tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post1548061354599688221..comments2023-11-29T07:39:34.401+00:00Comments on Carla Nayland Historical Fiction: Young Bess, by Margaret Irwin. Book reviewCarlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-59256481510612985952010-03-28T12:06:25.674+01:002010-03-28T12:06:25.674+01:00Not a bad analogyNot a bad analogyCarlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-45678087297096485862010-03-27T15:44:33.575+00:002010-03-27T15:44:33.575+00:00I think of fictional characters without readers as...I think of fictional characters without readers as rather like gods without worshippers - they gradually fade away into nothingness.Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-62393620457504962592010-03-20T10:15:32.839+00:002010-03-20T10:15:32.839+00:00Now there's a philosophical conundrum :-) Do ...Now there's a philosophical conundrum :-) Do fictional characters know whether the book they are in is published, and do they mind?Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-60955121840654347532010-03-19T12:58:36.550+00:002010-03-19T12:58:36.550+00:00Very fortunate would be getting published!<i>Very</i> fortunate would be getting published!Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-44737492558370600132010-03-18T16:36:03.985+00:002010-03-18T16:36:03.985+00:00Rick - I think we'll just accept that William ...Rick - I think we'll just accept that William de Havilland is a very fortunate man :-)<br /><br /><i>Legacy</i> by Susan Kay. Excellent novel of Elizabeth with her complex psychology and even more complex relationships with Robin Dudley and Cecil. It's out of print now - I got a secondhand copy recently - and I think Sourcebooks may be planning to reissue it in the US fairly soon. One to look out for if they do. I'll review it here when I get around to it.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-81928685999150628662010-03-18T16:21:12.999+00:002010-03-18T16:21:12.999+00:00Can you shipwreck him on a barren island for a few...<i>Can you shipwreck him on a barren island for a few months, or have him captured by pirates, just to even the score?</i><br /><br />Well, he IS a pirate, or at any rate a gentleman of the corso, close enough. Does it count that he has to take a pass on the Age of Exploration?<br /><br /><i>with the possible exception of</i> Legacy<br /><br />Que ???Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-51292212810784290332010-03-17T10:46:00.899+00:002010-03-17T10:46:00.899+00:00Constance - it's an excellent book, well worth...Constance - it's an excellent book, well worth a read.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-30243941944870856352010-03-15T04:55:43.689+00:002010-03-15T04:55:43.689+00:00Sounds like an interesting perspective to read fro...Sounds like an interesting perspective to read from. I like the historical events from different eyes.Constance Brewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964121072645959593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-63971079573793788462010-03-13T15:46:42.289+00:002010-03-13T15:46:42.289+00:00Meghan - I like Margaret Irwin's trilogy much ...Meghan - I like Margaret Irwin's trilogy much more than <i>I, Elizabeth</i>, which I didn't get on with. You might think quite differently! <br /><br />Rick - Well, being fictional may cramp Catherine's style somewhat when it comes to contract negotiations :-)<br /><br />Agreed about William, who does seem to have got a spectacularly good deal! Can you shipwreck him on a barren island for a few months, or have him captured by pirates, just to even the score?<br /><br />Yes, I came across that comment about Tom Seymour somewhere - who was it who said it? I can't remember - and thought it fitted very well. Plenty of style, but not enough substance. Elizabeth had both.<br /><br />Gabriele - they are well worth reading. This is probably my favourite fictional portrayal of Elizabeth, with the possible exception of <i>Legacy</i>. Have you seen the discussion over on HFO, where someone has observed that you can get Tudored-out on the mediocre but the classic novels retain their appeal? I think I agree with that.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-41154358322698896322010-03-13T14:37:58.341+00:002010-03-13T14:37:58.341+00:00I'm pretty much Tudored out at the moment, but...I'm pretty much Tudored out at the moment, but I'll keep those in mind for when all three have been reissued.Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-9325438219624550832010-03-13T00:31:21.644+00:002010-03-13T00:31:21.644+00:00You know what they say about the gratitude of prin...You know what they say about the gratitude of princes. If she were <i>really</i> grateful she'd get out on her street corner and hustle us both up a contract. <br /><br />And the really grateful one should be William de Havilland, Earl of Avalon, who gets redhead and kingdom, while Tom Seymour got the ax. (And from his own bro, too.)<br /><br />A friend did thumbnail him as 'better Tom Seymour,' which was not conscious intent, but basically true. A little d'Artagnan, and a little Old Nick, just the balance that Seymour was lacking. <br /><br />There is a contemporary account that lists his outward impressive qualities, then says, 'yet somewhat empty of matter.' I love how we now use <i>substance</i> in that exact sense. I wonder how English speakers of 2500 will put it?Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-81625722586527212782010-03-12T20:49:27.036+00:002010-03-12T20:49:27.036+00:00This sounds interesting, but I wonder how it will ...This sounds interesting, but I wonder how it will compare to my favorite book on the subject I, Elizabeth? <br /><br />FYI: (I think) Sharon Kay Penman is also doing a book on her. That should be a good read as well!Meghanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03375626649089998707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-28145923762261313632010-03-12T15:38:38.610+00:002010-03-12T15:38:38.610+00:00Bernita - thank you. It's an excellent novel....Bernita - thank you. It's an excellent novel.<br /><br />Rick - yes, you probably should read the book! I think you'll enjoy it. I don't think I knew there was a film of it until now (certainly don't ever recall seeing it), so that makes us even :-) Sourcebooks has just published a reissue on your side of the Pond (hence my ARC), so you should have no trouble finding a copy. The other two books in the trilogy are just as good, and I believe Sourcebooks are reissuing those as well later this year or next.<br /><br />I thought of Elizabeth and Tom Seymour in the context of your Catherine, her childhood in exile (foreign exile in her case, as opposed to Elizabeth's intermittent internal exile) and her dashing Admiral. You came up with a more benign ending than real life did, though. For which I hope your Catherine is suitably grateful :-)Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-14993008012291062902010-03-12T14:55:21.883+00:002010-03-12T14:55:21.883+00:00I have heard of Margaret Irwin, but never before e...I have heard of Margaret Irwin, but never before even knew that this book existed. Given my interests that might seem odd. But even stranger is that it had an enormous influence on me without me knowing it. <br /><br />The 1953 Jean Simmons / Stewart Granger movie 'Young Bess' is based on the book. I saw it on TV when I was a kid, and it obviously lurks in the mental background of <i>Catherine of Lyonesse.</i><br /><br />As a final oddity, while I remembered the movie, I didn't know the title till I caught it again a few years ago, a definite <i>Wow!</i> experience.<br /><br />So I probably should go read the book!Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-21543672113127372602010-03-12T10:55:29.805+00:002010-03-12T10:55:29.805+00:00Yes, I have it, and your review is accurate and ex...Yes, I have it, and your review is accurate and excellent.Bernitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05264585685253812090noreply@blogger.com