Really Enjoyable Early 20th Century Escapism
597779
I've read many books in this series. As a middle-aged gay male academic, I really enjoy the academic setting and the relationship between the two lead characters.  The books are fun escapism. I find the interaction between the two the main attraction of the books rather than the murder investigations themselves. The sex scenes are very mild and romantic. In fact, I would think that male readers probably can sense that sex scenes are written by a woman and not a gay man. But that doesn't really diminish their effect in communicating the love and commitment between the two characters. I'm not sure I understand how/why the author shifted time from pre-WWI to post-WWI and then back to pre-WWI in various volumes. I suspect she had thought she was finished with this series but was inspired to write more volumes. But really enjoyable nonetheless.
4006460
I thoroughly enjoyed Imperium. While it is obviously indebted to Modernist greats like Conrad, Proust and, to my ears Mann, mostly, it also has similar qualities to recent Post-Modern nods to classic Modernism like Milorad Pavic or the insanely popular Perfume by Suskind, which I also really liked despite its fadish fame. Like Perfume, Imperium was oddly both dense and compact, with the lush syntax of classic work but without the massive page count. And in the Post-Modern vein, the book played with non-linear chronology, cinematic devices, grotesque/sexual imagery and, of course, the trick ending, which was immediately reminiscent of Gravity's Rainbow. All-in-all, a very satisfying read.
3143299
A period piece that invites you in ...and you stay!
1849599
Andrew Taylor, the author of this very literate mystery, does a wonderful job of recreating England in the 1930's. Both the depressing slice of London known as Bleeding Heart Square and a rather unpleasant country town where some of the action takes place come fully to life. I learned a lot about British politics of this era as characters with both Fascist and Communist ties are presented in a historically accurate manner. Though politics play a part in the story the major mystery concerns what has happened to a spinster of late middle age who has disappeared after making an alliance with a younger man quite obviously after her money. We learn the details of this story from the lady's diary which are commented upon rather effectively in second person by an unknown person whose identity is not revealed until the closing pages.

The characters in BLEEDING HEART SQUARE are well drawn in that we know a lot about them and their motivations but even the leading players are not particularly sympathetic as we watch their actions without really becoming involved in their fate. The book is so densely plotted it can be confusing at times though if one keeps reading the confusion is soon relieved. And I had an advanced reader's copy and I assume some of the switches in time and place are more clearly delineated in the fully edited work. The book is slow moving and will not appeal to all tastes. And though the ending surprised me it was such a surprise that I didn't feel the author played totally fair.  Some of the other twists the author provides in the plot that come a bit earlier are just as surprising  and seemingly more plausible.
4911386
Because I recently read two other books that mentioned this one, I decided it was time to take it on. And it was a lot of fun. Three Victorian gentlemen -- one of whom tells the story -- set out with a pugnacious little dog to enjoy the Thames and a bit of the rustic life. Utterly unprepared, ludicrously overconfident, and trapped by their commitment to their original plan (no matter how wet, cold, or hungry they become), they allow us to recognize our acquaintances and ourselves in many of their idiotic actions. The humor is wry, dry, and often subtle; the anecdotes are charming; and it was easy to read in occasional installments.

I think it may have been easier to appreciate closer to its original date of publication (although it was not well received at the time) and would baffle the average teenager today . . . but it's still worth reading if you're beyond that age group.

What were the two books that referenced it? One is "Green and Silver" by L.T.C. Rolt -- a richly-described travel narrative of a journey on the inland waterways of Ireland in a narrowboat in 1945, first published in 1949. The other is "Swing, Swing Together" by Peter Lovesey -- a detective novel in which "Three Men in a Boat" is deeply involved. Although it isn't not essential to enjoying the Sergeant Cribb adventure set in Victorian England, I wish I had read it first.

That's three book recommendations disguised as a single review. Enjoy!
3520764
This is a thrill for oldie me.  I love reading books written when I was a teenager (and even earlier).  And I love historical fiction with a touch of romance in it.  Unlike many traditional Regency romances, this one is more serious, with less emphasis on the romance and more on some historical issues of the time.

Mostly it's about the struggle of lower-class workers, especially textile workers, to survive at a time when textile manufacturers were trying to implement new technologies, such as shearing and stocking frames, spinning frames and power looms.  These technologies would reduce the number of workers needed, with one machine taking the place of several workers, and that sets in motion the Luddite revolution (1811-1816), with worker rebellion and destruction of the new frames that threaten their jobs.  It was quite a problem that eventually was suppressed by the military.  (That's not to say that this particular man v machine problem has been completely addressed.)

Chetwynd Ley has written this story based on contemporary accounts of Luddite uprisings in West Riding of Yorkshire in 1812.  She notes that many of the incidents and some of the characters are authentic.  One of the main Luddite instigators of this story, for example, George Mellor, was an actual member of the Luddite movement and was executed in 1813, a bit after the time of this book.

The hero here is William Arkwright, ex-soldier now trying to make a go of his late father's textile mill.  He supports his stepmother and his half sister Caroline.  He is a solitary, sober man, honorable, but somewhat quick to anger and judgment, and his soft side is revealed only in his love for sister Caroline.  Our heroine is Mary Lister, recently hired to be Caroline's governess.  Mary is the vicar's niece and is cousin to John, a young man with somewhat revolutionary ideas about justice for the poor and working classes and who feels a certain sympathy for the Luddites.

Well, you can tell from this that things are not going to go smoothly in a romance between a mill owner and a young woman with some (loose) ties to the Luddite movement. As one of the reviewers before me mentioned, it's a bit of a&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/North-and-South/dp/B0082XU0ES/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">North and South</a>, that old Gaskill classic.  Of course it's much shorter (185 pages) and simpler but it has that mill owner vs mill workers clash going on and that low-key romance of a proud and stubborn man and a young woman in sympathy with the struggling lower classes.
1523512
I enjoyed it in the same way I enjoy the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, for being modernly entertaining while evoking a Jules Verne atmosphere, plus the feminine point of view was a nice departure from the likes of 20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in 80 days.
1048489
This was a wonderful read when I needed to escape my hectic life for a bit. It takes place in a 1930s small English town, with quirky characters and charming, dated language. It is a wonderful read for a dark stormy night or being transported to another time and place when things were simpler. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was entertained and relaxed by it. I gave it 3 stars because the mystery was a bit predictable.
3387796
I was introduced to Michael Scheffer and The St. St. Louis Affair at CAC16.

Herbert Falken is a Major (ret.) and lives in St. Louis in the late 1800s.  With that distinction, he could easily be considered an equal to Poirot, or Holmes, or even Professor Bradshaw (Seattle, early 1900s PAJER).
No matter who you compare the Major to, he fares well.

This first adventure takes the reader along back alleys and through unsavoury areas of the Industrial Era S. Louis.  It's an interesting period piece, but an even more enjoyable mystery.

I definitely look forward to more Adventures of Herbert Falken.
1434138
This book left me a vision of early 20th century England -- the people, the homes, the classes, modes of transportation, socialization, prejudices, and compassion. I felt like I was there and knew the characters.
1467888
The title story was a fun read, although it felt a little dated. This is not unexpected for a story from 1939. The premise was good, though, and mostly well-executed.  Belarus was perhaps a bit thinly drawn, I had hoped he'd be a more prominent character. The additional stories were also interesting, particularly the last one, concerning an educated Roman woman thrown back from a celebration of Rome's 1,000th anniversary to the founding of the city. A very enjoyable, engrossing, and diverting read.
3109499
I think I enjoyed this novel much more than many of the readers who found it tough sledding, but part of my enjoyment came as a result of having lived in Princeton for the past 20 years. It was really entertaining to read about the palatial homes of still-famous families in the part of the town that is still fancy, while hearing of now-developed areas described as farmland and wilderness. Some of the shops and institutions, in both the town and the college, still stand. My husband and I were married in the garden of the house where Woodrow Wilson lived when he was president of the college (it's now a faculty club.)

  My principal delight in The Accursed was reading Oates' portrayal of such historic figures as Upton Sinclair and Jack London. She had me looking up all sorts of incidents about them and Woodrow Wilson and Grover Cleveland to separate fact from fantasy, but they were such interesting figures that the side trips were very worthwhile.

  I agree with others who have said the book could have been more tightly edited. Sections about many characters went on too long but some of the set pieces, like Todd's game of draughts in the evil Bog Kingdom were beautifully done, and suspenseful.

  This wasn't quite the page-turner I expected after reading the ecstatic reviews of Stephen King and others, but I am glad I put in the time.
536259
While I felt, when I first read this novel, that some parts of the story were a bit predictable from a distance, I genuinely enjoy this book.  It's a really nice, settle-down-with-on-a-rainy-day-with-a-steaming-mug-of-something sort of novel.  The characters are appealing to read about, the dialogue is interesting, and the settings are so well described that you get pulled into the story pretty quickly.  Plot-wise, Cookson packed quite a bit into this story, and that keeps it very enjoyable to read without getting confusing or dull.  Not the finest work of literature I've ever read, but far superior to the majority of what publishers spit out these days (I feel like we're living in a sad age for novels, especially where heroines are concerned).  Cookson knew how to create women who were strong without needing to punch anyone, hide their femininity, or behave like a man in a bad 1950s film noir.
4080753
When I was reading this novella I felt as if I was granted a privilege to take a look through a window in another time and place. Very nicely done and settings ring true to an era. And oh boy, I am always pleased when author is not afraid to do something to the character which makes his looks less than perfect. And chemistry was wonderful too, they sizzled on the page.
644372
I am a fan of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe and the hard-boiled detective mysteries set in the 1930s and 1940s, which is why I gave Myer's historical mystery, No Game for a Dame, a try. And boy, am I glad I did.

It was such fun to see how the classic themes of this genre played out with a female private eye, Maggie Sullivan, and i was impressed at how absolutely faithful to the historical time and place, late 1930's Dayton, Ohio, the book was. The historical detail was subtle, but spot on, and it gave a richness and authenticity to the book.

No Game for a Dame did a lovely job of portraying the uneasy relationship between Maggie, as a private detective, and the local police, with the added element of paternalism on the part of the older Irish cops, and the book provided an accurate description of the wide variety of jobs that women worked at during the depths of the Great Depression. The mystery was compelling, the secondary characters were fully developed, and the possible romance was just enough to make me want more. All in all, a terrific book, and I can't wait for the next installment.

M. Louisa Locke, author of
Maids of Misfortune
723052
Just like Broadway Virgin, this one was all sorts of 1931. Gangs, jewel thievery, trips to Havana... It was a fun read.

The original title is actually "Collect" but at some point they changed the title to "Gold Diggers". The original cover too is a lot more appropriate to the tone of the novel (a languid, drugged-out looking girl on a couch, seen here). This 50s title and cover makes it look really silly, but is actually not such a campy book. I am such a big fan of this depression-age era/ women involved in gangs fiction, so I really think Lois Bull does a nice job transporting me back to a different place in time!
4787951
I actually ended up liking this audiobook.  Never having been a great fan of Follett's work, Pillars of the Earth being an exception, I actually found myself getting into the story.  By no means is this great literature, but if you accept it for the excapist fun that it is, you can really get into the story of women spies during World War II.  I really liked the character of Flick; although, at times she could be a little over the top.  Some of Follett's historical accuracy was questionable, but this is "fiction," so I didn't worry about it too much.  As for the narrator, Kate Reading is excellent.  I've listened to several books narrated by Ms. Reading, Anne Rice's Pandora being one of the better, and she never disappoints.  This bit of escapist fun is great listening for workouts.