Lisa - (Aussie Girl)’s Comments (group member since Sep 26, 2012)

Lisa - (Aussie Girl)’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Back up for team Ajax.

I’ll be back up for Team Ajax and will use one of my BOM credits please.

Hi Team, regarding volunteering for BOM dq’s. I see team mates have already volunteered. I have 4 previous BOM credits. Do you want me to volunteer and use one to try and guarantee one of us gets picked or hold off till later in the challenge?

Hi Abir, great to see you and be on the same team again!

Hi everyone, Lisa checking in. I’m on holidays at the moment and will chat more later. This will be my 8th TT, so bit of a challenge addict. Looking forward to playing with old and new friends. 🥰

My shelf is NBRC Tower Teams IX 2022.

Ah! Thanks so much. Can resume holiday fun now. 🤣

Hi everyone, I’m away on holidays and only have my phone and it’s not letting me see who’s on the teams.! Torture. 😬. Would someone mind posting here what team I’m on? Eternal thanks.

Sonia wrote: "Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "Thanks Mods. As someone who has done quite a lot of TT's (and loves them) the over reading cap definitely works to keep the playing field even. And as you mentioned it ..."

Yep, I was a proud Mango Tangoer.. you never forget your first, LOL. Looking forward to more hi-jinx and hilarity to follow. 😁

Thanks Mods. As someone who has done quite a lot of TT's (and loves them) the over reading cap definitely works to keep the playing field even. And as you mentioned it usually works out because sometimes RL kicks our butts so a team member can't read their usual number then others can read more. 😊👍

I'll be reading but can't nominate for DQ's this time as I'll be away and reading when I return.

I'll be away too from 29 April to 10 May. Not a Captain but VERY enthusiastic player.. so if I'm off line I'll check in to my team as soon as I'm able or when I get back.

Steven, have a blast! I love the UK, I'm hoping to get there May 23, re-planning a trip we had booked from May 2020. Springtime in Cornwall and Wales. 😍

Tina wrote: "DQ Set 3: Pilgrimage to Canterbury - end

11. We see three different aspects of London in the Middle Ages - the "classic" City of London experience of illegal whoring and such like, contrasted to t..."

Me too, Tina. I got a tear in my eye when I read the letter at the end. I enjoyed the book a lot as well. Combining the feel of the age and the lifestyles of the people as well as an engaging story, Brooks did a fine job.

Tower Teams IX - Woo Hoo. Let the games begin..

Hyde

Edward Hyde has a strange gift-or a curse-he keeps secret from all but his physician. He experiences two realities, one real, the other a dreamworld state brought on by a neurological condition.

When murders in Victorian Edinburgh echo the ancient Celtic threefold death ritual, Captain Edward Hyde hunts for those responsible. In the process he becomes entangled in a web of Celticist occultism and dark scheming by powerful figures. The answers are there to be found, not just in the real world but in the sinister symbolism of Edward Hyde’s otherworld.

He must find the killer, or lose his mind.

A dark tale. One that inspires Hyde’s friend . . . Robert Louis Stevenson.

Cat wrote: "Team challenge starts thereabouts"

Ah ha, yes.. and us faithful BOM readers will get the benefit of not only great discussion but Team advantage!

LISA'S LINKS FOR PARTICIPATION -

SET 1 - MESSAGE 15 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

set 2 - MESSAGE 20 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Set 3 - MESSAGE 31 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

DQ Set 3: Pilgrimage to Canterbury - end

11. We see three different aspects of London in the Middle Ages - the "classic" City of London experience of illegal whoring and such like, contrasted to the approach in Southwark, with the relative freedoms there, plus the new (to me at least) "free zone" of St Martins le Grand. What did you think of these different aspects of the big town life? Of all the locations (from the first manor through Mervyn's house in Bath) which did you find the most real / want to live in yourself?
I did enjoy being transported to medieval London, I've read lots of historical fiction regarding English Monarchy and the War of the Roses, so all the different settings including the Sanctuary were known to me. I love London but if I was transported back in time I'd definitely have to be Lady Lisa, the squalor and occupations of working class people of the time do not appeal to me at all, LOL.

12. Jankin gets his comeuppance! What did you think about this part of the story?

The resurgence of Jankin, now that was a surprise. Good that he got his just desserts I suppose but it was bittersweet that it took the loss of Lowdy for this to occur.

13. How did you like the ending? Do you think this final presentation of the intent of Chaucer in writing The Wife of Bath Prologue and Tale works?
I thought the ending was fitting, Geoffrey's letter trying to explain what he meant in writing his tales. And Eleanor and Geoffrey acknowledging the depth of their friendship and love. Here we are 700 years later still discussing. That's immortality.

14. Overall, how effective do you think Brooks has been at creating a real life out of the fictional sources? And the tying in of historical truths?

I really enjoyed it, and because I don't really know The Canterbury Tales except by reputation it meant I wasn't continually comparing the original text. What I most liked about Eleanor was her resilience She always seemed to be able to pick her self up and go on and make the best of the situation. And she definitely grew as a person by the end of the book despite life's ups and downs but intrinsically was still herself. A really enjoyable read and discussion.

Cat wrote: "@Lisa,re 6: yes, I agree - definitely crossed my mind too. And shades of Eleanor needing her in many ways that might also be thought to cross from platonic sisterly.

re Geoffrey as an end husband ..."

Yes... them sleeping together in the bed together when Eleanor was married. I was wondering if there was any extra curricular/unmentioned stuff going on.

As to Eleanor and Geoffrey.. it plays into the age old question.. Can men and women ever be just friends?

Melindam wrote: "Which just made me check whether there has been a Muse of medicine.

Apparently not (there has been a goddess of health, Hygieia), though there is a medication called "Muse" ... the next bit of in..."

Ohhhh.. does that mean the Backroom BOM is going to be revived for Tower Teams. We have to get back to Dino Island Part III and find out what Hot Prof and his groupies are up to.. didn't we leave them on a cliffhanger?

Days 2 Discussion Questions Chapters 17 - 32

6. With the exception of the advent of new husbands now and again Alyson is the main supporting character in this novel. How would you sum her up?

Alyson is to quote Her Majesty, Eleanor's "strength and Stay." She is a loyal to a fault and her quiet and not so quiet support as Eleanor's back up can't be underestimated in Eleanor's success. Even when Eleanor's headstrong ways get her into trouble, Alyson is always there. It did cross my mind that Alyson may be in love with Eleanor that's why she never has a relationship or left to marry.

7. Geoffrey describes women as "like a unicorn or dragon - a mythical creature that man search for but fail to find" . Do you see more of the unicorn or the dragon in Eleanor and/or yourself? Is this an apt description.

Typical male comment reflecting more on the lack in themselves than the women! Like all women Eleanor is a mixture of all sorts of character traits, I suppose a little Unicorn and a little Dragon.

8. I know religion was a huge part of life in this time period. There is a mention of fines for not going to church in the narrative. However, Eleanor's response to catastrophe, I am not altogether sure catastrophe is the right word, (the deaths of her husbands) seems to be to go on a Pilgrimage. Is this realistic? What impact Do you think the Pilgrimages have on the narrative?

I 'm not actually seeing Eleanor's Pilgrimages as all that religious. More a girl's own adventure and a way to combat the boredom of every day life. For Eleanor it's like a change of scene (or pilgrimage) is as good as a holiday.


9. Eleanor asks for Geoffrey's unreserved Friendship but he says it depends on what she does next - what do you think of this response?

Mmmm.. I guess it's difficult when you give someone advice which you really think is best for them continually and they do exactly the opposite. It would strain the best of friendships. And Geoffrey is also coming from the place that he is still a man of his time who thinks he should be listened to and obeyed. But there have been gaps in their relationship over the years, I'm sure they'll patch it up and their friendship will continue.

10. The final chapters of this section lead up to an extremely violent outcome did you see this coming and how do you think it will change Eleanor / Alyson

Wow, I didn't see Alyson's death coming at all. How devastating. I think we're going to see a change in Eleanor without her trusty wingman. I don't think she'll join a convent but it may give her pause to think through some of her hasty decisions especially in regards to men. Will Alyson/Eleanor end up with Geoffrey? Is that what happens in the original text... I hope not, it would ruin the whole deep and significantly platonic relationship between them.