Bleeding Heart Square by Andrew Taylor

First: I love the cover of BLEEDING HEART SQUARE (2009) by Andrew Taylor. It made me pick that book out of a huge amount of books which were all more of the "chick lit" type at the book store.. Well.. I think this book was a bit lost there - between all those single moms and single career girls with a talent for cupcakes and embarassing moments.. (Nothing bad in that though..) 

You might agree with me that this is no book one would expect there since Andrew Taylor has received several awards for mystery and historical novels - including the 2009 Catier Diamond Dagger which is given by the Crime Writer's Association of Great Britain to "authors who have made an outstanding lifetime's contribution to the genre".. 

Saying that I have to add: I have never read anything by Andrew Taylor before - but I will again. (Of that I am sure.) Let me tell you a bit about the novel, too:

In a nut-shell:

London, 1934: Legend has it that the Bleeding Heart Square came to its name because once the devil danced (and maybe a bit more than that) with a lady and the next morning there was nothing left of her besides her heart at this place.. 

Well.. nevertheless when Lydia Langstone leaves her abusive husband Marcus she decides to move in at her father's home since she is sure (and will be right about that..) that her aristocratic mother does not approve of her daughter leaving her spouse ("Men have their needs" - haven't they?..) Lydia's father, Captain Ingleby-Lewis, is - though he is a kind man - more interested into booze than into his daughter and much money isn't around either - hence he lives in a shabby little flat at (you might have guessed it..) Bleeding Heart Square. So while Lydia has to deal with her financial worries and a jealous husband who also starts to take some interest in the English Fascist Movement, the dodgy landlord (and neighbour) Serridge frequently receives little parcels - which contain nothing but bleeding hearts.. 

Then a new neighbour moves in: Rory Wentwood - a young journalist who just returned from India after five years and is engaged to Fenella Kensley. Maybe no coincidence that Fenella's aunt once owned the house at Bleeding Heart Square until she mysteriously disappeared four years ago and was never heard from again since..  

~ another (and also nice) cover for BLEEDING HEART SQUARE  ~

I enjoyed this book very much. In the beginning I had a little trouble to follow who is who amongst all those people - but I got into it very quickly. It has not one but actually four leading characters - which could give the reader the feeling of being a little ahead of some of the characaters at some points. There was a little twist in the end - which I really loved..  

~ The German cover of the 2011 edition looks a lot like the English one..
The German title means: The death heart ~ 

Andrew Taylor uses some good old clichées here - but it's ok with me. There were about two situations which made me go like "eewww..": I have a little problem when in a book someones eyes are involved in a brawl and when very, very young girls are victims of sexual harassment - well.. okay I hate sexual harassment no matter what age the involved persons are.. 

~ The French version with a title meaning: The devil dances at Bleeding Heart Square ~

The scenes of Lydia's new daily life I did enjoy very much. I loved that she read Virginia Woolf's A ROOM OF ONE'S OWN (1928) and esp. one scene in which her co-worker was talking about her prefering Robert Donat's smile in THE COUNT OF MONTE CHRISTO (1934) to Leslie Howard's in THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1934) made my day. 

~ Robert Donat in THE COUNT OF MONTE CHRISTO (1934) ~

~ Leslie Howard in THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1934) ~

I for one would always prefer Leslie Howard - no matter in which film.. So I might be biased here.. 

Sex-appeal: There are a few scenes containing sex. Not very detailed - and at some points you'll have to read "between the lines" to get what you "just saw".. Those scenes are important for the story and not used for some "extra excitement".. 

Potential for Conflicts: Well.. Sexual harassment of an underaged girl, seduction (no violence!) of young teenage girls, punch-ups which at one point lead to one eye missing (*eww..*) - though  the "incidents" are  described not too detailed, the tone of the book is very calm and in the whole really a nice read - if you have major problems with that: better think twice. I am not a tough reader and I enjoyed this book but what you can take you have to decide for yourself - as always..

Thank you very much for reading!

Yours 

Irene 

Voyage of Innocence by Elizabeth Edmondson

VOYAGE OF INNOCENCE (2005) is Elizabeth Edmondson's second novel.

In a nut-shell:

1938. Mrs. Verity "Vee" Hotspur travels is - via ocean liner - on her way to India - when she suddenly disappears.

Aboard are also Vee's cousin Claudia and Vee's best friend, the American Lavender - called "Lally". Due to a

rough sea most passengers have time to abandon themselves to sea sickness and memories - which means for us, dearest fellow readers: chance to read about Vee's years at Grace College (kind of ladies section at Oxford - if I translate that in the right way..) beginning in 1932 - which she spent with Claudia and Lally.

The three girls are quite different - not just in their personality but also in their political beliefs - though Lally's function in this is quasi the neutral position:

While Vee is sympathetic to the communists party - which means first and foremost sealing envelopes for the commrades (- women in 1930 weren't that much in leading positions it seems ;") - but Vee won't be sealing envelopes for long.. Moscow has some plans.. but: shush! Mum's the word!) Claudia is all for Oswald Mosley and his fascists...

(Oswald Mosley)

Okay... You might remember that Elizabeth Edmondson is one of my favourite authors.. - so: No, I won't be objective ~ oh.. please! As if I ever was... ~

To start with - just a short notice: Jane Austen is mentioned in this novel. Good? I certainly think so. ;")

VOYAGE OF INNOCENCE is much more political than I ever expected it to be. And to be honest: some of the enthusiastic political active young men are as much blathering as I experienced in real life. Same discussions, same ignorance and same putting down of everything you (or anyone else) is saying against them - yes, I was partly a bit bugged.. Just because this awoke so much of my own memories - but I noticed that behaviour not only on political active men and not only towards me.. ;")

However - what really surprised me was that this novel became more and more of a secret agent story - not James Bond like and no fancy gimmicks or something - but very enthralling. And I have to confess that I am no real fan of Mr. Bond, James Bond - well, I wasn't.. To be true: Thanks to a very good friend I just started to become interested in Bond films.. so who knows.. Maybe someday you'll find a series of Bond-novel-reviews here, too.. ;")

Those of you who have read Elizabeth Edmondson's first novel FROZEN LAKE (read about it HERE - if you like to do so..) will be maybe happy to meet Perdita Richardson again as a passagener on this trip to India. She has no big part in this book - so you don't have to read FROZEN LAKE first.. I - for one - love to meet old aquaintances from other books again.. I think it's kind of nice..

This time I just adore the German cover:

Isn't that just gorgeous???!??

The German title is EIN MÄDCHEN AUS BESTER GESELLSCHAFT which means "A girl of best society".

This novel might be the most wearisome reading of all of Elizabeth Edmondson's books so far - this shouldn't alienate you - just a little warning.. ;")

Who of you likes to read some intelligent "women's literature"

~ gosh.. I hate that.. - like women's literature was just the cupcake of literary bakery: super sweet, screaming pink and not very satiably - yes, I don't like cupcakes so much.. ~ yuck! ~ not that I won't read a romance at times.. uhm.. where was I?... ah.. yes: ~

Those who like to read a novel with a bit more political content (not only - don't be scared..) - and to learn a bit more about British fascists - those should grab this book.

Conflict potential?:

Heck, yes! Abortion, (anti-)fascism , homosexuality, suicide, espionage - some hot potatoes in here..

Sex-appeal:

Well, the young ladies definitively have sex. Not in detail - but for sure. Oh - and premarital, too.. ~ just saying it.. Don't want anyone to faint when he/she grabs this novel.. ;"p ~

This book fits into what I declared to be Historical Fiction at this blog

- and that way also into the

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2011.

Thank you all for listening - and sorry for my oh-so-long absence here..

I am back - well, at least I hope so..

Love,

Irene

Elizabeth Edmonson: Frozen Lake

FROZEN LAKE (2004) was the debut of one of my favourite authors: Elizabeth Edmondson.

Christmas 1936, Lake District/Noth West England. It is a really cold and snowy winter (reminds you of something? well, maybe you should look out of your window - now!) and the lake is freezing. Two families, the Richardsons and the Grindleys are coming together to celebrate Christmas - and go ice skating. But there are dark secrets buried - and now they are up to be solved.

As I thought - this book was to become one of my favourites in 2010. I loved it!! The female characters are great - even the dislikable ones!

If you're interested in the history part of the book: The politicial situation in Third Reich is discussed and there are some English fascists, too - actually the followers of Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley are mentioned very often. I did not know anything about him - for that matter I am better imformed about the German part in this era - and I wish this wouldn't be such a big part.. Actually my wishes concerning this are much more far-reaching... But let's skip that for now.

In the beginning I was a little bit confused with all these persons - and their relations to each other, but this did not hold up for long. The German edition has an index of persons - which was a great help in the beginning. I did not need it after page 100. *yay*

I would love to see the books of Elizabeth Edmonsen picturized! (Please, dear BBC-folks, would you? Could you? Please!?!)

The German title is LADY HELENAS GEHEIMNIS -> Lady Helena's secret. - I really don't know why they changed the original one, becouse it would have worked in German, too - and there is no such novel with that title yet. And it's not Lady Helena who has the secrets..

You may have recognized that I like book covers. I like the original cover which shows almost exactly the setting of the novel: a big house, a frozen lake, snow, ice skaters and I do like the German cover with the pink rose. Doesn't scream: Winter/Christmas but it shows at least a 1930ies lady and a country house -

and here is the cover the German special edition (which only means: it's cheap)

- isn't this just dreadfull? Does a yellow tulip make you think of a winter novel - setted in deep snow, christmas time and 1930ies? *sigh*

I am going to make this novel my personal holiday classic and read it again this year. - Yes, I am actually plannig next holiday season. But that's all of my plans yet - so I am not that silly. ;") And :

I wish you and your love ones a Happy New Year 2011!! May it be even better than the last one!