This week and Geogette Heyer
Jul. 14th, 2005 04:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
avreliaI don’t get lost. Not for long, anyway. I always can find my way in a city, and I try not to go too deep in the wilderness. However, occasionally, I manage to get into silliest problems – as the one on Tuesday, when I lost a whole street.
I was going to see a friend after my classes – it was late, I was tired, but finding my friend’s place was not supposed to be a problem: I’ve been there before, and her building is very easy to find from the closest major intersection. I only needed to go along St. Clair avenue until Avenue Road, and then turn north. Easy? I would be, if I didn’t lose the Avenue road. I didn’t just miss it, I lost it completely. The was St. Clair Avenue, but no intersection with Avenue road whatsoever. Until it appeared before me and mocked me and my orienting skills.
Yesterday, during the lunch, I picked up some bits of conversation between ladies in their fifth or sixth youth. First they were discussing Trudeau’s funeral, then they went on to Winston Churchill:
- Do you love Winston Churchill?
-(slightly indignant) Of course I do! What’s not to love?
I am easily amused.
I decided to stop my Georgette Heyer books’ marathon. For couple of months – to get some change and then come back with fresh head. I had a great time reading her, but right now, after finishing Frederica and eyeing Unknown Ajax, I realised that I need a break.
. But first, some history: I read her books – not all of them, but a lot – first in Russian, about ten years ago. You may consider it a travesty, but why would I read it in English then and there? I knew nothing about her, I just found the books and loved them. And if I loved them in Russian, and continue to love them in English, the translators did something right, didn’t they? One thing is remarkably different though – the titles. The publishers randomly changed the titles as they felt like, and I have troubles to connect the original titles to the Russian ones. I read some of the books later here, and now I am planning to read some more.
Friday’s Child – this book is probably on no one’s Top List, and the romance part doesn’t interest me much, but it has a great element of friendship here, and it portrays the warm relationship between four people - Hero(Kitten), hero, and two his friends whose names slipped from me just now – that I enjoyed a lot and in my opinion lifts the book from the mediocrity. I have to say, that I wouldn’t know how to translate the title into Russian here – because it doesn’t make sense without knowing the reference.
The Corinthian – I had high hopes for this book, but I couldn’t get through several first chapters. I remember liking it when I was reading it the first time, but now – it didn’t work for me. Maybe I had too much of feisty 17 years old heroines? Maybe the hero and the heroine didn’t click for me? In part I remember being annoyed with the age difference. I have to say that a big age difference in romances is an anti-kink of mine. It would be strange to expect many romances set in the XIX century to have two eighteen year old lovers getting married – or two thirty year olds. But it is not the number itself – it is the attitude that goes with it. Plus, I do prefer to read about older heroines (and always have preferred).
Frederica – Here is the book where I didn’t care about the age difference. Except that calling Frederica “my child” rubbed me the wrong way, but compared to the pleasure I got from reading this book, it was an infinitesimal annoyance. What gave me the most pleasure is the writing itself – not the plot or the characters. An unexpected turn of phrase, witty dialogue, clear-cut detail – or the whole scene – and I was laughing out of happiness. Right now my favourite is the description of not-happened wedding of Endymion and Charis, as told by Charles Trevor. It is just … wow. So lively and hilarious.
The Cotillion – another very enjoyable book, but that one because I enjoyed the characters so very much, and was incredibly happy for them at the end of book.
The Foundling – this book I managed to read twice in the short time I had it from the library. It has an incredible quiet charm that makes one want to keep it always close by in case of need. I love the hero so much, and was able to both chuckle at his problems (Poor Duke!) and sympathize with him. The romance part doesn’t get the central stage, and gives way to the self-discovery, but still is very satisfying. The self-discovery and the travel part is amazing – and his Grace wins my admiration over and over – handling “enterprising” Master Tom and getting him out of troubles, being invariably patient with the fair and remarkably empty-headed Belinda – all that while being very un-macho-like.
It's hot... Can we stop with the +35 C now? I wouldn't mind +15 even
I was going to see a friend after my classes – it was late, I was tired, but finding my friend’s place was not supposed to be a problem: I’ve been there before, and her building is very easy to find from the closest major intersection. I only needed to go along St. Clair avenue until Avenue Road, and then turn north. Easy? I would be, if I didn’t lose the Avenue road. I didn’t just miss it, I lost it completely. The was St. Clair Avenue, but no intersection with Avenue road whatsoever. Until it appeared before me and mocked me and my orienting skills.
Yesterday, during the lunch, I picked up some bits of conversation between ladies in their fifth or sixth youth. First they were discussing Trudeau’s funeral, then they went on to Winston Churchill:
- Do you love Winston Churchill?
-(slightly indignant) Of course I do! What’s not to love?
I am easily amused.
I decided to stop my Georgette Heyer books’ marathon. For couple of months – to get some change and then come back with fresh head. I had a great time reading her, but right now, after finishing Frederica and eyeing Unknown Ajax, I realised that I need a break.
. But first, some history: I read her books – not all of them, but a lot – first in Russian, about ten years ago. You may consider it a travesty, but why would I read it in English then and there? I knew nothing about her, I just found the books and loved them. And if I loved them in Russian, and continue to love them in English, the translators did something right, didn’t they? One thing is remarkably different though – the titles. The publishers randomly changed the titles as they felt like, and I have troubles to connect the original titles to the Russian ones. I read some of the books later here, and now I am planning to read some more.
Friday’s Child – this book is probably on no one’s Top List, and the romance part doesn’t interest me much, but it has a great element of friendship here, and it portrays the warm relationship between four people - Hero(Kitten), hero, and two his friends whose names slipped from me just now – that I enjoyed a lot and in my opinion lifts the book from the mediocrity. I have to say, that I wouldn’t know how to translate the title into Russian here – because it doesn’t make sense without knowing the reference.
The Corinthian – I had high hopes for this book, but I couldn’t get through several first chapters. I remember liking it when I was reading it the first time, but now – it didn’t work for me. Maybe I had too much of feisty 17 years old heroines? Maybe the hero and the heroine didn’t click for me? In part I remember being annoyed with the age difference. I have to say that a big age difference in romances is an anti-kink of mine. It would be strange to expect many romances set in the XIX century to have two eighteen year old lovers getting married – or two thirty year olds. But it is not the number itself – it is the attitude that goes with it. Plus, I do prefer to read about older heroines (and always have preferred).
Frederica – Here is the book where I didn’t care about the age difference. Except that calling Frederica “my child” rubbed me the wrong way, but compared to the pleasure I got from reading this book, it was an infinitesimal annoyance. What gave me the most pleasure is the writing itself – not the plot or the characters. An unexpected turn of phrase, witty dialogue, clear-cut detail – or the whole scene – and I was laughing out of happiness. Right now my favourite is the description of not-happened wedding of Endymion and Charis, as told by Charles Trevor. It is just … wow. So lively and hilarious.
The Cotillion – another very enjoyable book, but that one because I enjoyed the characters so very much, and was incredibly happy for them at the end of book.
The Foundling – this book I managed to read twice in the short time I had it from the library. It has an incredible quiet charm that makes one want to keep it always close by in case of need. I love the hero so much, and was able to both chuckle at his problems (Poor Duke!) and sympathize with him. The romance part doesn’t get the central stage, and gives way to the self-discovery, but still is very satisfying. The self-discovery and the travel part is amazing – and his Grace wins my admiration over and over – handling “enterprising” Master Tom and getting him out of troubles, being invariably patient with the fair and remarkably empty-headed Belinda – all that while being very un-macho-like.
It's hot... Can we stop with the +35 C now? I wouldn't mind +15 even
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no subject
Date: 2005-07-14 05:56 pm (UTC)I love that! The Marquis of Alverstoke has SUCH trouble keeping a straight face, especially as Charles is describing the trauma of having one lady or another weeping all over him. Love it when Alverstoke says something to the effect of how he doesn't pay Trevor enough to perform such hazardous work!
And you're right about the quiet charm of The Foundling: it wasn't one of my favorites when I read it first in my teens, but -- like Cotillion -- it grew on me as I got older and learned to appreciate the un-macho hero who yet manages to save the day, in spite of other people's propensities to get themselves into dangerous or embarrassing situations.
Perhaps when you've had a few months off, you might enjoy A Civil Contract (if you haven't already read it): it's quite a-typical in that it presents a realistic portrayal of a marriage of convenience and of two families from very different backgrounds trying to learn to live together in relative amiability. This is the one of all her books that I think does the best job of showing the nuts and bolts side of marriage and of trying to build a life with another person.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-24 07:10 pm (UTC)The Marquis of Alverstoke has SUCH trouble keeping a straight face, especially as Charles is describing the trauma of having one lady or another weeping all over him. Love it when Alverstoke says something to the effect of how he doesn't pay Trevor enough to perform such hazardous work!
Yes, yes! And it has such a bright visual effect! Amazing scene.
I will definitely read A Civil Contract, it sounds as something I might really enjoy.
Another thing I felt – due to the overabundance of the stories that happen in the same time in the same place – that the characters from different novels should bump into each other occasionally. ;)
no subject
Date: 2005-08-12 02:31 am (UTC)