My chosen poem this week is by Brian Moses (1950) the children’s author and poet.
A Feather from an Angel
Anton's box of treasures held
a silver key and a glassy stone,
a figurine made of polished bone
and a feather from an angel.
The figurine was from Borneo,
the stone from France or Italy,
the silver key was a mystery
but the feather came from an angel.
We might have believed him if he's said
the feather fell from a bleached white crow
but he always replied, 'It's an angel's, I know,
a feather from an angel.'
We might have believed him if he'd said,
'An albatross let the feather fall,'
But he had no doubt, no doubt at all,
his feather came from an angel.
'I thought I'd dreamt him one night,' he'd say,
'But in the morning I knew he's been there;
he left a feather on my bedside chair,
a feather from an angel.'
And it seems that all my life I've looked
for that sort of belief that nothing could shift,
something simple yet precious as Anton's gift,
a feather from an angel.
Brian Moses
It was first serialised in the Merry’s Museum magazine between July and August in 1869 and consisted of only six chapters. For the finished product, however, Alcott continued the story from the chapter “Six Years Afterwards” and so it ended up with nineteen chapters in all. The book revolves around Polly Milton, the old-fashioned girl who titles the story. Polly visits her wealthy friend Fanny Shaw in the city and is overwhelmed by the fashionable and urban life they live–but also left out because of her “countrified” manners and outdated clothes.
Review
I was really excited to read this because I love Little Women and the sequels and have always wanted to read more books by Alcott. The version of the book that I bought was a big mistake though. Sadly I got a printed by Amazon edition and it was bizarre to say the least. The book contained weird pictures that didn’t entirely relate to the story and they were all badly pixelated. The layout of the book was also terrible which made the book difficult to read and I found myself wondering who random people were because new names had suddenly appeared but then realised that yet again it was just a wrong name for one of the characters.
Anyway, ignoring all the terrible faults with the publishing I really enjoyed this little story of the adorable Polly. The story begins with Polly visiting her wealthy friend Fanny Shaw and her family. Fanny lives in the city and is fashionable and surrounded by wealthy and fashionable friends. These friends find Polly countrified and old fashioned and this also means that poor Polly feels left out at times. However, Polly soon makes an impression on the Shaw family.
The Shaw family comprises Mr and Mrs Shaw, Grandma, Maud, Tom and of course Fanny. Each of these characters need some sort of help and comfort and little Polly in her own way sees this and helps them.
As the book goes on we see Polly getting older and eventually moving to the city herself and we see her struggles, her loneliness and isolation. However, we also see her grow, we see her learn and appreciate every little thing around her. Polly shows us that there are things to be thankful for everywhere even things we don’t normally consider or even think about Polly considers them and appreciates them.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book but for me it was nowhere near as good as Little Women and it just felt less sophisticated in the way it was written than Little Women and the sequels. Whether it is because the book was originally written in a serialised format I don’t know but I didn’t gel with the writing as I usually do. However, I still give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known as the author of the novel Little Women (1868) and its sequels.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I tried to blog yesterday but for some reason WordPress just wouldn’t work for me and kept crashing. My reading so far this week has been very good and I feel like I might be catching up with my challenges.
What I am Currently Reading
The Cicero Trilogy is a mammoth book which I will be reading for a very long time I feel so I have also started one of my all time favourite books Silas Marner.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I couldn’t put The Taxidermist’s Daughter down and read it in no time at all. I also finally finished The Count of Monte Cristo!
What I Think I will Read Next
I am carrying on with my 20 Books of Summer Challenge so it will be one of these books next most likely.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
The inspirational story of the Pastons, a family who rose from obscurity to the very heart of Court politics and intrigue during the Wars of the Roses.
England, 1444. Three women challenge the course of history…
King Henry VI’s grip on the crown hangs by a thread as the Wars of the Roses starts to tear England apart. And from the ashes of war, the House of Paston begins its rise to power.
Led by three visionary women, the Pastons are a family from humble peasant beginnings who rely upon cunning, raw ambition, and good fortune in order to survive.
Their ability to plot and scheme sees them overcome imprisonment, violence and betrayal, to eventually secure for their family a castle and a place at the heart of the Yorkist Court. But success breeds jealousy and brings them dangerous enemies…
An inspirational story of courage and resilience, The Royal Game charts the rise of three remarkable women from obscurity to the very heart of Court politics and intrigue.
What are your thoughts on this book if you have read it?
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
I decided my next read would be the biggest book on my 20 Books of Summer list and so I started this mammoth book today. I must admit I think this is going to be a slow read but I will do my best and I am really enjoying it so far.
Most of these stories focus on the small, quiet or unspoken intricacies of human relationships rather than grand dramas. The use of metaphor is delicate and subtle; often the women are strong and capable and the men less so; shallow and selfish motives are exposed.
The dates of these stories range from 1909 to 1986 and there are thirty in all. The ten stories which are already in print in Persephone editions of their work are by Katherine Mansfield, Irène Némirovsky, Mollie Panter-Downes (twice), Elizabeth Berridge, Dorothy Whipple, Frances Towers, Margaret Bonham, Diana Gardner and Diana Athill.
The ten stories which have already been published in the Quarterly and Biannually are by EM Delafield; Dorothy Parker; Dorothy Whipple; Edith Wharton; Phyllis Bentley; Dorothy Canfield Fisher; Norah Hoult; Angelica Gibbs; Penelope Mortimer; and Georgina Hammick. And lastly the ten stories which are new are by Susan Glaspell, Pauline Smith, Malachi Whitaker, Betty Miller, Helen Hull, Kay Boyle, Shirley Jackson, Sylvia Townsend Warner, Elizabeth Spencer and Penelope Fitzgerald.
Review
To celebrate Persephone Books’ one hundredth book, the publisher decided to issue this book of short stories all written by women. Some of the authors are more well-known than others but they all deserve to be in this book and also deserve to be more widely read.
I loved the variety of stories within this book and I had already read a couple of them from other Persephone Books publications but I didn’t mind reading them again. These stories cover first jobs, first loves, marriages, affairs (quite a few affairs), illness and death and many other themes which are either obvious or subtle.
I loved this book and I couldn’t put it down as I just loved the variety of the stories and I also really enjoyed the mixture of longer and shorter stories within the book. I also loved the phrase ‘skin food’ that was used in quite a few stories to describe facial moisturiser and I am now using the phrase myself as I think it sounds far more fun than moisturiser.
There was only one story in this book that I found hard to read which was the last story. The last story within this book I found rather harrowing and to be honest it was a big surprise after the other stories.
The thing I loved most about this book was it explores the small parts in women’s lives. The stories are about everyday people with everyday lives and problems. It explores the basic and tiny moments in different women’s lives which don’t usually get explored in books. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
What is everyone reading this weekend? I am hoping to finish The Taxidermist’s Daughter by Kate Mosse. I haven’t been able to put it down so far so I don’t think it will be a problem.
My chosen poem today is by the award winning children’s author and poet Rachel Rooney (1962).
Seeker
Eyes as wide as continents brim with water between.
Seeks a different future. Looks back on what has been.
Mouth seeks another language. Shapes a different air.
Unfamiliar classroom words. The other, whispered prayer.
Heart seeks home. One it left and one it took along.
Echoes in the distance. Skips to a playground song.
Rachel Rooney
Alison has it all. A doting husband, adorable daughter, and a career on the rise – she’s just been given her first murder case to defend. But all is never as it seems…
Just one more night. Then I’ll end it.
Alison drinks too much. She’s neglecting her family. And she’s having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries may be more than she can handle.
I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up.
Alison’s client doesn’t deny that she stabbed her husband – she wants to plead guilty. And yet something about her story is deeply amiss. Saving this woman may be the first step to Alison saving herself.
I’m watching you. I know what you’re doing.
But someone knows Alison’s secrets. Someone who wants to make her pay for what she’s done, and who won’t stop until she’s lost everything….
Review
This has been sat on one of my TBR trolleys (I have many) for a very long time. In fact I remember buying it on an Amazon deal during one of the many lockdowns but I never seemed to get around to reading it. Thankfully, along came the amazing 20 Books of Summer Challenge and this was the first book I read off my list.
The first thing I will say is that once I started this book I could not put it down. I just loved Tyce’s writing and for a debut novel I was pleasantly surprised by how excellently written this book was. However, there was main problem for me and that was that I hated the main character! I just could not get on with the character of Alison and yes I know she was written that way but gosh she drove me mad! Thankfully, I didn’t let this put me off and carried on reading.
Alison was not the only character I did not like. I really did not like her husband who just felt off from the start. In fact most of the characters in this book I disliked but I loved the storyline and that is what kept me reading and not giving up with this book.
As we are reading about Alison’s chaotic life we also meet Madeleine who Alison is defending. Madeleine is accused of murder and as we learn more about the case we see many parallels between Alison and Madeleine’s lives and situations.
This book made me quite uncomfortable at times but it didn’t put me off and gave me a great deal to think about. It’s also a book that I think will stay with me for a long time and that shows just what a great author Tyce is. This book was a difficult book to rate for me because I loved the way it was written and the storyline but I just could not get on with the characters so in the end I decided to give it 3 out of 5 Dragons. I am really looking forward to reading Tyne’s other books soon and hopefully they won’t sit on my TBR pile for quite so long this time.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
Harriet Tyce (1972) is a Scottish barrister and novelist, the author of Blood Orange, The Lies you Told and It ends at midnight.
My chosen quote for this week is by Augustine of Hippo otherwise known as Saint Augustine (354-430). Saint Augustine was a theologian and philosopher whose writings influenced the development of Western philosophy and Western Christianity.
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
Lady Book Dragon 