#19: Covers 1843-1848; early Victorian period

Finally, with Nicholas Morland’s death in The Abyss, the series shifts focus from the Morland brothers to other members of the family; in this case, specifically, Charlotte, daughter of Rosalind and Marcus. She has spent the first 21 years of her life living on relative poverty; but at her father’s death discovers that she’s a wealthy heiress. She is vaulted into high society London, in the company of her cousin Fanny, who is already out but not married. Charlotte forms an attachment to Oliver Fleetwood (who has a “reputation”), but disappointment leads her to become involved in philanthropy and medicine.

It’s a relief for the series to move away from the Morland brothers. In some of the previous books, there was a lot of tension and build-up, so it’s good to see some of that released with this installment in the series. Charlotte is a delightful character, quiet but strong-willed and independent. Fanny, the flirt, is the first of the two girls to fall in love; and although circumstances contrive to keep Charlotte and Oliver apart, you hope (and maybe even know?) that a happy ending is in store for them. I loved watching Charlotte’s evolution as a character. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles could have made Charlotte be gauche and naive; but she’s one of those characters who can easily stand back from her surroundings and just observe. She doesn’t allow herself to get caught up in the trappings of her life, even though many young women in her position would be. In this way, get to see the Morlands from the outside looking in, which was a fun treat, since they’re such an eccentric, eclectic bunch.

The Hidden Shore is kind of an in-between book; there are no major historical events going on, although the Crimean War is just on the horizon (it’s funny that Cavendish, whose health his parents worry about wants to go into the cavalry, and everyone keeps saying that no fighting will ever take place that he’ll have to participate in). ( )

Set in the 1840s, The Hidden Shore steps outside Morland Place to look at the lives of the Manchester and London branches of the family. The main heroine of this book, Charlotte, has been estranged from her extended family for most of her life. She hasn’t been raised to think about come-out parties and finding a mate worthy of her status. In fact, she doesn’t know what her status is and has never given any thought to finding a husband. But as the heir of her father’s hidden fortune and title, she finds that she must take her place in society and learn the rules as she goes.

Charlotte’s reactions to her new social circle give freshness to the oft-repeated Morland storyline of finding a suitable spouse. But even though Charlotte’s thoughts and actions added some interesting complications, the romantic storylines generally did tend toward the predictable, perhaps more so than in previous books. Plus, I just couldn’t bring myself to care about the romances when the history was so much more interesting.

The historical background of this book is Victorian London, and there’s a lot of attention paid to the plight of the urban poor. This has been a running thread in the books that have dealt with the family’s mills in Manchester, but this book takes the characters deeper into more devastating poverty. I’ve read a lot of fiction set in the Victorian era, but I’ve rarely read such detailed descriptions of urban squalor in Victorian London. I think Harrod-Eagles’s focus on wealthy characters works to her advantage here. We see the awful conditions through their eyes, instead of through the eyes of people who have come to see such conditions as normal.

So overall, this was not as strong as the books immediately before it, but it was still quite good. I really like Charlotte as a character, but I worry that she is too idealized. I’m curious to see how she develops over the next few books.

See my complete review at Shelf Love. ( )

Reminded me of a Jane Austen book- the missing heiress returns! A welcome light relief after the more gothic episodes of late. ( )