Litsy

The Ladies of Missalonghi | Colleen McCullough

“I notice Alicia has kept her choice to virgins only,” said Missy, whose stitch had been bothering her ever since the 7-mile walk from Missalonghi, and now was growing worse. To leave the room was impossible but nor could she sit still and silent a moment longer; to keep her mind off the pain, she started to talk. “Very orthodox of her,” she continued, “but I‘m *definitely* a virgin, and I didn‘t get picked.”

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

rubyslippersreads, DrSabrinaMoldenReads, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

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BarbaraJean

The Ladies of Missalonghi | Colleen McCullough

“‘Darling, you look absolutely splendid! In a paddy, are we?‘

Missy took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. ‘Oh, just my cousin James Hurlingford. I told him to go bite his bum.‘

‘Good for you! Time someone told him.‘ Una giggled. ‘Though I imagine he‘d much rather someone else bit it for him—preferably someone masculine.‘

This sailed straight over Missy‘s head…”

👀🤣
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

rubyslippersreads, DrSabrinaMoldenReads, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks This quote felt a little anachronistic to me, but maybe not?? What did you think? 4d

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Soooo anachronistic! There were several places where the dialogue felt completely mismatched to the era in which this was set (the other quote I posted was another one). I think it was this part that made me go double check when the book was supposed to take place! It felt so off to me. 3d

rubyslippersreads @BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Much of the book seems anachronistic to me. I have more comments, but I‘ll save them for after everyone has finished. (edited) 3d

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BarbaraJean @rubyslippersreads I just finished it and I have SO MANY comments. 3d

TheAromaofBooks I am almost done and I feel like an old lady pearl-clutching at a few of these scenes 😂 @rubyslippersreads 3d

rubyslippersreads @TheAromaofBooks Me too! 3d

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean @rubyslippersreads What in the WHAT did I just read?! 😂 I finished this this morning and it was SO FREAKING WEIRD 😆 3d

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Right?!? I came close to throwing it across the room. 2d

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks @rubyslippersreads I kept imagining LMM doing some pearl-clutching from her grave!!! I was so shocked by the “starting your honeymoon early“ part that I handed it to my husband to read. He said: “Wait, is this a pink-shelf book?“ then his face went 😳 and he said: “A woman wrote this? Your group should not be reading this. It's misogynistic crap.“ 😂 2d

TheAromaofBooks For real, though!!! What even! 2d

julieclair Just posted my review, and then came to look at the discussion. I only started reading on Sunday, so hadn‘t looked at it. My oh my, I‘m glad I‘m not alone! What the heck?!?!? 12h

julieclair I didn‘t get to read The Blue Castle, so I can‘t speak to the plagiarism issue. I‘ve always wanted to read The Blue Castle, but think I‘ll skip it if it‘s like this book. 12h

22 likes12 comments

BarbaraJean

The Ladies of Missalonghi | Colleen McCullough

Just a quick check-in partway through Ladies of Missalonghi!

How are you enjoying the book so far?
What are your first impressions?
How many plagiarism-like similarities have you found so far between this and Blue Castle?!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

rubyslippersreads, DrSabrinaMoldenReads, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean Besides the similarities to Blue Castle, I‘ve been struck by a lot of dialogue that‘s hilarious, but surprising, for a book set just before WWI. I‘ll post a couple quotes! I‘m really enjoying Una as a character, but was a bit ambivalent about Missy until the bridal shower and its aftermath. 4d

DrSabrinaMoldenReads I got mine yesterday 4d

BarbaraJean @DrSabrinaMoldenReads I feel that—I had to read the first half on Internet Archive because my library hold didn‘t come in till yesterday! 4d

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TheAromaofBooks I just started this morning, because of the no-chapter thing I knew I wouldn't be able to stop 😂 I'm enjoying it, but parts of it do feel like quite the copy! I don't remember the history of this one - did the author acknowledge LMM in any way? 4d

rubyslippersreads I‘ve already finished. There are certainly similarities; it feels as though the author started with the premise of TBC (whether intentionally or accidentally) and then took off from there. (edited) 3d

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks McCullough claimed “subconscious recollection“ in response to accusations of plagiarism. She said she'd read LMM's books when she was young & the similarities were due to subconsciously remembering TBC rather than intentionally copying. That defense rings false to me! @rubyslippersreads Yep, it seems to diverge more as the book goes on (at least so far--I'm a little over halfway), but it certainly feels like she started with TBC. 3d

TheAromaofBooks In fairness, this IS a bit like a weird fever-dream version of TBC 😂 The parts that feel plagerism-y to me are sentences that are almost word-for-word to something in TBC. The flip side is - I ended up justifying LMM's similarities between Anne and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm - is this just something similar...??? 3d

lauraisntwilder I've just started today and, so far, it's the same book -- but this edition has illustrations for some reason. 3d

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Hahaha... I had the same thought about Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and Anne! This is way more blatant. I could dismiss the similarities with Rebecca as coincidence or unintentional. But here, these CANNOT be accidental/subconscious similarities. 2d

TheAromaofBooks It's true, there were definitely passages that felt like she had just kind of reworded something directly from The Blue Castle. And where Anne was a far superior version of Rebecca, Ladies definitely was the absolute worst version of Blue Castle that I could imagine (worse, really, because I NEVER would have imagined most of this 😂) 2d

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LitsyEvents

The Ladies of Missalonghi | Colleen McCullough

Reposting for @BarbaraJean
Here‘s the next month for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead! We‘re just starting the tagged book for #LMMAdjacent, then after one more week back in the #LMMJournals, we‘ll return to the Emily books with Emily Climbs for an #LMMReread. Tag lists are in the comments… but all are welcome! Let me know if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be!

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BarbaraJean

The Ladies of Missalonghi | Colleen McCullough

Here‘s the next month for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead! We‘re just starting the tagged book for #LMMAdjacent, then after one more week back in the #LMMJournals, we‘ll return to the Emily books with Emily Climbs for an #LMMReread. Tag lists are in the comments… but all are welcome! Let me know if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be!

LitsyEvents

BarbaraJean Tag list for Missalonghi: @TheAromaofBooks, @julieclair, @lauraisntwilder, @rubyslippersreads, @DrSabrinaMoldenReads

The Ladies of Missalonghi

BarbaraJean Tag list for journals and Emily‘s Quest: @TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder

Emily's Quest

BarbaraJean Okay, Missalonghi readers, I have no idea what‘s going on with chapters in this book. I have found no chapter divisions in the print copy. The Hoopla audio has 9 chapters. Searches online say: 1. There are chapters, 2. There are no chapters, 3. There are 19 chapters. All followed by the caveat: “AI answers may contain mistakes.” 🙄 I don‘t know where I got 22 chapters from. 🤷🏻‍♀️ So: read roughly half this week & we‘ll check in on Saturday! 😆 (edited) 1w

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TheAromaofBooks I just picked this up this morning and realized that it has no chapters 😂 Who does that!?!? 1w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Terry Pratchett does that and as much as I love Pratchett it drives me crazy! I started reading last night thinking I‘d read a couple chapters and see how far that took me. At page 30 of a 200-ish page book, I thought the first chapter was getting kind of long, and I started flipping ahead. By page 100 I realized I had yet again made a huge mistake in trusting a chapter count I found online 😂 1w

TheAromaofBooks That has actually been my biggest problem with reading the Discworld books! For some reason, the lack of chapters really turns me off of a book, and I can't even explain why 😂 1w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I feel the same—the lack of chapters turns me off! I think my brain prefers defined units of content so I know how many bits there are to parcel out. I've seen quotes from Pratchett saying he thought chapters broke up the natural flow of a story. But NOT having them kind of breaks my brain a little. I mean, you have to stop somewhere and I'd rather know where the author would stop! I guess he does use scene breaks, but still. ⬇ 1w

BarbaraJean The last Pratchett I read was an ebook version on Hoopla and it didn't even have any designation of where the scene breaks were. It gave me narrative whiplash to start a new paragraph and find I was suddenly in a completely different place with a different group of characters. That pulled me out of the narrative flow more than chapters would have! 1w

TheAromaofBooks Oh wow, that would be SO confusing! He definitely jumps around, so I can't imagine not even having the warning of an extra space! 😂 7d

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BarbaraJean

The Blue Castle | L. M. Montgomery

Valancy strikes me as a particularly subversive heroine, and so many of her actions feel very progressive for her time—yet the ending of The Blue Castle leaves Valancy in a very traditional, conventional role.

How did the ending land with you?
Does it feel conventional? Predictable?

#LMMReread #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

rubyslippersreads, DrSabrinaMoldenReads, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, Sparklemn, julieclair

JenlovesJT47 I like that her goals, while conventional, are also relatable, and she found the perfect person to complement her. I love that she doesn‘t play by society‘s rules anymore and is happy as a lark! 1w

BarbaraJean For me, I think this is a case of the journey mattering more than the destination. Valancy decides to live her life on her own terms, rather than according to others‘ expectations. The fact that in the end, she‘s in a situation that measures up to society‘s expectations doesn‘t matter, because it‘s not the expectations that mattered to her—it‘s her own. I do think the ending is predictable, but I don‘t care because I love the book so much! ⬇ 1w

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) I wonder how much Valancy embodies what LMM *wanted* to do & say, but felt too constrained by convention to actually live out. The freedom Valancy feels to flaunt convention & live unburdened by expectations is liberating to me, and I have a feeling it was a bit of wish-fulfillment for LMM. It feels like LMM let loose a little here, freeing her character from the worry of what others will think—a freedom it seems LMM couldn‘t attain. 1w

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rubyslippersreads @BarbaraJean I agree that Valancy can do and say what LMM (especially as a minister‘s wife) couldn‘t. Valancy could also have the romantic, passionate love story that LMM sadly didn‘t. 1w

TheAromaofBooks Valancy's ending is conventional in the sense that she ended up married, but not remotely so when you consider WHOM she married. To me, an actual conventional ending would be Valancy marrying Edward Beck and becoming a stepmother/drudge. Instead, she went out and found romance on her own terms, ending up with someone who would take her around the world and continue to broaden her horizons instead of keeping her confined to the kitchen. So the ⬇ 1w

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) ending is predictable, but I think it is still in line with the rest of Valancy's journey. And Valancy herself says at the very beginning that she does want to be married, to have her own house, her own husband, and even her own “sweet, little fat babies“ - so I love that she decided to go out and find her own fate. 1w

TheAromaofBooks Also, I wrote my comment on the other post about this being LMM's dream book before I read your comment here - we are on the same track! 😂 LMM allowed herself to be tied down by all THE RULES of society, and I think she found real joy in creating a character who was able to shed those fetters and sneeze whenever she wanted to. 1w

rubyslippersreads Maybe Olive should end up with Edward Beck. 😂 1w

lauraisntwilder I'm going to go a little off topic, but your framing of this question in terms of heroines of the day and the mention of the Rubio bio reminded me of Mazo de la Roche. This one feels so similar in tone to Jalna, but I didn't put that together until just now. Jalna came out the next year! And it totally steals Mr. Harrison's foul mouthed bird. No wonder LMM didn't like her! 1w

lauraisntwilder Just makes me wonder what other books she could've written if she hadn't been married to a pastor and been shoe-horned into only writing for children. 1w

kwmg40 I think most readers want happy endings in LMM's books and this one does it to excess -- the heroine ends up illness-free, married to the man she loves, and incredibly wealthy too. So to me, it wasn't very realistic, but as others had mentioned, it was the journey to that point that mattered. 1w

rubyslippersreads @lauraisntwilder This makes me want to reread the Jalna books. Was it Adeline who had the parrot? 1w

lauraisntwilder @rubyslippersreads Yes, Adeline has Boney, the parrot. I've only read one of them, the first (in publication order). One day I'll get around to the others! 1w

rubyslippersreads @lauraisntwilder I read most of the series when I was a teenager, because my mom loved them, but I don‘t think we could ever find a copy of the first one. 1w

julieclair I didn‘t get to read this one in time for the discussion. 🙁 1w

BarbaraJean @JenLovesJT47 @TheAromaofBooks I agree—what makes Valancy‘s story so compelling is that she goes after what she wants. Even though it‘s a “conventional” happy-ever-after ending, it feels so empowering because she chooses her own third path. In her family‘s view, she had two acceptable choices: fade into the old maid role, or marry whoever will condescend to have her. The irony of her unconventional choice is how it ends up both fulfilling ⬇ 7d

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) ...Valancy‘s dream and satisfying her family because of Barney‘s money! 🙄 The final exposure of hypocrisy... 7d

BarbaraJean @rubyslippersreads Yes, I think there was wish-fulfillment for LMM in the romance here, too. @TheAromaofBooks Great minds think alike! I kind of want an inspirational picture/sign that says “The greatest happiness is to sneeze when you want to.”

@lauraisntwilder @rubyslippersreads I‘ve never read any Mazo de la Roche! Maybe we should put Jalna into the #LMMAdjacent reads for next year. 7d

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder I SO wish she‘d been able to write freely, without worries over conventions and expectations. In her journals, she comments more than once about how she would write something differently if it weren‘t for _____. I would love to read more along the lines of Blue Castle. And I‘m so curious how she would have written Emily differently. 7d

rubyslippersreads @BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder I would love to add Jalna to the #LMMAdjacent reads. They all seem to be available on fadedpage.com and the first book in the series is

The Building of Jalna

(edited) 6d

BarbaraJean @julieclair Oh, that‘s a shame! Well, the discussion will still be here if you do have time to read it in the coming weeks! Do you still want to join in for Ladies of Missalonghi? 6d

julieclair @BarbaraJean I probably won‘t get to read Missalonghi in time either, but please tag me just in case. Both of these are books I have wanted to read for a long time. 5d

BarbaraJean @julieclair 👍 If you only have time for one, read Blue Castle. So far, Missalonghi is basically discount Blue Castle 😆 5d

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BarbaraJean

Tales of the Alhambra | Washington Irving

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Alhambra discussion 3/3

LMM references Tales of the Alhambra in Emily Climbs, as well as in Vol. 2 of her journals.
What do you think it was about the book that captivated LMM?
Did you feel a similar enchantment, or were its charms not quite as potent for you?
Is there anything else you‘d like to discuss about Tales from the Alhambra?

rubyslippersreads, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

julieclair I agree with LMM that the book was a “gateway to an enchanted world”, but I didn‘t take the delight in it that she did. It often felt like a slog. I think I may have enjoyed it more as individual stories read (or listened to, in my case) occasionally over a long period of time. But I‘m glad I read it - it‘s one of the classics that I have been meaning to get to. Thanks for making it happen, @BarbaraJean , and for always being an excellent host! 1mo

TheAromaofBooks I don't think I found quite the magic that LMM did, but I could definitely see why she did - and thinking about her reading this at the end of a cold, dark Canadian winter - well it's no wonder that she was drawn to descriptions of warmth and exotic adventure! There were definitely times that the narration bogged down for me, but on the whole I found this one genuinely charming. 1mo

rubyslippersreads I got behind n this, and based on everyone‘s comments, I don‘t think I‘ll try to catch up. 🙂 1mo

BarbaraJean @julieclair @TheAromaofBooks It also felt like a slog to me frequently! I wouldn't have called my reading “pure delight,“ but I agree with you, Sarah--I can certainly see the draw for LMM in the midst of the darkness and the cold. I can see her being fascinated by the climate, the culture, the history, and the romance of the various stories. I could have done with less of the history, myself! @rubyslippersreads Fair assessment. 😂 1mo

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BarbaraJean

Tales of the Alhambra | Washington Irving

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Alhambra discussion 2/3

What did you think of Irving as a narrator?
What did you think of his commentary on Spanish and Moorish culture (both past and present)?
Which of the tales he includes were most interesting to you?

rubyslippersreads, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

julieclair Irving‘s prose was beautiful, but I could have done with less of it. I felt the same way about The Mysteries of Udolpho - too much “verdant verdure” for my taste. 😉 1mo

julieclair I did enjoy the descriptions of Spanish and Moorish culture, which I knew little about. It felt like I was stepping into a truly different world. I appreciate a strong sense of place, and Irving definitely delivered that. 1mo

julieclair Honestly, the tales seem to have merged together in my mind. Beautiful princesses, hidden Moorish treasure, ancient enchantments, poor peasants with good hearts, and lots of kings and battles. My favorite tale was the one where the parrot and the owl ended up as government officials! 1mo

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TheAromaofBooks Like I said in my review, I loved Irving's voice. I actually loved some of the stories of his contemporaries staying in the Alhambra. He just seemed to find so much joy and interest in literally everything and everyone. 1mo

BarbaraJean I really liked Irving as a narrator & kind of wished this was a more straightforward travelogue with his experiences + the legends, and fewer digressions. @julieclair The descriptions gave a GREAT sense of place, but yes: this could have been trimmed down! And the stories kind of blended together for me, too. I agree @TheAromaofBooks - I loved his voice! I'd have liked more about the experiences he had with the people staying in the Alhambra. ⬇ 1mo

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) His respect for and delight in the culture, the people, the place, and the history were wonderful. Sarah, I think you mentioned this in your review or in a previous check-in discussion, but the way he presented the Christians vs. Moors was so refreshing. It was evident he respected the history and culture all around and didn't denigrate one side or the other. It was all just fascinating to him and he wanted to share it with his readers! 1mo

julieclair @BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I agree about the way he presented the Christians vs. Moors. Very balanced and not judgmental. He probably was a very good diplomat! And he did seem like an interesting, nice guy. He‘d make my list to be included in a “people from history” dinner party. 4w

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BarbaraJean

Tales of the Alhambra | Washington Irving

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Alhambra discussion 1/3

As a travelogue, this book goes beyond personal experience or descriptions of the sights & culture of a place. Irving includes story after story from the Alhambra's past, from more straightforward history to tales of myths and legends.
Did you enjoy this way of approaching his subject? What do the myths and legends add to his account—or did they detract from the subject for you?

rubyslippersreads, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

julieclair For me, the history and stories are what make this succeed as a travelogue. I have always been ambivalent about visiting southern Spain, but now I really want to go there! The history is what makes a place come alive for me as a tourist. 1mo

TheAromaofBooks Yes!! I totally agree with @julieclair - the stories are what made this so engaging. While some of the more straightforward history got a little bogged down for me, I loved all of the legends and really appreciated the way he gave them to us in a way that allowed them to build on each other, referencing stories/characters he had already told us about earlier. 1mo

BarbaraJean @julieclair @TheAromaofBooks The legends were what made this work for me. While there were so many similar elements (all the hidden treasure!) that they did all kind of blend together, I still enjoyed reading them all! And I loved the way he closed the book, looking back on the city and thinking of Boabdil taking his last look as well. This wasn't a quick read and there were parts I wish had been edited down, but I'm glad I read it. 1mo

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