You guys are so good at IDing books based on vague outlines perhaps one of you can come up with a title to one that has been driving me crazy. I think I read it in the eighties.
It follows a family with 7 children. The mother always dreams of going to sea but she can’t as this book takes place I believe in the late 1800’s. One of her sons (her favorite, who she has a powerful connection to) grows up and put a figurehead of her on his ship. I believe as the ship is being launched, she dies from a heart attack or such from the excitement. The book follows the life of her children, down to her grand children and possibly her great grand children to modern times. I believe the youngest sons name was Philip and he grows up to be a miserly bitter old man. He always hated the favorite son and makes problems for him and his descendants. I could write more vague recollections of the book, but I think this is post is probably disjointed enough. If anyone can help find the title of this I would be grateful.
Well I knew this would be a hard one to name. Well thanks for anyone who gave it any thought.