The Rules of Gentility by Janet Mullany

According to Janet Mullany, author of “The Rules of Gentility", “she set out to write a Regency version of "Bridget Jones’s Diary." She may not have succeeded in that but she has created an entertaining novel that has a very saucy side. Her characters are well developed, likable and more importantly she has managed to be quite historically accurate in her assessment of the foibles of Regency society.

The book is written in two voices, both the female and the male main characters. It makes for a very easy book to read and it may just be that you will not be able to put it down. The plot of “The Rules of Gentility” has a certain predictability and the ending is hardly a surprise however, the conversations along the way make it a good read.

The name of the main character is Philomena Wellesley-Clegg. She is an heiress. While that makes her a good catch, she does have her issues as far as the “Ton” is concerned. She is from trade. Her father owns a coal mine. She has a dear friend from her school days who has married into a very proper family. This friend is sponsoring Philomena and through her friend Julia, Lady Tarrent, she comes into contact with the dubious hero, Inigo Linsley.

Their first meeting is hilarious. Philomena thinks that Inigo is a servant and tries to hand him her packages to carry into Julia’s house so that she can get her opinion of some new hats that she has purchased. Philomena is quite the expert when it comes to haberdashery. Julia comes out and welcomes Inigo, causing Philomena to become quite embarrassed when she realizes her error. Not a great beginning, but she does notice that he is very good looking.

Inigo is a very typical Regency gentleman. A younger son, he is according to Philomena, “the wicked brother who often spends time in the country cooling his heels”. He, for his part, thinks she is quite silly but also finds her attractive.

What ensues is a comedy with a few steamy moments as the two main characters fight their attraction to each other.

Philomena has a list she has created of the possible men to fill the position of husband. Her list is quite unimpressive and it turns out that some of her suitors are more interested in each other, than in her. A false engagement between the hero and the heroine is announced and they both agree to keep it a secret. Enter the villain who is too ridiculous to even be taken seriously.

Some parts of the book are pretty silly. Julia, Philomena and some friends want to rescue fallen women. They have no idea what they are doing and their Association for the Rescue and Succor of those in Extremis has been nicknamed "ARSE" by male members of the Ton. Inigo improbably takes them to a house of ill repute and mayhem ensues.

Several subplots are inane and unnecessary but, at the end of the day, this is a very enjoyable book to read and, as with the works of Jane Austen, you want to know what happened to this couple when the book closes.  "The Rules of Gentility" will appeal to lovers of romance, the Regency Period and Jane Austen.

Almost French by Sarah Turnbull

Almost French is an easy and enjoyable read and we happily go along with Sarah on her journey of discovery of all things French. We watch enthralled as Sarah the Aussie TV reporter becomes Sarah the expat who writes stories of fashion and food. But this book is about so much more, it is about the journey, the trials and the errors as Sarah strives not only to understand the French but to become one with them if never one of them.

It all begins when Sarah meets Frederic in Romania and he invites her to visit him in Paris. What begins as a week stretches into a month, the holiday romance has in Sarah's words 'shifted to something more serious". In spite of this or because of this she sets off to complete the plans she had set in motion a year before when she planned this year sabbatical in Europe. Four months later she is drawn back to her new life in Paris and life with Frederic, the adventure is about to begin.

To say that cultures clashed is a gross understatement. It is hard to imagine how educated people from two western nations can have developed in such divergent ways but Sarah finds that navigating the social life of Paris is fraught with danger and quicksand. It takes years of misunderstandings and many books to bring her to an understanding that she will always be an outsider, for no other reason than because that is the way it is and to accept that French woman will not become her friends.

We feel her pain and her frustration and when finally she is pushed by the rudeness of a man in the local patisserie to respond in kind, we cheer for her and laugh and enjoy this short moment of triumph. We meet a cast of characters that would rival any great French novel. The street people, the shop keepers, the country friends and the city friends.

For anyone who has ever visited France and tried to communicate with the French, this is a book of eye opening clarity. It makes so many things make sense. Sarah has to deal with the French bureaucracy, the inherent rudeness and frustration at every level and yet throughout her love of Paris, the people and most of all Frederic shine through.

In the end we come away with a greater understanding of the differences in our cultures and expectations. We appreciate what makes the French, so French. Surrounded by amazing history, culture and beauty we applaud Sarah as she becomes Almost French.

Book review: The Stranger in My Genes by Bill Griffeth

"The Stranger in My Genes" is a book that every genealogist should read. In the past, many people have uncovered secrets in the process of looking for their roots. Let's face it, every family has secrets. But the advent of DNA has opened a whole new Pandora's Box of possibilities. 

Bill Griffeth is a respected journalist who has written four books. The first two were on finance, His third book "By Faith Alone: One Family's Epic Journey Through American Protestantism" was published in 2007. It documents his family as he traced their journey from New England and New York into the mid-west and beyond. 

Nothing could have prepared him for what happened when his cousin Doug requested that he get his DNA tested to help them to identify some specific DNA segments that they should share. The results of that test changed his life forever in ways that he could never have predicted. 

I couldn't put the book down and read it in two days. It is a fascinating read and certainly something that as a fellow genealogist I can identify with. 

I highly recommend that you get this book immediately, especially if you are interested in your family history and are considering getting your DNA tested. You may get a lot more than you ever expected. 

I give this book a 5/5 a must read. 

England’s Mistress by Kate Williams

The subtitle of this book is The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton, just in case you didn’t know who England’s Mistress was. Kate Williams has done an amazing job of bringing Emma to life. It is the story of a beautiful and ambitious girl from the country who ended up reaching heights few can aspire to and in the end, crashed and burned. All the while, you find yourself liking Emma with all her strengths and weaknesses and trying not to judge her for the errors in judgment she made.

This is a book you will have a hard time putting down. Her life is so much more to it than just a passionate and tumultuous relationship with Admiral Horatio Nelson. In case you don't know what Emma looked like, there are a great number of pictures in this book. Emma was a favorite model of her time she was the Angelina Joli of the 18th century.

Emma was a bit of a wild child who found a man she wanted and went about getting him. In a time before there was celebrity status, she was a star. A gorgeous one, too when you look at the beautiful paintings, even discounting the fact that most artists try to make the model look good. She has a softness and an almost innocent beauty about her that transcends time.

If you know anything about Emma Hamilton, forget it; this is going to make you look at her in a totally new and different way. Like so many women before her, Emma began her career on the stage and on her back. Somehow, she managed to keep from becoming just another hardened prostitute and instead caught the eye of several protectors.

Emma Hamilton was born in Cheshire a little after the middle of the eighteenth century. Her name was Amy Lyon and her father was a blacksmith who died before she was even a year old. His death was mysterious and the reason is lost in the fog of time.

Emma and her mother remained close throughout her life, and, to Emma’s credit, she never claimed to be anything but what she was: a beautiful girl from a dirt-poor family who had something so special about her it would attract the attention of some of the wealthiest and most important men in the world.

England's Mistress is well annotated and filled with quotes from letters and writings from the time period. This is a very enjoyable read for anyone who loves a good love story, even one without a happy ending. Lots of history and art as well.