Blue Note

by Charlotte Bingham

The Blue Note Bingham, Charlotte

Genres: Historical Fiction

566 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

The Honourable Charlotte Mary Thérèse Bingham was born on 29 June 1942 in Haywards Heath, Sussex, England, UK. Her father, John Bingham, the 7th Baron Clanmorris, wrote detective stories and was a secret member of MI5. Her mother, Madeleine Bingham, née Madeleine Mary Ebel, was a playwright. Charlotte first attended a school in London, but from the age of seven to 16, she went to the Priory of Our Lady's Good Counsel school in Haywards Heath. After she left school, she went to stay in Paris with some French aristocrats with the intention of learning French. She had written since she was 10 years old and her first piece of work was a thriller called Death's Ticket. She wrote her humorous autobiography, called Coronet Among the Weeds, when she was 19, and not long before her twentieth birthday a literary agent discovered her celebrating at the Ritz. He was a friend of her parents and he took off the finished manuscript of her autobiography. In 1963, this was published by Heinemanns and was a best seller.

In 1966, Charlotte Bingham's first novel, called Lucinda, was published. This was later adapted into a TV screenplay. In 1972, Coronet Among the Grass, her second autobiography, was published. This talked about the first ten years of her marriage to fellow writer Terence Brady. They couple, who have two children, later adapted Coronet Among the Grass and Coronet Among the Weeds, into the TV sitcom No, Honestly. She and her husband, Terence Brady, wrote three early episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs together, Board Wages, I Dies from Love and Out of the Everywhere. They later wrote an accompanying book called Rose's Story. They also wrote the episodes of Take Three Girls featuring Victoria (Liza Goddard). In the 1970s Brady and Bingham wrote episodes for the TV series Play for Today, Three Comedies of Marriage, Yes, Honestly and Robin's Nest. During the 1980s and 1990s they continued to write for the occasional TV series, and in 1993 adapted Jilly Cooper's novel Riders for the small screen. Since the 1980s she has become a romance novelist. In 1996 she won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I would give this book one or no stars because I have no patience for this sort of nonsense book. I had never read this author before so did not know what to expect. Judging from the blurb, I expected an interesting story about three children's experience during the war and how it affected their lives and friendship later in life. I had no expectations of serious literature and in fact enjoy easy but entertaining beach reads but books like this should come stamped with a disclaimer that says this is your basic boring, predictable, and crazy unrealistic romance novel. I could spend all day picking apart ridiculous plot points and horrible character development, but really, what is the point? I gave it two because if you like this sort of thing, then at least you can say it tried to make an interesting story and did not go straight for bodice ripping.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favourite Bingham book. The story was okay, but I didn't feel like I had to know what was going to happen. I never really grew to care for any of the characters. Some bits were interesting such as how precarious the living situations for children evacuated during the war could be and how easily a vindictive person with responsibility could inflict misery in such cases. All in all, this one won't make it to my keep pile.

[Stephen Hayes]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11208623

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read if you persevere as a little drawn out. Enjoyed the part when the children were young evacuees during the war. In saying that I did enjoy the story and near the end wanted to see the outcome. Charlotte does know how to weave a tale. This was not my favourite of hers though. I have read better.

[Cathie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this book would be great. A story of three "orphans" during the war in England. They have been sent to the country to protect them from the bombings. I was dissappointed with the slow moving story.

[Outlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very different one from Charlotte, but it was a good read. Once again the characters are well rounded and the story isn't exactly predictable, so no spoilers. A good one all round and well worth the time to read it, just to see what happens to the main players. Recommended.

[Ursula Liechti · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about evacuees during the last war. Three children that were thrown together in the countryside and then were separated again. Through fate the found each other again and worked through their feelings and taught tuberculosis. London after the war and finding new meaning to live and love

[Pauline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a sweet tale in many ways, albeit very slow in others. Ive only read two of C. Binghams books but cant say this was a favourite.

[Neer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not enjoy.


First Line: Afterwards they said there was never to be a time quite like it again.

London: Bantam Books, 2000.
First published: 2000
Pages: 567
Source: Bought it at DBF in Sept. last year.

[Sandiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story for most part. And I disagree that this a book of nonsense . It is a warm tender hearted, sometimes whimsical story of 3 orphans during the WW's. Life as they grew up, got separated, and so on.... The ending was sad and sweet. A totally different style book from what I normally read. Here is a tiny taste from page 144--and to set the scene, imagine a war torn country side somewhere in England, where young Bobbie and her new friend, the Major, begin to take on the project of clearing debris from an area of property at an estate she is living at under a guardianship...
" 'Very well' The Major cleared his throat again 'Best we start clearing, I'd say. In the driveway, to begin with, or what was the driveway. We must begin at the beginning...'
'And go on until we stop,' they both finished together.
'I like a person who knows their Alice in Wonderland, don't you? Makes you feel like you can trust them, I always say.'
There was no quarrelling with that, and so they both set to and for the rest of the morning the quiet of Baileys Court was broken only by the sound of the Major's scythe and Bobbie's fork..."

[Chandana Sruthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

the Climax is wow, Even though the book is slow, i am feeling so good that i didn't stop the book and miss this climax.

[Sharon Zink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book on CD, and the reader, Judy Bennett, absolutely deserves five stars. This is the story of three orphaned children, unrelated to each other, who were evacuated in England during World War II and eventually adopted. It is the story of how there lives turned out happily ever after, and I can think of better plots.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it, but didn't really 'get into it'

[My Nguyen · Rating 1 out of 5]

The novel is imbued with a sense of fatigue deprived of lengthy descriptions of unnecessary details. During my reading, I was so tempted to skip all those ostentatious writings that fail to reveal the characters' personalities or set up the mood. In essence, the character development is overall disappointing. Some of Bobbie and Julian's dialogues attempt to emphasise some philosophical ideas yet only appear superficial and shallow. The resolution is preposterous, considering the superstition behind Julian's identity and Teddy's capricious feelings for Bobbie.

I might like Bingham's lyrical writing style, but it would require extraordinary patience to thoroughly read through the whole novel word by word. The only motivation that made me finish the novel was perhaps my stubbornness in completing anything that I have started.