Writing Jane Austen by Elizabeth Aston

Writing Jane Austen was a jaunt to modern-day London and Bath, where an Austen-hating writer who specializes in the Victorian era is saddled with the daunting task of completing a Jane Austen manuscript. 

The actual author of this entertaining novel has written several ‘Mr. Darcy’ spin-offs, which I suspect provided fodder for all the negativity towards Jane Austen that she convincingly spews—especially from the protagonist, Georgina.  Of course most of it came from ignorance, as Georgina eventually discovers, though her obstinate resistance to all-things-Austen disappears so suddenly that I wonder if the editor sliced out the transition. For Georgina to go to such lengths to avoid Jane Austen and then to hardly remark on her shift to Austen-worshipper left me bewildered.  Where was the chagrin?  Where was the surprise?  I liked the spin at the end, which salvaged a situation I couldn’t see being concluded satisfactorily, though I would have liked for it to be foreshadowed a bit more, perhaps. 

Having read Jane Austen’s novels long ago, I appreciated learning about the Jane Austen tours in Bath and a few details about her life. Sometimes, I’m afraid, unexpected characters seemed to randomly know far more than expected about Jane Austen, as if everyone were an authority on Jane Austen but Georgina. I could see where it fit in the conversation, but they seemed the wrong ones to tell it. However, despite my issues with this novel, the characters were colorful, and it was a fun, light-hearted read—while still managing to teach me a bit about the incomparable Jane Austen. Ms. Aston’s love for Jane Austen shines through, and that, along with the book’s charm, makes me willing to file her book right next to my Jane Austen collection on the bookshelf—which I suppose is exactly what the author intended with a pen name like Aston.

[Oh goodness, I just looked her up online to verify that it was actually a pen name, and it seems Elizabeth Edmonson (AKA Elizabeth Aston) passed away in 2016, only six years after the publication in 2010 of this delightful read for Jane Austen fans. RIP, Elizabeth.]   

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

 

Delia Owens’ debut novel draws you into the marsh and the swamplands with its lyrical, exquisite prose. The main character, Kya, is supposedly in the coastal marsh of North Carolina, but it seemed to me like we could have been right here in Southeast Georgia. The girl ends up living alone in the marsh, abandoned by her family, evading the truant officers. We follow her as she grows up. Her skittishness and sensitivity are endearing, and I cried for her a number of times. Owens even includes an epilogue filling us in on the rest of Kya’s life, which leaves one richly satisfied, as if all the loose ends were tied up that possibly could be. All that said, I’ll admit that I began the book four different times before I was able to stay focused. Not sure why…but I wanted to throw that out there to encourage other readers who might not have the urge to continue past the first chapter. It really is worth it.

Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory

Three Sisters, Three Queens starts off in the sour tongue of a petty, jealous Margaret Tudor, eldest sister of the notorious King Henry VIII.  I kept expecting the point-of-view character to change to one of the other queens in the title, but it remained in the voice of Margaret Tudor. I'm a big fan of Philippa Gregory, but I kept wondering, "Why would she choose to write about someone she obviously doesn't like?"  I assume she was trying to show her writing chops, not only illustrating a character's progression and improvement but demonstrating her own flexibility in writing from a different perspective. By the end of the book, thank goodness, I began to like Margaret more.  I'm not sure I've ever had that experience of not liking the protagonist of a Philippa Gregory book, and that's saying something, as I even liked the delusional zealot Margaret Beaufort (this Margaret Tudor's grandmother) in The Red Queen (which actually might be my favorite Philippa Gregory book of all!). 

[Spoiler Alert. You may want to stop reading here!]

Margaret Tudor became a queen when she married King James IV of Scotland, who died at the Battle of Flodden when his son James was still a toddler. Gregory then goes along with the rumors of the day in assuming it's a romantic match when Margaret remarries to Archibald Douglas, 6th earl of Angus, but given how he treated her and his obvious power-grabs, I question whether she had much say (much as I'm convinced Mary Queen of Scots was strong-armed into marrying the earl of Bothwell).  Margaret's story is quite long and convoluted, but after following her through so many difficulties, you're as happy as she is when things finally work out well for her in the end.  She finally has a good husband in Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven, and her son's on the throne.  Meanwhile, her sister Mary is dying, and her sister-in-law Katherine of Aragon has had her crown stripped from her and is spurned by her husband.  We're happy for Margaret and relieved she isn't overtly gloating!  

While I enjoyed the end of the book, and of course I liked her rich descriptions of court life, I also had issues with Margaret's inexplicable inconsistencies.  I suppose Philippa Gregory was going with 'less is more' and thought it obvious enough that Margaret was being disingenuous or fickle with her communications towards her sisters, but I really needed her to give me Margaret's motive, to clue me in if she was being falsely warm in her letters, or if she'd gotten the angst out of her beforehand and then felt a flood of real affection when she was actually writing.  It was hard to tell. I listened to the audiobook version read by Bianca Amato, and she read the letters as if they were sincere, which added to my confusion.  I suppose it's possible that Philippa Gregory meant for us to read them in a wry tone, so maybe I wouldn't have been as confused if I'd simply read the book.  It wasn't just with the letters, though. Margaret flip-flopped somewhat whimsically in her affections and opinions so much mid-book that I was feeling quite grumpy about it all!  Perhaps Philippa Gregory was simply trying to depict the course of events and allowing her to be a 'flawed character', but even flawed characters have reasons for what they're doing, why they're changing. I'd have like to have heard Margaret's thoughts in those shift periods a bit more.

All that said, if you make it all the way through the novel, you may find yourself like me, inexplicably pleased with the scale of the work--and with Margaret's improvement.  I'm assuming it was improvement, and not merely that she wasn't as jealous once she was doing better than the others... 

Records Research on Our Old House

My husband and I spent the afternoon a couple of weeks ago at the Kingstree courthouse, looking up the history of our South Carolina property.  We had to make an appointment and were shown into a room with vault-like doors, really impressive!  There we were allowed to handle massive, beautifully-bound deed books--or should I say tomes--some of which were over a century old. They had the thickest, most durable paper.

In the course of things, I happened to see several of my ancestors in the deed indexes, and so I do think we will be returning, hopefully soon.  Honestly, I could fall into this wormhole for quite some time.  I've collected family stories and have done online and library research, but I've never researched my genealogical records via land records and such, not directly (though I've gathered a very few in family folders at historical societies). I tried once, but I was confused with no help, whereas the clerk gave us a tour of the basics this time. 

Nonetheless, it takes me a while to learn!  I was bemoaning to my husband how the lawyers had apparently signed for people, as again and again in the deed books, I could tell that the signatures were in the same hand as the handwritten deed records (in the days before typewriters, of course!), with that handwriting changing from deed to deed.  He laughed and pointed out, "Honey, I don't think those were the originals. They just copied the deeds into the official records. The owners kept the original deeds."  Um, right! I felt so silly!  There were also no photocopy machines in those days... 

The Lost Prince, the Life & Death of Henry Stuart by Catharine MacLeod

I have been thrilled with this National Portrait Gallery catalogue of its 'The Lost Prince' exhibit. Catharine MacLeod (curator) did a beautiful job pulling this collection together, and while I would have loved to have seen it in person, in ways it's even better to have it to keep as a reference.   I meant to read straight through, as there are some interesting prefaces and introductions, but I've been bouncing about. The portraits reference one another, immersing and connecting the reader to the whole book, right off.  It is far and away my favorite art exhibit book (at least for the present). I do take exception, just a bit, with the name of the exhibit, as for some reason it makes me think of the Princes in the Tower (Edward IV's sons), and I'm not sure I've ever heard Prince Henry, son of King James VI/I, called that before.  But it's catchy, I suppose. So many beautiful portraits and insights about the royal family members and key political players...  Mind you, however, that this particular cover portrait is deceptively flattering!

To orient you with regards to my work, this Prince Henry (1594-1612) was the brother of Elizabeth Stuart, later Queen of Bohemia.  Elizabeth Stuart was the mother of Sophia of Hanover, who was the mother of King George I of Great Britain. So this 'lost prince' was King George I's great-uncle. I'm working on a novel about King George I's wife, Sophia Dorothea.

Three Dashes Bitters by Jack Simmons

This book by an inspiring friend of ours--a philosophy professor, no less--kept me reading all night. I enjoy the author's wry humor, and the situations keep you wanting to see what happens as the likeable protagonist keeps screwing up. His best friend is worse even than him, but they both have admirable qualities--even inspirational ones, and you're charmed and shaking your head and hooked through to the end. Between the ridiculous situations are sprinkled little truths and some food for thought. A fun read whose unexpected story line reminds me of Catcher in the Rye.

The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau

Swashbuckling, 18th-century fun!  I enjoyed Genevieve's consistently headstrong character. She was so flawed and yet so strong in her beliefs, nearly ruining everything with her lack of caution in the end! The setting of a porcelain factory was interesting and different, while her Huguenot background presented a novel perspective I appreciate, having Huguenot ancestry in our family tree as well.  So far, I recommend almost anything by Nancy Bilyeau as a fun, generally clean read.