It was said of Grub Street's 18th-century residents that "They knew luxury, and they knew beggary, but they never knew comfort. No clothes, no luxuries, nothing. I have no private income, no rich wife, no inheritance, no pension. I have nothing to look forward to. There's no safety net at all.
In retrospect, the turning-point in British writers' fortunes came in The Booker prize was televised for the first time, and the subsequent year Midnight's Children won. After that, literary life began booming — a mirror to the irrational exuberance of the economy. Tim Waterstone's bookselling revolution was transforming the trade. New writers were making headlines. In the feeding frenzy that followed, publishers' advances entered a never-never land in which commercial prudence was thrown to the winds. Thomson remembers exactly when this party came to a stop.
And then he said, 'But I can't afford you. That was the first time I noticed the drop in advances because the figure that he gave was only a fraction of what I'd been getting up to then. I went home and sat at the kitchen table and drew up a balance-sheet. I'm going to have to change the way I live. Thomson is a veteran from a now-deserted battlefield. Rates of attrition among so-called "mid-list" writers, steady professionals who can no longer find publishers to support them, have begun to rise alarmingly.
But drop a generation or two, and you find parallel stories: In a business that relies on keeping up appearances, no one wants to admit this. Privately, there's a lot of fear. Money, once plentiful, has become suddenly scarce. Kavenna, who was selected in for Granta 's Best of Young British Novelists promotion, recalls her beginnings as an author and novelist, switching countries in search of cheap rent and the kind of job that would give her time to write.
I was offered a — to me, miraculous — five-figure deal by Penguin. So far, so familiar. The publishing boom was still in full swing just. Looking back, Kavenna remembers the experience of writing and publishing The Ice Museum with some affection. In the meantime you did other things like secretary work or journalism to make a bit more. But then, between and , everything changed. Here, Kavenna reels off that catalogue of woes commonly shared among writers today: Like many in this community, she also worries about the surge in social media, the rise of Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere, ie internet sites where anyone can put up "free content", either for pleasure or self-promotion, or from a confused mixture of both instincts.
Put these anxieties together and you have a picture of a way of life facing extinction. In summary, she says, "being a writer stopped being the way it had been for ages — the way I expected it to be — and became something different. That "difference" amounts to a revolution. To writers of my generation, who grew up in the age of Penguin books, vinyl records and the BBC, it's as if a cultural ecology has been wiped out.
For as long as most of us can remember, every would-be writer knew the landscape of the printed word. This Georgian square was home to publishing grandees now retired. On that high street were the booksellers now out of business. It took me a full week to read this, which I think says everything--I kept forcing it, wanting it to be amazing, was unwilling to "give up" on a book that was stacked with potential I do hope the author keeps writing though!
Jul 28, Alexa L rated it it was amazing. I just read this entire book on my phone in one sitting in a hotel room in Japan while my husband snores next to me. Obviously Sharon Draper is a queen, but this book was all kinds of epic. Emotion jumps off the page, and she mentions my favorite ice cream in the world, Graeters, and Jason Reynolds, who is one of the best people in the world. Nov 07, Jesseca Evans rated it it was ok. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Okay, for starters Sharon m. Draper is probably my favorite author. But, this book was not good. What type of book is this? Is it about a girl with divorced parents? A mixed girl and her daily struggles? A girl with school problems? A book where the colored characters get harassed by the white ones? This book was all of those thing and so many more confusing and unnecessary things. Draper was trying too hard with this book.
I understand that it was written for middle schoolers, but the writing is not very good, and the dialogue is SO unrealistic. Also, did Isabella have a crush on her soon-to-be step brother? Because it definitely seemed that way, and that is not okay. So many different things started in the book and then were forgotten about.
Why did Draper make the piano recital one of the main focuses only to not let Isabella go to it because she was shot in a really confusing police stop? There are so many things about this book that frustrate me. View all 3 comments. Oct 14, Sheila rated it did not like it.
At first I was excited to read this book, as I am a big fan of Sharon M. But Blended turned out to be a big disappointment. There was just too much crammed into a book that just meandered along. Then there was Izzy herself, whose voice was not fully realized At first I was excited to read this book, as I am a big fan of Sharon M. Then there was Izzy herself, whose voice was not fully realized in Ms. And all of the inner dialogue exclamation points were grating! I usually love Ms. As a biracial person myself, I found it all just too obvious. I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Nov 13, Richie Partington rated it it was amazing. Robert Bowers, white male, murdered 11 Jewish worshipers in church, taken alive. Bush, white male, murdered 2 African Americans in a grocery store, taken alive. Jemel Roberson, black security officer doing his job, shot and killed by police while literally saving lives in a nightclub.
I hate, hate, hate them. Mom waits on the same couch on the opposite week. The stupid sofa never changes--just the faces of the grown-ups who come to claim me. He is never late. Anastasia sits beside him, She, at least, is smiling. Her shoes and purse are probably real leather--very fancy looking. Probably took her hours to do her face and hair. I glance back guiltily at Mom, who is pale and tired looking, trying to scrape a stain off her Waffle House uniform with her fingernail.
John Mark, in his favorite blue bowling shirt, walks on the other side of me. The caption would read: Caramel daughter is caught helplessly between the two. Dad nods as well. No need to exchange words, just me. It features a multiracial eleven year-old named Isabella Badia Thornton who lives in the Cincinnati metropolitan area.
Each parent is now settled into a subsequent relationship. Draper performs an incredible writing feat: A for an 8 year-and-up audience.
Might this have caused Logan to then up the ante? Sure enough, a few days later, authorities disrupt the class and remove Logan. The incident helps prompt Isabella to wonder aloud about her own identity: And friends who are Black. But this noose thing with Imani has really changed the recipe, at least for me. Am I the chocolate chip or the vanilla bean? The climax of the story absolutely knocked my socks off. Just hours after reading the reports about the late 26 year-old Jemel Roberson, I cried over what happens to Izzy Thornton, and about what is still so damned wrong with this country.
Honestly, this is a book you can read to an eight or nine year-old. Oct 13, Laurie rated it it was amazing Shelves: Are you torn between two divorced parents? This is eleven-year-old Isabella. She is struggling with living one week with her dad, his girlfriend, and her son in a very fancy neighborhood and the next week with her mom and her boyfriend in the average house that she grew up in. It is a constant weekly struggle between these two parents who fight over her all the time.
The other issue Isabella faces is that her mom is white and her dad is Interest Level: The other issue Isabella faces is that her mom is white and her dad is black and she doesn't know where she fits in there either. She loves both of her parents but she hates exchange day Sunday when her parents are less than nice to each other and she hates waking up each Monday in a different bed. She loves her dad, his girlfriend, Anastasia, and her son, Darren.
Anastasia loves Isabella and Darren, even though he is a teenager, dotes on her all the time. She loves her mom's house and John Mark, her mom's boyfriend treats her like she is his own child. Isabella just wishes that they could all get along.
When something racial happens at her school involving Isabella's best friend the tension in her life just grows and grows. Thank goodness for Isabella's music. She loves to play the piano and she is working so hard for her upcoming concert, Isabella just hopes her families can come together and be nice for just one day. That doesn't seem likely when both of her parents get engaged and decide to get married on the same day.
The fighting only intensives and Isabella is at her wits end. On the day of her concert Darren takes her to go get ice cream on the way. No one can predict what happens when there is a robbery at the bank next to the ice cream shop and Darren is pulled over. A cell phone is mistaken for a gun and shots are fired. What will happen to Isabella's family when tragedy strikes? This is story that you can not miss!! Sharon Draper knocks another one out of the park, not just the park but out of this world, with her newest book.
From page one you get wrapped up in Isabella's life and she doesn't let go. You feel her pain, her sorrow, her love and you just want to go give her a huge hug. This book talks about so many issues that are facing so many children today - divorce, mixed families, racial issues, and police issues. Blog - Blazer Tales - https: Instagram - laurieslibrary - https: Twitter - laurieevans27 https: Goodreads - Laurie Purser - https: Nov 29, Lauren Grace Keen rated it it was amazing. This book is about year-old almost year-old Isabella. Her mom is white and her dad is black. Toward the beginning of the story, we learn that her parents are getting divorced.
And they are incredibly ugly toward each other, leaving Isabella in the middle, feeling caught between two different identities. Now if this were all the story was about, it would still be amazing. Draper has beautifully written a story that not only shares how divorce impacts children, Wow! Draper has beautifully written a story that not only shares how divorce impacts children, but she also tells a story filled with themes of identity, racism, stereotyping, class, family, and love. This book would be an awesome book to read with your middle-schooler or read in your middle school classroom.
So many good and necessary discussions will happen because of this book. Oct 23, Casey caseydillabooks rated it really liked it Shelves: It has mature but relevant themes and could make a good conversation starter for talking to middle graders about race and divorce. Nov 18, steph rated it it was ok Shelves: I get what the author was trying to do here, what message she was sending, but it felt off to me. There was a lot going on in this small book and then the end ing was very climatic and did not fit in my opinion the story it was previously telling.
It really made me stop and go "whaaaat? I wanted to love this book, I am a fan of this author and all the reviews including here on GR have been great but this book was not for me. Which is fine, I suppose. Not every book is. I did like Isabella I get what the author was trying to do here, what message she was sending, but it felt off to me. I did like Isabella though, she is a likeable character. Dec 16, Heather Jensen rated it it was amazing. Blended is so good on so many levels. I love the point of view of young woman caught in the middle of divorced parents and the toll it takes on her.
Draper also explores viewpoint of a a child growing up with a black father and a white mother. Isabella is never sure where she fits in, asking her father "Do you think people think I'm Black or white when they see me? Or whi Blended is so good on so many levels. I have so many students who are going to love this book! Dec 05, Cort rated it liked it.
Oct 03, Amy rated it liked it Shelves: Many thanks to the publisher and EdelweissPlus for providing me with an eARC of this title for review. All opinions are my own. I came into this book with VERY high expectations. Draper's earlier work Out of my Mind is one of my go-to, solid gold recommendations for my middle school readers and teachers in my building. I had high hopes that this book would hit the same levels. And it did, and didn't. There were moments of the same brilliance, but at times they came too late in the book or were Many thanks to the publisher and EdelweissPlus for providing me with an eARC of this title for review.
There were moments of the same brilliance, but at times they came too late in the book or were spread too thin. The story is fascinating and the writing is good.
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- Meaningful Curriculum for Young Children.
- Theo: Respuestas desde la habitación infantil (Spanish Edition);
The downsides are the slow start and the dense historian minutiae, which makes it tedious on occasion. Isabella's story is worthy of an action and sex-packed HBO series. He should be so lucky having the best bred, most beautiful, richest, most diplomatically astute bride in C This was my beach read, and it took up the entire vacation to get through it. He should be so lucky having the best bred, most beautiful, richest, most diplomatically astute bride in Christendom, right? Unfortunately, he prefers men. If this was a discreet hobby, it would not be a problem - but he lets his favorites rule him and the country.
The favorites are greedy and cruel, and the king alienates nobles and common people alike. The situation gets so bad tha Isabella barely escapes with her life - and ends up leading the only successful invasion of England. We have salacious details of adulterous queens, and terrible, wide-ranging political consequences of their dalliances - including the Hundred Year War between England and France.
There are plots to murder and depose, and one political takeover involving a secret passage in a castle. We also have a murder of a king. Maybe it is the escape of a king that was hushed up? As Weir unveils the evidence, mind gets blown. You have to be a bit of a history buff to appreciate this book, but if you are, it is well worth the time. This is a very readable account of Isabella's life, although Weir struggles to extrapolate Isabella's motives from meager evidence.
It's necessarily very detached, as are all biographies of people who lived such a long time ago, particularly women. For me, historical fiction usually makes for a more satisfying read, but I enjoyed this book. Isabella is quite pitiable when she arrives in England as a yr-old bride to find that her husband is homosexual and is dominated by his lover, Piers Gavest This is a very readable account of Isabella's life, although Weir struggles to extrapolate Isabella's motives from meager evidence.
Isabella is quite pitiable when she arrives in England as a yr-old bride to find that her husband is homosexual and is dominated by his lover, Piers Gaveston, who egregiously flaunts his ill-gotten power. And once Gaveston is gone the pattern repeats with another of Edward's lovers, Hugh Dispenser, who is vicious as well as power-hungry. Edward seems completely under the spell of his lovers, making incredibly foolish decisions and disregarding the welfare of his family, his throne and his country. You can't help but cheer Isabella when she escapes to France and raises forces to invade England and depose Edward in favor of their son.
Modern readers also won't blame her for taking a lover, Roger Mortimer, even though history condemns her for this and blames her unfairly, Weir claims for Edward's supposed murder. Unfortunately Isabella was nearly as foolish as her husband in her choice of a lover, since Mortimer proves to be avaricious and tyrannical. The young Edward III eventually tires of being ruled by Mortimer and his mother, and seizes power for himself. Legend holds that Edward II was murdered in an infamous manner, but Weir is inclined to agree with those historians who think he actually survived and lived as a monk for several years after his supposed death, with no inclination to reclaim his throne.
It's amazing that Edward III emerged from such a childhood as a great king with an unusually for British royalty happy family of his own. Jan 18, bkwurm rated it liked it. Isabella, the she-wolf of France, is so named because she, together with her lover led a rebellion against her husband, Edward II of England, deposed him, imprisoned him and is believed to have had him murdered. Eventually, Edward III seized power back from her and executed her lover. Well researched, the author largely s Isabella, the she-wolf of France, is so named because she, together with her lover led a rebellion against her husband, Edward II of England, deposed him, imprisoned him and is believed to have had him murdered.
Well researched, the author largely succeeds in rehabilitating Isabella as a strong individual who acted only to protect herself and her children. Nov 15, Jeanette rated it liked it. Having read several fiction tomes on this woman and her role in the developing English monarchy, I already knew much of the facts of her life. But this one set it far more securely within the male and serf sensibilities of that particular century, which gave it my 3 star enjoyment.
It was written as a history and quite dry. There are pages of detail about dress items or ship's contents or legal documents which did add to seein Comprehensive history of Queen Isabella, wife to Edward II of England. There are pages of detail about dress items or ship's contents or legal documents which did add to seeing Isabella as she was. Not through present day or last century revisionist judgments, but with "eyes".
It has always fascinated me how this girl could have gotten through the circumstances from her years that she seemed to have bridged. And how she could have surmounted the situation of her placement to the outcomes that she did accomplish. It was a verbose history and at points seemed to lose Isabella's personality of persuasion.
But it was also honest and admitted holes to opinion when they existed. IMHO, it did not excuse Isabella or enhance her reputation in a positive way, as much as some other posters perceived here. It states what she initiated and what she enabled. For a woman, any woman, during this period- that holds considerable talent and value.
I found this an interesting read rather than a gripping one, although it was educational before listening to this all I knew about Isabella was that she had had her husband murdered by means of a red hot poker up his bum. She appears to have been a very good diplomat and in reality probably played no part in her husbands death. I find it strange that one of the acts that made her really unpopular with the English was negotiating peace with Scotland.
Isabella believed that the war with Scotland cou I found this an interesting read rather than a gripping one, although it was educational before listening to this all I knew about Isabella was that she had had her husband murdered by means of a red hot poker up his bum. Isabella believed that the war with Scotland could never be won, given that it had been on and off since the time of the norman conquest and so far no englishman had been crowned king of scotland she may have had a point.
She also believed that it was expensive in terms of lives and money, money that the country didn't have. The fact that she was greedy and abused her position also didn't make her popular. A time machine would be handy, then I could go back and tell Edward III to give it up you are never going to be king of scotland, you may occupy various parts of the country but the first king to be crowned as both king of england and scotland will actually be a scot and he is years in the future so stop wasting lives and money.
Jun 06, Liene rated it really liked it. Not her best though Isabella was quite a character. Nov 06, Renee rated it it was amazing. I love all of Weir's books, but this might be my favorite. In this outing she sets out to not only tell us about the life and times of Isabella, one of our most notorious queens, but to rehabilitate her image. In my book, if Ed was responsible for the excesses of his favourites and deserved deposition for it, so did Isabella. Whilst I am well aware that women in the 14th century were the property of men, I find it hard to believe that a woman who managed to overthrow the reign of her husband was entirely at the mercy of and a victim to the whims her lover, when he only wielded the power that he did through her.
If this was indeed the case, it must have been unimaginably awful for him to live in a society where homosexuality was viewed as such a vile sin that its practitioners faced a brutal death, complete with their genitals being cut off while they were still alive and thrown to the dogs as was the case with Le Despenser. If anything, the only thing that I feel Ed was guilty of here was appalling taste in men he seemed to have a thing for bad boys. With regard to everything else, once again I was struck by how our country has always been prey to the whims of the ruling class, who have always been an insanely greedy, duplicitous, ruthless and vicious shower of shits loyal only to their own wallets and ambition.
I doubt this will change over the next years, either. So, in conclusion, whilst I enjoyed this book enormously anything that can teach me so much in such a short space of time has to be applauded , I felt that it failed in its stated aim, hence the 3 stars. May 24, Frrobins rated it really liked it.
First, let me discuss what this book is not.
It is not a whitewashing of history or Isabella's role in it, despite what some of the previous reviewers maintain. Weir did not make clear that Isabella and Mortimer's reign was just as bad as Edwards II's are speared by this, "To most people, it seemed that the chief result of the revolution of had been the replacing of one tyrannical regime with another. Their rapacity equaled or exceeded even that of the Despensers, and the First, let me discuss what this book is not.
Their rapacity equaled or exceeded even that of the Despensers, and their policies seemed to be dictated only by self-interested opportunism. They had undermined the reputation and prestige of the monarchy, ruthlessly eliminated their enemies, and alienated every stratum of society.
Weir maintains that there is no way to know for sure how far she is responsible because she did so much in partnership with him. She maintains "she was certainly accountable for them all insofar as that she allowed Mortimer free reign and used her power to build up his. Without her collusion, he could not have monopolized the government so extensively. Thus, if she was tainted by her association with him and his misdeeds, it was her own fault. In short, those who say that Ms. Weir whitewashed history to present Isabella as innocent did not read this well or let their own presumptions blind them to what Ms.
Weir was attempting to do, which was portray Isabella in a more human light and in the context of the time that she lived in. This works for and against Isabella. As Isabella has the notorious distinction of being remembered as an evil "She-Wolf," Ms. Weir could have gone in the opposite direction and portrayed her as a saint.
Instead, she worked to build a more human portrait of her, not as someone who was all wrong or all right, but who lived in a time when woman had very little control over their lives but managed to lead a successful invasion of England and overthrow a tyrant. From detailing Isabella's skills at persuasion early in her marriage to Edward II to fleeing to England, to her downfall and subsequent rehabilitation in the public eye, Ms. Weir outlines how Isabella managed to take control of her life in a time where women had little autonomy.
Weir gives Isabella credit where it is due, whether it be noting her strong public relations skills or disastrous policy she initiated, and gives it to others when it's not, such as noting that it was doubtful that Isabella had anything to do with Gaveston's death or that it was likely Mortimer who was the military brains behind the English invasion. Where the book falters is it's heteronormative language when discussing matters pertaining to Edward II's sexuality and speculating too much on the Fieschi letter, which reeked a bit too much of conspiracy theory for my tastes.
Edward II's sexuality is a matter that ought of have been handled far more carefully. That being said, it does not mean that Ms. Weir's portrayal of Isabella was unsound. I found this a fascinating and readable book and the portrait of a woman who does not meet either unrealistic standard of "She-Wolf" or innocent victim, but a flesh and blood woman of strengths and weaknesses, and successes and failures. Jun 15, Alice rated it it was ok Shelves: This book was a hard slog. Early on in the book, I knew I was going to disagree with Alison Weir.
He was a tyrant when listening to the counsels of his Rasputins, Piers Gaveston or the Despensers Ms. This is not saying much. From other accounts Edward II was effective at delegation. By a This book was a hard slog. By all accounts Gaveston had done well in that post. Ireland could not have been a cushy sinecure at that time. The Despenser were tasked with mankind's most unpopular task..
In Weir's account it wasn't said how revenues were disbursed. As for every man, woman, and child hating the Despensers with all their being day and night; I'm a skeptic. The average English subject probably cared more for immediate everyday concerns than who was the favorite in the Kings court. The mobs at the Despenser trials in London are not enough proof either. If you grabbed any person out of a packed crowd and screamed "Traitor!
This is as much true today as it was nearly years ago.
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To Alison Weir's credit her presentation of Isabella isn't hagiography. In her flight to France we do know that deposition was part of her plans and a real fear for her safety from the Despensers. She did take her eldest son with her as a way to fulfill her first objective. Many times these monarchs are over looked because of the Elizabethan tsunami. In the other the reader finds out the function of a Master of Horse or a Clerk of the Wardrobe in a royal court. It is when she has an historical ax to grind that any sharp analysis of history is forfeit.
It brings to mind David Starkey's series "Monarchy". Much of it was excellent and entertaining. However, when he ominously intoned, "Next came the worst King in all the history of England! So which one is it? I recommend other accounts and even the historical novels of the Despensers by Susan Higganbotham to balance this account. Jan 12, Steven Peterson rated it really liked it. This and other works make rubbish of some of the themes raised in that very entertaining and rousing movie.
Wed young, their marriage was probably not Remember the movie "Braveheart" and its rendering of the relationships among William Wallace, Edward I, his son later to become Edward II , and Isabella? Wed young, their marriage was probably not consummated for some time. Perhaps a part of that was the relationship of Edward to a young companion--Piers Gaveston. This was the first in what apparently were two intimate relationships with a male--Hugh Despenser being the other. Both led to hardships to Isabelle, as she was displaced in Edward's affections by his male partners, and as she was marginalized in terms of her role as queen.
When Edward ascended to the throne, he was woefully inept.
Isabella of Castile: Europe's First Great Queen
He allowed others Piers and Hugh to influence his decisions, creating hatred among other nobles. Isabelle found ways during some of this time to create a role for herself, but she was often pushed to the side by the two comrades--at different times--of Edward II. At one point, she felt so compromised that, once she went to France on a diplomatic mission to her French royal family, she did not return and began a scandalous relationship with Roger Mortimer, who also had fled England in fear of losing his life.
There are mysteries addressed--not wholly convincingly--in this work, such as the contention that Edward II may well have escaped his fate and lived out a longer life in exile. I was not over convinced, but others have raised the same suggestion. This is a well written work, with much historical detail, on the life of Queen Isabelle and the context in which she lived. Details are richly provided, giving a sense of the reality of the era.
A worthwhile historical piece. Oct 14, Maria rated it liked it Recommends it for: People interested in 13th and 14th century England. Recommended to Maria by: Found it through Montgomery Country Public Library. I found it through the Montgomery County Public Library e-book consortium. I search for what books are available, and open myself to the possibilities. Her movements were recreated as a result of where she spent money, and what was listed in accounting sheets.
The author definitely had an angle. There was a lot of torture, bloodshed, jewels, and travels within the pages. Two points were inconsistent with the rest of the writing. The reason to assume this is because she devoted so much time to these hypotheses.
Isabella of Castile: Europe's First Great Queen by Giles Tremlett
However, I wondered why she devoted so much time to hypotheses when the rest of her story was written as if it could be corroborated with historical record. Would I read it again: No Would I recommend it: No Was prose elevated to poetry: Apr 14, Ray Campbell rated it really liked it Shelves: Alison Weir really does this well. If you are not familiar with her work, she is a historian whose specialty is Tutor England, though her one offs and historical fiction from the centuries just prior are amazing.
This book is non-fiction though as always, it reads like fiction. Once again, Weirs ability to incorporate quotes from documents, the work of other scholars and publications, makes the dialog flow in a natural easy to follow manner. It occurred to me reading Queen Isabella, that by focu Alison Weir really does this well. It occurred to me reading Queen Isabella, that by focusing on a female in this period, the powerful men of the age become characters observed through the lens of the female lead.
Thus a sense of personality develops in all the characters from journals, letters and diaries which are far more personal than if the sources were all the business oriented and official communication and record of the world of the men of that period. I'm not sure I'm on to anything overly profound, but something clearly makes Weir's writing stand out.
The marriage is political, though they have several children. Edward is simply a bad ruler. He is also a bad husband, preferring male lovers. Isabella lives a life of intrigue and adventure which includes returning to her father and brother, both kings of France, raising armies, leading invasion and toppling a regime. I won't give away Weir's conclusions nor will I spoil the book, but Queen Isabella has a few surprises for readers familiar with other accounts. Well documented, well written and fascinating.