Group Read The Toll-gate NON Spoilers thread August 2023

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

& time for our August read.

So how many times have you read this?
Is it anyone's first read?
What format are you using this time?

No open spoilers please (but you can use spoiler tags) We don't want to spoil a first read for anyone!

[Barb in Maryland]

I've read this a number of times. Not in my top 10, but always enjoyable.

This time around I'll be reading a library copy of the 1972 Dutton edition .

I first read this in 1968. My copy was an Ace paperback, with this less than stellar cover:

Really? Is that supposed to be Nell? what's going on here?

[Susan in NC]

I have this paperback , have read this a few times, really more of an adventure than romance, but fun. Unfortunately, I don’t have an audiobook of this available, which is my preferred method for rereading Heyer’s books - so entertaining, I can knit at the same time!

[Ceecee]

Happy to join this month, mostly as a lurker. It's my first read with a library copy of the Sourcebook edition. Was confused by the late 18th century cover only to find out the setting is 1816. I'm liking Jack Staples a lot!

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Ceecee wrote: "Happy to join this month, mostly as a lurker. It's my first read with a library copy of the Sourcebook edition. Was confused by the late 18th century cover only to find out the setting is 1816. I'm..."

Yes, GH's publishers haven't served her well over the years - other than the original Heinmann covers of course. Barb's second cover is a good example of that!

[Teresa]

This is the one I'll be reading. I LOVE this one! Looking forward to the read!

[Anne]

I’m reading it on Kindle. This is one of my favourite Heyer novels, the characters are beautifully depicted and there is a bit of humour and mystery included.

[Jenny]

I like this one! Not a top favourite, but one I'm always happy to reread. I'm away from home at the moment and haven't got a copy with me, but I think I know it well enough to talk about it. My copy is the Pan one, with the couple gazing into each others' eyes in the stable on the cover - one of the best, I think, with only the lady's rather 1960s hairdo to spoil it.

[Susan in NC]

Anne wrote: "I’m reading it on Kindle. This is one of my favourite Heyer novels, the characters are beautifully depicted and there is a bit of humour and mystery included."

Thanks for the reminder of the Kindle edition Anne! I’ll be reading my own paperback , which was a gift years ago from my dear mother, but it’s the Harlequin reissue with rather faint type for my older eyes - so I’ve requested the Kindle from my library, so I can blow up the font for end of day reading!

[Susan in Perthshire]

Teresa wrote: "

This is the one I'll be reading. I LOVE this one! Looking forward to the read!"

Same as me. I really like this one.

[Holding Name]

This is the second time reading, but I can't remember much about it so it's like reading it for the first time.
The edition was published by Thorpe in 2019 - external link as it's not in Goodreads.

[Sheila (in LA)]

This will be my second--or maybe third--read. I own a hardcover copy with no dust jacket (it would have been the one pictured in Barb's message, #2). I'm looking forward to it, great characters and I like how John just rides away from his family into this mystery/adventure.

[Lisa]

I am a bit confused. I thought that Bath Tangle won the poll?
Lisa

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Lisa wrote: "I am a bit confused. I thought that Bath Tangle won the poll?
Lisa"

Hi Lisa

Bath Tangle won the poll for the September read. We make our decisions a bit in advance to give people time to get hold of a copy.

Here is the list of 2023 reads https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[GreyGirl]

Jenny wrote: "I like this one! Not a top favourite, but one I'm always happy to reread. I'm away from home at the moment and haven't got a copy with me, but I think I know it well enough to talk about it. My cop..."

That's my favourite cover too! I've read this book heaven knows how many times, but it's always a favourite.

[Lisa]

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I am a bit confused. I thought that Bath Tangle won the poll?
Lisa"

Hi Lisa

Bath Tangle won the poll for the September read. We make our decisions a bit in advance to give people tim..."

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I am a bit confused. I thought that Bath Tangle won the poll?
Lisa"

Hi Lisa

Bath Tangle won the poll for the September read. We make our decisions a bit in advance to give people tim..."

Hello Carol,

Thank you very much. I got this out of the library - but as an ebook. I haven’t read it before so I hope that I will like it!

Best Regards,
Lisa

[Jackie]

I've read it many times and it's a favorite. I won't re-read since I've done so fairly recently, but will read the comments and join in. I did look for the audio book and my library doesn't have it. Hearing the dialog would be worth another re-read.

[Susan in Perthshire]

I’ve just been laughing at the lengths Nell’s servants go to, when attempting to get Coate to leave Kellmans. As Winkfield rescues Nell by a simple cough and then subsequently lets her (and us), know how much the servants are behind her, is masterful.
The idea of the cook deliberately ruining the mutton and crying as she does so, is simply a delight. It’s a reminder of how well GH used the minutiae of life to develop plot and character. She makes the servants come to life as much as the main characters.

[Julia]

I've read this once. It's not my favourite but I'm looking forward to reading it again. I'll be taking it on our 2-week camping trip next week.

[Teresa]

Enjoy the camping trip Julia. Hope ye're weather is better than ours!

[Julia]

Thought maybe some of you would be interested in this if you haven't seen it before.

I'm going through each Heyer book and marking down all the places mentioned so I can have a map of where each book takes place.

While looking at this one, I was researching the toll gates in England and found someone who posted this photo on Trip Advisor of all places.



I'm not entirely sure which one was the toll-gate that John runs, but I think it's the one next to Chapel-en-le-Frith (near Slackhall). This is based on that they go east to go to the caves and to Tideswell.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Julia wrote: "Thought maybe some of you would be interested in this if you haven't seen it before.

I'm going through each Heyer book and marking down all the places mentioned so I can have a map of where each b..."

I always assumed that John's toll-gate was fictional!

[Jenny]

Yes, I've always assumed the actual toll-gate was fictional, but GH often goes into a great deal of detail about her rural locations and some of the inns, for example are real ones. It could well have been based on a real one.

[Julia]

This is what it says on the stone, I realize it might be too low-resolution to read.

"During the eighteenth century, charges were made for using each section of turnpike roads. These were collected at toll gates set up at intervals along the route. Vehicles and animals passed through the main gate, pedestrians used the narrow side gate, without charge. The money was used to pay for the construction and maintenance of the turnpike road.

These particular toll gates were part of the Sparrowpit gate road turnpike and were originally positioned on the east side of Mytham Bridge (about 1/4 mile away on the A.625) where there was also a smithy.

The Sparrowpit gate turnpike between Sheffield and Sparrowpit was established in 1758, completing the route between Sheffield and Manchester which had been started in 1724.

Other sets of toll gates were positioned at the foot of the Winnat ... and just outside Hathersage.

These toll gate posts were recovered from near their [original] position and erected at their new site by the Peak N[ational] Park Board in 1985 at the request of Bamford with ... Parish Council, which contributed towards the co ... restoration. Derbyshire County Council kindly ga ... permission as landowners."

When I looked at this map and the places Heyer mentions (she does give directions) I figured she probably based it on one of these toll-gates. The tollgate houses for some of these are still there.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Julia wrote: "This is what it says on the stone, I realize it might be too low-resolution to read.

"During the eighteenth century, charges were made for using each section of turnpike roads. These were collecte..."

Great detective work! :)

[Jackie]

thanks for the photo, Julia, it's fun to think of visiting a place where Captain Staple might actually have been. (not that I don't know he is a fictional character, but he seems very real to me)

[Teresa]

Great info Julia and thanks for posting!