Reading Room IX - Fusion Stories - The Schoolmaster by Maddalia

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

(Posting on behalf of anna060957, though she's going to reply to comments and discuss generally herself!)

Title: The Schoolmaster
Author: maddalia
Pairing: B/D
Link to story: The Schoolmaster
Link to "fusion" piece - Jane Eyre

This is my very first recc .... here goes!

Madallia’s notes say: “This fic is based on Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. It has been written with great affection for both original universes, and with tongue firmly in cheek. It does not, I hope, make Doyle into a fainting damsel. At any rate, the original Jane was certainly not. But although Doyle and Jane have certain factors in common, he is, I trust, still himself.

The story is beautifully written and captures both Doyle and Bodie’s characters as well as Charlotte’s style of writing. Assuming that anyone reading this will know Jane Eyre, the plot is classic gothic. Poor relation, physically abused, sent to austere orphanage, mistreated, makes good, gets a job, meets the love of her life, he’s already married to a mad woman living in the attic, who finally burns down the family home. I did get a little bored initially because Bodie doesn’t turn up until chapter nine and I am a Bodie-girl.

I liked the inclusion of other characters from the episodes

There was a small dissatisfaction that Doyle’s temper was alluded to but always kept well in hand. Bodie refers to him as an elf, but this was only in passing and could be ignored!

The emotional conflict experienced by Doyle is well written taking into account the era. But Bodie, being Bodie takes his homosexuality in his stride!

“Mr Bodie nodded. 'Quite so. And I should have added that flaws aside, I find you handsome. I have no qualms about saying it, even if you do.'
You would if you thought the way I do about men, Ray thought bitterly. The way I thought I'd never think again.
'Thank you, sir,' he said aloud. Despite his discomfort, the ease with which his employer complimented him made him smile. Mr Bodie, to Ray's equal delight and despair, gave his wonderful smile in return.”

Bodie leaves and comes back with a potential wife, misunderstandings lead to Doyle leaving having got the wrong end of the stick only to return in time to see his hero fighting the fire to try to save his mad wife. All very dramatic!

With a classically happy ending, this is a comfortable read.

Comments

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

I approached this story with extreme trepidation. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a very well-written and clever piece of writing that certainly placed our lads, with enough characteristics to ring true, into the storyline of Jane Eyre. But there lay the problem - I loathe Jane Eyre, perhaps irrationally, and was never going to be a full-on admirer of anything to do with it.

Perhaps I ought to explain, and I’ll start with a quotation from Maddalia’s Ray, in his letter to Bodie: We never quite leave our childhoods behind, do we?

I was sent, at the age of nine, to the school that was once attended by Charlotte Bronte and at least two of her sisters, who died in the typhoid epidemic and are buried in the graveyard which we passed every day. Jane Eyre was crammed down our throats, along with Wuthering Heights and so were the factual/fictional characters of heads and governors etc. whose portraits loomed over the main corridor. As a nine-to-eleven-year-old I lived in Bronte House and for one term shared an attic room with four or five others (most dormitories were bigger so we enjoyed our comparative privacy) where we had to bring washing water in tin jugs to pottery bowls. On cold mornings this was a penance both for the day’s ‘carrier’ and for everyone who had to wash in the luke warm water that resulted. Baths were strictly rationed. I have since visited the school and know perfectly well that all this took place in antediluvian times and these experiences are no longer the norm. However, they did leave me with a hatred of Jane Eyre. I think my pre-teen mind muddled author, fictional character and school staff. I blamed my personal plight on all of them with no discrimination. I was a ‘charity case’ in the sense that my father was a vicar, we were as poor as the proverbial church mice and the church paid my school fees. My mother was an invalid so my parents chose to send me to boarding school. I rarely saw them. So I ended up with a blazing hatred for Jane and anything to do with her.

So a fusion story centred on Jane was never totally going to appeal to me...

However, I enjoyed the story despite my swirling feelings, and particularly liked the delicious references to fandom in-jokes, like Ray as an elf, turned into Victorian banter. I loved the ending, which I thought contained much more potential for happiness than the ending of Jane Eyre.

I would also like to say that whilst the story and characterisation are great there is a glaring difference between Jane’s situation and Ray’s. Women in nineteenth century UK had severely limited property rights - their guardians and subsequently their husbands took over not just administration but ownership of anything they possessed, and it was hard even for single women to control their own fortunes and destinies. This conditioned most women to find it difficult to fight injustice wherever it occurred. Ray, as a man, was much more able and likely to seek alternative employment and could travel more freely; he had more control over his future; after his employment as a schoolmaster he was in a totally different set of circumstances from Jane. Similarly, rape would have a different psychological effect. Whilst for a man the sense of powerlessness and violation would be horrific, for a woman there would be the fear of pregnancy and even if it turned out the rape was with a gun, the mindset would, I think, be different and the victim would be eternally ‘spoilt goods’ (and would see herself that way). So whilst there is a fusion of plot I’m not sure there can ever be a real fusion of character for nineteenth century men and women. But within those constraints I thought the writer did really well.

Thanks for the rec, because without it I would never have read this story and I would have missed some excellent writing!

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

At usual, RL has intervened and I’ve been off-line for days! So it was a huge treat to see that not only have you read the story, but managed to comment – and very richly.

I’m very pleased that my first recc has helped to spread the word about Maddalia, although clearly her writing is already well known and loved, and thank you for your kind comments which have boosted my confidence!

But your experiences as a child made me cringe! I am so sorry that you had to experience not only an austere childhood generally, but to be separated from your parents and not know the joy of a loving and supportive family makes me want to weep.

Your comments have added nicely to the original recc – thank you!

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Like Jane and her friends, or Ray and his friends - our peer group became in many ways our family. Parents were people you saw occasionally and who gave you treats but not an everyday reality. In effect, I left home when I was nine.

Maddalia writes beautifully and I hope she drops in to see what we all think of her story!

[londonronnie.livejournal.com]

(For once the Reading Room story is one that I've read only recently, so I'm able to join in!)

I have to admit that it must be more than forty years since I read Jane Eyre. Whilst I'm still aware of the basic premise of that story any more detail is lost in the mists of time, I'm afraid, so I'm only able to judge maddalia's story on its own merits and can't really pass any comment on how much of a 'fusion' fic The Schoolmaster actually is.

There's something about an Eighteenth Century Bodie and Doyle, isn't there. I don't know why they seem to fit into the period so perfectly, but they do. At least they do for me - and it's not just because of the tight breeches! *g* It will probably be no surprise then that I enjoyed The Schoolmaster immensely. I thought their characters were captured really nicely; not the CI5 lads that we know, of course, but just how I imagine they would have been in earlier times and in different circumstances. That is the essence of a well written AU, of course, and that's exactly what maddalia has achieved here IMHO.

I liked the slow build-up (I didn't even mind waiting a while for Bodie's first appearance!) and I thought the climax was great, I could really picture all the panic and confusion of the fire.

One criticism though (and this is probably more of a quirk of mine rather than a real criticism) - I found the fact that the other characters in the story were mostly named after characters from the show rather distracting. In particular I found it hard to picture Maurice Richards as a schoolboy, when the name conjured up the image of a stocky, balding 40-something, and when Dr Michael Upton made an appearance I was thrown right out of the story for a while because the Ray Doyle that I had in my head prior to that suddenly transformed into the ebullient, beer-swilling Huw Evans. But anyway, that's just a little niggle of mine and I daresay most other readers weren't bothered at all.

So, all in all a very enjoyable read - and a nice long one too!

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

Apologies for the delay in replying to comments. As usual, RL has intervened and I’ve been off-line for days! So it was a huge treat to see that not only have you read the story – even if it wasn’t as a direct result of the recc - but have also managed to comment. I’m not entirely sure just how close a fusion story has to be – this Reading Room was my first introduction to fusion even though I had read a number of fusion stories without realising the connection/terminology. Like you, it’s a very long time since I read Jane Eyre and my memories are probably of a since watched video/DVD rather than my imagined pictures at the time.

I’m very pleased that my first recc has helped to spread the word about Maddalia, although clearly her writing is already well known and loved, and in fact any of Maddalia’s work is worth reading and I too love a good, long story!

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I think Maddalia is one of the new shining stars in Pros. She writes a story I want to read.

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

Isn't it great to find a new author and then spend hours searching for all of their work to add to your reading list!

[milomaus.livejournal.com]

I love Jane Eyre.
Funny thing was, Maddalia posted this story after I just read the book again. And watched different movieversions.
So at first I was a bit dissapointed, how close she stuck at first to the original story. It was just like a rewrite. But gradually it got better and better and better.
Adding sex scenes was such a pleasant surprise!
And the end is quite different, very nicely done as I recall, and though it´s close to the original it´s still a nice surprise!

Thanks for reminding me of this nice story!

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

Apologies for the delay in replying to comments, RL very inconveniently intervened!

I too found the beginning slow, although I put this down to only having Doyle feature and I’m first and foremost a Bodie-girl. It’s a very long time since I read Jane Eyre and my memories are probably of a since watched video/DVD rather than my imagined pictures at the time. I do think you have to be in the right mood to read the “classics” particularly if you’ve just read something like “The Da Vinci Code” or “The Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo”!! The Brontes, Thomas Hardy and Co are all very beautiful, but slow, languorous and gentle reading rather than a high speed ride at 100 miles an hour which take your breath away.

Of course, Jane Eyre had no sex scenes ..... !!!

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

I read Jane Eyre as a teenage girl. And then it couldn't persist among the other great reading experiences of that time, such as War and Peace, the Idiot, Pride and Prejudice, Gone with the Wind, Borstal Boy or The Drifters by James A.Michener... ;-)

I'm afraid that hasn't changed. I started this version, stopped, and gave it another try some pages later, then moving to the first appearance of Bodie, and a bit further...
Nothing! It just couldn't catch me.
I'm sure it isn't Maddalia's fault! In fact I think that her descriptions are very good.

"He found himself able to settle at the house, and grew to love the quiet of the place, the vast, beautiful grounds, the woods and the village that were part of Mr Bodie's estate. When lessons were over for the day he often went up to the roof to sketch and daydream." ....Home. Yes. He did think of Bramblewood Hall as home. He had his own space there, and a clear function to perform. It was as much 'his' as any home would ever be for a man of his station. He had accepted long ago that he would never be rich, and he didn't mind. Thoughts of rising above Mrs Phillips and looking down upon her were long outgrown. Henry Chapman had taught him humility.

That's nice! But nothing I connect with 'Doyle', and nothing I want to read at the moment.

Anyway, thank you for your first recc!
Hopefully there are more to come!? :-)

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

Apologies for the delay in replying to comments - RL intervened!

At least the recc introduced the story to you and, having had a go and couldn’t/didn’t persist, you haven’t wasted time (and possibly paper and ink) on a story which you ended up not enjoying. There really is no point at all in reading something unless you enjoy it.

I admitted to finding the start of the story boring, but put it down to the single character. It could just as well have been the slowness or even familiarity of the story. There is an almost physical move to get into the particular style of writing – as commented above. [I do think you have to be in the right mood to read the “classics” particularly if you’ve just read something like “The Da Vinci Code” or “The Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo”!! The Brontes, Thomas Hardy and Co are all very beautiful, but slow, languorous and gentle reading rather than a high speed ride at 100 miles an hour which take your breath away.]

Thank you, and yes, perhaps I will put pen to paper again!

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

"I admitted to finding the start of the story boring,..."
Yes, me too! When I was young, I have learned to accept it and keep going, and sometimes it was worth it!
But somehow - with age... - time is too precious now!

"There really is no point at all in reading something unless you enjoy it. "
Exactly! And often enough I come back to such a story 'when the time is right'.
That happened for example with Professional Dreamer, and now I love it!

I don't think that it's the style of writing I don't like. It's 'Jane Eyre'!
I would probably love a Pros version of Pride and Prejudice... well... :-)
- or something from Georgette Heyer!

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

If I don’t get into a book within the first five or six pages, I stop reading. Not only is it a waste of time (and you are quite right time is precious at any age, you just realise this as you get older*g*), but what is the point when there are so many books to read, never mind all the fanfic sat over at AO3 waiting to be downloaded onto the Kindle!! I really enjoyed Professional Dreamer, but didn’t realise it was a fusion! The more I interact with Pros-people, the more I learn!

What a coincidence – I’ve just bought The Toll Gate by Georgette Heyer, which I’m sure I’ve never read. I remember being totally absorbed for many years by her wonderful style of writing and it will be interesting to see how I get one, twenty odd years later! Maybe someone will take up the challenge of a fusion with GH!!

[londonronnie.livejournal.com]

Maybe someone will take up the challenge of a fusion with GH!!

I'm pretty sure that somebody's already written one, although I can't remember what the fic was now.

Was it HG? One of her historical AUs? Anyone know?

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

I've connected the Kindle ....

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

Would be great if you could remember!
My first thought was The Highwayman by O Yardley, but they say that it's inspired by the story 'Gentlemen of Sussex' by Eric Leyland.

Do you know that the Black Moth by GH is online?
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/heyer/moth/moth.html

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

I did't know, and thank you!

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

"What a coincidence – I’ve just bought The Toll Gate by Georgette Heyer, which I’m sure I’ve never read. I remember being totally absorbed for many years by her wonderful style of writing and it will be interesting to see how I get one, twenty odd years later! Maybe someone will take up the challenge of a fusion with GH!!"
Same here. I haven't read her for 20 or more years as well... But I remember The Toll Gate.
Adventure and a littel bit of h/c.
Yes, would be interesting to see if her magic still works! :-)
You know that The Black Moth is online?
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/heyer/moth/moth.html

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

I am not a fan of Jane Eyre's or AUs, but I am a huge fan of maddalia and found this story to be wonderful. The writing is terrific. The descriptions of the settings, the characters, their feelings - all very well drawn. I liked the introspective Doyle (angst! yes!) and the super cool Mr. Bodie. Just like with Pro's episodes, there were times I wanted to knock the stubborn lads heads together and shout "just talk to each other!!". I found myself very emotionally "involved" in the story and that's the sign of a good writer. The 'fusion' was well done. I think she did achieve her goal of not feminizing Ray (something I really hate...) This is a very good read, and I highly recommend it.

Anna - liked your review/rec very much! I hope you will do more.

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

I’m very pleased that my first recc has helped to spread the word about Maddalia, although clearly her writing has already made an impression on you! I do like a lot of AUs and, as already mentioned above, the boys seem to fit into almost any era. Many of my very favourite stories are AUs and usually long ones (so to speak!)

Thank you for your kind comments which have boosted my confidence to put pen to paper again!

[murphybabe]

This was a happy coincidence - I had just re-read The Schoolmaster about a week before this rec.

On the whole, I enjoyed the story. I never liked Jane Eyre much, but was willing to go with this because i like Maddalia's writing. This fic sort of worked for me, in that Maddalia's echo of Bronte's style was very accurate. I didn't really have a problem with the feminising of Doyle, but neither he nor Bodie was really my cup of tea in this, I'm afraid. Bodie was just too 'old' somehow, and too self-satisfied and in control. The bit about bringing in whatsername as a potential wife was just plain wrong - why? Why would he do this? In that era, setting up expectations was an important part of the marriage dance, and there would, to my understanding, have been a huge scandal if either whatshername had refused to marry Bodie or if Bodie had not come up to scratch with a proposal.

Summary, then - I love Maddalia's writing, and voluntarily read this for the second time - will probably re-read in the future, for that matter, but this is an interesting diversion and is of interest more for the beautiful writing than because it is the lads as I know them.

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

I am interested in your comment about Doyle being feminised. I did not get that at all, simply that he was a product of his upbringing - ie, reserved and quiet with poor self-esteem and little confidence in his own abilities. That can and often does, of course, reflect the role of women in that era. You are quite right about the expectations of any contact with a young, marriageable woman, but I didn't find that a problem simply because it would have been "the thing to do" given Bodie's position in society. Although you are right about the expected role within the marriage market, I don't think it was unheard of for a woman to refuse an offer.

I'm also in full agreement that much of the enjoyment of the story is due to Maddalia's writing!

Thank you for your contribution.

[maddalia.livejournal.com]

Hi and thanks for the rec! I really appreciate all the comments here. I'm just popping in to say, as a currently active author, that if anyone has any questions for me, or if it would be useful for me to comment generally on the story, I'm more than happy to join in. I'm not sure to what extent authors are meant to contribute to Reading Room discussions about their own material! But I remember Slantedlight saying something about wishing authors were available to ask things, so if you want me, here I am! *g*

Happy Easter, everyone :)

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the discussion and congratulations on a story that kept me interested despite my hatred for the original Jane Eyre! Other authors have dropped in from time to time and it's always good to have their 'take' on their work. Did you always love Jane, or did the recent TV film inspire you?

[maddalia.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed the fic despite your hatred of Jane. I was fascinated and sympathetic to read your comments above, about your experiences at school.

Did you always love Jane, or did the recent TV film inspire you?
I was given the book of Jane Eyre when I was about eight years old. It was quite beyond my powers at that stage. I was at university before I could truly read and appreciate Victorian novels. But my mum had, at about the same time, the old BBC adaptation with Timothy Dalton and Zelah Clarke -- contemporary to Pros, actually! Timothy Dalton is still in my top 5 Men In Tight Breeches, which he wears to great effect in Jane. I didn't look at men in that much detail when I was eight but Dalton as Rochester was still one of my first crushes. *g* I liked the character, and I still do, actually, the complex, passionate man. Although I have read and enjoyed the novel since, the '70s TV adaptation is what I know back-to-front and that, as well as my knowledge of the period gained by other research, is what guided me through this fic.

I did like the recent TV film though. Watching that made me want to watch the '70s one again, and when I did, I could see B&D all the way through it. I think it was Rochester calling Jane an elf that did it. It made me giggle because of the whole Doyle-as-elf thing, and I started to think how being in those roles would affect Bodie and Doyle, and the fic just kind of came out. I'm so glad Anna reviewed it here and there have been all these comments, because I wrote The Schoolmaster for the Christmas challenge at DIALJ, in a grand old hurry, and what you've all read is really just the first draft, which I haven't yet had the chance to edit to my satisfaction. I am going to use all your comments to refine it, the beginning in particular.

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for joining in the discussion and being willing to be interrogated! Please forgive me my criticism about being bored at the beginning - although that is almost a compliment because of the very clever fusion (literally) with Bronte's style of writing. As I've already mentioned, I think you have to be in the right frame of mind to read this type of classic novel (much like the other Brontes and Thomas Hardy) where it's no good skipping the descriptions to get straight to the action, because you'd not read half the book!

I have read much of your work and enjoyed it all. Thank you!

[maddalia.livejournal.com]

Hi Anna, and thanks again for a great rec.

Please forgive me my criticism about being bored at the beginning - although that is almost a compliment because of the very clever fusion (literally) with Bronte's style of writing.
Not at all! In fact, I was wondering if somebody would say this. As milomaus said above, I stuck very close, probably too close to the book at the beginning. I'd never written a fusion fic before and wasn't sure where I wanted to go. I was also interested to link Doyle's broken cheekbone with his childhood at his aunt's house, and have his relationship with the consumption-infected friend -- an important relationship in Jane's life in the original -- being his sexual self-discovery. I then got to like my Helen Burns substitute, and the awkward innocence of Doyle's first romance, rather a lot, so I probably over-dwelt on that part. I also wanted to get Doyle being an almost-policeman in there, as a sort of homage to canon, and set up the whole Maurice Richards/Preston/Montgomery thing, before he got to Bramblewood, so there turned out to be A LOT to do before he met Bodie! In a rewrite, I would condense the beginning, because it was a concern of mine and you're not the only one who's raised it.

Personally, I think the slow beginning screws up the pacing, because although it's faithful to the style, it isn't really consistent with the rest of the fic, which I intentionally pushed away from the Victorian novel structure because as well as getting Pros-y stuff in, I wanted to comment on Victorian novel themes, and show how differently it would go with a m/m relationship, because Doyle, for all that he takes on Jane's role in the story, is not female, and as moth2fic says in her first comment above, there is a glaring difference between a man's situation and a woman's at that time, as well as his attitudes and reactions being naturally different because Jane is Jane and Doyle is Doyle. He'd have different issues from her -- which is partly why I wanted to get the Preston/Richards/murder/beating bit in, so that Doyle would have a proper reason to be laid up and dependent on someone else's hospitality. I always hated the coincidence of Jane just happening to turn up at her cousins' place, and having been rendered destitute because she leaves her stuff on the coach. For one thing, I can't see Doyle ever being that daft -- and of course, his reason for leaving Bodie is different from Jane's reason for leaving Rochester, so he's in a different place emotionally from her. So, anyway, rambling towards a point, my departure from the plot & style was intentional there, whereas at the beginning I was really testing to see how close to Jane's situation I could stay.

Partly, of course, the sticking to the story at the beginning has to do with the structure of the book itself, because Jane's early life lays the psychological as well as actual foundations for where she ends up later, and I wanted that to be the same for Doyle. I was also using that early stage to figure out what I wanted to do with the storyline -- and I was then a little uncertain of how to progress. As I said to moth2fic, I wrote this fic in a hurry, for the DIALJ Christmas challenge, and it's really just a draft that you guys have read. (So as you can imagine, I'm so, so grateful and surprised at all the compliments on my writing!)

Anyway, pacing: reading the original, I always get a little bored waiting for Rochester to turn up, and I knew at least someone, if not lots of people, would feel the same about Bodie not being in the fic until Chapter 9. The only person I asked is a Doyle fan, so didn't see it as a problem. *g*

I have read much of your work and enjoyed it all. Thank you!
You're welcome; thank you for letting me know that! I really appreciate it.

Oh, and feel free to interrogate me more about Schoolmaster if you want to! *g*

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for taking the time to join in, Maddalia – as well as the offer to be questioned. I am a reader only and am quite certain there isn’t and never will be a book inside me. However, I really enjoy the role of beta and have learned an enormous amount from interacting with the wonderful authors on the Pros sites.

I wrote The Schoolmaster for the Christmas challenge at DIALJ, in a grand old hurry, and what you've all read is really just the first draft ...

All I can say is, wow!

... reading the original, I always get a little bored waiting for Rochester to turn up, and I knew at least someone, if not lots of people, would feel the same about Bodie not being in the fic until Chapter 9. The only person I asked is a Doyle fan, so didn't see it as a problem. *g*

... well they wouldn’t, would they?!!!!

I guess the one thing I have learnt here, is that to write a fusion story, you need to have a very in-depth knowledge of the original on which your story is based. You are clearly a very talented writer and I can only gaze up in admiration! Thank you for your contribution.

[maddalia.livejournal.com]

You're most welcome. Thanks so much for your remarks, you're so kind. :)

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Bodie not being in the fic until Chapter 9. The only person I asked is a Doyle fan, so didn't see it as a problem. *g*

Erm, I think I know who that was. *shifty look*

Still not a problem :)

[maddalia.livejournal.com]

Teeheehee. Well, I was enjoying Doyle, or, er, enjoying writing about Doyle, too! :D

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

I’m overwhelmed that my little rec, which I’m almost ashamed of now, has generated not only the breadth of discussion above, but also the inclusion of the author – thank you so much for taking the time to join in, Maddalia.

As you will have realised by my inability to even post my own review, I’m quite new to CI5HQ (and LJ generally). Also, I don’t really interact as much as many of the participants, so I’m really pleased that this first review has been so well received – you guys are all such welcoming and friendly people!

Notwithstanding, the many comments which have unintentionally illustrated the lack of depth in my own review, I have, nevertheless, learned a great deal about how all you wonderful authors manage to be so brilliant.

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

A review doesn't have to have 'depth'. (The stories do that bit...) It has to generate interest and discussion. I'd say you succeeded brilliantly!

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm grinning from ear to ear!

[maddalia.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome, and I join with the others in saying you've done a great job!

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Wandering in fashionably late...

As you will have realised by my inability to even post my own review, I’m quite new to CI5HQ (and LJ generally). Also, I don’t really interact as much as many of the participants, so I’m really pleased that this first review has been so well received – you guys are all such welcoming and friendly people!

I love reading other people's reviews, I really do. And then I like quibbling :)

There isn't a lot to quibble with here. I am not brilliantly familiar with Jane Eyre: I actually only read it when I realised I would shortly be reading Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys's novel which does not name the protagonists completely but which is clearly related to Jane Eyre).

I don't know the period at all, so I may be quite wrong, but Maddalia sounded like she knew the period very well: the medical procedures, the postal system (I can't quite remember it, but there's a mention of how letters get from overseas to England), and so on; and, specifically, making the point that the consequences of discovery would be high - life-threatening, indeed. I like my "ignore the reality of social mores" contemporary PWPs, oh indeed I do, but in historical settings, I like to see some awareness of the other elements beyond tight trousers, and "you can be hanged for this" certainly ought to occur to at least one of them at some stage. So it made me happy :)

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

Better late than never!

Quibbling is good!!

Yes, I too like to think that the history I’m reading is factually correct. My first love (until I discovered Pros fic!) is historical fiction starting with Jean Plaidy (in my dim and distant youth) and progressing through Pamela Belle’s wonderfully evocative writing and Ken Follett’s huge masterpieces to the most recent Tudor series by Philippa Gregory’s. Maddalia’s intimate grasp of the period is obvious and very educational!

Thank you for your contribution.