Marg is currently reading....

Carrie from Books and Movies is hosting a readalong of The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons. The book has been out here for a while now, but it was initially published under the title of The Novel in the Viola.

I loved Solomons first book, Mr Rosenblum's List, and so was very excited when I heard that her second book, The Novel in the Viola, was going to be released. There is really therefore no good excuse as to why it has taken me more than a year to actually getting around to reading it!

Here's the synopsis from the author's website:

In the spring of 1938 Elise Landau arrives at Tyneford, the great house on the bay. A bright young thing from Vienna forced to become a parlour-maid, she knows nothing about England, except that she won`t like it. As servants polish silver and serve drinks on the lawn, Elise wears her mother`s pearls beneath her uniform, and causes outrage by dancing with a boy called Kit. But war is coming and the world is changing. And Elise must change with it.

At Tyneford she learns that you can be more than one person.

And that you can love more than once.

Another thing you can find on the author's website is a link to the waltz that was composed for the book! (It is down the bottom of this page)

This book was also chosen as one of the Richard and Judy Bookclub choices in the UK last year. If you are interested in hearing a bit more about the inspiration for the book, here is a short interview with Richard and Judy with the author:






The setting of Tyneford in itself is a fascinating story!

Kailana is currently reading...

Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster only to find herself embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy. 

Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.

Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others—including the gallant Midwestern tycoon—are not so lucky.

On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period's glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.

I never really could believe that Lady Duff Gordon and her husband could be heartless enough to pay for their own boat on the night that the Titanic went down. I have always liked the idea better that they were helping out a bit because when the Titanic went down, the crew stopped being paid at that moment. They even had a bit of a ceremony to hand out the money and I think they would have kept it quiet if it was for negative reasons. So, I will be curious to see how Alcott handles the situation.

Alex is currently reading...

Like most sisters, Marguerite and Eleanor were rivals.

They were also queens.

Raised together at the 13th Century court of their father, Raymond Berenger, Count of Provence, Marguerite and Eleanor are separated by royal marriages—but never truly parted.

Patient, perfect, reticent, and used to being first, Marguerite becomes Queen of France. Her husband, Louis IX, is considered the greatest monarch of his age. But he is also a religious zealot who denies himself all pleasure—including the love and companionship his wife so desperately craves. Can Marguerite find enough of her sister’s boldness to grasp her chance for happiness in the guise of forbidden love?

Passionate, strong-willed, and stubborn, Eleanor becomes Queen of England. Her husband, Henry III, is neither as young nor as dashing as Marguerite’s. But she quickly discovers he is a very good man…and a very bad king. His failures are bitter disappointments for Eleanor, who has worked to best her elder sister since childhood. Can Eleanor stop competing with her sister and value what she has, or will she let it slip away?

To know more about The Sister Queens, you can visit Sophie Perinot's beautiful website: http://www.sophieperinot.com/home/

Currently reading - Shalimar by Rebecca Ryman

Earlier this year, I read Olivia and Jai by Rebecca Ryman. It was a book that had been recommended to me as being good for anyone who enjoyed reading historical fiction set in India, particularly during the days of the English Raj. I really enjoyed the book but was disappointed to find that the sequel, Veil of Illusion, was not available through my Inter Library Loan system. I have been told though that the sequel is disappointing compared to the first one though, so maybe it wasn't a bad thing that I couldn't get it.

What was available through ILL was Rebecca Ryman's only other book - Shalimar. Once again, we visit the exotic locales of India, and I have to say I am enjoying it very much, particularly the interactions between the two main characters, Emma and Damian.

Set in the late nineteenth century in the remote northern outreaches of the British Indian empire, Shalimar is an epic love story that unfolds among the lush Kashmir mountains and the intrigue of the Great Game - the diplomatic and military struggle between Britain and other nations for control of lucrative trade and territory.

Emma Wyncliffe is a disaffected, twenty-three-year-old British woman living with her family in Dehli. She is fiercely independent, willful, and intelligent. But it is not until her younger brother, a soldier in the Northern forces, suffers heavy gambling debts, that Emma is forced into a marriage to Damien Granville, a man with dangerous secrets who is rumored to be a spy.

It is Emma's search for the truth, and love, that drives the narrative of this grand novel set along India's fabled Silk Road -- the trade route between the West and China.

Readers of historical fiction will be captivated by this sweeping tale of love, strength, and deception.

Some time ago Alex compiled a list of books with this fabulous setting which included this book. You can find Alex's post Why I Love Historical Fiction Set in India by clicking on the link.

Ana is currently reading...

Eleven-year-old Alix is the daughter of the baron of Wanthwaite, whose lands along the Scottish border are among the best in England. But when her family is killed and her lands seized, Alix is forced to flee from the only home she's ever known. Her one hope of restoring her inheritance is to plead her case to King Richard the Lion Heart, who is far away in France, preparing to go on his Crusade. Alix resolves to follow him. She cuts her hair, dresses as a boy, and takes the road south to London.

Disguised as a beautiful young boy, Alix is more than befriended by the handsome and mysterious King Richard, even becoming his favorite page. Their relationship sets tongues wagging and places Alix in considerable danger as the battle for Jerusalem unfolds.

The Shield of Three Lions is the first book in the Alix of Wanthwaite series. The other titles are Banners of Gold and The Prince of Poison.

Alex is currently reading...

Virginia Company, Jamestown, 1621. The once struggling colony is now thriving, and the arrival of a ship full of potential brides has all the single men rushing to put on their best and meet the ladies in hopes of finding wives. Captain Ralph Percy, hardened soldier, gentleman farmer, and avowed bachelor, watches from the sidelines, marveling as his comrades make fools of themselves over the women. He has no need of a wife and can’t understand the sense in asking a perfect stranger to marry him . . . until he catches sight of Jocelyn Leigh.

Struck by her uncommon beauty, quiet grace, and regal bearing, he wonders why a woman such as she would need to brave the sea voyage and the wilds of the new world to find a husband. And then he finds himself doing the unthinkable, asking for her hand in marriage before another man can snatch her up! But he was right to suspect that Jocelyn was not as she seemed, and he soon discovers that his new wife fled England in a desperate attempt to escape an arranged marriage. Ralph vows to protect her, not knowing how soon he will be called upon to do so, or how dangerous it will be to him.

Jocelyn’s jilted fiancée is coming to find her, and when Lord Carnal lands at Jamestown, he brings dubious tidings. A handsome lord with the wealth and power of the king at his disposal, he informs Ralph that he has married a ward of the king without the king’s permission, a treasonous offense. But all will be well—all Ralph has to do is hand her over and Lord Carnal will sail away with her as though nothing ever happened. But if Ralph does not comply, he is to be clapped in irons and bound for England and the Tower, and Lord Carnal will take Jocelyn by force. The choice seems clear enough—who is Captain Ralph Percy to go against the king’s orders? But one look at Jocelyn’s fear-stricken face decides his fate. This solemn and stoic woman has woven herself into the fabric of his life, and he’s not going to give her up so easily.

Ralph and Jocelyn defy the king’s command and fight for their right to stay together, but it soon becomes evident that their only course of action is to flee. As they make their way through the dangerous wilderness, battling the king’s men, Indians, and even pirates, what started out as a marriage of convenience becomes a true love match, and Ralph discovers that what is worth having is worth holding, no matter the cost.

To learn more about this book and other very interesting ones who are being released by The Vintage Reader, please visit their website: http://www.thevintagereader.com/