Tag Archives: 19th century

REVIEW: A Civil Contract – Georgette Heyer

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Ela

Originally published 1961 When I first discovered Georgette Heyer in my teens, and started devouring her books wholesale, this was never one of my favourites. The plot – how two people enter into a marriage of convenience and how that … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Historical fiction, Re-read, Reviews, Romance | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

BOOK TO SCREEN: Emma

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Ela

(originally broadcast 2009, BBC) The first Austen adaptation I remember watching was the BBC’s Mansfield Park in 1983 with Sylvestra Le Touzel (what a fabulous name!), Anna Massey and Nicholas Farrell. I identified hugely with Fanny, though was not at … Continue reading →

Posted in Filmed adaptations, Reviews, Romance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Thirteenth Child – Patricia Wrede

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Ela

(Scholastic 2009) I heard about this book through the Book Smugglers’ blog, and, since I’ve loved Patricia Wrede’s other books (the Enchanted Forest books, her short stories, the Mairelon the magician books and her collaborations with Caroline Stevermer), I got … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011 New Reads, Fantasy, Fiction, Read on my Kindle, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dracula – Bram Stoker

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Ela

(e-book, originally published 1897) This most famous of vampire novels is an interesting novel told from many different points of view. It’s a tense story, but its moments of terror are never explicitly stated, leaving much unexplained and to the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011 New Reads, Fiction, Read on my Kindle, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Jungle Books – Rudyard Kipling

Posted on December 19, 2010 by Ela

(Penguin Classics 2000, originally published as ‘The Jungle Book’ in 1894 and ‘The Second Jungle Book’ in 1895) Is it a shameful confession to reveal that I never read either of the Jungle Books when I was a child (though … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010 New Reads, Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

‘Trade Wind’ – M. M. Kaye

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Ela

Unlike Kaye’s other historical novels (The Far Pavilions and Shadow of the Moon, both set in 19th century India), Trade Wind is set in the late 1850s in Zanzibar, off the coast of west Africa. Kaye warns the reader in … Continue reading →

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‘The Railway Detective’ – Edward Marston

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Ela

Set in 1851, this books starts off with a crime – a train robbery (of £3000 worth of gold sovereigns and post on its way to Birmingham) which leads to the serious injury of the driver, Caleb Andrews, and destruction … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime fiction, Fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment