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In 1966 Jean Rhys reemerged after a long silence with a novel called Wide Sargasso Sea. Rhys had enjoyed minor literary success in the 1920s and '30s with a series of evocative novels featuring women protagonists adrift in Europe, verging on poverty, hoping to be saved by men. By the '40s, however, her work was out of fashion, too sad for a world at war. And Rhys herself was often too sad for the world--she was suicidal, alcoholic, troubled by a vast loneliness. She was also a great writer, despite her powerful self-destructive impulses.
Wide Sargasso Sea is the story of Antoinette Cosway, a Creole heiress who grew up in the West Indies on a decaying plantation. When she comes of age she is married off to an Englishman, and he takes her away from the only place she has known--a house with a garden where "the paths were overgrown and a smell of dead flowers mixed with the fresh living smell. Underneath the tree ferns, tall as forest tree ferns, the light was green. Orchids flourished out of reach or for some reason not to be touched."
The novel is Rhys's answer to Jane Eyre. Charlotte Brontë's book had long haunted her, mostly for the story it did not tell--that of the madwoman in the attic, Rochester's terrible secret. Antoinette is Rhys's imagining of that locked-up woman, who in the end burns up the house and herself. Wide Sargasso Sea follows her voyage into the dark, both from her point of view and Rochester's. It is a voyage charged with soul-destroying lust. "I watched her die many times," observes the new husband. "In my way, not in hers. In sunlight, in shadow, by moonlight, by candlelight. In the long afternoons when the house was empty."
Rhys struggled over the book, enduring rejections and revisions, wrestling to bring this ruined woman out of the ashes. The slim volume was finally published when she was 70 years old. The critical adulation that followed, she said, "has come too late." Jean Rhys died a few years later, but with Wide Sargasso Sea she left behind a great legacy, a work of strange, scary loveliness. There has not been a book like it before or since. Believe me, I've been searching. --Emily White
Book Description
The fortieth anniversary reissue of the best-selling "tour de force" (Walter Allen, New York Times Book Review).
Jean Rhys's reputation was made upon the publication of this passionate and heartbreaking novel, in which she brings into the light one of fiction's most mysterious characters: the madwoman in the attic from Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre.
A sensual and protected young woman, Antoinette Cosway grows upin the lush natural world of the Caribbean. She is sold intomarriage to the coldhearted and prideful Rochester, who succumbsto his need for money and his lust. Yet he will make her pay forher ancestors' sins of slaveholding, excessive drinking, and nihilistic despair by enslaving her as a prisoner in his bleak English home.
In this best-selling novel Rhys portrays a society so driven by hatred, so skewed in its sexual relations, that it can literally drive a woman out of her mind.
Customer Reviews:
The horror... the horror... Wide Sargasso Sea is a searing indictment.......2007-09-14
Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea is a dreamlike feverish novel awash in passion and trauma. Forget for a moment that it's a sequel to "Jane Eyre" or that it is a seminal text in Feminism and Colonialist studies. Simply as a strikingly modern story of trauma and madness it is brilliant. Disorienting, agonizing, nightmarish yet stunningly beautiful; I was forced to read it in dribs and drabs - as the knife edge of Rhys' vision would compel me to come up, panting for air. This book is powerful - yet unforgivingly dark. But, of course, it is much more - it's a modernist masterpiece which brilliantly critiques the human costs of crimes of patriarchy, colonialism, slavery and subjugation. It is a searing indictment at the same time it is a haunting work of art.
Antoinette grows up poor and isolated at her family's plantation. Her companions are the black laborers and their children who simmer with resentment at the legacy of slavery. Slavery may have been abolished but has been replaced with economic and social subjugation and the resentment is palpable. Mr. Mason disregards this in a classic example of colonialist arrogance - which destroys their lives. Her mother's anger at Mr. Mason leads to her imprisonment as a mad woman. Women are not permitted to express rage. Patriarchy is central because Antoinette/Bertha is chattel. Her marriage to Rochester is effected because she owns land - it's an economic arrangement to gain property for Rochester. Once married, Antoinette/Bertha is stripped of all her claim to property and is completely under her husband's authority. Their marriage is marked by passion but it becomes apparent how culturally Caribbean (black) she is, tainted with scandal. Their relationship flames out spectacularly. When he decides he can't deal with her and chooses to abandon her to be locked as "the madwoman in the attic" she is reduced to, essentially, a prisoner. A woman, in that society, is literally the prisoner of her husband. Both Antoinette and her mother, Bertha are confined as mad - but their pathologies are the simple act of blaming their spouses and acting out their anger. Rebellion is seen as madness - both in the context of rebellion against slavery and rebellion against patriarchy.
As for the literary context - "Wide Sargasso Sea" as sequel to "Jane Eyre". By situating WSS's story within the classic Victorian novel "Jane Eyre", Rhys sets up a host of powerful resonances. Jane Eyre is a tale of redemption; of love's power to redeem. England's brutal social and economic inequities are hurdles to be overcome - but ultimately love overcomes them all in a healing and redemptive way. The fly in the ointment is Bertha, the mad woman in the attic. Her presence complicates the otherwise straightforward romantic narrative and gives it tension and fire. By inverting this tale to tell the story of Antoinette/Bertha, Rhys deepens the misery by shattering "Jane Eyre"s redemptive message. In "Wide Sargosso Sea" love is a tragic by-product of the economic abuses of patriarchy. Love has no redemptive power for Antoinette. It's just more salt in the wound. A lot of the negative reviews here center around resentment at Rhys for besmirching their beloved innocent "world of 'Jane Eyre'". They've missed the point. Inverting and besmirching the innocent world of 'Jane Eyre' is exactly the point. Colonialist England's apparent grace is built on the blood and toil of subjugated peoples. The subjugation extends to English women as well. You are meant to see that and the experience is not meant to be pleasant.
I can't say enough about this book's importance or the brilliant, polished skill with which it is written. Published in 1966 - at the height of the civil rights movement and free speech movement - WSS's issues were dead on the zeitgeist of the moment. You can imagine how the lush, dark, evil imagery of the jungle must have resonated in with an America embroiled in Viet Nam and a rising anti-war moment. It's not a pleasant read, however. The messages are hard, dark ones. There are no happy endings here and as the story unfolds the brutal details big and small are as oppressive as the tropical humidity. This is fine literature, indeed - but also a journey into pain, deprivation, madness and tragedy. It's not a journey to be taken lightly.
confused.......2007-07-04
This story is confusing and keeps shifting from one thing to the other. It wasn't what I expected it to be. I think it should have been better thought out. It doesn't make much sense and is not entertaining.
Has potential, but doesn't succeed.......2007-06-07
You should probably understand that like a lot of the reviewers who have written in here, Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books. Also, I am a stickler for canon, and anything that's off even a little will drive me crazy.
Honestly, it was hard enough for me to get over the basic changes that Rhys made. Changing the character's name is probably the worst offense. An earlier reviewer said that it was probably just because the name "Bertha" didn't sound pretty enough to her 20th century ears, and I completely agree. Second, changing the character's background. Rhys tried to make Bertha (no, I will not call her Antoinetta) into herself, and impose her own views upon her--if you read about Rhys's life, it makes perfect sense. Perhaps you will argue that Jane Eyre was also a carnation of Charlotte Bronte, but Bronte was creating the world, not trying to fit herself in it. Also, in doing this, Rhys had to make Antoinetta half Creole, and completely violate canon by making Mason only her half-brother. In Jane Eyre, Rochester says that Mason will also one day likely become an imbecile like the rest of the family, so his not being related to the psychotic mother makes absolutely no sense.
These are just superficial complaints, however. As you read the rest of the novel, it goes deeper. Some may claim that Rhys was merely trying to draw parallels between Jane and Bertha, but to me it felt like a blatant ripoff and way of cheating through the novel to get to the "good part." Lessee... poor birth and low social status, check. sad childhood, check. Cold and unfeeling school where the character doesn't quite fit in. Check. However, unlike Jane, you never really like Bertha all that much. She doesn't have Jane's pride and fighting spirit. Why should I root for this sad, mopey character who rarely even speaks in complete sentences? I'd say that it was the negative symptoms of schizophrenia beginning to kick in, but I think that would be giving Rhys too much credit (more on the mental illness as portrayed in the book later.)
And then we get to the Rochester part. This, ladies and gentleman, is character assassination at its finest. I am not arguing that Rochester was the greatest guy ever in Jane Eyre, but Rhys's argument that he was whitewashed makes no sense to me. Jane recognizes that Rochester has sinned, and she even reproaches him for how he has treated Bertha. Also, it is implied that Bertha cheated on Rochester--not the other way around. If Rochester did cheat on her, why would it be with another Creole, a group with which he obviously feels no affection? There were plenty of Englishwomen in Jamaica. Also, we're supposed to feel that his locking her in the attic is the worst crime imaginable, but it's hard for me to agree: being locked in the attic is kind compared to what Bertha would have undergone in a 19th century insane asylum.
The implication, too, that Rochester is the one who drove Bertha mad makes no sense, psychologically (sorry, I am a psychology student, and I have spent much time analyzing the character of Bertha, as I am particularly interested in psychosis) when one considers Jane Eyre. The general view of schizophrenia is that it requires two "hits": genetic and environmental. You are genetically predisposed, but it takes things in the environment to set it off. Rochester makes indications of having disliked Bertha before her symptoms were completely manifested, but he also claims that he would do things such as attempt to make conversation. Also, from what he told Jane, he was initially infatuated with his wife. It was not until she began to act off-hinged that he became disgusted (remember that Bertha was Jamaican, but also well-off and English: I doubt that she would have committed mannerisms so offensive were they not inspired by pathology.) The childhood that Rhys gives Bertha alone would make her suspectible to the disease. Schizophrenia usually does not manifest itself until the early 20's, so it would make sense that her psychosis would appear to begin after the marriage.
Also, part the reason schizophrenia is so dehabilitating is because of the negative symptoms. Rhys's portrayal of Bertha does not appear to have those negative symptoms; most schizophrenics would be not too passionate, but not passionate enough. Granted, there are always exceptions, but someone who is lacking those negative symptoms would be healthier than someone who has them, and I was always under the impression that Bertha was severely ill. Also, Bertha lacks the language and cognitive problems associated with schizophrenia (it is a language and cognitive-based psychosis.) She speaks in fragments and perhaps her speech is a little disorganized, but there is nothing even close to the level of what an unmedicated schizophrenic would say (granted, then we might not understand the book, but such is the problem with first person--it has to be realistic.) I don't know how much about schizophrenia was known when Rhys wrote this book, but if she'd only done a little research to see how schizophrenics truly behave... Maybe attended therapy sessions or visited an institution?
Basically: I understand what Rhys was trying to do, and I think that if you read it on paper, the novel's idea is good. But in trying to fit it with the world of Jane Eyre, she made her mistake. The girl portrayed in this book does not fit with Bertha, and her husband is certainly not Rochester. Also, the portrayal of a character's descent into madness could have been handled so much better. I didn't really feel that Bertha was psychotic until the last part, which isn't too long before she dies.
Sorry if this review wasn't well-organized. Also, I read the novel a while ago, so I may be a bit rusty on it. Consider the fact too that I am a diehard Jane Eyre fan, and thus may be biased.
Wide Sargasso Sea.......2007-05-10
I love this book. At last, a face and soul for the woman in the attic. How fascinating to accompany her on her descent into madness.
The island imagery was spot on. I can almost feel the wind in my face, smell the pure sweet air and hear the noises in the night.
The only thing wrong with this book is that it was too short.
How the hell did this make the MLA 100?.......2007-04-05
This is not a good book. It is incoherent. It is poorly written. It is silly, pretentious, and, at times, melodramatic. How can this be one of the hundred best novels of the 20th century? Bryce Courtenay's The Power of One is ten times the book that this is. The only positive thing I can say about Wide Sargasso Sea is that it doesn't take very long to read.
Book Description
In this riveting narrative of family, betrayal, vengeance, and murder, Lillian Baptiste is willed back to her island home of Dominica to finally settle her past. Haunted by scandal and secrets, Lillian left Dominica when she was fourteen after discovering she was the daughter of Iris, the half-crazy woman whose life was told of in chanté mas songs sung during Carnival: Matilda Swinging and Bottle of Coke; songs about a village on a mountaintop and bones and bodies; songs about flying masquerades and a man who dropped dead. Lillian knew the songs well. And now she knows these songs -- and thus the history -- belong to her. After twenty years away, Lillian returns to face the demons of her past, and with the help of Teddy, the man she refused to love, she will find a way to heal.
Set partly in contemporary Washington, D.C., and partly in post-World War II Dominica, Unburnable weaves together West Indian history, African culture, and American sensibilities. Richly textured and lushly rendered, Unburnable showcases a welcome and assured new voice.
Customer Reviews:
Takes a while to get started.......2007-09-07
I took a little while for me to get into this book. I, quite frankly, didn't care about Lillian the main character until I was almost a third of the way through. The most dimensional and complex characters were of course Matilda and Iris. Once the novel's focus shift primarily to them, it becomes a page turner. If you feel like investing the time to get to the heart of this tale, give it a read.
Chimamanda Adichie's comments on Unburnable.......2007-07-23
Chimamanda Adichie (Half of a Yellow Sun, Purple Hibiscus: A Novel) had these wonderful things to say about UNBURNABLE in the book review section of London's Guardian newspaper on Saturday June 23, 2007:
"I read Marie-Elena John's novel Unburnable on the plane from New York to Copenhagen. I laughed aloud so often reading this wondrously intelligent book about Dominica and the United States and Africa, about gender, class and race, about love and sexuality, that the bespectacled man sitting next to me put his Wall Street Journal down and leaned over to see what the title was. He asked what it was about. I could have told him how it dealt honestly with issues without ever forgetting to keep character and soul as its centre, but instead I told him a tiny anecdote from the book about black women and thongs. And I much enjoyed his blush."
A Must Read.......2007-03-27
This is a great book to kick back in silence and just immerse yourself into suspense, deep thinking, and a few tears. I was just a little disappointed with the ending, but all in all this was a great read.
Not a Fluff Read!.......2007-01-14
I have been blessed enough in the last week to read not one but TWO great books this one being the greater. I will admit I wasn't wrapped up in the book by page two but by page ten I was all caught up in this story. Marie-Elena John is an EXCELLENT story teller. Her words are beautiful and her descriptions come off the page so effortlessly. I could've easily believed this was her third novel instead of her first. I laughed, I cried and I called all my friends and advised them to please read this book. I did not know anything about Dominica before picking up this novel and now I cannot learn enough. This book intrigued me to no end and I cannot wait to read future publishings from Marie-Elena John. This story is not in the least predictable and her knowledge on the subject matter is outstanding! If you are looking for a mind challenging novel that will shock and educate you at the same time then look no further.
Long Story Short.......2006-11-08
Interesting story, you have to continue to read this book and not stop or you might get side tracked if you put it down for too long.
Customer Reviews:
Overrated .......2007-01-17
One of the most overrated "classics" in literature. This "prequel" to JANE EYRE does little to illuminate the insane Bertha. Okay, so Rouchester is a terrible, awful, vindictive, Euro-centric pig . . . Didn't we already get that in JANE EYRE? Just because he's the "hero" doesn't make him, well, a hero we should look up to.
Supposedly, Rhys spent YEARS writing and rewriting this curiously weak, empty, underwhelming novel. I'll stop short of suggesting that she wrote it simply to capitalize on the popularity of JANE EYRE.
One of the book's saving graces is Rhys' vivid decriptions of the Caribbean setting: the colors and textures and culture. But it isn't enough to justify this novel's label as a masterpiece.
a poor defense.......2006-04-15
Okay, so Bertha Mason was treated awfully in Charlotte Bront?'s Jane Eyre. Point taken. But Jean Rhys does an exceptionally poor job at defending Mr Rochester's first wife, who she christens Antoinette Cosway. In Wide Sargasso Sea, Antoinette/Bertha can hardly be called a heroine. Instead she comes off as a spineless young woman who is only too eager to become a victim of her English husband. He in turn is convinced that he is actually the victim of their unfortunate marriage. With this, Rhys creates two exceptionally unsympathetic characters, who you wish would just get up and do something about their situations, instead of wallowing in self-pity and rum. I'm sure there was actually a strong woman behind the raving lunatic that Bertha Mason became, but Jean Rhys hasn't shown her.
Haunting.......2005-10-25
Wide Sargasso Sea is the prequel to Jane Eyre, following Antoinette Cosway from childhood to her marriage to Rochester. They don't care for each other, but must accept the match, Rochester because he has no other prospects, and Antoinette because her family has a history of madness and Rochester doesn't know the stories.
The book itself is very different from Jane Eyre. It begins from Antoinette's point of view, focusing heavily on Antoinette's mother, a troubled--eventually insane--widow. Then perspective shifts to Rochester and his preoccupied young wife, Antoinette.
Anyone who has read Jane Eyre (and probably many others besides) will know what's coming, and this contributes to the spooky tone of the book. Antoinette from her own perspective feels so justified and normal, but from Rochester's she is oddly detached and her behavior grows to mirror her mother's eerily. The book keeps you thinking long after the ending...it's one of the most amazing things I've ever read. Please, please read it.
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Wide Sargasso Sea
Jean RHYS
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000G9YMPE |
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Wide Sargasso Sea (Essential.penguin)
Jean Rhys
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Ltd
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Wide Sargasso Sea
Rhys. Jean
Manufacturer: Popular Library
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ASIN: 0445002514 |
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Wide Sargasso Sea
Jean Rhys
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Canada, Limited,
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Jean Rhys's Historical Imagination: Reading and Writing the Creole
Veronica Marie Gregg
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Wide Sargasso Sea: A Novel (Norton Paperback Fiction)
ASIN: 0807845043 |
Book Description
As the foremost white West Indian writer of this century and author of the widely acclaimed novel Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys (1890-1979) has attracted much critical attention, most often from the perspective of gender analysis. Veronica Gregg extends our critical appreciation of Rhys by analyzing the complex relationship between Rhys's identity and the structures of her fiction, and she reveals the ways in which this relationship is connected to the history of British colonization of the West Indies.
Gregg focuses on Rhys as a writer—a Creole woman analyzing the question of identity through literary investigations of race, gender, and colonialism. Arguing that history itself can be a site where different narratives collide and compete, she explores Rhys's rewriting of the historical discourses of the West Indies and of European canonical texts, such as Rhys's treatment of Jane Eyre in Wide Sargasso Sea. Gregg's analysis also reveals the precision with which Rhys crafted her work and her preoccupation with writing as performance.
Book Description
How do you respond to a dinner invitation that said Eight for eight thirty? What might induce you to get off a London train at a place called Mud Chute? And why do the Brits keep saying Whos she, the cats mother? Rules, Britannia is an invaluable resource for Americans who want to make a smooth transition when visiting or relocating to the UK. It is an entertaining and practical insiders guide containing scores of established dos and donts from across the pond that only a Brit would know: Showing two fingers doesnt mean peace in the UK When driving, never turn on red and for heavens sake, keep left! Dont stress over the salad plate. Covering such essential topics as vocabulary, house or flat-hunting, business culture, child-rearing, and even relationship etiquette, this book will lessen the anxiety that comes with a trans-Atlantic move or extended visit, while giving the reader a leg up on the advanced communication ladder.
Customer Reviews:
An Incredibly Helpful Book!.......2006-06-20
I've now read this book front to back twice and I have found it to be so incredibly helpful as I prepare for my move to the UK in July. I would highly recommend this book to anyone moving from the US to the UK, or the UK to the US...or just anyone interested in British culture, as it is highly entertaining as well as informative.
this is a HOOT.......2006-05-10
Very funny, easy pick up and put down...and then pick up again. I read parts aloud to my ten year old and she laughed too. Good variety of topics and the website additions helpful. I liked best when she wrote about her American born husband and her children's reactions. The potty talk section really got me laughing.
Toni Hargis for Ambassador!.......2006-05-06
Whilst scanning my local bookstore's shelves for a quick read I came across "Rules, Britannia" by Toni Summers Hargis. After finishing it (in one sitting) I know not to say "it was 'quite' good", for that would indicate something less than extreme pleasure on my part. "Rules, Britannia" is VERY good, informative and funny and while our language differences deserve credit for the book's inspiration the author has earned all of the rest.
Having grown up on the other side of the pond, Ms. Hargis has spent sixteen years in the States and has a perspective that is most welcome from an American point of view. For those of us who have spent a good amount of time in England, reading "Rules, Britannia" tells one more of the things one doesn't know but probably should. This is not merely a collective glossary of word translations (although at the end of each chapter there is one, relating to that particular chapter) but a look at what every American needs to know upon visiting the mother country. From transportation and food to shopping and partying, the author is a gentle teacher, or perhaps more of a cultural ambassador.
What Toni Hargis does so well is relate things from an English viewpoint. I was surprised to see that the Brits find it very rude if you refer to another person in your midst as "he" or "she", or that if you cannot attend a dinner party it is essential (almost to a comical fault) that you let your host know exactly the reasons WHY you won't be there. I laughed out loud after reading about the fact that Brits never park their car leaving it in gear when the author then goes on to say, "if you borrow someone's car, for heaven's sake don't leave it in gear when you return it, or the owner will kangaroo straight through the garden wall next time the engine's turned on." Who can resist such advice?!
Occasionally, you'll find some repetitions in the book....what you're reading you just read a few pages ago. A couple of additions would be good also... (unless I missed them) when stepping off the pavement make sure to look right before crossing the street (there are reminders on London streets) and if trying to book passage on BritRail on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, forget about it. I suppose this is a way of saying there is probably enough material for another book by author Hargis.....one I would stand hours in a queue to purchase!
I highly recommend "Rules, Brittania". It's practical, down-to-earth and immensely enjoyable.
A Delightful Companion for UK Travel.......2006-04-20
I wish I had read Toni Hargis's entertaining and informative book before my trips to England. I could have saved myself time and spared the patient and kind Brits the time they spent educating me. Traveling in England is a wonderful adventure, but be prepared for some culture shock. This book will tuck right into your carry-on and serve as a quick reference in various situations. It would also be a great gift for friends crossing the pond.
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- Magic Comes to Western Ontario
- read Read READ this book!
- strong bio of a child and an adult sharing values
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In the Kingdom of the Fairies: A Memoir of a Magical Summer and a Remarkable Friendship
Susan Coyne
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0312317069 |
Book Description
When Susan Coyne was five years old her family went, as always, to spend the summer in a cottage on Lake of the Woods in Western Ontario. One of their neighbors was an elderly retired school administrator and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Moir, whose garden was one of the local wonders.
Nearby was a ruined cabin now inhabited, Susan was assured, by elves; all that remained of it was a moss-covered fireplace, a miniature enchanted castle with tunnels and ramparts. If you leaned in close you could hear the hum of elves living and working deep within. Susan swept the heart, filled walnut shells with water, and left a small tribute of flowers. One day when she visited the fireplace she found a letter waiting for her; it was from a princess fairy. and so began a summer's correspondence that would nourish a lifetime.
Susan later knew that the letters were written by Mr. Moir, with whom she stayed in touch over the years. But to her they always remained pure magic, a pathway into the worlds that words alone can create. Here is a memoir for children of all ages - to be read, read aloud, reread, remembered.
Customer Reviews:
Magic Comes to Western Ontario.......2004-01-07
From BlueJeanOnline.com
by Amruta Gadgil
J.R.R Tolkien's acclaimed trilogy Lord of the Rings places New Zealand at the center of action, but the summer of '63 Western Ontario became a playground of fairies, kingdoms, fantasy, and a budding friendship for one five-year old girl. Author Susan Coyne relives and reflects on her magical summer In the Kingdom of Fairies.
While on an excursion at the family cottage, Susan stumbles onto a fireplace wedged between her house and the next-door neighbors. Her father's rationale is that the fireplace was built by elves. Intrigued, Susan leaves small gifts and flowers. The kind gestures prompt a correspondence from character, Princess Nootsie Tah through Queen Mab and Susan.
Susan strikes up a friendship with her neighbor Mr. Moir and shares her secret correspondence. Moir a good-natured old man is knowledgeable about the princess fairy Nootsie Tah and revels in Susan's curiosity and merriment in fairies and all things magical.
Nootsie Tah and Susan continue their exchange of letters and drawings while Susan's friendship with Mr. Moir blossoms, until it is time for her to go back to school in Toronto. After that summer, Susan's foray with elves and fairies stop. Nevertheless, her relationship with Mr. Moir never wanes even with the daily distractions of school and friends.
Ten years later when Susan's father sends her the old letters and cards that were exchanged, she discovers that the fairies and elves she communicated with were actually Mr. Moir.
In the Kingdom of Fairies is a true tale mingled with fantasy and friendship. Susan and Mr. Moir's friendship is uncomplicated in a complicated world making that summer one that will be etched in her mind forever.
Copyright 2003 BlueJeanOnline.com
read Read READ this book!.......2003-09-25
Lately I've been having the worst time trying to find something truly worthwhile to read. Countless titles have been started and then quickly set aside (since I am of an age where I no longer feel compelled to waste time reading boring books). Not only did this book not bore me, it brought me joy. Been a looooooong time since a book did that for me! If you sometimes (or oftentimes) feel as if the world has gone mostly mad, set aside a few hours for this book.
Bravo and thanks to Ms. Coyne (and Mr. Moir)!
strong bio of a child and an adult sharing values.......2003-09-04
This one-year in the life of biography describes how in 1963 then five-year old Susan Coyne spends a summer at the family cottage in Western Ontario. Susan discovered an abandoned fireplace in the hedge between her family house and that of the next door neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Moir. Her dad explained to Susan that the elves built the fireplace. Feeling some form of kinship, Susan leaves small presents for the elves that are gone by the next day. One day Princess Nootsie Tah on behalf of Queen Mab writes a thank you note. With the help of her nanny, little Susan responds. Soon an elf and a human child become pen pals even while Susan spent plenty of time with the retired Mr. Noir listening to his stories.
This true story is a great book that shows how one caring person can make a difference. Princess Nootsie Tah obviously cherished the classics and sprinkled much of that love into the letters (the allusions are brilliant) that fired the imagination of a child. The letters are incredibly written as Mr. Moir treats his young friend with respect and intelligence. Perhaps starting with that one summer provided the foundation to the dream of becoming an actress that Susan Coyne later fulfilled. IN THE KINGDOM OF FAIRIES is a strong bio of a child and an adult sharing meaningful social values.
Harriet Klausner
Customer Reviews:
A Continuation but a change also..........2003-11-18
Gillian Bradshaw continues in Kingdom of Summer where she left off in Hawk of May with one major change...she changes the point of view from Gwalchmai to Rhys, his servant. I like the observations Rhys makes of Gwalchmai and I think the switch in perspective adds much to a character I thought I had come to understand in the earlier book. There is a bit more sorcery involved in this book but I love that it is down played for the most part. I also love that there is no sign of Merlin or Lancelot; and Guinevere remains a barely mentioned figure in the background. After reading nearly every Arthurian legend I can lay my hands on, I am excited to find this author's perspective to be truly different from the norm. Bradshaw's characters have interest in their own right-- without the crystal balls and shape changing and time travel that so many authors depend upon for a cheap attempt to add a thrill to the story of Arthur. And really, I guess this story is very little about Arthur - it's about Gwalchmai and it is GREAT!
Unique twist on an old story..........2001-11-17
If you're looking for yet another re-telling of La Morte d'Arthur, look somewhere else. If you love Arthurian legend, but are interested in reading something a little different, Gillian Bradshaw's trilogy is fascinating, enjoyable, heart-breaking and impossible to put down.
Even though sorcery and the Otherworld are prominent features in the books, the characters are realistic -- people that are easy to relate to. These books bring Arthur's Britain to life from a more historical (as opposed to legendary) perspective.
The trilogy consists of "Hawk of May", "Kingdom of Summer" and "In Winter's Shadow". The first begins with Gwalchmai's (Gawaine's) childhood and ends with his acceptance into Arthur's Family. The second continues Gwalchmai's tale, but is told from the perspective of his servant. The third book is narrated by Gwynhwyfar (Guinevere).
"Kingdom of Summer" is about Gwalchmai's search for the lady he loves, Elidan, and his eventual confrontation with his mother, Morgause, the evil sorceress. Other great characters, (along with Arthur & Gwynhwyfar) make appearances: Medraut (Mordred), Bedwyr (Bedivere), Gwalchaved (Galahad), Lot of Orcade, Agravain, Cei (Kay), Urien of Rheged, Maelgwn of Gwynedd, etc, etc. Don't look for Chretien de Troye's literary creation, Lancelot -- these books do very well without him.
All three books are equally well written -- I can't recommend one more than another. There are more reviews written on the first book. Personally, this trilogy is my favorite Arthurian tale to date.
Excellent continuation of Arthurian saga.......1999-07-27
Told from the point of view of Gwalchmai's servant Rhys, this novel picks up where "Hawk of May" left off. Sorcery, action, intrigue and Bradshaw's exquisite touch for historical detail make this a worthy second offing in this excellent fantasy series.
A very good interpretation of the days of King Arthur.......1999-03-27
Gillian Bradshaw is a wonderful author with the gift to hold you captive in her descriptive style of writing.
Very nice fantasy book - 2nd in trilogy..........1997-07-25
The "Kingdom of Summer" is the 2nd book in GillianBradshaw's Arthurian trilogy. Its story line continues where the"Hawk of May" left off and ends before "In Winter's Shadow"
The story follows Gawain and his servant Rhys as they move through dark age Britain to fight for the light. Anybody with a liking for Arthurian romances will like this book.
Book Description
Unknown to almost everyone Paul Richey started this sequel to his acclaimed book Fighter Pilot in 1941, but was unable to continue it beyond the initial chapters. Now, aviation author and historian Norman Franks, by gaining exclusive access to Paul's papers and diaries, has completed the work.
Richey, despite being seriously wounded in the Battle of Britain, returned to fly a tour of operations from RAF Biggin Hill in 1941 as a flight commander in 609 (West Riding) Squadron, RAuxAF, and gain a bar to the DFC he won in France. Fighter Pilot's Summer is the story not only of 609 Squadron's offensive war during that momentous summer, but also of Paul's exploits to the end of the war at Fighter Command HQ and then in India and Burma.
Customer Reviews:
A book of two parts.......2007-02-07
As Fighter Pilot, Commander Richeys first book on his experiences as an RAF pilot in France in the pre Dunkirk period, is a classic and one of my all time favourites, I was happy to see that he had finally done a sequel. However it has one huge problem, unfortunately the Commander passed away before he'd finished much more than the first seven chapters and whilst this is written in the same engaging informative style as used in Fighter Pilot. The rest of the book is pretty much a biography written by Norman Franks and though informative, is very dry and it depends rather too much on dates and statistics.
It is still an extremely good book, but the sudden transition between the two authors and they're contrasting writing styles is a bit jarring. Those who have read and loved Fighter Pilot will want to read this volume as well, but as a stand alone book it has unfortunately been marred by unavoidable circumstance.
Average customer rating:
- A nice little introduction to a classic British scandal
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Honey Trap (Coronet Books)
Anthony Summers ,
Stephen Dorril , and
Stephen Dorrill
Manufacturer: Coronet Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Intelligence & Espionage | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0340429739 |
Customer Reviews:
A nice little introduction to a classic British scandal.......2000-02-05
Summers and Dorril take the reader through the background of the Profumo affair and the betrayal of Stephen Ward. It seems a well researched tome with plenty of details concerning how Stephen Ward, a respected chiropracter, was made the scapegoat for a affair that could have embarressed most of the British upper class.
I would advise getting your hand on the paperback edition which has an additional chapter on new information concerning Stephen Wards 'suicide' and his last hours. This book was the inspiration for the Michael Caton Jones film 'Scandal'.
Average customer rating:
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Angels and Citizens
Anne Summers
Manufacturer: Threshold Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
General | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
19th Century | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
General | Ireland | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 190315202X |
Average customer rating:
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Caleb's Kingdom (Ulverscroft Large Print Series)
Essie Summers
Manufacturer: Ulverscroft Large Print
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
Romance | Large Print | Formats | Books
ASIN: 0708937667 |
Average customer rating:
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Check It Out: The Very Best Supermarket Wines Under £5: Summer 1994
Alice King
Manufacturer: Arrow (A Division of Random House Group)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Wine | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books | Buying Guides | Cellars | Champagne | Collecting | Food & Wine | Wine & Winemaking
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Consumer Guides | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0749318414 |
Books:
- Wild Colonial Girl: Essays on Edna O'Brien (Irish Studies in Literature and Culture)
- Wolf Boy: A Novel
- Young Turk: A Novel
- A Carnivore's Inquiry: A Novel
- A Healing Divorce : Transforming the End of Your Relationship with Ritual and Ceremony
- A Ligurian Kitchen: Recipes And Tales from the Italian Riviera
- A Son of the Circus,
- Al-Naqba (The Catastrophe): A Novel About the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
- Alentejo Blue: Fiction
- Amor De Perdicao (Classicos da Literatura Portuguesa)
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