance of circumstance, Reed forges a new path, a path which culminates in the building of the House, and the foundations of a dynasty.
The Town House is the first in a trilogy of novels by Norah Lofts about the inhabitants of a country house in Suffolk from the late fourteenth century to the middle of the twentieth. It begins with the story of Martin Reed, a serf existing under the control of a universally accepted and supported hierarchy. His rebellion, in defence of the woman he loves, casts both of them into the unknown. Freed from his acceptance of circumstance, Reed forges a new path, a path which culminates in the building of the House, and the foundations of a dynasty.
8 comments:
I've been wondering about her writing too. I haven't read her yet, but these look too good to pass up. And how come the brits get all the goods =)
Love the tag: Off With Her Head Covers...too funny!
The Brits always get the best covers, I swear. I haven't had too much luck with Lofts yet but I wanted to give her another chance. I see my library has the first two listed (in large print though yuck) and I've placed holds.
misfitandmom...you're so right! Not only do they get the earlier release dates, but their covers are always better!! I have euro-envy =)
I've found Lofts to be a little hit or miss. I really liked The Concubine and The King's Pleasure but didn't care for Eleanor the Queen and thought Crown of Aloes was just OK. I guess the cure for the envy is The Book Depository!
Just skip The Lute Player - although I doubt anyone can make Richard I and Berengaria interesting.
This is all Marg's fault but I've picked you - tag you're it,
http://misfitandmom.livejournal.com/7034.html
I believe I've read them all except "Here Was a Man." I sometimes find it hard to remember which of her non-royal books is which because of similar titles and plots. Still, she is one of my favorite writers, and as I recall Nethergate is a good one.
I have the Town House trilogy, but my copies are pretty beat up. Tempting to buy the new ones from the UK.
Touchstone is republishing Here Was a Man in July. They did the U.S. resissues of The Concubine and The King's Pleasure. Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Here-Was-Man-Raleigh-Elizabeth/dp/1416590919/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1238891427&sr=11-1
I read all the "House" books long ago. No memory of the covers, but I'm pretty sure the women's head were visible. What is this new style for just the torso to be displayed?
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