New beginnings ...

I cannot believe how long it has been since my last post!  My heart hasn't been in my blog for a while now.  Mostly because of pressure I put on myself to write reviews of all the books I read, and then the guilt associated with a backlog of reviews outstanding.  Plus although I love bookish chat, I also started to want to talk about other things as well.  Something I felt that didn't really fit with a 'bookish blog'.  So after taking some time to think about it, I've decided to say goodbye to this little blog.  Thank you to everyone that has read my blog over the years, and for all of your wonderful comments.  They have truly meant a lot to me.  And I hope that some of you will pop by and visit me at my new blog A Happy Little Corner.  A little blog dedicated to all of the small things that make me happy, including, of course, books! 

Ridiculously excited!!

An email popped into my inbox today, which caused me much joy, for at the bottom of the latest Virago Book Club newsletter was an except from my review of Girl Reading by Katie Ward.  Cue much excitement and a cheesy grin :o)

 Plus the subject line was familiar ...

Sorry for this shamelessly self-indulgent post, but this little email made my day!  If you would like to read the newsletter, it's available here.

Girl Reading - Katie Ward

As a self-confessed and unashamed bibliophile, the image of someone reading is quite an evocative one for me.  This can be just catching a glimpse of a fellow reader-commuter, someone immersed in a book whilst reclining in a park or beach, or even just a stranger flicking through pages whilst browsing in a bookshop.  Or it can be a piece of art of a particular moment of time where the subject book in hand is captured forever.  A portrait or a snapshot.  Just an image or glimpse of someone reading can be enough that for a moment I am intrigued about them.  What made them choose that particular book?  Is it for pleasure or a book forced on them by a well-meaning friend or relation, or maybe even the focus of an assignment?  Are they enjoying it, struggling or unmoved?  Is it a beloved book or a new discovery?  One that will become well read and treasured or one to be discarded without a second thought (maybe even before they had finished reading it)?  And if not the book itself, then what brought them to this moment?  Why are they in this particular place, in that particular pose with a book in hand?  Of course not all readers inspire such a reaction, but sometimes I catch myself wondering ...

Katie Ward's Girl Reading, which is the current Virago Book Club selection, is therefore a gift for someone like me.  Someone intrigued by a stranger reading.  A collection of short stories, at its heart is the beguiling image of a girl and a book.  Six of the stories are inspired by a particular painting, portrait, sketch, photograph or snapshot of a girl or woman reading.  The focus of the stories are not the production of the actual images, but rather a window into a certain point or points of the lives of the subject and their loved ones.  For instance a girl coming of age at the beginning of the 20th century experiencing a heady and perplexing summer as she negotiates her entry into adulthood.  A woman in the 18th century isolated from the world and society as she is enveloped and suffocated by her grief for the loss of her lover.  All brought powerfully to life.  As for the final story, it is best not to say too much about it but it did make me re-examine my understanding of the collection and my perceptions of the preceding stories.

Through Ward's stories we are transported to different eras, cultures and countries.  And yet they also feel to be disconcertingly out of time.  The eras are signposted at the beginning of each story and there are references to certain historical events and developments, yet at the same time these are not overdone.  The women and their stories do not belong to one particular point in history and could easily be transported to another time and place.  Their experiences are timeless and universal.  Stories of grief, adversity and estrangement.  Of love, forging connections and the small everyday delights.  Of being human.

Each story is a journey; not just for the characters but for the reader also.  The stories gradually reveal themselves instead of everything being crudely explained in the outset and piece by piece we slowly puzzle out and start to assemble the lives of the characters.  But just like the paintings and images that inspired the stories are of a fleeting moment in time, so too are the stories themselves.  Not all of the hows, whats and whys are explained and the course of the characters lives after we encounter them are left open.  We do not know what they decide to do about their relationships or a certain situation, and whilst normally I find this frustrating, instead it helped the characters to stay with me long after I had read the final page.  The characters also stayed with me because Ward skillfully creates an intimate reading experience through the lack of speech marks.  I never realised before just how much speech marks serve to anchor a story by clearing highlighting areas of speech.  Without them however you feel more immersed in the lives and experiences of the characters, like you are somehow delving into their personal thoughts and feelings.

As you can probably tell, I adored Girl Reading and the stories that it brought to life.  An engrossing debut, I can't wait to discover what more Ward has to offer.  And if you are intrigued by the images that inspired Ward, you can find them here.

Many thanks to Virago who sent me a copy of Girl Reading as part of their early reviewer scheme.

A productive day ...

Yesterday was a day I have been looking forward to for a while.  A busy and tiring day certainly, but also an immensely productive one.  A day made up of carrying and re-arranging.  Of dusting and sorting.  Of deciding what books I can't live without and those that I can.  Of how they should be organised.  Whether they should be arranged by fiction and non-fiction.  By themes, colour or size.  Alphabetically or by date of publication.  A day where the piles of books in my bedroom were finally tackled and those worthy ones found a much more appropriate home on our newly installed shelves in the living room.  Would you like to take a look?

I am very happy with my new bookcase and what a welcoming sight when you enter the room.

And as I was in an organising mood, I also tackled the other shelves around the house.  Now my beloved Virago's are all in one place (although I suspect that two shelves is not going to be sufficient for long) ...

... and so are my non-fiction books.

Along the way I also started to weed out the books that I am unlikely to ever read, and those not good enough to read a second time.  A hard task, as I am a hoarder, but something that needed to be done.  Sorting through the piles has also made me fall in love with my collection again and to re-discover books that had been hiding forgotten in its depths.  It has also made me realise just how many books I own and should hopefully keep me focused on my aim not to buy any more books this year.  After that, I fear I may need a strict one in one out policy, but that is for another time, and for the moment I am just enjoying my newly organised collection.

Hector Finds Time - Francois Lelord

A few months ago I had an encounter with a psychiatrist.  I have met him a couple of times before.  Maybe you too are familiar with him?  He is a good psychiatrist.  One who is genuinely interested in his clients (well mostly, but then he is only human) and keen to do what he can to help them.  He also likes to travel around the world and have adventures.  And because he is such a good psychiatrist, he also takes the opportunity whilst on his journeys to find out more about the things that are troubling his patients.  Universal troubles, such as happiness and love.  And it's a good thing too, because being a psychiatrist does not make one immune from suffering the very same problems that people pay them to help with.  Hector, for that is the name of our psychiatrist friend, is indeed only human, and that's one of the things I find so charming about him.

On his various travels, Hector never fails to make friends.  One of these friends, the old monk that Hector met during his first adventures, had gone missing in quite highly publicised and puzzling circumstances.  That the government of the country in which the monk resides may be responsible for his disappearance is especially concerning.  And so our intrepid explorer goes on a quest around the world to try and find his old friend.  He visits many countries such as China, the country of the Eskimos, a country where the ancestors 'had conquered half the world on their hairy little horses', a warm coastal country where its inhabitants lead long healthy lives and to the mountainous country that borders China.

Along the way Hector makes several new friends and he also reconnects with old ones.  Friends we also know from his earlier adventures, such as Edouard, who has certainly changed his life and his outlook from when we first met him, to Ying Li whose life has completely changed (and for the better too) as a result of her encounter with Hector.  I only wish that we had also had the opportunity to reconnect with Vayla, the sweet and kind waitress that accompanied Hector in his adventures concerning a certain love drug (no, not that type of drug, rather a drug to help take the unpredictability out of love).

And of course, Hector's travels would not be complete without him trying to understand more about something that seems to be troubling his patients a lot recently.  The eternally troubling notion of time.  Of time never going at the speed you wanted it to; either seemingly too fast or too slow.  Have having too much time or not enough of it.  Of people living too much in the past or looking forwards to a point in the future, whilst not making the most of the present.  Of wanting to halt the physical progress of time on your person.  It certainly seems that people spend a lot of time thinking about and troubling about, well, time!

As you can probably tell, I simply adored accompanying Hector on his travels.  Hector's journeys are quite simply charming, I really can't think of another way of describing them.  The gentle and humorous tone in which his adventures are told are just perfectly suited towards the gentle and humorous Hector, yet at the same time their deceptively simple manner hides real insight into the things that we as human tend to obsess about.  And could there be a more perfect guide and companion than Hector?

Many thanks to Gallic Books who very kindly sent me a copy of Hector Find Time.

Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge - Eleanor Herman

Whilst reading Antonia Fraser's magnificent biography on Marie Antoinette, one of the things for which Marie Antoinette attracted condemnation for was the fact that her husband, Louis XVI, did not take a mistress.  From a modern perspective that this was the cause of some of the hostility against Marie Antoinette mystified me to say the least.  Reading Eleanor Herman’s Sex with Kings, which examines the recent (well, 500 years or so) history, role and status of the royal mistress in the European courts, helps to place this oddity in context.  For in the European courts, the royal mistress, most especially she that held the coveted title of maitresse-en-titre (the official royal mistress), was in a uniquely powerful position.

The marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton last year was clearly a love match, in centuries past however marriage for members of the royal family was instead undertaken as a way of forging diplomatic alliances between two powerful families and generally between two powerful countries too.  Therefore a marriage with a King was a way of creating or re-affirming these bonds, as well as to produce legitimate heirs.  If a mutual respect, affection and, in some rare cases, love found their way into these diplomatic marriages, then all for the best.  If not, then the King could always find what was lacking with a mistress.  

Diane de Poitiers

As a companion chosen specifically by the King, compared to a wife chosen for the good of the country, courtiers at court vied with each other to gain the favour and patronage of the reigning maitresse-en-titre.  They would bestow gifts, bribes and praise upon her hoping that a well chosen word to her royal lover would result in titles, sought after court or political positions, pensions, titles, gifts and the favour of the King.  The fortunes of a family could be greatly influenced by whether one of their own was chosen as a mistress to the King, or if the mistress belonged to a different court fraction.  As such, Louis XVI’s lack of a maitresse-en-titre created a political imbalance to what was perceived as being the influence of Marie Antoinette and her faction on the King.  That Marie Antoinette, especially in the early years of her marriage, lacked any real influence over the King, especially in in political matters, was not understood.

If her family or faction could come to benefit from her position as maitresse-en-titre, the woman herself also had much to gain (as well as her husband if he conventionality looked the other way).  Many royal mistresses acquired untold wealth through their association with a monarch.  Jewels, sumptuous and richly decorated gowns, gold and silver plate, carriages, horses, and titles (with the associated residence, land and the income from the tenants and the sale of the produce of the land) were amongst many of the gifts bestowed upon their heads by their lovers.  Mistresses such as Barbara Villiers and Louise de Kerouaille even received annuities from the Treasury that equated to millions of pounds in contemporary money during their periods as official mistress to Charles II, and they were also given the money collected from various imposed taxes, such as the taxes on beer and ale and the taxes paid by the clergy.  Whilst most mistress were only able to exert political influence, some even gained real political power in their own right, for instance Diane de Poitiers who as mistress to Henri II of France was a member of the council, made laws, imposed taxes and signed official decrees.

Barbara Villiers

The royal mistress was also in a position to make real contributions to society as a whole through her generous patronage of numerous charitable causes, her role of patron to painters, artists, musicians, writers, poets, dressmakers and the like, and her contribution to the country's industries through her extravagant purchases.  Their support of their King in times of political turmoil and war also contributed towards the stability of the realm, whether this was by helping her King run the country (like Diane de Poitiers), giving her jewels to the Treasury to help fund military campaigns (like Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV) or even negotiating peace (like Gabrielle d'Estrees, the mistress of Henri IV).  Some even helped settled the tricky question of the succession.  After 9 years of marriage, the wife of Henri II, Catherine de Medici, had still not produced a pregnancy.  They finally conceived an heir, the future Francis II, after Henri's mistress Diane de Poitiers would get him suitably aroused in her rooms and then send him up to the bedroom of his wife.  Although of course not all mistresses were so selfless, with Barbara Villiers, for example, being renowned at court for constantly harassing and haranguing Charles II for ever more gifts and titles, which put a severe strain upon the public purse.

A mistress’s position the maitresse-en-titre however was a precarious one to say the least.  She could be the focus of court intrigues by jealous courtiers, women keen to replace her as the favourite of the King and the snubbed wife of the King, all happy to bring about her fall from grace.   Her position was also more importantly based solely upon the favour of the King, and she could quickly find herself discarded if she no longer pleased him, her annuities and sometimes the other gifts accrued during her reign as official mistress forfeited.  A neglected mistress was of no use to a fickle court and she would be left out in the cold by the very same courtiers who competed her attentions whilst her star was in the ascent, her place quickly taken by another willing woman.  Therefore if she was lucky enough to provide the King was an illegitimate child, who was generally also granted gifts and titles, this could provide her with some security when her days as maitresse-en-titre were over.

Madame de Pompadour

To help protect her position and ensure that she would be more than just a fleeting fancy, the maitresse-en-titre needed to offer more than a pretty face and a willing body.  The most successful mistresses were those inapt at reading the moods of their royal lovers and catering to their desires, not merely in the bedroom.  Someone who was a sensitive, entertaining and loyal companion and for whom the deposition and comfort of their lover was of the upmost importance and priority.  For Madame de Pompadour, catering to the whims and pleasure of her lover were central to her longevity as royal mistress for 19 year, even after the physical side of their relationship disappeared after just a few years due to her own disinclination and the pain she experienced during sexual intimacy.  She was skilled at anticipating and reading his moods and coming up with a ready diversion.  Her ill health could be directly attributed to this constant attention to the needs of Louis XV, especially as this was often at the expense of her own health.  Fearful of annoying the King who was not sympathetic to the health problems of others, and concerned about the other ladies of the court who would be more than happy to take her place should she allow herself a period of convalescence during these moments of illness, Madame de Pompadour put the happiness and comfort of the King before her own much needed rest and recuperation, ultimately at the expense of her health.

A fun romp of a book, Herman's Sex with Kings is an engrossing introduction to the fascinating world of the royal mistresses of the European courts over the past 500 year.  I am intrigued to see that she has also written a companion book called Sex with the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers and Passionate Politics. 

Marie Antoinette: The Journey - Antonia Fraser

Marie Antoinette is a historical figure that I have of course heard of but one which I have never really known much about.  What little I did know was related to the infamous 'let them eat cake' refrain that has long been associated with the callous Queen of an extravagant and corrupt regime.  Indeed, in her own lifetime and in the centuries since, Marie Antoinette is a figure that has become obscured and distorted by malicious half-truths and falsehoods.

Although initially charmed by the beauty and grace of their foreign Dauphine and later Queen, the very nature of her foreignness, being an Archduchess of Austria France's traditional enemy no less, made Marie Antoinette a convenient scapegoat.  Someone to whom the French court and the wider French society could target in place of directly attacking their King and Marie Antoinette's husband, Louis XVI.  Marie Antoinette therefore became the figurehead for the despised extravagant and debauched court and was publicly defamed in numerous malevolent and cruel libelles.  Within these, she was accused of being greedy, grasping and spending frivolously whilst the French population starved.  Marie Antoinette was also portrayed as being licentious and of having numerous affairs with prominent male and female personalities of the court.  Furthermore, within the pages of the libelles, Marie Antoinette was represented as betraying France by siphoning off French money to her relatives in Austria and advising Louis in pro-Austrian policies to the disadvantage of France.

Marie Antoinette and two of her children

Fraser's book is a more sympathetic portrayal of this much misunderstood and vilified Queen.  She quickly dismisses the most obscene fabrications and deftly sorts through the murky half-truths and glimmers of fact.  In Fraser's hands, a more humane character emerges.  Someone who keenly felt her vulnerability within the French court, especially in the early years of her marriage due her husband's initial public coldness to her and their inability to consummate their marriage until 7 years of wedlock.  A woman who instead initially sought comfort in a close group of friends and glistening parties, but who presented herself with immense dignity in the face of the horrors of the revolution and threats against her person and those closest to her.  Someone who felt suffocated from the keen eyes and etiquette of the court and who sought escape in her own domain, the Petit Trianon and it's surrounding grounds and buildings.  Above all, a loving and loyal friend, mother and wife and a kind and generous patron of the ordinary French citizens.  And with regards to the 'let them eat cake' myth?  A retort that has been associated to many princesses as early as 100 years before Marie Antoinette's arrival in France, but which has stuck with her.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the book for me was the examination of the development of Marie Antoinette's and Louis XVI's relationship.  As the traditional enemy of France, from childhood Louis had been warned by his tutor's against the influence of Austria.  This, alongside the animosity of his aunts towards his new wife, greatly influenced Louis' early treatment of her.  Added to this the initial unconsummated state of their marriage, it hardly boded well.  But from this unauspicious start grew a deep affection and loyal love.  There were many periods during the growing unrest and early years of their imprisonment where either Marie Antoinette or Louis could have escaped themselves, however neither would abandon the other.  Decisions which as history tells us ultimately led towards their violent deaths.

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Indeed that was one of difficulties in reading this biography, because as the reader, I knew how things ended.  Reading of the many opportunities where the Royal Family could have escaped before the grasping fingers of the revolution imprisoned them.  And even when imprisoned at the Tuileries Palace, if only their flight to Montmedy had been successful, instead of their capture in Varennes.  Or if only Marie Antoinette's Austrian family or the monarchs of neighbouring European countries had intervened on the behalf of Marie Antoinette and her family.  And instead of executing their monarch and his Queen, maybe the deposed Louis and Antoinette could have been exiled to another country.  So many if and buts that did not necessarily lead to their deaths.

Fraser's book is a magnificent biography on Marie Antoinette.  A vast doorstop of a book that is evidently meretriciously researched, something which characterises all of Fraser's books, I finished reading it wishing that there was more.  I simply adored it and would wholeheartedly recommend it to those interested in Marie Antoinette or female queens in general.