The Onedin Line by Cyril Abraham

This is both a TV serial and a set of books by Cyril Abraham. He wanted to write a tv series about a modern shipping line, but he learned that such companies are run by boards and there's no real drama to be had from them. He then decided to set his story in Victorian Liverpool, where businesses were run by families. Abraham took the name of his hero from a real life ship owner, James Baines, whose mother was a shopkeeper. James owned the Black Bull Line, in Liverpool. He named his hero James, and gave the name Baines to William Baines, an old sea dog, who became James' senior captain. He invented the name Onedin from Ondine, a name for a sea monster. It was a bedroom and boardroom series, which was extremely popular on tv in the 1970s. The leading character was James Onedin, son of a shopkeeper, who went off to sea as a boy, and worked his way up to being a captain. But his ambition was to own his own shipping line. James is a hard unfeeling man, but life is harsh in Victorian Liverpool. James becomes depressed that he cannot afford to buy even one ship. Then, when the serial begins, he gets a chance. There is a rundown ship for sale. It is owned by a former Navy officer called Joshua Webster. Webster, who drinks too much, has a plain daughter Anne, who wants the security of marriage. James agrees to marry her to get the ship. James has a brother, Robert, who runs the family shop, but he's not very bright. He is married and has just had a son, Samuel. They have a sister, Elizabeth, who is very beautiful and who attracts the attention of Albert Frazer, whose father owns a shipping line and shipyard. The story covers James' marriage to Anne, and their falling in love. Elizabeth becomes pregnant by her fiance, Daniel, but he has to go to sea on a long voyage. She lures Albert Frazer into marriage but conceals her pregnancy. Around the same time, Daniel comes home. He is hurt to find Elizabeth has left him and married another man. But he attracts the attention of Mr Callon, his boss... and is chosen by him to marry his heir, Emma. (There are some discrepancies between the TV series and the books.. In the books, Emma is Callon's only child, but in the TV show, she is said to be his niece, who is his heir). However, his marriage to Emma is unhappy. He leaves his wife and goes away to Australia, where he makes a fortune, mining. Elizabeth learns about the shipping business when her husband dies, and manages the Frazer Line. Anne dies in childbirth, giving birth to a daughter which embitters James further. The later part of the saga covers the love affairs of Charlotte, James' daughter, and her 2 cousins, William Frazer and Samuel Onedin. Charlotte is a flighty girl and falls in love with William, who seduces her, but he does not want to marry her. She marries Samuel, who has inherited the store from Robert. Samuel is willing to look after William's child, who is called Robert Baines. Elizabeth marries Daniel after Emma's death, but their marriage has its ups and downs. James remarries. It does not happen until several years after Anne's death. He marries Letty Gaunt, a lady who was Charlotte's governess. His second marriage is happy. Letty was not very young when they married so they only have one baby, a son but the child dies at birth. She dies a few years later, leaving James alone again. William has been travelling, but when he comes back to Liverpool, he is killed in an accident, trying to save some children from a runaway horse. Charlotte's husband, Samuel, falls out of love with her. She has an affair, and he decides to divorce her for adultery. After Letty's death, James marries a Spanish-American woman, Margarita, and they have a baby son, at the very end of the series. Daniel has been abroad, but he decides to return to Elizabeth. Sadly, when he is coming home to see her, he drowns. So she's left alone.

story on Amazon

Here's another story on Amazon by Nadine Sutton. Its called Rough Music and is about a country rock band in the US in the 1970s and 80s. The band are just beginning to have some success after being a bar band. Now they have wives and children and are not sure what more they want out of life.

available on Amazon... music world story

Beds and Blue Jeans is a story, novella length about a young bar singer in Nashville in the 2010s.. who has found himself being pursued by a lot of lady fans. He has a girlfriend who has just had his baby, but the relationship with Patty isn't going too well. Sam lets himself be caught by various pretty ladies but can he learn to appreciate Patty and settle down with her and their baby. On Amazon.

Nancy Mitford

Linda settles down in Alconleigh, with her parents and Louisa and Fanny. Then, Fanny's mother, "the Bolter", arrives with a Spanish boyfriend. Davey and Emily are also there. The Alconleighs are not aware of the break up of Linda's second marriage... or that she has a new lover. Dorothy, who has left several husbands, has heard gossip in society, and she teases Linda about her French duke. Linda is not very well, and Fanny worries about her since she was not supposed to have another baby. Fanny is also pregnant and so is Louisa. Spring comes and Linda only has one letter from Fabrice which she cannot read. Then, she has her baby, a boy, and dies in giving birth. Fanny has another son and she and Alfred contact Christian and offer to adopt Linda's child. Fabrice is shot during doing resistance work. Fanny and Davey tell the parents that Linda was in love with Fabrice, and had his baby. They accept their new grandson.... but they all miss Linda

Nancy Mitford VI

He tells her his name is Fabrice. Linda finds him attractive and realises that her feelings for her 2 husbands were not very strong. He offers her a flat and though she protests that she has to go back home, she accepts it. Davey and Lord Merlin who both mix with London and Parisian society, hear gossip that Linda is in Paris with Fabrice. They visit her to see if she is all right, and promise not to tell her parents that she is living with a French lover. They tell the Alconleighs that Linda is still with Christian and that they are doing work in Paris to help refugees. War breaks out. Linda decides to stay in Paris because Fabrice has a job in Military Intelligence and is not at the Front. He tells her if it becomes dangerous, he will get her out of France. After several months of happiness with him, the Germans are about to invade, and Fabrice gets her on a flight home. She goes back to London to her own small house. Dunkirk happens and she is desperately worried. Then one day, Fabrice turns up and they spend some time together but he has to return to France. After Dunkirk, Fanny and her children, and Louisa both go to Alconleigh, to live with the Radletts. Alfred is in the army, and Fanny goes up to London to get his equipment. She visits Linda who refuses to go home. She rarely even leaves her house as she wants to stay close in case Fabrice calls. Her daily help looks after her but Fanny is worried when Linda tells her she's pregnant again. She asks the daily lady to phone her if anything happens. Linda was advised to have no more children when her first child was born, and shortly after visiting London, Fanny gets a call to say that Linda's house had been bombed. She was all right, and didn't miscarry, but she now agrees to go to Alconleigh.

Kris Kristoffersen Dead

Kris has died at the age of 88 after long career as song writer, singer and actor. RIP. Kris was born in Brownville, Texas and spent time in the military. He was also a Rhodes scholar and became a janitor in Nashville to try to sell his songs.

Nancy Mitford V

The Alconleighs are upset by his running away, though Uncle Matthew is not too angry about it, as he admires him for being active at something, especially for fighting. Linda has become an ardent Communist, and supports Christian's beliefs. Lady Montfore is pleased with life.. She has Cedric for a companion and he takes her into livelier upper class society than she was used to. Lord Montdore is getting older and feebler and his wife positively encourages him to lead a quiet life. He is allowed to go to bed early and rarely go out. She has Cedric to amuse her. Polly's baby arrives, but it dies almost immediately. Fanny goes to see her and finds that she seems almost indifferent about the baby's death. Cedric and Lady Montdore come to visit and patch up the quarrel. Lady Montdore and Polly seem to get over their estrangement fairly easily. Fanny realises that Boy is very pleased to be friendly with Lady Montdore again. Polly is bored with him and he has missed Lady Montdore. Fanny can also see that Cedric is taking an interest in this new friend. Lady Montdore seems to be a little in love with Cedric herself, but she is not aware of his true sexuality, and does not understand about the young men he gives jobs to at Hampton. In spite of getting on again with her mother, Polly has moved on, emotionally. She has met the Duke of Paddington. His ancestor, a previous duke, is the subject of Boy's latest book.. He is an older man, and soon he falls in love with Polly... So she leaves Boy to marry him while Cedric takes up with Boy. We learn in another Mitford book that Polly loses her looks but has several children and is happy.. and that Lady Montdore dies just before the war. She had been persuaded by Cedric to have plastic surgery. Lord Montdore died so Cedric became the Earl. But he went abroad when the war started which did not go down well with the local gentry. But he is not naturally soldier material. After the War, he permanently left England and settled in a sunny part of the world. Christian decides to go to France, to work with Spanish refugees and Linda joins him. When she gets there, she does her best to learn about welfare work. She meets Lavender Davis, her old neighbour at home, who works in the refugee camps. Soon she realises that Christian has fallen out of love with her and is now closer to Lavender..... She leaves the South of France, leaving a letter for her husband. But back in Paris, she finds that her rail ticket is out of date and she cannot get back to England. While she is sitting at the station, crying, she meets a middle aged, well dressed Frenchman who speaks English, and he takes her to lunch. He tells her that his name is Fabrice and that he is a duke, and well off.