Ann Granger Victorian novels

Been reading a few of Ann Granger's recent novels which are set in the Victorian ago. There are occasional times when I think the historical attitudes are not quite right but overall I enjoy them. The series starts with Elizabeth Martin, a doctors daughter, taking a post as companion to a distant relative, the rich Mrs Parry. Elizabeth gets involved in investigating a murder and meets Ben Ross, a police inspector. She gets involved in other mysteries in Victorian London, and then marries Ben and they set up in a small house with just one maid, Bessie. Lizzie often helps her husband with investigations, she can talk to people at different levels of society and it is easier for her to win the confidence of other women. THe latest book is about a fence called Jacobus, who is killed brutally in his house which he rarely leaves. Ben uses him as an informant and can never prove that he receives stolen goods. At the same time he is involved in investigating a jewel theft - the stealing of a valuable necklace from a well to do family. It is the London Season and there are many such thefts when the upper classes are wearing their jewels. It turns out that the death of Jacobus is connected to the disappearancee of the necklace. Its a good read

Elizabeth Von Arnim

Elizabeth Von Arnim was a writer and socialite of the early 20th Century. She was born in Australia, and was a cousin of the well known writer Katherine Mansfield. She was born Mary Annette Beauchamp, in 1866. Her family were well to do and moved to England when she was a child. They also spent time in Switzerland. her father was a shipping merchant and the family were socially prominent. She studied music as a girl, but in 1891 she married a German aristocrat, Count Henning August Von Arnim, and moved to Germany for some time. She had several children but her marriage was not all that happy. The Count was unfaithful and she began to spend more time in London with her children. She engaged tutors for her children, including EM Forster and Hugh Walpole. She had found her husband somwwhat bullying and did not fit in that well too the rigid German upper class society, but in 1898 she began to write novels, her first one was published anonymously, Elizabeth and her German Garden. It was a big success and she wrote more novels, using the name Elizabeth. In 1910, her husband died, and she embarked on an affair with the writer HG Wells. Later, she married Francis Russell, Earl Russell but the marriage was a failure and ended in separation. She wrote several novels which were a big success. The Enchanted April, a story about English women who take a holiday in Italy, was a successful film. Her books were largely about society people, and there was a feminist slant to most of them.

Rough Music by Nadine Sutton

Rough Music is a long novella, about a country rock band. Its set in the late 1970s and is about an American band who are on the way up. The 2 lead singers Jeff Randles and Brandon, are both unfaithful husbands, and they try to make compromises between doing good work and making money..They used to be a bar band but are now enjoying some success on TV and at the Opry but they are always trying to make real music and they also want to help people. But the price of success and fame is a lot of touring and it means that they seek solace in sleeping around and taking drugs. Jeff Randles then finds that a one night stand has consequences. He and Brandon do their best to cope with married life, and being music stars, and travelling all the time. The novella is available on Amazon

Beds and Blue Jeans by Nadine Sutton

This is a long story available on Amazon. Its a tale of a young singer who is trying to make it in the music business, in Nashville and how he moves from bed to bed and bar to bar, looking for love. Sam is living with a girl who has had his baby, but he is an attractive young man who appeals to women. He finds his girlfriend boring but tries to keep up their relationship, for the sake of their baby. He loves his work, and in time he and his lady start to build up a stable marriage.

Laurie Lee and Cider with Rosie

Laurie Lee was a poet and writer, whose most famous work is Cider with Rosie, an account of his childhood in a village in Gloucestershire, after the First World War. His family were poor and the village was isolated. It was a long time before things became more modern, after the death of the local Squire and the arrival of motorbikes and buses. Laurie's father deserted his family and he and his siblings were reared in a cottage by his mother. As a young man, he went to fight in Spain, in the Civil war. After that he became a full time writer.I hope to write a piece about Cider With Rosie shortly

Beds and Blue Jeans, A Music story set in Nashville

This is a long story available on Amazon. Its a tale of a young singer who is trying to make it in the music business, in Nashville and how he moves from bed to bed and bar to bar, looking for love. Sam is living with a girl who has had his baby, but he is an attractive young man who appeals to women. He finds his girlfriend boring but tries to keep up their relationship, for the sake of their baby. He loves his work, and in time he and his lady start to build up a stable marriage.

Flowers - Primroses

Im not an expert about botany but I do love flowers. And my favourite wild flower is the primrose. It grows wild in the UK, springing up from February to April, as a rule. Primroses are usually pale yellow but cultivated varieties can be different colours. Primosess grow in ditches and thrive in damp soil. They also grow under bushes and in woods. Disraeli, the Victorian Conservative leader was said to like them and Queen Victoria beleived they were his favourite flower. She sent a wreath of them when he was buried.

Rough Music by Nadine Sutton, ON AMAZON

Rough Music is a long novella, about a country rock band (by Nadine SUtton). Its set in the late 1970s and is about an American band who are on the way up. The 2 lead singers Jeff Randles and Brandon, are both unfaithful husbands, and they try to make compromises between doing good work and making money..They used to be a bar band but are now enjoying some success on TV and at the Opry but they are always trying to make real music and they also want to help people. But the price of success and fame is a lot of touring and it means that they seek solace in sleeping around and taking drugs. Jeff Randles then finds that a one night stand has consequences.

Anne Novels

Montgomery wrote several Anne novels after the amazing success of Anne of Green Gables. Anne works as a teacher for a couple of years, then Marilla's neighbour Mrs Rachel Lynde is widowed and she has to leave her home so Marilla invites her to live at Green Gables. Now that Marilla has someone to keep her company and help around the house, Anne decides that she can go to college. She goes with Gilbert Blythe, the son of a neighbour, who has always had a crush on her but Anne disliked him whne they were at school because he teased her. Gilbert wants to become a doctor and Anne does an Arts degree. She shares a house with some other college girls, and enjoys her studies. She is fond of Gilbert but when he asks her to consider marrying him she tells him no. She then meets a rich young man, Roy Gardner, who starts to pay court to her. However when they have been going out for 2 years, he akss her to marry him and she suddenly realises that she is not in love with him. He is a nice man but pompous and dull. She goes home to Green Gables at the end of her college career, and gets a job offer as headmistress of a good school. But she has come to realise that she loves GIlbert. He gets ill and almost dies, and the 2 of them are reunited and get engaged. Anne spends 3 years in the school, where she makes freinds, teaches children and writes letters to GIlbert who is doing his medical training. When he qualifies, Anne comes home to Avonlea to get married. Marilla and Mrs Lynde still live together and have adopted twin children who were left orphans and are related to her. Davy, the boy twin wants to become a farmer. Annes best friend, Diana Barry has married a young farmer a couple of years before and has 2 children. Her other friends from college are nearly all married. Anne and Gilbert marry and move to another part of the Island where Gilbert plans to take over his uncle's practice. The next novels are about Anne's marriage and her children, and her daughter Rilla's experiences in World War One.

Anne of Green Gables

This is the first in a series of novels set in Canada, before the First World War. LM Montgomery grew up in Prince Edward Island... where she lived with her grandmother and did some teaching, and began her career as as writer. Anne is the story of an orphaned girl who is taken in by a middle aged brother and sister who have a farm. They wanted to adopt a boy to help on the farm but by mistake they get a girl Anne Shirley. Marilla does not want to take her on but Matthew, a shy middle aged farmer, takes a fancy to her. Anne is clever and imaginative and has had a hard life, having lost her parents as a baby, and she is now 11. As she grows older she gets into scrapes and learns form her mistakes. Then Matthew dies suddenly when she is around 16, and Marilla cannot afford to keep up the farm. Anne gives up her hope of going to college, to get a job as a teacher, locally and look after Marilla who rents out the farm for a few years.

Beds and BLue Jeans by Nadine Sutton ON AMAZON

This is a long story available on Amazon. Its a tale of a young singer who is trying to make it in the music business, in Nashville and how he moves from bed to bed and bar to bar, looking for love. Sam is living with a girl who has had his baby, but he is an attractive young man who appeals to women. He finds his girlfriend boring but tries to keep up their relationship, for the sake of their baby. He loves his work, and in time he and his lady start to build up a stable marriage.