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The Remarkable Journey of Miss Tranby Quirke
Book by Ridley, Elizabeth
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 1996
3 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Ridley
27 books17 followersElizabeth Ridley’s fifth novel, Searching for Celia, was published by Bold Strokes Books in New York in 2015. The GBLTQ mystery/thriller was chosen as one of “The 15 Best LGBT Summer Reads” by The Advocate, while Lambda Literary described it as “a riveting tale of identity and betrayal.” Her previous novels are Throwing Roses (The Permanent Press, 1993); The Remarkable Journey of Miss Tranby Quirke (Virago Press/Little, Brown & Co. UK 1996; Bold Strokes Books, NY, 2009), Rainey’s Lament (Virago Press/Little, Brown & Co. UK 1998; GENDAS, Turkey, 1999; The Overlook Press, NY, 1999) and Dear Mr. Carson (The Permanent Press, NY, 2006). Her books have appeared in hardcover, paperback, and ebook editions around the world.
In addition to her novels, Elizabeth is an independent film writer and producer whose first short film, Wingman Dad, is presently in pre-production. Her five-minute verbal pitch for Wingman Dad took first prize at the “Pitch Us Your Film!” contest at the Milwaukee Film Festival in 2015, while her full-length feature film, Handle With Care, is in development with Oscar-nominated British actor Peter Firth attached to play the lead role.
A native of Milwaukee, Elizabeth has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and a master’s degree in creative writing from The University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, where she studied under former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion. In 1994 she received a Hawthornden Fellowship to Hawthornden Castle in Lasswade, Scotland, and in 2011 she received a Literary Artist Fellowship from the Wisconsin Arts Board.
In addition to her novels, Elizabeth is an independent film writer and producer whose first short film, Wingman Dad, is presently in pre-production. Her five-minute verbal pitch for Wingman Dad took first prize at the “Pitch Us Your Film!” contest at the Milwaukee Film Festival in 2015, while her full-length feature film, Handle With Care, is in development with Oscar-nominated British actor Peter Firth attached to play the lead role.
A native of Milwaukee, Elizabeth has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and a master’s degree in creative writing from The University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, where she studied under former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion. In 1994 she received a Hawthornden Fellowship to Hawthornden Castle in Lasswade, Scotland, and in 2011 she received a Literary Artist Fellowship from the Wisconsin Arts Board.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 30, 2017
First things first. I think it needs to be said that you really need to be on the right frame of mind to read this book.
Personally, I find it highly enjoyable and entertaining but this is truly an unusual read from what Bold Strokes usually publishes. It's still very much to my liking but it might not be to anyone else coming into this story with preconceived expectations of finding a f/f historical fiction story written with the modern mindset of how absolutely normal a same sex relationship is (or should be) perceived.
But lets keep in mind that homosexuality, according to the American Psychiatric Association only stopped being considered a mental illness in 1973 and the World Health Organization only actually officially removed it from their list of mental disorders in 1990. And as insane as this might be, it only serves to highlight how these prejudices deeply engrossed in the norms of society, and endorsed by respected scholars during such a long period in modern society also ended up deeply affecting the psyche of those who happened to be gay. And I, for one, applaud this type of approach in this genre. Specially when the final outcome is not just another cautionary tale of how homosexuality will doom you or a simplistic tale of how it will "set you free", but just a somewhat more honest, realistic approach to how it was truly perceived by society as a whole during that time period.
And as uncomfortable as it may be, the fact remains that you can still fit an improbable, awkward and highly secretive love story in such a repressive scenario. It's full of angst, doubts and fear. But why wouldn't it be? When you knew that you could be arrest or even killed for loving someone of the same sex? Or, on best case scenarios, just completely socially ostracized if your 'secret' was discovered.
For me, stories like this are a treat because they highlight courage in one of its noblest forms. The courage to be true to yourself in a somewhat dormant, yet quite fiery way.
There is also this almost lyric quality to Miss Ridley storytelling. Tranby is an eccentric character with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination. She escapes the dullness of her own life by revisiting the paths of famous explorers. It's an unusual coping mechanism for a woman with a highly educated mind but a deeply frustrated soul. It's poignant and a bit sad but it also serves the purpose of emphasizing Tranbys' true fragile nature under her apparently strong facade.
Some other review here mentioned how this is more a good story than a love story, and I think I agree with that. It's a story about an inward journey more than an outward one. At least for me, Tranby is a likable character who goes into this impromptu tumultuous inner journey, using the emotional tools befitting the times she lived in, in an attempt to find out who she truly is and what she truly wants.
It does lack a bit in terms of depth, considering how short the story is, and how little it cares to develop Lysette character or their blossoming delicate romantic relationship, but the framework for that unique realistic approach to a f/f historical fiction story is still there. And that is much to my own personal liking.
Personally, I find it highly enjoyable and entertaining but this is truly an unusual read from what Bold Strokes usually publishes. It's still very much to my liking but it might not be to anyone else coming into this story with preconceived expectations of finding a f/f historical fiction story written with the modern mindset of how absolutely normal a same sex relationship is (or should be) perceived.
But lets keep in mind that homosexuality, according to the American Psychiatric Association only stopped being considered a mental illness in 1973 and the World Health Organization only actually officially removed it from their list of mental disorders in 1990. And as insane as this might be, it only serves to highlight how these prejudices deeply engrossed in the norms of society, and endorsed by respected scholars during such a long period in modern society also ended up deeply affecting the psyche of those who happened to be gay. And I, for one, applaud this type of approach in this genre. Specially when the final outcome is not just another cautionary tale of how homosexuality will doom you or a simplistic tale of how it will "set you free", but just a somewhat more honest, realistic approach to how it was truly perceived by society as a whole during that time period.
And as uncomfortable as it may be, the fact remains that you can still fit an improbable, awkward and highly secretive love story in such a repressive scenario. It's full of angst, doubts and fear. But why wouldn't it be? When you knew that you could be arrest or even killed for loving someone of the same sex? Or, on best case scenarios, just completely socially ostracized if your 'secret' was discovered.
For me, stories like this are a treat because they highlight courage in one of its noblest forms. The courage to be true to yourself in a somewhat dormant, yet quite fiery way.
There is also this almost lyric quality to Miss Ridley storytelling. Tranby is an eccentric character with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination. She escapes the dullness of her own life by revisiting the paths of famous explorers. It's an unusual coping mechanism for a woman with a highly educated mind but a deeply frustrated soul. It's poignant and a bit sad but it also serves the purpose of emphasizing Tranbys' true fragile nature under her apparently strong facade.
Some other review here mentioned how this is more a good story than a love story, and I think I agree with that. It's a story about an inward journey more than an outward one. At least for me, Tranby is a likable character who goes into this impromptu tumultuous inner journey, using the emotional tools befitting the times she lived in, in an attempt to find out who she truly is and what she truly wants.
It does lack a bit in terms of depth, considering how short the story is, and how little it cares to develop Lysette character or their blossoming delicate romantic relationship, but the framework for that unique realistic approach to a f/f historical fiction story is still there. And that is much to my own personal liking.
September 1, 2014
The Remarkable Journey of Miss Tranby Quirke is the kind of book you need a few days to think about before you understand if you truly like it or not. I guess that sounds a bit bizarre or indecisive, but the truth is Elizabeth Ridley's period piece, while extremely well-written, deeply touching and downright beautiful at times, leaves me a bit uneasy.
Tranby and Lysette, surely two of the most unlikely women to ever fall in love with each other, are each so severely messed up emotionally (in their own unique ways) that I'm not sure either should be seeking any relationship, much less one with each other. They are both also wonderful and caring ladies, but it is 1909, after all, and so much is already on their plate that time and circumstance threaten to crack it beyond repair.
Maybe I'm reading way too much into everything that happens, but I also question what is real and what is not and if our narrator Miss Tranby can even be trusted. Things are so wispy and fragile by the end, the reader cannot help but feel sad rather than hopeful. The Remarkable Journey of Miss Tranby Quirke is definitely a solid read...whether it's a solid romance is an entirely different matter.
Tranby and Lysette, surely two of the most unlikely women to ever fall in love with each other, are each so severely messed up emotionally (in their own unique ways) that I'm not sure either should be seeking any relationship, much less one with each other. They are both also wonderful and caring ladies, but it is 1909, after all, and so much is already on their plate that time and circumstance threaten to crack it beyond repair.
Maybe I'm reading way too much into everything that happens, but I also question what is real and what is not and if our narrator Miss Tranby can even be trusted. Things are so wispy and fragile by the end, the reader cannot help but feel sad rather than hopeful. The Remarkable Journey of Miss Tranby Quirke is definitely a solid read...whether it's a solid romance is an entirely different matter.
January 27, 2010
Tranby Quirke is an adventurous woman. Well, in her mind anyway. In reality, she is a very lonely woman who had lived her life avoiding any sort of real connection with others. She works hard in her teaching career and, behind the scenes, with the suffragist movement. She is very dramatic in her actions and in her created adventures, which do fill much of the book.
After experiencing the loss of her first love, even if it was a very brief affair, at 12 years old, Tranby locked that part of herself away. The pain of the loss was just not worth letting herself feel. At 34, she is a spinster who teaches young women how to entertain guests and be a proper wife. This is where she meets 19 year old Lysette.
Lysette and Tranby connect and fall in love pretty quickly and I think that it's believable in this scenario due to the mental states of the women involved. Tranby has denied herself any real human connection, besides with her father who died four years earlier, and Lysette is married to an abusive man. Lysette finds herself very much attracted to the older, more worldly and confident Tranby.
This is not the usual book that I've found at Bold Strokes. The language is more poetic and dramatic, as it's written from Tranby's point of view and set in 1909 London. And Tranby, herself, is very dramatic. I enjoyed the book but I could see how others may not be expecting the style and find themselves a bit disappointed. I wasn't and found it a pleasant surprise.
After experiencing the loss of her first love, even if it was a very brief affair, at 12 years old, Tranby locked that part of herself away. The pain of the loss was just not worth letting herself feel. At 34, she is a spinster who teaches young women how to entertain guests and be a proper wife. This is where she meets 19 year old Lysette.
Lysette and Tranby connect and fall in love pretty quickly and I think that it's believable in this scenario due to the mental states of the women involved. Tranby has denied herself any real human connection, besides with her father who died four years earlier, and Lysette is married to an abusive man. Lysette finds herself very much attracted to the older, more worldly and confident Tranby.
This is not the usual book that I've found at Bold Strokes. The language is more poetic and dramatic, as it's written from Tranby's point of view and set in 1909 London. And Tranby, herself, is very dramatic. I enjoyed the book but I could see how others may not be expecting the style and find themselves a bit disappointed. I wasn't and found it a pleasant surprise.
June 26, 2020
I first read this book about 17 years ago so this is a reread for me. It didn't take me long to figure out why I liked it so much the first time - the language is beautiful, it's painting with words. This is so far removed from a lot of the lesfic we get these days which is 2 women meet, fancy each other, or instantly fall in love and we get a blow by blow she did this she did that account of everything as they move through the plot including in depth descriptions of every meal they consume mixed with a few raunchy sex scenes. This book is not that. It is pure emotion all the way. We live inside Tranby's heart and mind and at some points are unsure of what is real and what is imagined. Set in the early 1900s, it portrays the confusion and moral struggles many women went through regarding their sexuality and what was required of them by society. It makes you angry, it makes you want to cry, and it makes you want to grab these women and tell them everything will be fine even if you have no idea whether it will. I hope. I don't wait another 17 years before reading it again.
March 9, 2015
The summary made me think this would be a take on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Um yeah, no. Overly long, meandering story of a spinster who swears off love after I guess falling in love one afternoon (at 12 years old) with a girl she met and hung out with for roughly three hours and who subsequently died the next day. Yep, apparently that's enough to base a plot line on. If you like books where the protagonist whines her love interest's name over and over and over until you want to strangle them both, you're in luck here!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2015
I had no idea what to expect from this book.
Although the reviews gave me a bit of an insight, I thought.
Still it was totally different and much better than I expected.
It is a very nice read that should definitely be on L-book-lists.
Do not let the title literally mislead you , as it did me.
Although the reviews gave me a bit of an insight, I thought.
Still it was totally different and much better than I expected.
It is a very nice read that should definitely be on L-book-lists.
Do not let the title literally mislead you , as it did me.
Read
July 14, 2009Can't really review this book because I wrote it, but I'd love to hear what others think!
July 17, 2010
Horribbly depressing and not at all interesting.
June 11, 2016
Gave it another go. Still find it somewhat disheartening and lacking to be honest. A short read though, so it was worth getting through it.
January 17, 2016
Irritating.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews