It Was Only Ever You by Kate Kerrigan

It Was Only Ever You by Kate Kerrigan

This book is a wonderful story about three girls in the early years of rock and roll.  The story starts out in Ireland, County Mayo, and later is set in the halcyon days of New York where there were dance clubs and venues which seemed to be all the rage for the younger set.

Firstly, there was Rose, a doctor’s daughter, who I would have believed while reading the book, had a doomed romance mostly caused by time and distance, though this does not really seem to be the case.   However, perhaps there is scope for a sequel to this fascinating story.  Then there is Ava, who is impulsive and in some respects wishes to escape the staid complacency and predictability of her conventional  life and rushes into matters without thinking clearly and finally there is  Sheila, who is completely different from the other two women.  Sheila likes to give the impression she is tough and hard but this is just a guise and does not reveal her true character, which is not as it seems.   

Patrick Murphy, also from Ireland, as is Rose, is a new immigrant to New York and also an inspiring singer of Irish ballads who wishes to make a name for himself in the music scene in New York.  

This book is a page turner and seemed very authentic to me in tone and also the era of the rock and roll music.  It seemed to be a nice age where people enjoyed themselves dancing and loved the new style of music.

The human element and spiritual element is also present in this story.  It is very beautiful and well recommended.

The Villa Girls by Nicky Pellegrino

This book of The Villa Girls is wonderful and a joy to read.  Nicky Pellegrino writes about life, beautiful landscapes and gardens, olive trees and celebrations.  The story involves four girls who become life-long friends and take their holidays together.

Rosie is alone in the world without a family and much of the story is about her interaction with Addolorata’s  family and Italian restaurant, Little Italy.  Rosie makes her own way in the world with a love of photography and works in this field in London.

On one of the holidays to Italy Rosie meets Enzo whose life evolves around his family’s estate of the olive trees.  This did seem to be a wonderful romance at the beginning but unfortunately life turned out differently at the time for Rosie and Enzo.

 I found the descriptions of the olive estate, the harvests, the celebrations, food and wine and family of Enzo, especially his Nonna  with her words of wisdom beautiful.  There was beauty in the olive groves and it was a life which seemed to be determined by the state of the trees and the weather.  However, at one time, Enzo’s grand-mother spoke to Enzo and told him to forget the trees for a moment and that if she had made him believe that the olive trees were the most important thing of all then she was sorry.  Nothing is more important than love.  Perhaps counsel such as this and wise words from his sister Concetta, may have made him see sense before he embarked on a marriage of convenience with a local woman, Maria Luisa, who saw him as a second best choice as her husband.

This story is well recommended and it is wonderful to read each new chapter with anticipation as the story unfolds.  The settings in London and also Italy with its winding little cobble stone lanes and pizza parlours, coffee shops  and pastries are quite beguiling.  Lovely descriptions of the scenery , the flowering gardens of fruit trees and blooms in the summertime, coastal roads, the villages, beaches of Triente and Amalfi  are also wonderful.

  

A more detailed review of A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy

This is a later review which gives more information:

A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy

This novel is a wonderful read and well recommended.  A lovely novel which I enjoyed.

This book portrays the difficulties of young women in the early days of Ireland in the 1950’s and continues with the stories of the characters to the present day and how they overcame their difficulties in life.  Chicky, who left Ireland at an early age and made a life for herself in USA but eventually returns to the place she always loved.

A week in winter is a beautiful holiday destination on the wild coast of Ireland where some of the characters resolve their differences and learn to live with one another.  The holiday alters their perspectives on life and they decide upon their futures.  It is a wonderful book.  There is the story of the accountant who is expected to join his father’s firm in Sweden but instead enjoys the freedom of travelling in Ireland and becoming immersed in the rich Irish heritage and music when he meets up with a travelling companion and they go to music gigs together. 

Each person has a unique character and often a perplexing or difficult background.  It is wonderful to read about these characters and how they change their lives for the better. 

This book cannot be more highly recommended.  I loved reading this story about the various people who chose to go on holiday to this special place in Ireland.  It is quite extraordinary in the way that people’s lives could work out the way they did and also there is romance alive in this novel.

It also details some of the challenges young people have to face in early life or difficulties encountered bringing up a child who is veering towards leading a life of crime and how the situation is reversed for the better. 

There is also the story of the mother and the prospective daughter-in-law who do not see eye to eye and do not get along.  However, this situation also is resolved in the end.  It is quite incredible, really.  Maeve Binchy also writes about life and she does this so well. 

A beautiful novel of charm to read.

My Last Duchess

My Last Duchess by Daisy Goodwin

I enjoyed reading this quite compelling story of an American heiress,

Cora Cash, who marries an English duke in the gilded age of the late 1890's.

A wonderful story to read which gives valuable insights into this late

Victorian era; the English aristocracy, the hunts and the horses, the elegant

dinner parties and wonderful fashions of the time. Respectability and

dress sense and a sense of propriety all have their place in this novel. It

also has its humorous aspects as well as the serious and the tragic circumstances

which occur at the beginning of the novel.

The characters of the novel and the descriptions of life in those times

are quite fascinating. Queen Victoria's son (the Prince of Wales) is an

interesting character, who attends dinner parties and luncheons who is an invited guest

at the castle; the parents of the American heiress and the mother

of the Duke are also quite colourful characters. The lives of the servants, Bertha,

Cora's lady's maid and the Duke's valet, Jim, are also of

interest. This story does develop and also is quite fascinating for the reader in a later century. The author has spent time in the novel developing the characters of the

servants and I did also enjoy reading about their lives and romance which were

also a theme of the novel.

The decorative arts and design are also an integral part of this story. The

English castle is in need of renovation and the mansion in Newport, where the

story initially is set, has decorative designs which are intended to be replicas of the

Chateau of Versailles.

There is a sense of romance in the novel and it is to be hoped that the heroine

of the story is not disappointed. It is a nice story to read and is well recommended.

The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer

Once again, another wonderful novel by Georgette Heyer! I enjoyed reading

this novel of adventure and romance. It is wonderful.

The two protagonists of the story, Prudence and Robin Merriott, are obliged to don disguise

on the instructions of their father, and are sent, as it were, into the lions' den of London. This is because

they were escaped Jacobites of the time and they had lived in other countries of the Continent. For various reasons Prudence's father had wished Prudence to disguise herself.

It is a fascinating

story of loyalty, disguises and a wonderful romance of Prudence (aka Peter Merriott) and

Sir Anthony Fanshawe. Sir Anthony Fanshawe, who to all appearances seemed not likely to

notice anything untoward did become suspicious of Prudence and that she was not all that she

appeared to be.. However, he did fall in love with her which is a marvellous aspect of the story.

Prudence was completely without guile and it is this mark of her character which is also so appealing. She had courage and wit and would even accept a challenge for a duel when called out. Prudence and Robin certainly became prominent in Polite Society which may not have been

initially intended.

Robin was the consummate actor who donned the guise of Kate Merriott to perfection. He was of athletic build and looked the noble genleman in his fashionable attire and nobody would have been wiser for his disguise. As Kate Merriott, he played an often vapid woman. The father wished to embark on a new life in England and claim his title of the Viscount. This in itself is a fascinating aspect of the storyline as he had left the family home many years earlier.

The plot of the story progresses and evolves with duels, cards, rescues, banquets and balls. I loved reading about the times. The costumes are described in great detail and the reader is transported to another time completely. The dialogue is excellent. I loved reading of the characters and their romances and adventures.

Wonderful descriptions of the moonlit countryside are given of England during a night ride with the hoot of an owl or the twittering of a nightjar breaking the silence of the night. A romantic setting is described with a horse trek across the open fields guided only by moonlight and the occasional lamplight in a house window of a town which they would circumvent.

Propriety and respectability are themes which do enhance the novel as it was set in the seventeenth century.

It is a noteworthy book of value.

An entertaining novel of great value and worth! This book does have all of the elements of comedy and drama and characters of some esteem. The romance of the story is lovely.

Colours and Imaginings

A poem for Poetry in Paradise which occurs every month at the Library:

Colours and Imaginings:

The afternoon sunlight

seems so right

if only it would stay

Not turn into night:

the quiet,tranquillity

Bird song and serenity,

it gives hope to my heart

and all the beginnings of a new start:

Pink shadows and grey

A darkening ray-

But a-far and be-yond

By a magical wand

the Sun dips its beam

into the Great Unseen:

Autumn leaves,

They flutter and fall

sweep up my dreams

and gather them all:

Ruby, russett, orange and red

Colours of imagination

wherein I am led.

A beautiful valley

Of Summer Green

the clover, flower,

and grass:

A spectacular scene

And greet in the distance

sweet summer's haze;

beyond the township

dips the soft sun

The light in the meadows

a glimmering one;

A perfumed landscape

As nightfall approaches

this I see

In all my reproaches

A shimmering stream

ultra-green

The beauties of Nature

give a powerful beam:

the contours,

the colours

they glance into Space

Now it is a canopy,

A starlit, wondrous Place;

Oh, this lovely Night-scape!

By candle-light beauty

echoes the Grace

with each little star

flung out into space

And the seasons,

an ever encircling ring

As May flowers bloom in spring;

The soft greens by the River Seine

they seemed to beckon and call my name

but out on the fields is a different scene

Crimson and yellow and bright blue and green;

The echoing distance

the ringing of bells

A picture-page story-book

which often tells

of adventures and romance

the kind which sells:

In distant played memories

My mind perceives

The beauty of this world

which never deceives;

Who knows where it all began?

The stories of life

which travelled on the winds,

in the currents of streams

whispered in leaves

and reached different shores

North, south, east or west

in the Great Plan:

As oft in my day-dreams

the colours return

Soft greens of a vineyard,

Do colours play tricks?

In my mind,

backwards and forwards

Colours behold!

Beauty magnified

in colours re-run

At the setting of a Sun;

Crimson starlight, pink and blue

Purple, orange, every hue;

Colours of the World,

I say

A beauty of Art

Peace of the World

I pray

And a new start

Peace in my Heart:

the colours and imaginings

Grace plays its part;

Soft glimmering hopes

my last wishing stance

the wonders of Nature

give a Second Chance

for peace, harmony,

beauty tranquillity.

The Way We Were by Elizabeth Noble

The Way We Were by Elizabeth Noble

The Way We Were is a story told with panache and verve

by the author. She tells the story as it is and what a roller coaster of emotional

drama it is!

This story is set in England of London and rural England. Sometimes the story is told in retrospect of Susannah's life growing up in a rural country town, her friends and a near neighbour, Rob, and his family.

It is an interesting story to read of a romance, career, friends and family. I enjoyed reading this

novel which is very contemporary in every respect.

The story is poignant and humorous, especially the banter exchanged between

Susannah and her best friend, Amelia, who had been a school friend in her earlier years.

I enjoyed reading of the earlier times when Susannah's life seemed simpler as she was growing up in

the countryside.

There are many wonderful memories and anecdotes, her memories of congregating with other members of the community outside the village church every week-end to watch the bride and bridal party leave the village church after their wedding and she would bicycle to the local shops to purchase her sherbet and sweets while the bridal party was in the church or of the wonderful celebrations on the village common on the occasion of Guy Fawkes Night which was a special treat for the children.

These occasions are told with authenticity and often the dialogue scripted would be the dialogue expected of the villagers spoken on these different occasions. Susannah's own parents, her family and Rob's parents are fascinating characters to read of with their idiosyncrasies and approach to life. It is a whimsical book to read with sentimentality shown at times in the dialogue and story. It is also sad. Susannah may have been the author of her own misfortunes. It is a story of Susannah's life. It gives a glimpse of a not too distant past in England of the twentieth century.

Miss Austen Regrets: a film

This is a wonderful film from the BBC of the novelist Jane Austen,

writer of romantic novels Pride and Prejudice, Sense and

Sensibility, Mansfield Park and Emma.

Jane was widely admired for her novels which were read in Paris

and enjoyed by royalty and yet her own story may not

have been quite so romantic as her heroines.

I enjoyed watching this movie. It is so different!

Jane lives in fairly straitened circumstances with her mother and sister

in a cottage on her impoverished brother's estate who is a widower

responsible for eleven children.

Jane wonders about her life and how it may have been different had she married

at an earlier stage of her life when she received a marriage proposal.

The film reflects a society with its different codes of

conduct and character of early nineteenth century tempered by its beautiful horses and carriages,

music and dancing, elegance and manners.

The beliefs of the times when people thought differently

about marriage make for compelling viewing.

It is an unusual film with wonderful settings of beautiful landscapes and authentic styles of clothing which reflected the times.

Strong emotions, quirks and foibles of the characters and an engaging story line enhance

the picturesque quality of this film. Jane Austen was a strong and witty character herself

like her romantic heroine in Pride and Prejudice.

Full credit to the makers of this movie! It is quite a masterpiece.

The Pindar Diamond by Katie Hickman

This wonderful novel is set in early seventeenth century Venice.

The story is inspirational and a joy to read. This book follows on from

the exotic novel set in Old Constantinople, The Aviary Gate, in which

an English merchant's fiancee, Celia Lamprey, is captured on a sea voyage,

sold and taken to the Sultan's harem.

The Pindar Diamond is an extraordinary story. Paul Pindar is the English

merchant who mourns the loss of his true love and does not really know what

has happened to her.

Characters from the earlier novel come into play, as for example, Paul Pindar's

friend and servant, John Carew, Celia Lamprey's friend, Suor Annetta, who now

resides in a convent on the island of Guidecca on the Venice lagoon. Here there is beauty to be found in the inspirational nature paintings of one of the sisters and the magnificent gardens and orchard of the convent.

It is a beautiful story and I am reminded of shades of “Angelique in Love” by Anne

Golon in which Angelique had not seen her husband for many years. It is quite

compelling reading for the romance and sense of adventure in the story.

A troupe of tumblers and performers travels along the coast of Italy, their destination the “Serenissima”

the beautiful city of Venice set on the sea and the people who make up this group of itinerant

travellers seem other worldly but quite beautiful. Maryam, considered too tall and ugly proved

to be of the finest of qualities of human character.

The colourful descriptions of the settings in Venice make this story come alive with the sea and water reflections, the light and shadows. As the story progresses it also seems to be made of light

and shadows, the good and the bad.

A fascinating card game for the Sultan's blue, the diamond, the palazzos, the atmosphere, the beauty, the mists of Venice and the Angels' tears over the city when there is a light mist and falling rain which enhances the beauty of the story. It is a heady mix.

Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer

This romance set in Regency times

inspires with its beauty, settings and

endearing characters who follow on

from the favourite book of “These Old Shades”

which was set about twenty years previously.

The charm of the earlier characters cannot

fail to amuse and entrance the reader with

their various quirks and foibles.

Lady Fanning, with her two children who

are remarkably alike in temperament to herself and her husband

when they were younger, Lord Rupert with his

carefree attitude and his Grace, the Duke of Avon

and the Duchess with her engaging personality, who enlighten the story. The Duke's old friend,

Sir Hugh Davenant, also puts in an appearance.

The story is evolves around Miss Mary Challoner and the Duke's son,

the Marquis of Vidal.

An unlikely romance ensues after many adventures

and misapprehensions. Miss Mary's own father had been disinherited

by his own father for marrying her mother and Mary, being a little

different from her mother and sister did not wish for the same consequence

to happen upon the Marquis, who wishes to marry her.

The story is set in a time where propriety in all things was of the highest importance

in society. Respectability and being seen to act in a proper manner did take

precedence over actions and how people were seen to live their lives.

The story is lively and amusing. The characters are so authentic and also likeable.

It is a pleasure to read this book and follow the whims and fancies of the characters

and their journey to France.

There is also humour in the story and wonderful descriptions given on the page of the sea,

the horses, the towns, the inns and balls. It is a wonderful and intoxicating novel to read.

Descriptions of the characters give substance to the story and Miss Mary Challoner was an

unlikely character, seeming to be staid and strait-laced but also well educated.

It is a captivating story which appeals for the romance of the situation.

Due to

unexpected circumstances at one time Miss Mary Challoner found herself travelling in France

without her abigail and luggage which was seen to be not at all appropriate and without

assistance at an opportune moment she would have found herself in a dire predicament.

It is wonderful to read of the manners and way of life of Regency times where it is

so different from today and the expectations of society were so very exacting in modes

of dress and customs. Fencing and duelling also came into play.

The Regency setting gives the book an added charm for all

of these different modes of conduct and expectations.

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer

A wonderful way to start the New Year!

A perennial favourite, These Old Shades, by Georgette Heyer

is a wonderful romance story which would appeal to people

who enjoy reading of the elegance and beauty of earlier times.

This story is set during the time of Louis XV in France.

Descriptions of the Court of Versailles, the nobility of France and England

at Versailles and in Paris and also in England are related in a unique way with

special insights which give the story its charm.

A way of life which seems all but lost now is quite fascinating in

its detail to read.

Elegance, wit, sophistication and drama are all elements of this story.

The story centres around Leon, a page of his Grace, the Duke of Avon,

and of the Duke's friends and family.. also of the Duke's rivalry with an

old enemy the Count of Saint-Vire.

Little is known of Leon until later in the story.

There is a game to be played of which many of the characters are ignorant.

However, the Duke of Avon has a winning hand in this game which involves

old passions, the way of the world in eighteenth century France and high society.

I loved this story.

Adventure and romance engage the reader and enliven the story.

The characters are believable, the settings authentic, even an old stage coach inn

in France where many of the characters of the story meet before embarking

on a journey to Paris.

The spirited page, Leon, whose

loyalty and love for the Duke of Avon give a magical touch

and add another dimension to the story which is quite beautiful.

The true identity of Leon, the page, who later becomes a ward of the Duke of Avon

is also finally revealed.

A magical story!

The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer

The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer

I loved reading this book by Georgette Heyer.

A wonderful adventure story and romance.

This book is set in the countryside at many of the country inns

which were often habited by members of the nobility on their travels.

Characters, places, towns and settings add interest and sparkle

to this unique story.

The Corinthian is Sir Richard Wyndham of the Wyndham Fall,

made quite famous in fashionable London, by the tying of his

cravat. He is accused of being a dandy by a few people in the story, but he is not this at all.

At one time Sir Richard is told by a disgruntled matron

that she has “the greatest dislike of all forms of dandyism” and has “ever deplored the influence exerted by the Bow -Window set upon young men of respectable upbringing.”

This is at a time when the lady's niece, Miss Penelope

Creed, has run away and she is searching for her with a view to her marrying her son.

Sir Richard Wyndham and Miss Penelope Creed, who is living in disguise, unwittingly

come across a stolen necklace which needs to be returned to its owner and meet with

some unexpected happenings along the way when they encounter thieves and villains.

The story is amusing, enchanting and appealing. Humorous dialogue also carries the story.

I loved reading this story. The romance is quite extraordinary. The characters of the novel apealing.

There are two romances in the story and the parralel romance is quite unusual also, involving a mid-night excursion to Gretna Green for an elopement.

An extraordinary set of circumstances brings about this unusual twist in the tale. Two families who were at odds with each other as similarly in the story of the Montagues and Capulets in Romeo and Juliet gave an added dimension to this adventure story.

Georgette Heyer, known as the Queen of the Regency Romance,

writes well of these earlier times, with inclusion of thieves's cant,

a reference of the Rogues' Calendar, Bow Street Runners and the Beau Monde set,

the “haut ton” of the worldm, many who reside in London, including the mother, sister and brother-in-law of Sir Richard.

Sir Richard is also being pressured and expected to marry against his better inclinations to a daughter of a family whereby a business arrangement is expected as he is informed quite frankly and directly by the daughter of the family.

Sir Richard believes that Penelope Creed has come into his life in the guise of Providence, as he tells her, either that or of Disaster and at the moment in reflection he does not care which. The story is very humorous.

The story commences in London and it is a lovely story. Well worth reading!

The wonderful world of Charlotte Betts' books Part II

The Apothecary's Daughter

Having read and enjoyed “The Painter's Apprentice” I was keen

to read the story which preceded this wonderful book.

The Apothecary's Daughter tells the story of Beth's mother

Susannah, who grew up in Fleet Street, London at her father's

apothecary shop. Beth had grown up learning her craft from

her father of herbal rememdies and cures and enjoyed working in her

father's apothecary shop.

However, there were changes in the air, not always

for the best for Susannah at first glance, though she eventually

finds her place in the world. Susannah's father, a widow, had

decided to marry again which turned Susannah's world upside

down.

This book is magnificent in detail with great descriptive writing.

However, as this book is set twenty years previously to “The Painter's

Apprentice” it brings the reader to the grim realities of London during

the plague years of 1665 and the Great Fire of London of 1666.

This book is emotional and sentimental with wonderful depictions of

life as it was in London during these troubled times of the seventeenth

century.

This story is also a beautiful romance which appeals though I tend to enjoy “The Painter's

Apprentice” for the beauty of the romance. Many of the settings of London

were quite beautiful with golden sunsets, day trips and boat rides on the river Thames.

The romance is between Susannah and one of her father's customers at the apothecary shop,

Doctor William Ambrose, a fairly sombre professional man who works hard in London tending

his many patients. This romance evolves during the story.

There is some wonderful writing by Charlotte Betts describing the horror

and fear in London.

There are also beautiful descriptions given in the

writing of the sunsets, the River Thames, London streets and alleys

and also of beautiful Merryfields, the place

where Susannah eventually leaves London to live.

Strong writing and character make this book wonderful to read.

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 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.

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.

Angelique and the Demon by Sergeanne Golon

Angelique and the Demon by Sergeanne Golon

Once again the writers of the magnificent series of

Angelique books which follows

the romance and adventures of Angelique and her

husband, Joffrey de Peyrac,

in the New World create magic.

“Angelique and the Demon”

leaves me spellbound and in awe of great story-telling,

with the wonderful prose and descriptions of the beauty

of the scenery of the coastal regions, the Gulf of St Lawrence

and Arcadia (the Coast of Maine.) There is an old map on

the inside covers of the book

which details the settings in the story.

The magnificent artistic drawing of Angelique and Joffrey de Peyrac

with a sailing ship in full sail in the background is illustrated on

the front cover of the book.

The colourful characters, the reality and sometimes

unreality of a situation were so well described which gave

an air of credibility and reality to the unusual set of

circumstances which Angelique found herself to be in.

Herein lies a talent of seeing things so clearly and

of expressing thoughts, ideas and philosophies of life

so succinctly on the written page.

The mystical enchantment of Angelique as the Lady of

the Silver Lake seems to evoke memories of Camelot,

as perhaps the town of Goldsboro, may very well

have been similar to Camelot,

where Joffrey de Peyrac was founding a settlement

on the shores of Maine.

Angelique and her husband, Joffrey de Peyrac, had

broadened their horizons by escaping the narrow

confines of the life of Versailles and all which life in the Old World

signified for new beginnings in the New World, and were therefore

more ready to accept new customs and ideas which may have been

anathema in the Old World.

At the same time the harshness of life in the new land

and its many travails gave them

a strength and courage to define life as it really is and also gave them

inner strength to surmount all obstacles placed in their path.

There were traces of humour to be found in the book,

as after a serious discussion of demonology with

the Governor,

Angelique enquired innocently of the Governor,

“Were they both going mad?”

It was fortunate that Angelique did have loyal friendships

which proved to be invaluable in times of need and self

doubt. Self doubt at times even as regards the beauty of her love and strong bond

she shared with Joffrey de Peyrac.

There certainly were demons in the novel, but not so much to the extent that Angelique

and her friends would allow themselves to be thwarted by them. As in a scene

where a new arrival to a settlement along the coast, Tidmagouche, in which Angelique and her few friends were stranded, makes light of the situation by saying that there are no demons which cannot be overcome or put in their place. She draws attention to her children within the context of the demons, which is

also highly amusing, to say the least! This being

when the new arrival, Marceline-la-Belle, was informed by the governor that she should not have arrived because of the demons.

This incident was also amusing, as again the extraordinary circumstances of Angelique's

situation seemed to be overwhelming and threatening her very existence and also of the

few people who remained loyal towards her while living in an atmosphere of hostility.

During these pioneering days of early settlement there were narrow minded people

who could easily be persuaded by superstition and perhaps also fear. Angelique had

to show courage above all in such situations.

Angelique, who had encountered Madame de Montespan and the intrigues of

the Court of Versailles,

some of the worst elements of society in her earlier days, was

now confronted by a menace of evil which was hitherto unknown to her

and she herself even acknowledged at one point in the story to herself

that she may have allowed her own self guard to

lapse in the very different circumstances which she now

found herself in living in the New World with her husband.

A Duchess from France, a governor, Monsieur Ville d'Avray,

with the gift of the gab, who was also extremely

humorous at times and the different personalities and quirks of the characters ( Marceline-

la-Belle was renowned for her ability to open shell-fish in record time) certainly

do make this story compelling to read.

Angelique befriends interesting

and fascinating people from different backgrounds and religions. She also

inspires loyalty and true friendship with characters of the novel. There

certainly is depth in many of the characters whom Angelique interacts

with in her life and in the story,

(as for example a

Jesuit Priest who had rescued her from drowning in the ocean in the preceding novel

of the Angelique series,

“The Temptation of Angelique.”)

Angelique also inspires people with

her wisdom and zest for life.

A tame bear (Mr Willoughby) who performs tricks,

a kitten and a wolverine give warmth, charm and pleasure. Another facet

which gives interesting scope

to this novel which is set in this wild landscape of forest, hills, rivers and ocean.

With a mix of ship-wreckers, sailors, pirates, cod-fishermen from France,

early settlers, trappers and the king's girls

(who were being sent from France to Quebec to populate New France), people with different

ideas and also with the indigenous Indians in the novel, who were often portrayed in a sensitive fashion, I found “Angelique and the Demon” to be

educational, informative and entertaining. The book also includes notations of actual events which occurred in history during these unsettled times.

Anne Golon has recently been honoured in France at an awards ceremony last

year for literature. The Angelique books have been translated into many different

languages and there may be another film of Angelique to look forward to.