tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post6850541996664267792..comments2024-03-27T22:25:42.129-05:00Comments on Reading the Past: Case study: Valerie Anand's The House of LanyonSarah Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-18064566209640961462009-10-20T12:41:36.669-05:002009-10-20T12:41:36.669-05:00Hello and thank you for your comments - glad you a...Hello and thank you for your comments - glad you agree on House of Lanyon. I wish there were going to be more than just the two in the series, but I haven't heard about any others to come.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-39528477267636617782009-10-20T11:55:06.483-05:002009-10-20T11:55:06.483-05:00Have just finished reading the House of Lanyon and...Have just finished reading the House of Lanyon and I marvelled at its sense of place and history. I came across your site by accident and was horrified by your reference to comments that said it could have been set anywhere, anytime. I suppose those readers haven't had a UK education and, being part Welsh/part English I revelled in the references!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-32499283687381995212009-04-02T18:06:00.000-05:002009-04-02T18:06:00.000-05:00If you've never read the Bridges over Time books (...If you've never read the Bridges over Time books (I sounded kind of obnoxious about it, reading over what I wrote :) you're in for a treat. The first book is The Proud Villeins, and the series traces several branches of the same family over 800+ years of British history as they rise up out of serfdom and steadily regain the social status they had before the Norman Conquest. Great descriptions of medieval life.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-73228815224608425022009-04-02T14:49:00.000-05:002009-04-02T14:49:00.000-05:00I throughly enjoyed the Fiona Buckley series. Nev...I throughly enjoyed the Fiona Buckley series. Never knew she had this other series. Sorry I never heard of the Bridges series, but I have now put it on my TBR. Historical fiction for me takes place in a period of time, with conventions and descriptions and such. I don't need famous people in my books.Jenny Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04077659644092707107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-9243017818480807432008-12-06T05:05:00.000-06:002008-12-06T05:05:00.000-06:00valerie--coincidently,me also from north india is ...valerie--coincidently,<BR/>me also from north india is dalip anand<BR/><BR/>read first times about you,<BR/>lot of regards<BR/>daDALIP ANANDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04041763809554520665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-8773109322130269862008-09-24T20:48:00.000-05:002008-09-24T20:48:00.000-05:00Hi Laura, thanks for reporting back, and I'm glad ...Hi Laura, thanks for reporting back, and I'm glad you enjoyed it also. I agree that it does resemble Follett, both in terms of setting and the relatively simple style of her storytelling (but it's less sprawling and more historically accurate!). I've just finished House of Allerbrook, which is just as good, though political matters play a much stronger role in the characters' lives.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-33202290407966342832008-09-24T16:12:00.000-05:002008-09-24T16:12:00.000-05:00I finally read The House of Lanyon and I liked it ...I finally read The House of Lanyon and I liked it a lot. Enough to buy the next book in the series. I was reminded of Ken Follett's books, but I thought this was better - much better. She didn't ramble, nor did she go into graphic detail regarding intimacy - which I very much appreciated. Good story!Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17775836987596716063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-4359728215423326242007-12-02T19:55:00.000-06:002007-12-02T19:55:00.000-06:00Will do!Will do!Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17775836987596716063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-72699963065771359972007-12-02T17:57:00.000-06:002007-12-02T17:57:00.000-06:00Hi Laura, please let me/us know what you think aft...Hi Laura, please let me/us know what you think after you read it!Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-30236229684122413682007-12-02T11:56:00.000-06:002007-12-02T11:56:00.000-06:00Well, your blog entry and your review convinced me...Well, your blog entry and your review convinced me to buy it! I got it yesterday from the local bookstore, and will read it after New Year's.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17775836987596716063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-77633023197068882632007-11-24T18:09:00.000-06:002007-11-24T18:09:00.000-06:00I think you would probably like it too! It's bran...I think you would probably like it too! It's brand new as of this month, so it's not surprising if you missed seeing it before.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-79301031520090422612007-11-24T17:06:00.000-06:002007-11-24T17:06:00.000-06:00Thanks for the heads up on this Sarah! I love this...Thanks for the heads up on this Sarah! I love this type of book and I might have missed it.Doubtful Musehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01408597197346286147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-91659409472704199942007-11-23T09:07:00.000-06:002007-11-23T09:07:00.000-06:00Yes, this is true.What I find interesting here is ...Yes, this is true.<BR/><BR/>What I find interesting here is that, according to her author's note, Anand wrote this novel by invitation. Paraphrasing: she'd always wanted to write a book set on Exmoor, and when her agent phoned her with the news that a publisher was looking for a historical novel with a regional English setting, she finally got the chance to write it.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-49612694012173620362007-11-23T05:54:00.000-06:002007-11-23T05:54:00.000-06:00"few modern authors write novels of this type anym..."few modern authors write novels of this type anymore"<BR/>It may be the case that they are still being written, but that few modern publishers publish them any more. But whatever the reason, they do seem to be a near-extinct species. Pity.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-86076620717003924062007-11-22T20:19:00.000-06:002007-11-22T20:19:00.000-06:00Carla - yes, it does fall into the same tradition ...Carla - yes, it does fall into the same tradition as Delderfield. It is somewhat old-fashioned in that respect, but I found it refreshing, because few modern authors write novels of this type anymore. <BR/><BR/>I didn't find it dull at all, because there's plenty of drama going on within the families to carry the story, but readers looking for political intrigue, glamorous characters/settings, and major historical events will likely be disappointed. The objections center on there not being "enough of a historical sense," but given all the historical detail Anand includes (albeit of a different type than some readers want/expect) I don't really see that. In fact, when XX (major historical figure everyone here will recognize) makes an appearance over halfway through the story, to me it felt artificial. At least at first.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-28174382416132182522007-11-22T17:20:00.000-06:002007-11-22T17:20:00.000-06:00This is new to me, but from your description it so...This is new to me, but from your description it sounds as if it belongs to a long tradition of novel writing. RF Delderfield's novels spring immediately to mind - also, by chance, set mainly in the West Country. Are the objections to the absence of 'glamour', or is the story itself considered to be dull?Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-15477602356073498522007-11-22T10:02:00.000-06:002007-11-22T10:02:00.000-06:00There's another one called The Norman Pretender I ...There's another one called <I>The Norman Pretender</I> I particularly enjoyed as well - it's been over 20 years since I read it, but from what I recall, most if not all of the characters are historical figures. If you read it alongside Morgan Llywelyn's <I>The Wind from Hastings</I> you'll get a slightly different view of Harold's wife Aldith.<BR/><BR/>The tone of <I>House of Lanyon</I> is lighter than any of these.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-67740151860983127932007-11-22T08:13:00.000-06:002007-11-22T08:13:00.000-06:00I read some of Anand's novels a few years ago, and...I read some of Anand's novels a few years ago, and particularly enjoyed <I>King of the Wood</I> and the ones that came before it chronologically - one was called <I>Gildenford</I>, can't remember the name of the other one. I didn't know she wrote as Fiona Buckley too.Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-64433702224185440752007-11-21T13:47:00.000-06:002007-11-21T13:47:00.000-06:00I've read one Fiona Buckley novel and thought it w...I've read one Fiona Buckley novel and thought it was so-so. It's been a while, so find it hard to say now what I didn't like about it, but I prefer the ones she writes as Anand.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-22383795867717767062007-11-21T13:42:00.000-06:002007-11-21T13:42:00.000-06:00I haven't read any of her books under the Valerie ...I haven't read any of her books under the Valerie Anand name, only the Fiona Buckley books.Marghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13508430635744720721noreply@blogger.com