Elizabeth's comments (member since Mar 24, 2008)

Elizabeth's comments from the European Royalty group.

Hi Sara,

A great non-fiction account is Philip Lopate's "Waterfront". He walked the entire perimeter of Manhattan and then wrote about his expereinces and the current landscape of Manhattan's waterfront and how that connects to the city's history and development. He writes from a unique perspective of the city and really focuses on the "island" aspect of Manhattan, something that never ceases to fascinate me. Reading it led me to the neighborhood where I currently live, Inwood, all the way at the northern tip of Manhattan, so this book obviously had a strong impact on me.

And just to satisfy any general curiosity about the history of New York City, you should definitely check of the Museum of the City of New York (5th Ave and 105th St) if you haven't already -- lots of fascinating stuff there!

Hi Jenna,

Yes, With All My Heart is another one by Margaret Campbell Barnes. I've not read anything by Jean Plaidy, but I will check her out. MCB's books have been getting re-noticed lately, mostly due to the surge in interest in historical fiction. I generally find her books to be far more accurate and literary than most of what's been published recently (though I may be biased).

If anyone is interested in a really good book about Anne of Cleves, I highly recommend MY LADY OF CLEVES by Margaret Campbell Barnes (my great-grandmother again, also author of BRIEF GAUDY HOUR about Anne Bolyen; please pardon the nepotism). It is a fictional account, but extremely detailed and well-researched and she does an excellent job of giving life to this historical figure about whom so little is known. It's been out of print for a while, but you can still find copies of it at used book stores and the like. And it is being brought back into print later this year (September-ish) by Source Books Publishing, the same publishers that re-printed BRIEF GAUDY HOUR earlier this year.

As the great-granddaughter of Margaret Campbell Barnes, author of Brief Gaudy Hour, I have to put her forth as the best in the genre. I see Brief Gaudy Hour, just re-issued for publication by Source Books Publishing, is on your list of books to read. I highly reccommend it for its historical accuracy and the compelling humanity with which she enlivens these overly-romanticized historical figures. You will also find some additional materials which I contributed to the new edition -- the genealogical chart at the front of the book, and a set of discussion questions for reading groups such as yourselves. I look forward to discussing some of these things with you when you come to read it. I promise it will be a delight!

Elizabeth R. Blaufox