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For the discussion of all things Austen, and a great deal more.
Re: Kindle JA FF recommendations please - 8 years ago
A Tapestry of Lives is on kindle and it's certainly looooooooong!by Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Question re: Georgette Heyer audiobooks - 8 years ago
I haven't listened to them but there was some discussion about the abridged vs. unabridged audiobooks on a GoodReads discussion board for Georgette Heyer fans about a year ago (?). I could probably find it if you want the link. From what I remember, most loved Richard Armitage's reading but said that some of their favorite bits had been culled. Not sure why anyone would need to abridge her novels-by Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: British Naval History Reccommendations - 8 years ago
I learned a lot from Robert Harvey's book, "A Few Bloody Noses." It's dense (as in, packed with information) and well-researched (I keep meaning to go back and re-read).by Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Col. Richard Fitzwilliam - 9 years ago
I always assumed that the convention was a nod to all the Richards who held the Viscount Fitzwilliam title-- there were three, if I remember correctly. The Viscount in Austen's time (also a Richard) donated a lot of money, artwork, etc. to the University of Cambridge and founded the Fitzwilliam Museum.by Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Just FYI - 9 years ago
So glad to hear that you're doing better. Good luck!by Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Goings on in conversation - 9 years ago
I wonder if it's something in the very nature of fanfiction to include so many details. Austen herself generally provided very little in the way of description (e.g., hair, eye color, clothing, etc.) and so each reader imagines her characters and plot world differently. A lot of fanfiction is about letting other fans see how you've imagined that book world to be, so perhaps it makes sense that theby Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Question of propriety - 9 years ago
Well heck... thanks for pointing that out. I guess I'll figure something else out! -Jeanby Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Question of propriety - 9 years ago
Yes, indeed! Working title is "A Lady's Reputation." I actually started it a while ago, got side-tracked for a bit, but now I'm back at it. I hope to start posting chapters here in a few months, once I've got a decent first draft done. Don't worry: it won't be nearly as long as Tapestry of Lives! -Jeanby Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Question of propriety - 9 years ago
Great--- thanks so much for clearing up my confusion! -Jeanby Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Question of propriety - 9 years ago
Thank you for your quick answer! So, let me see if I understand: a single lady must have a female of some sort (servant, paid companion, or another lady) with her for propriety. Having a manservant with her was more for protection? And do you think it was the same when traveling by stagecoach or Royal Mail coach? There must have been instances when a lady had to travel but didn't have a private caby Jean M. - Tea Room
Question of propriety - 9 years ago
Question: If Miss Elizabeth Bennet had to travel from Hunsford to Cheapside without the company of Miss Maria Lucas, what sort of servants would she need to maintain propriety? Could she travel alone with her uncle's manservant? Or would she need a female maid? Both? I've read such differing accounts as to confuse me entirely! Much thanks in advance, -Jeanby Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: " You cannot have been always at longbourn!" - 10 years ago
Oh, now that's interesting. I love the way each of us can read the same line and have different interpretations of it. I've always read Darcy's statement, "You cannot always have been at Longbourn," as him trying to reconcile a woman of whom he thinks highly (Elizabeth with her extensive reading, witty debating, and good manners) coming from a household and community of which he views very meanly.by Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Tapestry of Lives-a question about gardens - 10 years ago
Ooooh--- good question! I suppose in my mind is a long bed, neatly edged and mulched, with flowers in a riot of colors and forms. She had a questioning mind, so I see her collecting seeds and cuttings from places and people she met in Hertfordshire and London; if she saw an interesting plant in someone's yard, she wouldn't be afraid to talk to them and ask about it, regardless of who or where it wby Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Tapestry of Lives - 10 years ago
Hi Michelle-- So glad that you enjoyed it! Tapestry of Lives is published via CreateSpace by Jean Sims; it was too long for a single paperback so I broke it into 3 volumes. It's available in both paperback and Kindle forms via Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Though there are still typos, etc., I'd like to think that the published version is much more polished. I've left the original draft postedby Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Sold My First Novel (Not Austen-Based, But Still . . . )! - 10 years ago
Congrats-- that's awesome!by Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: How well do Filmmakers get Austen's Characters? - 10 years ago
First, a confession: I, of my own free will, went to see Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, and found it amusing... now despise me if you will! As to my point: for all of its other silliness, I rather liked the way the actress (not sure of her name) interpreted Mrs. Bennet's character. She's not so bitter or overtly vulgar as some other versions; more that she's just a total airhead who can't kby Jean M. - Tea Room
book on names - 10 years ago
In case anyone is interested, I just found a rather neat resource for first names: History of Christian Names by Charlotte Mary Yonge. The first edition was published in 1863 by Parker, Son, & Bourn, but I've been looking at her revised edition published in 1884 by Macmillan and sons, London which has been digitized and is freely available as an ebook via google books: https://books.google.cby Jean M. - Tea Room
Regency slang - 10 years ago
I thought that subject line would get your attention! But really: I need help coming up with a slang term appropriate to Regency England. Specifically, Wickham walks out of an inn in a nasty mood and takes a kick at a street urchin who has the misfortune to fall in his path. So far I have, "Get out of my way, you filthy little rat!" which feels pretty weak. I'm not looking for offensive curse worby Jean M. - Tea Room
The more things change... - 11 years ago
A few years ago, a friend of mine got married in Wales; as it was her first marriage and she was over thirty, the legal paperwork listed her status as "spinster" while her now-husband was a "bachelor."by Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Express riders on Sunda? - 11 years ago
Right-- I really did know that a horse-drawn carriage couldn't go London to Derbyshire overnight... I suspect I was thinking about Bristol (it's been that sort of day ). Anyways, the British Postal Museum's website says that the average speed of mail coaches was usually 7-8 mph in summer and about 5 mph in winter; improvements to roads brought this up to averaging 10 mph by the time Queen Victorby Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Express riders on Sunda? - 11 years ago
Hi Lizzy-- I'm not sure about express riders, but my impression is that everything pretty much shut down on Sundays (except churches, of course). Of course, a personal express rider could probably be paid to ride at any time. On a slightly related note, I've been doing a little research about the Regency era postal system that might be relevant: the British Postal Museum and Archive has quite aby Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: thanks and OOER - 11 years ago
Abbie Schuto is awesome-- also Penelope Garcia on Criminal Minds. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have someone like that around to wave her magic wand over our computers? Sigh. Anyways, I looked at those those external hard drives that you plug in and leave (duct tape is an excellent idea, by the way) but ended up getting a larger one that attaches via USB cable. It's not quite as convenient (I plug iby Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Disaster - 11 years ago
Oh, poor you! I've had that happen-- I stepped away for a minute and the big orange furball decided that he absolutely positively had to sit on the particular cushion where I'd left my laptop. The little metal sleeve around the actual chip (do they still call them chips?) got cracked out of the plastic sleeve... I superglued it back in and it was cranky but I got about 6 more months out of it. Mby Jean M. - Tea Room
Re: Tapestry of Lives, Chapter 66 - 11 years ago
Ngiyabonga Nicolete! I've actually spent quite a bit of time working in KwaZulu-Natal over the years, mostly around Estcourt and the Wagendrift Nature Reserve. The Drakensberg mountains are beautiful! Much, much nicer than being in Johannesburg, which has never grown on me. Now, off to a braai in my bakkie! -Jeanby Jean M. - Derbyshire Writers' Guild
Tapestry of Lives, Chapter 66 - 11 years ago
Well folks, we've finally reached the end! Hard to believe that a little drabble about Mrs. Gardener's origins grew into such an epic, but hopefully you enjoyed the ride (convoluted as it might have become at times). With an enormous amount of help from my most excellent beta, Niki, an edited version of Tapestry of Lives has been published (paperback and kindle), but I'm going to keep the old versby Jean M. - Derbyshire Writers' Guild
Re: This is one of the best chapters I have read on this website - 11 years ago
Wow--- Thanks! I'm blushing! -Jeanby Jean M. - Derbyshire Writers' Guild
Tapestry of Lives, Chapter 65 - 11 years ago
TAPESTRY OF LIVES by Jean M. Chapter 65. The Son She Always Wanted. Mr. and Mrs. Darcy left for Hertfordshire on the day after Georgiana’s wedding. Fitzwilliam commented only half jokingly that the trip would help distract him from thinking too much on his baby sister’s activities now that she was a married woman, but he could feel Elizabeth’s worry grow with every mile they progressed. Theby Jean M. - Derbyshire Writers' Guild
Re: Tapestry of Lives, Chapter 64 - 11 years ago
Right-- sorry, should have explained this before: I was having a miserable time trying to figure out how to end the story (hence the delay), so I went back to the beginning and started editing (this became the published version). In doing so, I (hopefully) cleaned up some internal inconsistencies, timeline problems, spelling, grammar, etc. (I've got my peeks and peaks straight now, but don't startby Jean M. - Derbyshire Writers' Guild