Reading Wednesday
Jul. 1st, 2015 08:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brigdhWhat did you just finish?
Bound for Canaan: The Epic Story of the Underground Railroad, America's First Civil Rights Movement by Fergus M. Bordewich. This book is so good that I can't possibly recommend it highly enough. It's clearly widely and deeply researched, but that doesn't keep it from being a fascinating page-turner. I mean, it's full of stories like that of Henry Brown, who escaped from slavery by literally mailing himself in a box from Virginia to Philadelphia; William "Jerry" Henry, who was rescued from US marshals attempting to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law when a crowd of thousands surrounded the courthouse, rammed through the door, cut off the power to the lights, and held off the marshals at gunpoint (no one, by the way, ever served time for their participation); or when William Still, the son of escaped slaves, was one day interviewing people who'd traveled on the Underground Railroad on their family history, only to realize that the man he was interviewing was his own long-lost brother. Come on! That would be ridiculous in a melodrama, and it almost made me cry here. Of course, there's more famous names too: Harriet Tubman and John Brown and Frederick Douglass, or the people who became immortalized in Uncle Tom's Cabin, Beloved, and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
Though I didn't know it would be relevant when I started to read this, it's a good moment for this book. It's hard to claim that the Civil War was about "states' rights" when you actually look at the politics of the early 1800s. It's also an argument against the idea that "everyone was like that back then!", when you see so many people giving up their money, their homes, and even their lives to fight against slavery.
For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale. A romance set in 14th century England and France. Princess Melanthe is the widow of the Italian ruler of a small city-state, who's being pursued by at least three factions, all of whom want to manipulate her into giving the right to the city to them. She's controlling them by a combination of lies and promises that she has no intention of keeping, but it's a delicate balance that's sure to fall apart eventually. She meets Ruck, an English knight who's trying to reclaim his name and inheritance by doing deeds of honor and chivalry big enough to draw the attention of the King. Neither of them knows if they can trust the other, and their relationship is full of secrets, misdirection, and outright lies. There's also so many fun tropes: there's a ton of loyalty-kink, secret wedding vows, pretty-boy assassins, duels and jousts, desperate escapes, people being chained up in dungeons, hidden castles, cold cynical heroines, pining, court politics, and an entire village of minstrels.
The historical research is much better than the average romance novel, and all of the dialogue is even written in Middle English (though not the narration, which is probably for the best, since it's not too hard to follow in dialogue but I'm not sure I could read an entire novel in it without a translation). There's a real sense of world-building, and the characters very much behave as is appropriate for the time, which sometimes makes for uncomfortable modern reading. Many of the secondary characters are just as fascinating as the leads. I'm glad to hear there's a sequel about one of them!
What are you currently reading?
Eric Walrond: A Life in the Harlem Renaissance and the Transatlantic Caribbean by James Davis. While interesting, this book is very... in-depth. Possibly including way more details than I need.
Stranger at the Wedding by Barbara Hambly. Loving it!
Headhunters On My Doorstep: A True Treasure Island Ghost Story by J. Maarten Troost. Troost is one of my favorite travel writers; this book is half an account of his struggle with alcoholism and half about him following in the footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson.
Bound for Canaan: The Epic Story of the Underground Railroad, America's First Civil Rights Movement by Fergus M. Bordewich. This book is so good that I can't possibly recommend it highly enough. It's clearly widely and deeply researched, but that doesn't keep it from being a fascinating page-turner. I mean, it's full of stories like that of Henry Brown, who escaped from slavery by literally mailing himself in a box from Virginia to Philadelphia; William "Jerry" Henry, who was rescued from US marshals attempting to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law when a crowd of thousands surrounded the courthouse, rammed through the door, cut off the power to the lights, and held off the marshals at gunpoint (no one, by the way, ever served time for their participation); or when William Still, the son of escaped slaves, was one day interviewing people who'd traveled on the Underground Railroad on their family history, only to realize that the man he was interviewing was his own long-lost brother. Come on! That would be ridiculous in a melodrama, and it almost made me cry here. Of course, there's more famous names too: Harriet Tubman and John Brown and Frederick Douglass, or the people who became immortalized in Uncle Tom's Cabin, Beloved, and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
Though I didn't know it would be relevant when I started to read this, it's a good moment for this book. It's hard to claim that the Civil War was about "states' rights" when you actually look at the politics of the early 1800s. It's also an argument against the idea that "everyone was like that back then!", when you see so many people giving up their money, their homes, and even their lives to fight against slavery.
For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale. A romance set in 14th century England and France. Princess Melanthe is the widow of the Italian ruler of a small city-state, who's being pursued by at least three factions, all of whom want to manipulate her into giving the right to the city to them. She's controlling them by a combination of lies and promises that she has no intention of keeping, but it's a delicate balance that's sure to fall apart eventually. She meets Ruck, an English knight who's trying to reclaim his name and inheritance by doing deeds of honor and chivalry big enough to draw the attention of the King. Neither of them knows if they can trust the other, and their relationship is full of secrets, misdirection, and outright lies. There's also so many fun tropes: there's a ton of loyalty-kink, secret wedding vows, pretty-boy assassins, duels and jousts, desperate escapes, people being chained up in dungeons, hidden castles, cold cynical heroines, pining, court politics, and an entire village of minstrels.
The historical research is much better than the average romance novel, and all of the dialogue is even written in Middle English (though not the narration, which is probably for the best, since it's not too hard to follow in dialogue but I'm not sure I could read an entire novel in it without a translation). There's a real sense of world-building, and the characters very much behave as is appropriate for the time, which sometimes makes for uncomfortable modern reading. Many of the secondary characters are just as fascinating as the leads. I'm glad to hear there's a sequel about one of them!
What are you currently reading?
Eric Walrond: A Life in the Harlem Renaissance and the Transatlantic Caribbean by James Davis. While interesting, this book is very... in-depth. Possibly including way more details than I need.
Stranger at the Wedding by Barbara Hambly. Loving it!
Headhunters On My Doorstep: A True Treasure Island Ghost Story by J. Maarten Troost. Troost is one of my favorite travel writers; this book is half an account of his struggle with alcoholism and half about him following in the footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson.
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no subject
Date: 2015-07-02 01:10 am (UTC)I've been slowly indexing William Lloyd Garrison's abolitionist paper The Liberator and it gives a good picture of the huge range of opinion just within the abolitionist movement.
I am fascinated by the idea of a book set in the middle ages whose dialogue is actually in Middle English. I may have to give this one a try? Medieval dialogue is always so tricky.
no subject
Date: 2015-07-02 03:31 pm (UTC)Oh, that's cool! He was a bit in this book, but not a major focus (though it did go into the differences of opinion, especially regarding debates on non-violence vs self-defense). I'd like to read more about him.
It's not entirely accurate Middle English, as it's been made a bit easier to read, but I still liked it. I thought it did a good job of giving the feeling of the time period. Here's a random passage, if you'd like to see what it's like:
“I know a place safe,” he said. “Safe from pestilence and all hazard.” He frowned at the river. “But ne will I taken a witch there.”
“Iwysse, then there is no more to be said.” Her voice was cool and haughty. “If a woman bewhile a man, a witch mote she be.”
“If ye says me you are nought, my lady—” He paused. Ripples blew across the water, the cold wind stung his face. “I will believe you. [...] Is no sin to escheaten demons,” he said gruffly. “Only to yielden service to them.”
“My husband taught me many things. Readings from the Greek—astrology and alchemy and such, matters of natural philosophy, but never did we call on any power but God’s mercy that I know. Test me on my knowledge, if thou wilt.”
“Ne haf I no command of such. Battle I know, and a sword. Naught of natural philosophy.”
She lifted her chin. “I make no protection-spells.”
He did not wish her to be a witch. In his heart he longed to prove her innocent. But he said stubbornly, "By logic, that is no more than evidence that ye desires nought to maken them.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Then what proofs wilt thou have, if thou art so prudent? Wilt thou bind me and throw me in the river, or have me to clasp a red-hot staff?” She pointed at his sword. “Heat it in the fire, then, and test me! And then haps I will testen thee the same; Sir Ruck of No Place, for ne do I know why I took notice of thee and gave thee jewels in Avignon when thou wert but a shabby stranger to mine eyes! Haps thou worked a charm on me and stole my gems by magic craft!”
no subject
Date: 2015-07-02 03:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-07-02 03:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-07-02 03:57 am (UTC)The Underground Railroad stuff sounds fascinating. It was an amazing time. I researched it for a book I was writing and found some great stories. The slave owners were quite happy to hold important SECRET conversations in front of their slaves, never thinking they might pass the information on. They were just food trays on legs. There was a story of a couple who escaped together in a coach - she was light-skinned and posed as his mistress. Amazing stuff, and this book sounds great - wonder if I can get it in ebook?
no subject
Date: 2015-07-02 03:47 pm (UTC)Yeah, I'm not sure I would want this style in every book set in the past, but it worked for me in this case. It was a nice change.
I read a physical copy, but the book is available as an ebook!
There was a story of a couple who escaped together in a coach - she was light-skinned and posed as his mistress.
Oh, yes, the Crafts! I read a novel based on their story a few months ago (although it was more like "very loosely inspired" than a strict retelling of the facts) that I really enjoyed. It's called Touched With Fire (http://www.amazon.com/Touched-With-Fire-Based-Story/dp/1490498834), if you're interested.
no subject
Date: 2015-07-04 10:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-07-03 10:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-07-06 06:55 pm (UTC)