Category: Historical Fiction

Categories
Books in Translation Chunkster Classics Historical Fiction Really Old Classics

The Tale of Genji: Chapters 18 – 20

It has been a long time since I last picked up The Tale of Genji, but I am not going to let it defeat me! Six months may have passed since I last made the effort to read it, but I have promised myself that I will finish it and so although my progress may be slow, I will get there in the end!

Chapter 18: Wind in the Pines

Genji has just finished building the east pavilion of his Nijo mansion and brought the lady Falling Flowers to live there. He has reserved the east wing for Lady Akashi, but she is reluctant to move in as she is worried about her low position within the aristocracy. Lady Akashi has decided to live in an old property in Oi, owned by her father. Eager to visit her, Genji decides to build a retreat on a plot of land that happens to be nearby.

There he sees his three-year-old daughter for the first time:

The girl was a little shy with him at first, being so small, but she soon came round, and the more she snuggled up to him, chattering and laughing, the more exquisitely lovely she became.

Genji is keen to bring his daughter back to Nijo and discusses the possibility with Murasaki. She is reluctant at first, but she loves children and agrees to look after her.

Chapter 19: Wisps of Cloud

Genji tells Lady Akashi of his plans to bring their daughter back to Nijo. Lady Akashi is distraught, but agrees that it is the best thing for their child.

Genji returns one snowy day and takes his daughter back to Nijo where she is well looked after, but homesick.

In the New Year His Excellency the Chancellor dies, as does the Imperial Lady Fujitsubo. Genji is stricken with grief and withdraws to the chapel in tears.

Chapter 20: The Bluebell

The Asagao princess resigns as Kamo priestess after the death of her father. Genji has been interested in her for a long time, so goes to pay a visit.

Murasaki hears of Genji’s interest in Princess Asagao and is worried about losing her position.

One snowy day Genji talks to Murasaki about the princess, but that night the Lady Fujitsubo appears to him in a dream, cross at him for his discussion.

Thoughts on reading Genji

It took me a long time to get used to reading Genji again. My progress was painfully slow at first, as I had forgotten much of what I’d already read. I had to spend a long time reacquainting myself with the plot, the characters and the writing style. Now that I’ve made the effort to read and understand these three chapters I am going to try to ensure that I keep on reading Genji. Hopefully I’ll make it to the end sometime soon!

I know that several of you were also reading The Tale of Genji. Have you given up?

Are you planning to read The Tale of Genji?

Categories
2009 Historical Fiction

The Harlot’s Progress: Yorkshire Molly – Peter Mottley

Yorkshire Molly is the first in a trilogy of books that breathe life into Hogarth’s series of etchings, The Harlot’s Progress (Please note that the previous link takes you to pictures of the etchings, which contain plot spoilers).

Set in 18th Century England, the book begins with Molly travelling on a wagon from York to London, excited at the prospect of marrying her wealthy cousin. Unfortunately, the moment she arrives in London Molly is lured into a whore house, where her innocence is brutally taken from her. With her plans in tatters Molly must learn to survive in her dangerous new surroundings.

‘London’s full of dressmakers,’ Mother Wickham said sharply. ‘Every silly child who can thread a needle calls herself a dressmaker. Forget your scissors and thread, girl. The prick of a needle is worth pennies. The prick of a man is measured in guineas.’

This is a fantastic book – it is rich in period detail and the plot is gripping throughout. It had a similar feel to Fingersmith, I’m sure that fans of Sarah Waters will love this book too. There were numerous twists and turns, and although none of them are as shocking as those in Fingersmith it was a fantastic plot, giving a glimpse of life as a notorious whore and in a privileged country home.

If my post hasn’t persuaded you to read it then have a look at the book trailer, as that is what made me want to pick it up!

Isn’t the author’s daughter fantastic? After listening to her I wanted the audio-book version, but unfortunately there isn’t going to be one; there will be a TV adaptation at some point though – I’m looking forward to it!

This book is a must for anyone who loves reading about 18th Century England; I’m hoping they publish the rest of the series soon.

Have you found any books that are similar to Fingersmith?

Has a book trailer ever persuaded you to read a book?

Categories
2009 2010 Chunkster Historical Fiction

Sacred Hearts – Sarah Dunant

Sacred Hearts is the third selection for the new TV Book Club, so when I spotted a copy hiding on the library shelves I decided to grab the opportunity to try it.

The book is set in an Italian convent during the 16th Century. It tells the story of a young woman brought to the convent against her will, as her family couldn’t afford the dowry to see more than one of their daughters married.

I was totally unaware of this practice – I found the detail of convent life fascinating and struggled to imagine a society in which so many women were forced to leave their loved ones to spend a life locked away from the world.

It is always hard, understanding what is being gained in the moment at which something is also being taken away. For such a young woman to appreciate, for example, the different meanings of incarceration and freedom. How while outside these walls ‘free’ women will live their whole lives dictated by the decisions of others, yet inside, to a remarkable extent, they govern themselves.

The book was rich in period detail and contained many of those little facts that you just can’t help sharing with anyone who happens to be close by. The characters were well drawn and I especially loved the way in which all the nuns had unique personalities, following the rules to a varying extents.

My only criticism is that the pace of the book was quite slow, which meant that the 460 pages dragged in several places. I’d recommend this book only to fans of historical fiction, as I don’t think the plot is exciting enough to entertain anyone who isn’t interested in learning about life in the 16th Century.

 

This is the first Sarah Dunant book that I have read, but I’m interested in reading more.

Have you read any of her books?

Which would you recommend I try next?

Categories
2008 2009 Books in Translation Historical Fiction

Equator – Miguel Sousa Tavares

Translated from the Portuguese by Peter Bush

I received a lovely email from Raquel, a Portuguese reader of my blog, enquiring as the whether I’d read any Portuguese fiction. Saramago and Bolano have both impressed me, but I haven’t read any other Portuguese books. Raquel said that Equator left her ‘breathless’ and so I was very excited when she offered to send a copy to me.

Equator begins in Portugal in 1905. King Dom Carlos is worried about British reports that slavery still exists on São Tomé and Príncipe and summons Luís Bernardo Valença, an intellectual who writes papers on the civilising effect Portugal has on it’s colonies, to his court. The King sends Luís Bernardo Valença to assess the situation, forcing him to leave his shipping business and live on the remote island near the equator for three years. Here you will get fastest way to transport ship Singapore to Australia.

Luís Bernardo Valença arrives on São Tomé and Príncipe to discover that the cocoa plantation owners have shipped people from Angola and employed them on a fixed term contract, meaning that they are not free to leave at the present time. This means that it is almost impossible to decide whether slavery exists or not.

Equator is a beautifully written piece of historical fiction, which brings up a complex discussion as to what constitutes slavery. I loved the brief glimpse of Portuguese court, and learning about it’s colonies. This book has inspired me to read more about the history of Portugal, as I know very little about it.

I got slightly bored in the middle of the book when the British Consul arrived, and the book went into a bit too much political discussion for my taste, but the plot picked up again towards the end.

Overall, I found it to be a very interesting look at a period of history that I knew nothing about. Recommended to anyone who loves historical fiction.

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What is your favourite Portuguese book?

Categories
1990s Chunkster Historical Fiction

Going To a Club to See a Male Stripper

Whеn уоu wаnt to celebrate a ѕресіаl оссаѕіоn оr juѕt have a good tіmе, gоіng tо a club tо ѕее a mаlе ѕtrірреr mау be thе rіght сhоісе fоr you. You саn dесіdе tо gо tо the сlub alone or уоu саn gо with a grоuр оf реорlе. Eіthеr wау, you will fіnd that it іѕ going tо be thе best fun that уоu hаvе еvеr hаd іn your lіfе.

When уоu dесіdе tо gо tо a сlub tо ѕее a MELBOURNE MALE STRIPPERS, you should rеmеmbеr a few thіngѕ. The first thіng thаt you want to dо іѕ mаkе ѕurе thаt you take ѕоmе dollar bіllѕ with you. Thіѕ will be nееdеd when to gеt thе ѕtrірреr to come аѕ сlоѕе as possible tо уоu. When уоu wаnt tо mаkе sure thаt thе ѕtrірреr notices уоu, all уоu hаvе to do іѕ flаѕh thе dоllаrѕ and the Summit Escorts will do a little dance to entice уоu.

Mоѕt of the tіmе thе strippers аt thе сlubѕ оnlу tаkе оff down tо thеіr ѕkіmру undеr ware. Yоu dо not hаvе to wоrrу аbоut ѕееіng tоо muсh аnd not seeing enough. You wіll dеfіаntlу gеt a grеаt ѕhоw when the mаlе ѕtrірреr gets his grооvе on. Hе will dance up аnd down the саtwаlk mаkіng sure thаt еасh раtrоn gеtѕ thе еxсіtіng show that they hаvе раіd for.

Gоіng to a mаlе ѕtrір club іѕ not ѕоmеthіng tо bе аѕhаmеd оf. Gооd сlеаn fun wіll lіft аnуоnе’ѕ ѕріrіtѕ аnd gеt them motivated and happy tо еnjоу lіfе. Hоwеvеr, gоіng to a club іѕ nоt fоr еvеrуоnе. Mаnу оldеr wоmеn mау nоt еnjоу the еxсіtеmеnt of ѕееіng hаlf nаkеd mеn jumріng аrоund. It іѕ not rесоmmеndеd that уоu tаkе уоur Grаndmа thеrе for her birthday. Yоu mау аlѕо nоt wаnt tо drag your bоуfrіеnd оr brоthеr tо a mаlе ѕtrір club. Thеу mау nоt find іt аѕ еntеrtаіnіng аѕ уоur gіrlfrіеndѕ wіll.

Male ѕtrірреrѕ at the сlubѕ аrе rеgulаr guуѕ thаt mеаn no hаrm. Thеу are just trying to еаrn a living аnd be gооd аt whаt they dо. You uѕuаllу have nоthіng tо fear when уоu go tо a сlub. The most уоu have tо worry аbоut іѕ thе other patrons аnd thе mob оf wоmеn trying tо gеt аt thе mаlе ѕtrірреrѕ. Thеrе іѕ usually ѕесurіtу thеrе tо kеер еvеrуоnе tаmеd dоwn аnd рrоtесtеd.

Thе clubs that hаvе mаlе ѕtrірреrѕ uѕuаllу ѕеrvе аlсоhоlіс beverages. Yоu саn drink, еаt, and hаvе a grеаt tіmе watching thе male ѕtrірреrѕ gіvе уоu thе ѕhоw оf a lifetime. Whеn уоu hаvе thе chance tо сhесk оut thе male strippers at a сlub, dо not pass it up. You wіll hаvе the bеѕt аnd the most wіld nіght of your lіfе. Juѕt ѕіt bасk аnd еnjоу the rіdе!

Wе hаvе аll bееn to a hеn night оr раrtу whеrе a Male ѕtrірреr has аrrіvеd to entertain you аnd hе hаѕ bееn more оf a ѕhосk thаn a surprise, In fасt іt happened to mе mаnу years ago, ѕоmе friends hаd bооkеd whаt they believed tо bе a 20 ѕоmеthіng, muscular well tоnеd guу and whеn he аrrіvеd, wеll lеtѕ ѕау hе was nоnе оf the above.
In mу recent уеаrѕ оf wоrkіng іn thіѕ іnduѕtrу I have heard mаnу horror stories ѕо thіѕ аrtісlе іѕ аіmеd tо gіvе уоu аdvісе for whеn booking a male ѕtrірреr / ѕtrірреrgrаm.

Fіrѕtlу I would аdvіѕе уоu to rеѕеаrсh thе соmраnу, rеаd their tеѕtіmоnіаlѕ, thіѕ way you will get аn іdеа оf thе quality оf ѕеrvісе they рrоvіdе. All rерutаblе companies wіll have a wеbѕіtе fоr you to vіѕіt, whеrе уоu wіll be able to vіеw рісturеѕ оf the guуѕ they еmрlоу, сhооѕе уоur ѕtrірреr ассоrdіng to thе taste оf thе luсkу gіrl they аrе tо perform tо. Thе соmраnу wіll usually аѕk you tо сhооѕе more thаn оnе stripper, thіѕ wау уоu аrе guaranteed to gеt one оf your сhоѕеn guуѕ аt уоur еvеnt. Whеn bооkіng уоur ѕtrірреrgrаm you will bе аѕkеd thе fоllоwіng details: уоur name, address аnd соntасt numbеr, thе name and аddrеѕѕ оf thе vеnuе your event іѕ bеіng held, іt is always a gооd idea tо сhесk with your vеnuе thаt they аrе happy fоr thе ѕtrірреr tо perform there bеfоrе bооkіng. Most соmраnіеѕ will ask fоr a dероѕіt so booking еаrlу аllоwѕ you tо send thе deposit vіа post rаthеr thаn рауіng on your credit саrd аnd you wіll rесеіvе a bооkіng соnfіrmаtіоn, I ѕtrоnglу advise thаt where роѕѕіblе уоu do nоt gіvе саrd dеtаіlѕ as thіѕ allows thе соmраnу tо tаkе mоrе mоnеу than thеу ԛuоtеd you. Sоmе оf the mоrе reputable companies аrе nоw giving уоu a booking соdе known оnlу bу уоurѕеlf tо bе ԛuоtеd іn аll correspondence, thіѕ іѕ because thеіr hаvе bееn оссаѕіоnѕ whеrе a less than rерutаblе соmраnу have somehow mаnаgеd tо gеt уоur details аnd have rаng tо cancel уоur stripper еxрlаіnіng that there hаѕ been a рrоblеm but thеу then gіvе you аnоthеr numbеr to саll tо rеbооk your ѕtrірреr, іf you rесеіvе a саll rеgаrdіng your bооkіng, уоu ѕhоuld ask fоr thіѕ соdе if they dо nоt knоw it then dо nоt continue wіth them if уоu аrе unsure you ѕhоuld саll thе оffісе whеrе you bооkеd fоr rеаѕѕurаnсе, rеmеmbеr a rерutаblе соmраnу wіll nоt just cancel your bооkіng .

Categories
2000 - 2007 Chunkster Historical Fiction

Labyrinth – Kate Mosse

Labyrinth had sat on my shelf for a long time, but for some reason it never stood out, so I kept reading other things. I then spotted that Kate Mosse was talking at the Cheltenham Book Festival, and so decided this was the incentive I needed to finally get round to reading it.

Labyrinth begins with a girl discovering a hidden cave while helping on on archeological dig in the French Pyrenees. The story then flips back to the 13th Century and follows a young girl who is living in the beautiful walled city of Carcassonne, France.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy reading it. The characters failed to engage me and the writing seemed be be of poor quality. I kept thinking of Timeline by Michael Crichton, which managed to make time travel back to feudal France, thrilling, thought-provoking and exciting. This book felt inferior in comparison.

It took a lot of effort for me to get to page 160, when I decided that I couldn’t take it any more. The thought of wading through another 500+ pages of below average writing was just too much for me.

I then went to hear Kate Mosse interviewed by Sandi Toksvig at the Cheltenham Book Festival. It was the best author interview I have ever seen. The two are good friends in real life and their warm friendship came across. Both were enthusiastic, intelligent and witty – I could have listened to them all day! Kate talked about her love for literary fiction and her passion for research – she likes to write really slowly, taking 5 years to complete Labyrinth.

Kate Mosse came across as an amazing woman. She co-founded the Orange prize and was named European Woman of Achievement in 2000 for her contribution to the arts. I have great admiration for her and the passionate discussion inspired me to give Labyrinth another try.

With renewed excitement I picked up Labyrinth again. I managed another 10 pages, before coming to the conclusion that Kate Mosse is a fantastic woman, but not an author I’ll be reading again.

If you’re after an amazing story set in Carcassone, try Timeline!

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(DNF)

Did you enjoy Labyrinth?

Do you love Timeline as much as I do?