Historical Tapestry

HT News

2009-12-05T09:38:00.000Z

The ladies from Hoydens and Firebrands, a group author blog that focusses on the 17th century, have interviewed Christie Dickason about her new book, The King's Daughter.

Did you know that author Anne Whitfield has set up a Historical Fiction books network on Ning? It's a place specifically for readers and authors of Historical Fiction to connect. You can check it out here. It's been around for a while now, but I have only just found out about it, so I am sharing it with you all!

Tony Hays has guest posted on CW Gortner's blog, Historical Boys. Speaking of Tony Hays, Amy from Passages to the Past is giving away a copy of his second book, The Divine Secret.

Alaine from Queen of Happy Endings is having a huge December/January giveaway at her blog. There are 6 books up for grabs in total, 3 of which are historical fiction. Full details can be found here.

Lucy from Enchanted by Josephine is giving away a copy of Syrie James' The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. This giveaway closes on 7 December so you will need to hurry if you are interesting in getting into the draw for this prize.

Arleigh from Historical-fiction.com has two new giveaways on her blog. The first is for The Green Bronze Mirror by Lynne Ellison, and the second is for Duchess: A Novel of Sarah Churchill by Susan Holloway Scott.

Dolleygurl from The Maiden's Court is giving away a copy of the novel which started her reading historical fiction, The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory.

The December giveaway at Scandalous Women is The Harlot's Progress: Yorkshire Molly. Details of how to enter here.

Into The Wilderness by Sara Donati

2009-12-05T00:01:00.000Z

It is December of 1792. Elizabeth Middleton leaves her comfortable English estate to join her family in a remote New York mountain village. It is a place unlike any she has ever experienced. And she meets a man unlike any she has ever encountered--a white man dressed like a Native American, Nathaniel Bonner, known to the Mohawk people as Between-Two-Lives. Determined to provide schooling for all the children of the village, she soon finds herself locked in conflict with the local slave owners as well as her own family.

When I first heard of Into The Wilderness I must confess I was a bit doubtful that it was the book for me. It was presented as a sequel to The Last of The Mohicans and usually the sequels are a bit (or a lot) of a letdown (it isn't exactly a sequel though as the events take place quite a few years after TLoTM and only some of the same characters appear). However Marg was so sure about it and recommended it so well that I ended up putting it in the TBR pile and this weekend I finally read it. And I am very happy that I did.

This is the story of Elizabeth Middleton who travels to the New World to meet her father and become a school teacher. Her father has other ideas though and wants to see her well married with one of his neighbours, Richard Todd, whose primary interest is Elizabeth's dowry - the mountain Hidden Wolf. But Elizabeth has other ideas, not only wants she be independent but she is also attracted to Nathaniel Bonner, Cora and Hawkeye's son, who lives with his family in the mountain and has his own reasons to dislike the Richard. To help Nathaniel gain what he wants Elizabeth must plot to apparently to her father's wishes till the moment is right to show her hand.

But there's a lot more to like than just Elizabeth and Nathaniel's story. There's the vivid portrayal of the native way of life and the settlers way of life. The tension in their relationship and the problems faced by those who live between both worlds.

I think the best thing about the story is Donati's vivid descriptions and complex characters, you really feel transported to that world for the space of the reading and when it closes you really want to know what is going to happen next with the characters. Fans of Diana Gabaldon will be happy to know that her famous characters are mentioned in the space of a page.

Grade: 5/5

HT New - News flash!

2009-12-03T19:19:00.000Z

Robin Maxwell has announced the launch of the O'Juliet Love Games. In the lead up to the release of her new novel, O'Juliet, which is due to be released early in February 2010, Robin is going to be having all sorts of cool promotions. You can check out the announcement post at her blog.

I must say I am very excited about reading this book! I hope it lives up to my expectations!

Visit RobinMaxwell.com for more information

Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander

2009-12-03T00:01:00.000Z

London’s social season is in full swing, and the Victorian aristocracy can’t stop whispering about a certain gentleman who claims to be the direct descendant of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. But he’s not the only topic of wagging tongues. Drawing rooms, boudoirs, and ballrooms are abuzz with the latest news of an audacious cat burglar who has been making off with precious items that once belonged to the ill-fated queen.

Light gossip turns serious when the owner of one of the pilfered treasures is found murdered, and the mysterious thief develops a twisted obsession with Emily. But the strong-minded and fiercely independent Emily will not be shaken. It will take all of her considerable wit and perseverance to unmask her stalker and ferret out the murderer, even as a brewing scandal threatens both her reputation and her romance with her late husband’s best friend, the dashing Colin Hargreaves.

Those who enjoyed Tasha Alexander previous installment – And Only to Deceive – will certainly like this one as well. I must say that Lady Emily Ashton’s series is getting better and better. I can hardly wait to get my hands in Fatal Waltz.

Emily is an intelligent woman. She loves Greek culture, is interested in antiquities and she spends most of her time learning the most she can about both subjects. If And Only To Deceive is mostly focused on her failed relationship with her deceased husband and the mystery surrounding his death, in The Poisoned Season, she moves on, becomes more independent, more sure of herself. Lady Ashton has a brain and has no problems showing it, even if some society members (including her mother) are scandalized by her reading in a public place (this scene was hilarious!).

This time the mystery concerns a descendent of Marie Antoinette, Charles Berry, or so he claims. After his arrival to London, some of his ancestors personal objects are stolen from their owners. Meanwhile David Francis, a ton member, is poisoned and someone steals from his house something belonging to the tragic French queen. The mysterious thief is also sending some strange notes in Greek to Emily…

While I enjoyed the mystery part immensely, sometimes I had to suspend my disbelief about the thief’s antics. It really seemed a bit too much but nothing that makes you less curious about his identity.

Colin Hargraves is also making a patient court to Emily. He doesn’t want to scare her or rush her into anything she would later regret. Her previous disastrous marriage is something she doesn’t want to repeat and it’s obvious Colin understands Emily’s need to make a life of her own and decide when and if she wants to marry again.

Tasha Alexander not only easily creates a Victorian feeling but the historical detail is rich and delightful, even if sometimes too slow paced for my taste. Highly recommended for those who wish for a gripping and well written story.

Grade: 4/5

HT News

2009-12-02T04:26:00.003Z

HF Author Jessica James is on virtual tour over the next couple of weeks for her novel Shades of Grey. There are prizes and guest posts/interviews, so if you are interested in checking out her Civil War novel, then check out all the details here.

Over at Blog O' the Irish, Celticlady is giving away a historical fiction novel set in Egypt. Click here for details of how to win a copy of The Stone of Light: A Novel of Ancient Egypt (Nefer The Silent) by Christian Jacq.

Over at A Book Blogger's Diary you can read a guest post from Eva Hetzioni-Halevy and enter for a chance to win a copy of her book, The Triumph of Deborah. There are a lot of other giveaways at A Book Blogger's Diary as well.

Arleigh from Historical-fiction.com is giving away a copy of Susan Vreeland's Girl in Hyacinth Blue.

Angiegirl from Angieville has posted the cover for Deanna Raybourn's upcoming standalone novel. I am definitely looking forward to reading this one!

Daphne from Tanzanite Shelf and Stuff is hosting a giveaway, this time for The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent.

Challenge: The Alphabet in Historical Fiction

2009-12-01T02:00:00.001Z

It's time for a new letter in The Alphabet in Historical Fiction! But before, let's see our entries for the letter A:

1. Stephanie aka Laughing Stars - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

2. Marg (Reading Adventures) - The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

3. Whitney {too fond of books} - Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

4. Robin - The Reluctant Queen by Jean Plaidy

5. Teddy - The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

6. Daphne (Tanzanite) - Murder Most Royal by Jean Plaidy

7. Miss Moppet - Angélique (the heroine from the series by Serge Golon)

8. Rowenna - Atonement by Ian MacEwan

9. The Burton Review - Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliott

10. Sarah (Reading the Past) - The Alchemist's Daughter by Eileen Kernaghan

11. Leya (Wandeca Reads) - The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

12. Carrie C. - The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery

13. Ana (Aneca's World) - Red Adam's Lady by Grace Ingram

14. Heather - Any Known Blood by Lawrence Hill

15. Cat (Tell me a Story) - Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

16. bookworm - The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

17. Alex (Le Canapé) - The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

And now it's time to remember the rules and introduce the new letter!

Each fortnight you have to write a blog post about an historical fiction book of your choice (it might even be something you already read before), but it MUST be related to the letter of the fortnight.

You have several possibilities:

- the first letter of the title
- the first letter of the author's first name or surname
- the first letter of a character's first name or surname
- the first letter of a place where an historical event took place

You just have to choose one of them and participate.

Please check our blog each 1st and 15th of the month to find out our new letter, and then link your post (not your blog) back to our page through Mr Linky (see below). Then come and check to see who else has posted and visit their blog to find out all the details of the book they were reading.

You have until the end of each fortnight to complete your mission.

And the next fortnight will be dedicated to the letter B:

Upcoming Releases - December 2009

2009-11-29T00:01:00.001Z

December 1

Maureen Ash - Murder for Christ's Mass
Richard W. Wise - The French Blue
Julianne Lee - Her Mother's Daughter
Bernard Cornwall and Susannah Kells - The Fallen Angels (paperback rerelease)
Georgette Heyer - The Masqueraders (paperback rerelease)
Margaret Frazer - A Play of Treachery
Michael Pearce - A Dead Man in Naples

December 3
Elizabeth Chadwick - The Running Vixen (UK rerelease)

December 8

Nora Lofts - The Lute Player (paperback re-release)

December 10
Audrey Howard - The Flight of Swallows

December 24
Jessica Stirling - A Kiss and a Promise

December 29

Megan Chance - Prima Donna: A Novel
Christine Trent - The Queen's Dollmaker (US)
T C Boyle - The Women (re-release)
Sheila Kohler - Becoming Jane Eyre: A Novel
Elissa Elliott - Eve: A Novel of the First Woman

December 31
Bernard Cornwell - Agincourt (paperback re-release)
Matthew Flaming - The Kingdom of Ohio

Dissolution by C. J. Sansom

2009-11-27T00:01:00.001Z

It is 1537 and Thomas Cromwell has ordered that all monastries should be dissolved. Cromwell's Comissioner is found dead, his head severed from his body. Dr Shardlake is sent to uncover the truth behind what has happened. His investigation forces him to question everything that he himself believes.

I have to start the review by saying that I enjoyed it very much and I can't wait to continue with this series. Master Matthew Shardlake, hunchback and commissioner to Lord Thomas Cromwell, is a very interesting and complex character, and Sansom creates a very interesting mystery with plenty historical detail namely the turbulence that surrounded Henry VIII's closing of the monasteries, the political intrigues that were very much a part of his court and the corruption that was common to both places.

Master Shardlake is ordered by Cromwell to go to the Scarnsea monastery and investigate the murder of the commissioner previously sent there to organise the closing of the place. Shardlake goes with his assistant Mark Poer and finds that the previous comissioner had found some problem with the accounts when he was murdered. While the Abbot and the Prior would like to convince themselves and Shardlake that someone from the outside is the murderer, Shardlake is convinced that one of monks must be responsible. Corruption seems to run rampant and more than one of them is hiding a few secrets. Could it be the murder? While trying to understand their motivations, Shardlake also starts to reflect on his life, his choices and his blind faith in Thomas Cromwell...

Unexpectedly a young novice dies and the plot thickens when it discovered that he was poisoned. Shardlake also discovers that the previous helper at the infirmary, a girl named Orphan, disappeared eighteen months before and the mystery of her disappearance may well be related to everything else...

This is one of those books where the mystery is as interesting as the background story; one can't help like Shardlake, not because he is terribly sympathetic but because he is human. He starts very confident in his beliefs and actions and slowly starts to doubt his faith and the rectitude of the man he follows, all that reflex ion of what was going on in England at the time and the worries of the common people whose situation is not improved by the Reform made this a very engaging story and I can't wait to continue reading the series.

Grade: 4.5/5

HT News

2009-11-26T19:56:00.000Z

Historicalnovels.info have created a gift giving guide just in time for the holiday season. Check it out here.

Scandalous Women's last book giveaway for November is Amanda McCabe's The Winter Queen.

Amy from Passages to the Past is giving away a copy of Tracy Chevalier's The Lady and the Unicorn.

You can win a copy of To Hold the Crown by Jean Plaidy over at Plaidy's Royal Intrigue.

HT Recommends: Coal Mining and Framework Knitters

2009-11-25T00:01:00.002Z

Ann asks:

Please could you give me any suggestions of historical fiction set in Yorkshire's coal mining industry or Ilkeston's frame work knitters.

This was a very specific request and while we do have some suggestions they are few and in some cases a bit more generic than requested. Can anyone help out building a nice TBR pile for Ann?

Yorkshire Coal Mining Industry:
The Call of The Huntsman - Nina Whitehouse
Next of Kin - Stan Barstow

Derbyshire / Nottinghamshire Framework Knitters:
Tangled Threads - Margaret Dickinson
Pauper's Gold - Margaret Dickinson
Shirley - Charlotte Bronte (set against the backdrop of the Luddite riots)
Narrow Marsh - A. R. Dance

HT News

2009-11-24T19:39:00.001Z

It's Teddy Rose's blogiversary, and she has some giveaways that might interest HF fans. Head on over to see what is on offer. There are three prizes for US/Canada and one for everyone else.

Elizabeth Chadwick has unveiled the cover for To Defy a King, which is due out in the middle of next year. I can't wait, and I know I am not the only one! It's a very different look to her previous books, but I do like it.

HT News

2009-11-24T08:46:00.000Z

Anna Elliott, author of Twilight of Avalon has guest posted at Sarah Woodbury's blog about blending history and fantasy in historical fiction.

Lights, Camera...History have posted about the big screen adaptation of Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I will be looking forward to seeing that movie when it gets made.

Historicalnovels.info is hosting it's first ever giveaway! You can win one of six books:

Across the Endless River by Thad Carhart
Daughter of Kura by Debra Austin
The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Race for the Dying by Steven F. Havill
Serpent in the Thorns by Jeri Westerson
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

Full details of how to enter can be found here.

Virginie from Virginie Says is giving away a copy of Meet Me on the Paisley Roof by Murray Tillman.

Red Adam's Lady by Grace Ingram

2009-11-23T00:01:00.002Z

I have a new book to add to my medieval keeper's shelf. Red Adam's Lady is a fun tale, it has a perfect medieval atmosphere and it has engaging characters telling an interesting story, what more can you ask for?

Julitta is an orphan young lady who leaves with her uncle. She likes to go about simply dress and one day is mistaken for a servant maid and almost attacked (seduced?) by an inebriated Red Adam. She manages to hit him in the head and avoid the worst but she spends the night in his chambers and the day after everyone believes she was ill used by him.

Red Adam, who is actually a nice man when he is not drunk and being a nuisance and a rake, decides to reform and make amends and that is how Julitta ends up married to her abuser. What follows is Julitta and Red Adam getting to know each other, dealing with some villains in the form of Julitta's uncle and his friends and the wife of their steward while at the same time trying to discover what really happened to the wife of Red Adam's uncle from whom he inherited his estate.

The books gives us a good feel of the medieval period and the hardships involved in daily wife and also presents an interesting picture of the divided loyalties of the time, between Young Henry and Henry II, and the horrors of the Scottish invasion.

Now, if only I could find her other books I would be really happy!

Grade: 4.5/5

HT News

2009-11-22T19:17:00.000Z

We have had an Everything Austen challenge, and now, there is a Bronte's challenge as well.

You can win a copy of Alison Weir's Innocent Traitor at Historical-Fiction.com

Dolleygurl from The Maiden's Court is giving away a copy of Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. The catch is that you will need to write a review of the book. Full details are here.

Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick

2009-11-21T00:01:00.000Z

Rachel, a young prostitute enjoys the peace and beauty of the city garden in Arles. She falls asleep there and when she awakes, she finds a man sketching her. He turns out to be none other than Vincent Van Gogh. After their first encounter, Vincent visits Rachel at her brothel, 1, Rue du Bout d'Arles. He comes with a bouquet of wild flowers in hopes of convincing Rachel to let him paint her. This is the start of their romantic relationship.

As Rachel's love for Vincent deepens, her friend from 1, Rue du Bout d'Arles, Francois warns her not to get pulled in. She questions Vincent's love for Rachel and worries that Rachel is being set up for disappointment and possible ruin. Yes ruin, Rachel could be thrown out of the brothel and it's protection and be out on the street.

Vincent does seem to love Rachel however , he is supported financially by his brother Theo and does not think that he or his family would approve of the relationship. As Rachel and Vincent's love deepens Vincent all of a sudden goes mad. He comes to the brothel to give Rachel "a gift", part of his ear that he cut off. Vincent ends up going into a hospital, where Rachel isn't able to see him very often. From then on he gets better for awhile and then relapse often. Eventually the mental illness Vincent suffers forces him to leave town to get better treatment. Will Rachel and Vincent's love endure this separation? Read the book and find out.

Sheramy Bundrick writes in first person narrative with Rachel being the narrator. I loved how Bundrick takes Rachel, a little known person and writes an entire book about her. Her beautiful prose describes Van Gogh's paintings so well that I could picture them in my head.

Bundrick weaves a good tale of romance between Rachel and Vincent but after awhile I found the relationship monotonous. Rachel seemed to have a lot of freedom to come and go from the brothel. She went where and when she wanted to go and I question how realistic this is. Some of the women in the brothel are written as either really good or really bad, hardly any in-between which, also seems unrealistic to me. I also would have liked to have had more of 1889 Aries to bring more of the historical into it.

Once Vincent's first bought with illness comes, I found that the book picked up and I especially enjoyed the last few chapters. If you love historical romance, you will probably enjoy this book.

3.5/5

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

2009-11-19T00:01:00.001Z

Alessandra is not quite fifteen when her prosperous merchant father brings a young painter back with him from Holland to adorn the walls of the new family chapel. She is fascinated by his talents and envious of his abilities and opportunities to paint to the glory of God. Soon her love of art and her lively independence are luring her into closer involvement with all sorts of taboo areas of life. On excursions into the streets of night-time Florence she observes a terrible evil stalking the city and witnesses the rise of the fiery young priest, Savanarola, who has set out to rid the city of vice, richness, even art itself. Alessandra must make crucial decisions about the shape of her adult life, as Florence itself must choose between the old ways of the luxury-loving Medicis and the asceticism of Savanorola. And through it all, there is the painter, whose love will change everything.

I am starting to feel that maybe I have a problem with art related books, I always feel like I should like them more than I actually do. This has happened in the past and it happened again with this The Birth of Venus.

The book opens with the death of a nun and the sisters discovering that she had a shocking tattoo. The story then moves back to the late 15th century where Alessandra Cecchi is a young girl from a wealthy family in Florence. She is interested in art and resents the lack of freedom women have. While part of the story is her fascination with painting and her relationship with a painter her parents hired, most of it is her desire for more freedom which she believes she will find in her marriage to an older man, her relationship with her husband which is not as she believed him to be and the historical turmoil surrounding Savonarola and the invasion of Florence by the French.

I'm afraid I found myself more interested in those political aspects than in Alessandra, who didn't really appeal to me as character, or her artistic worries. In fact most of the characters didn't seem to be fully explored. I do understand that art was Alessandra's way to freedom, her revolt against the world who did not let her be who she wanted to be and who did not let women be more than inferior beings. However I'm afraid she failed to hold my interest enough to make me explore all the undercurrents and symbolism of the novel.

But it might be just me, if you like your historical fiction with a feminist perspective and lots of symbolic images this might be for you.

Grade: 3.5/5

HT News

2009-11-18T11:28:00.001Z

The December book of the month over at WordShakers online book club is going to be The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent. If you have read the book, or want to, and would like to join in on a discussion, then please add your details on this post.

There's a new Outlander Reading Challenge for those of you who want to read Diana Gabaldon's series.

Nan Hawthorne is giving people outside the US the chance to get hold of her new book, An Involuntary King. You can get the details here.

You can win a copy of Willoughby Returns by Jane Odiwe over at Love Romance Passion.

Would you like the chance to win a signed copy of Suzanne Crowley's The Stolen One. You can, by visiting Addicted to Books.

HT Recommends - Historical Mysteries & Historical Fiction- Regency/Victorian

2009-11-17T00:01:00.053Z

Cathie says:

Hi, I loved the few Historical Mysteries I read of the Regency/Victorian and the 1800's like NYC and SF ( I love reading Historical Romances!!)

I'm not totally sure on time periods like Victorian and Regency. So I have to learn that yet so I'm not too good at that part I just know from those I read what it ends up being set in. But I love to read it! And some day would love to read Historical Fiction set in Regency too, I think I'd learn more than. So I know I want to read more! Do you know of any recommendations for me??

Cathie has already read Ashley Gardner (Regency), Anne Perry's Thomas And Charlotte Pitts series, Victoria Thompson's Gaslight series, Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series, The Sarah Woolson Mysteries by Shirley Tallman and she has Deanna Raybourn to read.

Since some of us are very fond of historical mysteries we put our thinking hats and came up with the following suggestions:

Would anyone have more titles to suggest and add to Cathie's TBR pile?

Challenge: The Alphabet in Historical Fiction

2009-11-15T00:01:00.008Z

HT is going to host its first challenge! Based in Mysteries in Paradise's community challenge we now present you The Alphabet in Historical Fiction. To participate, just follow the rules:

Each fortnight you have to write a blog post about an historical fiction book of your choice (it might even be something you already read before), but it MUST be related to the letter of the fortnight.

You have several possibilities:

- the first letter of the title
- the first letter of the author's first name or surname
- the first letter of a character's first name or surname
- the first letter of a place where an historical event took place

You just have to choose one of them and participate.

Please check our blog each 1st and 15th of the month to find out our new letter, and then link your post back to our page through Mr Linky (see below). Then come and check to see who else has posted and visit their blog to find out all the details of the book they were reading.

You have until the end of each fortnight to complete your mission.

Now presenting the first letter of this challenge:

HT News

2009-11-13T21:33:00.000Z

We are going to host our first challenge here at HT. Look out for the details of the Alphabet in Historical Fiction on Nov 15th.We hope that lots of you HF bloggers will join in!

Suzanne Crowley has been interviewed by Dallas News.

Helen Hollick has confirmed (via Facebook and Twitter) that her novels The Hollow Crown and Harold the King have been picked up by Sourcebooks, and will be published in the US in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

Robin from Lady Gwyn's Kingdom has interviewed author Brandy Purdy, author of The Boleyn Wife which will be released in January 2010.

Over at HistoricalNovels.info you can read a short interview with Barbara Corrado Pope, author of Cezanne's Quarry.

In giveaway news, you can win a copy of Michelle Moran's Cleopatra's Daughter over at Enchanted by Josephine.

Why We Love Jane Austen by Jane Rubino & Caitlen Rubino-Bradway

2009-11-13T00:01:00.009Z

“Why we love Jane Austen” is a book, not a blog. Chapters can, and have been, written about her prose style, her humor, her perceptiveness, her memorable characters, and her scintillating dialogue. We admire her ability to create a world that rarely touches upon her contemporary world, but is nonetheless “real”, to produce romantic matches formed at a time when few men and women “can afford to marry without some attention to money,” and to conclude each work with irony, affection and reconciliation. But we especially love Austen as the foremost writer of the novel of manners.

When we were planning our recently-launched web site, we decided that there would be no category placed on the content, but rather, it would be a gathering place – a salon - designed not around a subject, but a tone. We wanted to stake out an outpost of civility where whatever is discussed – whether it’s film, books, humor, trends, whether we’re blogging reviews, interviews or simply views – would be free of the “snark” that seems to permeate the online universe, as a poor substitute for what we admire about Austen’s writing: substance, style, grace and genuine wit.

We decided to call our site ‘Janetility’, because ‘gentility’ – an emphasis on manners - is one aspect of Jane Austen’s that we find especially appealing. In Austen’s novels, manners were more than a code of socially acceptable behavior - they were an exponent of moral character. As Edmund Bertram expresses it: “The manners I speak of might rather be called conduct, perhaps; the result of good principles.” By this definition, Austen’s writing is mannerly – her assessments are keen but never crude, exercising Elizabeth Bennet’s tact in uniting “civility and truth in a few short sentences;” there is no “Mr. Collins is a jerk” – instead, he is “… not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society.” Nor is Mrs. Allen dim-witted, but rather “one of that numerous class of females whose society can raise no other emotion than surprise at there being any men in the world who could like them well enough to marry them.” A person of good character may harbor coarseness of sentiment, as Austen observed by way of Elizabeth Bennet, but coarseness of expression invariably suggests foolishness, ignorance, vulgarity or vice, and in turn, that “pert pretension and under-bred finery,” as Emma expresses it, is always accompanied by a failure of manners.

In her novels, where one character might have the goodness (manners) and another the appearance of it (a pleasing manner), Austen exposes her characters’ propensity, and our own, to fall for the glib and the good-looking, whether it is Walter Elliot, Wickham or Henry Crawford, or a commercial pitch-man or a film star. Our twenty-first century understanding of predatory behavior gives us an appreciation bordering on astonishment at Austen’s skillful portrait of Willoughby, whose manner reveals his amorality, and yet who engages our skepticism, aversion and sympathy.

In the case of Willoughby and Marianne, we see the importance of manners-as-character; Marianne’s emotional self-indulgence is expressed in her thoughtless manner – to Colonel Brandon, to Mrs. Jennings, and even to Elinor, but Willoughby’s failure of manners (conduct) is worse. A woman might flirt and flatter, but a gentleman whose manners toward a woman were so encouraging as to raise the very real expectation of marriage – and indeed, even Marianne’s family and friends believe, on the strength of his conduct, that an engagement has been formed – is a sign of real maliciousness and a lack of principle. His conduct has persuaded Marianne that they are virtually engaged, though he has no intention of marrying her; in contrast, when Edward, succumbing to his own idleness and Lucy’s appearance of amiability, has behaved in an encouraging manner, his sense of what is right and her due prompts him not only to propose marriage, but to defend his choice even when he understands that it is at the cost of family, fortune and happiness. Darcy, on the other hand, neither encouraged Elizabeth, nor sought encouragement from her– he regards his manners as irrelevant, and assumes that she will accept him because of his wealth and connections, and only afterward, regrets “my conduct, my manners, my expressions.”

In an era of “snark chic” and the internet’s ever-expanding venues for indulging in it, we continue to be impressed with Jane Austen’s ability to be penetrating, ironic and droll without ever sinking to coarseness of expression. Austen leaves those without manners and morals to each other – Lydia and Wickham, Lucy and Robert, Mrs. Norris and Maria Rushworth – but reserves genuine happiness as a reward of good character for those like Darcy, who, “in a cause of compassion and honor…had been able to get the better of himself.”

HT News

2009-11-11T11:08:00.001Z

Historicalnovels.info has a short interview with Edward Rutherford about his new novel, New York.

Anna Elliott has recorded a podcast with David Wilk of Writerscast International. If you have a spare 20 minutes or so to listen, I am sure it will be interesting!

Bookgasm has a contest to win copies of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Booking Mama has an interview with Diane Haeger, and a giveaway of her latest book, The Queen's Mistake.

Naida from The Bookworm has a guest post from Jane Odiwe, author of Willoughby Returns, and there is a giveaway as well.

Heather J on Why I Love Books set in WWII

2009-11-11T00:01:00.003Z

Heather J from Age 30+ ... A Lifetime of Books was the winner of the Best Historical Fiction blog during the recent Book Bloggers Appreciation Week. We couldn't wait for her to do a Why I Love piece for us to see why she loves historical fiction so much! When I received the post, I must confess that I teared up a bit, and then I thought it would be a perfect post to post on 11 November - a reminder that in the midst of all the tragedies of war, people who would never have met otherwise were bought together.

For those who have fallen during time of War, lest we forget.

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I love historical fiction from all time periods but there is one era that catches my attention every time: World War II. In fact, the genre doesn’t matter as long as the time period is correct. Why? Because the events of World War II led me to be who I am today.

On June 6, 1944 Private Nicholas Fontana of New York landed on Utah Beach. Despite the intense fighting, Nick succeeded in making it off the beach without any injuries. His unit fought their way inland over the next several days. At one point a sniper’s bullet ricocheted off Nick’s helmet just after he pulled it into the correct position. Another time he twisted his ankle jumping over a hedgerow to avoid a German patrol; that injury caught up to him a few days later just outside the town of St. Lo. A German soldier appeared out of nowhere and threw a grenade at Nick’s unit. His twisted ankle kept him from moving fast enough and the blast knocked him to the ground, filling his legs with shrapnel.

Meanwhile, across the English Channel, 22-year old Eileen Hunt was doing war work in a Coventry factory along with other girls from town. Eileen was a gorgeous and independent red-head. Her job in the factory was to make needles, and she was paid by the gross. Eileen’s family had survived the repeated bombings of Coventry by sleeping most nights in the fields outside town, all the while worrying over her brother who was working as a fire watcher.

In October 1944, Eileen’s older sister, Mary, set her up on a date with an injured American soldier she’d met. According to Mary, this soldier, Nick, had a cast on one leg, walked with a cane, and was the perfect man for Eileen. Neither Eileen nor the soldier was interested in this blind date but each was bullied into going. Eileen was running late and Nick was ready to give up when they saw each other across the street; it was love at first sight.

It took until December 1946 for the couple to be reunited in New York where they were married on January 18, 1947. In January 2010 Nick and Eileen – my grandparents – will celebrate their 62nd wedding anniversary.

Without the events of World War II to bring them together, Nick and Eileen would never have met and my family as it exists today would never have come to be. I love hearing my grandparents tell their stories. Reading books about this time period helps me to imagine more fully what their lives must have been like. And that is why I love books set in World War II.

Etta by Gerald Kolpan

2009-11-10T00:01:00.000Z

The real life of Etta Place of the Wild Bunch has been a mystery. What is known is that she was the lover of Harry Longabaugh, best known as the Sundance Kid. After Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were killed in 1908, Etta Price disappears, never to be heard from again. There are many myths and speculation as to what may have happened to her but we will never know for sure. In this novel, Gerald Kolpan tells a fictional story of her life.

After her father's death, Etta is forced to flee her family home. The Black Hand mafia is after her to collect her father's debt. If she has no money, they will collect it another way, perhaps by disfiguring her as they have done to other women.

She becomes a “Harvey Girl", serving meals at a restaurant. She must defend herself against a rich customer who has tried several failed advances. One day he jumps out at her outside and becomes violent. Etta ends up killing him in self defence and has to flee again. This time she ends up with the Wild Bunch, where she meets the love of her life and starts her life of crime.

Etta is constantly on the move but spends some time in New York in disguise, where she meets and befriends Eleanor Roosevelt. She also meets Buffalo Bill and works for him for awhile as Annie Oakley.

Kolpan tells the story with the use of a fictional diary of Etta's, newspaper articles, and letters, intergraded with narrative. This style really worked for me and added more interest to the story. Kolpan obviously did his research about time and place and captured it beautifully. I really liked the fictional relationship that Etta had with Eleanor Roosevelt but I did find it hard to believe, especially when Eleanor found out about Etta's crimes with the Wild Bunch, yet remained good friends with her. That said, this is a beautifully crafted story and I recommend to historical fiction lovers.

4/5

HT News

2009-11-09T22:49:00.000Z

Simon Mawer's Booker Prize nominated novel, The Glass Room, is going to be BBC Radio 4s Book at Bed Time for the next couple of weeks. Set in 1930s Czechoslovakia, it could be an interesting listen if you are interested in that era.

Head over Plaidy's Royal Intrigue for details of some signed Jean Plaidy goodies.

There is a new giveaway over at Scandalous Women, this time for Vanora Bennett's Blood Royal.

You can win a copy of Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay over at Bookbrowse.com