The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson

 

The Lantern

An evocative, deeply moving tale of

past and present make this story quite

wonderful and fascinating to read.

An appealing aspect of this book is

the wonderful setting in the Provence

area of France in which fascinating

descriptions are given of the surrounding

areas and villages. The beauty and the

timelessness of rural France. The spectacular

mountain scenery which is described vividly

and is often a back drop to some of the villages

enhancing the beauty of the settings.

At times the book seems to have an element

of the unexpected and mystical. For example,

the lantern which is seen at nights without

any obvious explanation and other seemingly

unexplained occurrences which give a fleetingly

haunting element of beauty to the story.

There are two stories which run parallel in the book,

the modern and a time in the not so distant past

of a few decades earlier at the farm house.

I found

this aspect of the story quite magical and entrancing

for the details of life in the rural village and at the

farm house in earlier years where life seemed more

simple. The stories surrounding Benedicte,

her mother, grand-mother, blind sister and brother

and neighbouring villagers were told with panache

and insight.

It was a wondrous and beautiful time

in France full of magic with the changing landscapes

and colours of the seasons, the beauty and serenity.

There were fetes and

festivals in the surrounding villages and Benedicte's

father made walnut wine at the farm house. At one time

the place had been a thriving, prospering community where

there was often ready assistance from the neighbours and villagers.

The lavender and perfumes of Provence play a significant role

in the story and the descriptions of the flowers and herbs

of the areas give beauty and a trace of the exotic to the novel.

The story of the blind girl is quite fascinating, who because of

her talent for scent which had been developed from a young age,

achieves success in Paris as a perfumier.

The modern aspect of the story is also quite compelling to read

of a romance. This story can be unsettling at times and there is also

mystery surrounding the tale. Shades of the film “Rebecca” come to

mind. The author has mentioned in her notes that she read Rebecca

by Daphne du Maurier before writing the novel.

I am reminded of another story where there were two parallel

stories of the past and the present. This was the wonderful book

of “The Aviary Gate” by Kate Whitaker.

The story of the past was a

beautiful love story where an English woman, Celia Lamprey,

had been captured at sea while on her way

to be married to an English merchant and was taken as a prisoner

to the Sultan's harem at the palace at Old Constantinople. The story was quite

powerful.

There was also a modern story in the book where the heroine of earlier

times was the subject of a research by a modern scholar in Istanbul.

This aspect

of the story appealed for the wonderful descriptions

of the settings in modern day Turkey, the city of Istanbul and places out of the city which

were built close to the water and were serene and beautiful.

The Book of Lost Fragrances by M J Rose

I found this suspenseful book fascinating to read.

Of exotic perfumes, an adventure story and ancient

history all combined to make a wonderful compelling

and mystical tale.

The heroine of the story, Jac or (Jacinthe as she was known by her father)

followed myths and

legends around the world and determined the truth of

many of these ancient legends.

I loved the settings of Paris and New York and the exquisite

nature of the tale with ancient perfumes deriving from ancient

Egypt.

Descriptions of the furniture of the home of the old work shop in Paris

where there were so many memories of earlier times were quite wonderful

and seemed so authentic. The atmosphere of an old fashioned home was

recreated from earlier eras with art works and decorative design of beauty

and majesty.

I enjoyed the re-telling of so many of the stories from the

past. Romances, the flower gardens and perfumes of Queen Cleopatra which provided

exotic and fascinating settings. It was almost as though past and future would mingle.

There were other exotic elements in the story which weaved

together, as for example, the Tibetan lore and the story of a

Tibetan boy who had been kidnapped and taken to China and

became a renowned artist in the field of the beautiful art of calligraphy and whose

works were finally presented in Paris.

A lost fragrance which could also recall past lives? This story has

all the elements of excitement and expectation of a grand finale.

This story is writing at its best and well recommended for people

with scope and imagination. Anything is possible and I found the

tale to be quite magical.

The delightful "Arabella" by Georgette Heyer

This book is a delight to read. The story is refreshing,

light and wonderful. I enjoyed this book immensely.

Arabella is sent to London to make her debut in polite society

of the Regency times. Coming from a country town London

is quite fascinating and new to her. There is much to delight in and

enjoy with the new fashions and parties and society balls.

Georgette Heyer is known as the queen

of the Regency romance and this book certainly lives up to form

with the wonderful descriptions of dress, fashions and formality during

these years. The etiquette, manners and decorum all play their

place in the story. I loved reading of the refinement of the times, London in

the Regency where elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen would display

their fine horses and curricles in the parks where they would often go for

an outing in the mornings; the humour of a situation where Mr Beaumarris's grand-mother

tells him that his grand-father would turn in his grave to see the young men

dressed without lace at their collars and wrists and without powder in their hair.

Mr Beaumarris is the perfect English gentleman whom Arabella

forms an attachment to.

The story sparkles and Arabella does unknowingly give herself away as not quite

the society girl as people are led to believe with her concerns

for a chimney sweep and a poorly treated mongrel dog who she requests

Mr Beaumarris to look after when she realises that the dog may not be welcome after

all at her place of residence in London.

Being young, a little rebellious and acting without thinking Arabella does inadvertently get into a scrape of momentous proportions as regards the expectations of society where she is mistakenly believed to be a wealthy heiress.

Matters are not helped by the appearance of a younger brother in London who becomes embroiled

in difficulties of great magnitude.

I was surprised by the ending of the story which is quite admirable and pleasing. Mr Beaumarris proves his worth as a romantic hero of the story.

A wonderful romance well worth reading.

I will have to look out for more Georgette Heyer books as they are such a delight

to read.

“These Old Shades” is a book I remember enjoying as it was

an exquisiste story of a girl who became disguised as a page and also

found “The Conqueror” to be an excellent informative account of the Norman conquest

of England.

In recent years I also

read “The Nonesuch” which I enjoyed reading.

When I see you smile

Another lovely song: This by Bic Runga:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGH8McmPndw

The Mists of Islay

Another enchanting song from Hayley Westenra:

The Mists of Islay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE6iCJNNrd8

This song seems to evoke a beautiful place in Ireland.

Best wishes

Dear Heart, How Like You This? by Wendy J Dunn

Is it possible to write a perfect book? This book comes close

to perfection in its well crafted descriptions of beauty, sensitivity and poetry.

This novel tells the story of Anne Boleyn

and Sir Thomas Wyatt and his enduring love for the doomed queen.

A beautiful gem of a novel full of insight and the magical, beautiful

times of the earlier tudor years.

The story is told by Sir Thomas Wyatt from his early years of

childhood spent at the childhood home of Anne Boleyn at Hever

Castle. He often reminiscences of his earlier, happy years spent

in the company of Anne and George Boleyn.

The majestic and inspirational poetry of Sir Thomas Wyatt often

seems to tell its own story written from the heart. This is an exquisite story

of beauty, truth and love. It is a historical

fiction novel. It is mentioned in the notes in a biographical sketch

of Sir Thomas Wyatt that Anne

Boleyn gave to one of her ladies her treasured prayer book for Sir Thomas Wyatt.

This was moments before her impending execution at the scaffold.

I loved following the story, the travels of

Sir Thomas Wyatt to the French

court and also to Italy. He was a diplomat of the tudor court and in his work often spent time

away from the court on government business.

Set during the earlier years of the reign of Henry

VIII this book gives valuable insights into the court of Henry VIII and the

politics of the time during these quite turbulent years.

A story which captures emotion, drama and the mood of the times so well and

is often written from a reflective view point. Quite beautiful!

Some novelists have a gift. Another novel of great beauty and sensitivity is brought

to mind: “Farewell, My Queen” by Chantal Thomas which is a story of the reader

who sat with Marie Antoinette during the final years of the court

and who subsequently wrote her story many years later in Vienna.

Sea Witch by Helen Hollick

Romance and adventure set during the times of the

the swashbuckling seventeenth century and early eighteenth century

give splendour to the story of “Sea Witch” which is a ship named after

Tiola Oldstagh, whose name in an anagram means “All that is good.”

The two main characters, Jesamiah Acorne and Tiola Oldstagh come

from very unlikely backgrounds which tend to fascinate and also shock. Tiola,

from a coastal village in England from which she had been forced to flee with the assistance of family members and Jesamiah from a plantation in the New World, where

he had been obliged to move on and make a new life for himself. Tiola and Jesamiah learn to overcome their background family traumas to hopefully

move on to a better life.

Tiola and Jesamiah both seem to have been

victimised as a consequence of events beyond their control. Tiola should have been free to

pursue a happy life and eventual marriage in her home village which would have been expected

in those times. Jesamiah should have been

welcome to work or pursue a career at his father's plantation.

The story is quite enchanting with a romance between Tiola and Jesamiah The fantasy aspects of the story appeal and are quite refreshing. Sometimes mystical, sometimes magical or was it only a drream? Quite fascinating!

Tiola is beautiful. Almost like a sea nymph. She is also gifted with special healing talents aided by concoctions from medicinal herbs. Jesamiah seems to be more of

a complex character. He is fascinating and popular with his sea going

friends. Jesamiah, with his blue ribbons in his wind-swept hair on board a ship appeals. This is the first time Tiola glimpses him from the deck of another ship.

The settings of the story are exotic and different.e.g. Cape Town in South Africa and the Bahamas,

Nasau and Port Royal. The descriptions given in the story bring the reader to the far off and distant places, often portrayed with vivid landscapes, as for example the beautiful scenery at Table Mountain, Cape Town in the early days. The author has realistically evoked the far off times and the places well with wonderful descriptions which give colour, brightness and beauty to the novel.

Piracy on the high seas

and the adventures of a likeable pirate, Jesamiah Acorne, make this story believable and wonderful. Other characters in the story, e.g. Rue, a friend and sea-going companion of Jesamiah and

Jenny, a companion/nurse/governess of Tiola give added depth to the story. Several of the characters are fascinating to read about, including William Dampier, Mr Overvanstratton, governors, sea-captains, sea-crew and acquaintances,

including people Jesamiah has known from his past.

It was interesting to read of nautical terms and learn more about the sailing of the ships. The book

gives very good descriptions of the complexities involved during those times of the master and crew sailing the ship.

There is an index given in the book of the nautical terms.

I look forward to following the story of Tiola and Jesamiah in the following

books in the series “Pirate Code” “Bring It Closer” and “Ripples in the Sand.” I loved the romance and adventure of the story and the descriptions given on land and on the ocean wave were magnificent. Sea battles, chases, the lure of the ocean, romance and humour make for an enjoyable read!

This book is bright and wonderful. Jesamiah is a bold and adventurous pirate.