Fans of Norah Lofts discussion
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Books For Potential Group Discussion Archived 2019
Sylvia wrote: " . . . another condition called Strabismus forces me to see one page overtop of another . . . ." Sylvia, does it help to cover one eye when you're reading?
I couldn't find an introduction thread so I thought I would comment here about my happiness at finding this group! I was introduced to Norah Lofts at age 17 through Redbook magazine. Some might remember they published an entire book at the back of their magazine in the '70's. It was Lovers All Untrue and I was enthralled. I systematically searched for every book I could find by this wonderful writer, eagerly awaiting her next offering. Time passed, I married, had children and not as much time for reading. Years later I saw a Norah Lofts in the second had store. In a way I was afraid to read it...would I love her as much as I did when I was young? The answer a resounding YES. How relieved I was to realize she really is as wonderful as I remember. I am currently looking for all her books to reread and was so pleased to see she is being reprinted. At any rate you can certainly call me a fan.
Welcome, Spice! We have fun on this discussion site. Check ebay and Amazon for her books. I got one yesterday, a used library discard, for a penny! $3.95 for shipping so that was the catch. Worth it for her stories. Have you read the Old House trilogy?Sallie
I love the old house stories! In fact I found a giveaway copy (Unfortunately #3) at the hospital I work at just the other day. There very few of her books I've haven't read and reread, but I notice from the list here there are a couple that have escaped my clutches! I am so sorry I gave my copies away/ lost on moving etc. I plan on reacquiring them all. I hope you have a great day-I'm off to work at said hospital, but hope to be active on this thread and participate in discussions here.
I am adding my welcome as well, Spice! You have found a community of fans and friends united by the treasure of a lifetime we have all found in NL. There are many topics and discussions on here (which you can find (and add to) by going to the top of any page and clicking on "Discussions." When you get that list, you can click on "General" at the top there, and get even more NL threads). We will look forward to your comments in our musings.
Thank you Sylvia! It's a wonderful feeling to discover a group that feels the same as I do about this exceptional writer. Her writing is precious to me in a way I find hard to articulate. Perhaps because I love her stories so much. I really enjoy the way she intertwines stories from book to book, small glimpses of major characters in other books, creating a clear picture of a way of life and a strong sense of place. I've never found another writer who writes as she does. To me she really can't be categorized, except generally as a historical fiction writer. But after that is she a romance writer, a murder mystery writer, a paranormal writer?? I love that I never know what I will get when I pick up one of her books. Maybe all of the above!
I wish more people knew her.
I don't have a copy of The Fall of Midas (intriguing title). It may be one of the few I haven't read. I will search for it today to keep up with you ladies.
If Spice or anyone else is having trouble finding the title, The Fall of Midas, I found it listed online (used paperbacks) with AbeBooks, Alibris, Amazon, and Biblio at reasonable prices. Is anyone else going to suggest another title for discussion?
I think this one would be great. Can't believe it's one I haven't read! I ordered it last week. We've been out of town all weekend and will be home tomorrow and I am hoping it will be waiting on the porch!
I got my copy of Fall of Midas today--when do we start?
At least six of us are on board to discuss The Fall of Midas (with a few still waiting for a delivery, or searching boxes and shelves!) so I will open the discussion on Saturday, April 30th. Thanks so much for your catchy enthusiasm! Sylvia
Hi Spice welcome , how lovely to have a new member !!and hi everybody else .
I am certainly on board for Fall of Midas - but I don't own it , (gasp) tho I read it years and years ago. It is non existent here in Australia , it seems . Lots selling for next to nothing on Amazon etc, but shipping here is $30 or $40 and that's only for the slow rate !
I'll continue to search ....
Barbara, I just ordered a pb copy for you, and the bookseller is in the state north of Ohio, so it should get to me by mid next week, then we will hope you receive it within a week. Don't worry if you get another copy sooner; someone on the forum will be needing this one.
Mine just arrived ten minutes ago - from Ohio! I can't wait. Have read several pages and have a question. " The man in the gig was born one skin short..".....does anyone know what this means? I have never heard this expression.
Have a feeling this one is going to be juicy good!
I have my copy so I am ready for April 30!
Here we go! Sallie, please put your wonderful question in the new discussion thread. It would be great if someone can answer it there.
Hi everyone . Do you think we are ready for new group read ? I am up for leading it if we are -and I do hope we are . I just read through this whole thread and was quite inspired.I must confess to not really remembering what we haven't read as a group though. Did we ever do the second and third books of the House Trilogy? Or White Hell of Pity? Or the Curtis one You're Best Alone? Or Esther?
Sylvia or Peggy may know ......
I've just started a fairly thick book, expect to be out of town on vacation for several days later this week with limited Internet access, and have scheduled common reads coming up in other groups from August through November. So I'll plan to sit this one out. But I know the rest of you will have a good time, whatever you chose to read!
We started an informal discussion of "You're Best Alone" that turned into a pretty good thread with several posts. If we've done the others, it was before my time. I would be open to starting new discussions on any of them since we have gained several new members. I need to order White Hell of Pity and Esther.
What about Scent of Cloves? I liked it much better than Silver Nutmeg.
Determining what we've discussed, or only touched on, or have begun and never followed through is a very tricky study! As far as I can determine, after listing at least 14 titles we have NOT discussed back in Message 103 of this thread, we have completed: The Brittle Glass, The Concubine, Crown of Aloes, The Fall of Midas, The King's Pleasure, and You're Best Alone from that list. We started Esther, but didn't complete it. We also did not really discuss Books 2 and 3 of The House Trilogy, though we touched on parts of them. As the No. 1 favorite of many of our members, we probably should do a full discussion of Parts 2 and 3. Also the threads in that grouping seem a bit disorganized at this point. We still have no threads for: Here Was a Man, Her Own Special Island (aka Uneasy Paradise), The Little Wax Doll, The Lost Queen (aka The Lost Ones), The Lute Player, Requiem For Idols, Walk Into My Parlor, several short story books, and NL's non-fiction.
There is a combination thread for NL's spice books, but it is confusing because the one titled "Scent of Cloves" by Maggy is not a discussion thread but more of an announcement about the republishing. The other thread seems to start out as a discussion of The Scent of Cloves, but turns into Silver Nutmeg. Will someone please go to that thread and check it out (and all of this really).
Well, I imagine this thoroughly confused everybody! I am ready to join in any discussion you choose.
Good work there Detective Sylvia. I just read through the spice books threads and see that we discussed Silver Nutmeg in great depth, Scent of Cloves not so much but still to some degree.I just made a few minor changes; the folder is now called NL's Far East Novels and the topics are Silver Nutmeg & Scent of Cloves. I also changed the title to Maggie's folder to show it is a publishing release.
Great job, Pegs! You are so organized. So Barbara, as our next fearless leader, what is your inclination? It sounds like we're all willing to tackle any title you choose.
What about doing a read on Winter Harvest (aka Road to Revelation)? We have a three-page discussion with that title but it covers many topics besides the actual book.
I think this book would lend itself very well to a discussion since the chapters are formatted by character name.
I just ordered Esther though, so I'm good with that too!
I like Winter Harvest. Shall we put it off until winter, when we topsiders, at least, can really experience the atmosphere, or shall we start it now, when much of the US is experiencing a heat wave (120 somewhere in California!)?
I am happy to do Road to Revelation, it actually is winter here of course and though no actual snow ever happens ( well not in Adelaide anyway ) its still cold and wet!Am I right in thinking I volunteered myself to lead the next group read.? I will happily do it if no one else wants to .
I just ordered it from Amazon. One was available for $2, 468.69.!!!!!!! I passed on that one and got a paperback for $5.20.
Yes, Barbara, you did volunteer (in message 419).
Wow, Sallie, the $2000+ copy must have NL's DNA within its pages! I am on board as well with a lovely large print copy.Mary, it may be in the 90s in parts of the USA right now, but my husband keeps the AC so cranked up that I've never unpacked the summer clothes!
Yes, Barbara, I believe that you did happily volunteer to lead this new group discussion for which I'm sure we are all very grateful!
Werner wrote: "Yes, Barbara, you did volunteer (in message 419)."I don't seem to be getting email updates from Goodreads any more, presumably to do with my latest email debacle. I'll update all my alerts and see what happens, meantime I'll just log in daily to Goodreads.
When would we all like to start Road To Revelation ? I'm ready when you are......
My book should arrive any minute now. I'll catch up.
Ok chaps , I am assuming that is enough of us (me, Sylvia, Peggy Sallie, Mary and Werner plus any others who haven't yet said so ) is enough to go? I'll open a thread. Thanks everyone .
Actually, as I said in message 420, I'm planning to sit this one out. At the moment, I'm reading another book; and I'm slated to start a common read in another group on Aug. 1.
I see it is over six months since we did a group read - time for a another ? Could everyone indicate if so, also what they would like - and if they would participate ( even lead! )
After I finish my current read (probably in a few days), I have two review books waiting for my immediate attention, plus a book I got for Christmas written by an acquaintance of my wife's, which has to have some priority for that reason. I also need to work in two particular nonfiction books ASAP (long story). By the time I finish all of that reading, it'll probably be getting close to the time when Barb and I will be leaving for a three-week trip to Australia, during which I don't expect to be online very much. So, it's probably best that I sit this one out!
Hi all...I have been absent for a while (long story, too) but will try to get back in gear. Have we done her Caribbean (Silver Nutmeg, etc ) ones? Personally I did not care for these very much so I hope everyone says no! Any choice is fine with me. I am trying to organize my little library. I have several NL duplicates so if you are missing one for your collection I would be happy to send it to you. Just let me know. Sallie
Definitely time to Read and Discuss, Barbara! I will throw out two suggestions, which we have never properly discussed - The Lute Player, or one of NL's modern tales, Walk Into My Parlor. But I'll be happy with anything. I am grateful to say that I have all of NL's titles, though some are unreadable to me now. Hi Sallie! You might also want to list your duplicates on a thread we have for just such a situation.
Have a great trip, Werner and Barb, when the time comes!
If Sallie, or any member, wants to add duplicate titles they have to the continuous thread, it is under the list "Discussion Topics" and is called "Swapping Duplicate Titles". Good place to "shop"!
Sylvia wrote: "Have a great trip, Werner and Barb, when the time comes!"Thanks Sylvia; we're looking forward to it!
I will definitely participate. I'm relatively new to the group, so my suggestions might have already been discussed. Lovers All Untrue, or Out of The Dark (aka Charlotte) are two of my favorites, but I'll be delighted with anything!
Yay, nice responses , I feel very optimistic about our thread in 2017! I'll go and look at what we have discussed in the past to see what we have already done . Sallie, I'm willing not to do the Islander ones if you don 't care for them.
And for myself, I would like to avoid The Claw and Checkmate, though would participate if it was a popular choice of course.
I hope you're not going to NORTH Australia, Werner! Lately they seem to be having the world's hottest temperatures there! Anyway, have a great time, and don't let the blood run to your head! :)Sylvia, NL's contemporary novels are my least favorites, but I'll still take part if that's what the group wants. Incidentally, one of those, Dead March in Three Keys, seems to have inspired a later novel by a more widely known and acclaimed author! Or maybe two great Englishwomen simply had the same idea independently?
MaryC wrote: "I hope you're not going to NORTH Australia, Werner! Lately they seem to be having the world's hottest temperatures there! Anyway, have a great time, and don't let the blood run to your head! :)Sy..."
Cant feel any hotter than in South Australia Mary! though nothing can compare to some of the inland places which are out of this world hot, like Bourke in NSW at something like like 46.5 C, or the better part of 116 F . There is a place in NSW where they are having a famous international annual Elvis Festival, - those poor jumpsuited guys !!!
But I digress .......it seems like we don't really want to do a contemporary ? Fine by me, not my favourites either.
Syb , what do you have in Large Print that we haven't done ? That might be a good way to go.
Probably would do me good to do an island one, Barbara! I tend to re-read my old favourites. Good idea to choose one that Syl has in lg print. We need her! Absolutely anything is fine with me. Going to be in the 50's in Virginia for the next week. Odd for this time of year. I'm ready for some snow!
MaryC wrote: "I hope you're not going to NORTH Australia, Werner! Lately they seem to be having the world's hottest temperatures there! Anyway, have a great time, and don't let the blood run to your head! :)"No, Mary C., we'll be headed for southern Queensland. And we won't actually arrive there until the Australian winter is well under way. :-)
So looking forward to the next discussion. I just finished Knight's Acre. It was the perfect antidote to glum weather in upstate New York.
Peggy said "I believe that when we last discussed The Town House, we didn't really give full attention to parts 2 and 3. I don't remember Susan's account of Mary Crisp and Anthony Flowerdew at all (so ashamed - and my favorite NL!) "
Good heavens , did we really do that , or rather not do that?! How about we do The Town House then ? Or should we stick with something we haven't done at all, particularly if Syb has it in Large Print?
I'm hoping to be able to reengage with this group on the next group read. Of the titles mentioned so far, I am partial to The Lute Player and The Town House.
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Fans of Norah Lofts
Books mentioned in this topic
Here Was a Man (other topics)Here Was a Man (other topics)
A Rose for Virtue (other topics)
Crown of Aloes (other topics)
Crown of Aloes (other topics)
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I have never been good at analyzing books, making comparisons, or even remembering details, but personally I enjoyed this title as much as I enjoyed To See a Fine Lady. Midas has Gypsies, a gamekeeper's cottage in the woods, a castle, small towns and inns, murder, strong women, honorable men, and possibly a haunted pool!
Thank you, Mary. Yes, I was diagnosed a diabetic in my 20s. Currently I rely on magnifiers or large print materials, but another condition called Strabismus forces me to see one page overtop of another - really annoying when one side has a picture!
Does anyone have any other suggestions for a good NL discussion? You might want to look at our list of topics and general threads to see whether your favorite has already been thoroughly discussed. Sometimes there will be a thread for a title, but only a few comments - not really a discussion - and it is fun to go back and read old comments anyway!