tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post6925308347212060745..comments2024-03-28T06:36:03.144+00:00Comments on Historical and Regency Romance UK: In Praise of Meriol Trevor Louise Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09895724319451189592noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-42130257921552536432014-07-07T21:42:30.886+01:002014-07-07T21:42:30.886+01:00You might be interested to know that Amazon have n...You might be interested to know that Amazon have now (July 2014) published the first 4 Luxembourg books (<i>The Fugitives </i>, <i>The Marked Man</i>, <i>The Enemy at Home</i> and <i>The Forgotten Country</i>) in Kindle format.<br /><br />If I get round to it, I'll contact them and ask if they propose to publish the other two ( <i>The Treacherous Paths</i>, <i>The Fortunes of Peace</i>) as well.<br /><br />They've also got some of her other novels of the period, both familiar ( <i>The Fortunate Marriage</i>, <i>The Wanton Fires</i>, <i>The Civil Prisoners</i>) and at least one which I've never seen in any library - <i>The Sun with a Face</i>. <br /><br />Trevor is short on the things that sell this sort of period piece - heaving bosoms, feisty heroines, quarrelsome exchanges with sexual overtones, undertones and midtones. I suspect many people will find her narratives decidedly pedestrian and, probably the worst thing, is that one sometimes feels that the author is rather detached from the fate of the characters.<br /><br />I find that her characters are varied and that her moral judgements are nuanced (especially in the series involving <i>The Fortunate Marriage</i>). I think that she manages to reflect the ambiguous circumstance of Luxembourg, especially once Napoleon enters the picture - neither wholly French nor wholly part of the Holy Roman Empire which Napoleon is dismantling. <br /><br />Perhaps the Amazon Kindle re-issues will prompt more people to read these books, but to gain a better following, those of us who appreciate her, will have to promote her for what she is and not lead anyone to expect the modern Regency novel - they are more a traditional "historical" novel with a strong romantic element.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-91295680303162769642013-07-08T06:43:48.176+01:002013-07-08T06:43:48.176+01:00Thanks for this, Elizabeth - you have given me ano...Thanks for this, Elizabeth - you have given me another author to read. Her books sound interesting so I shall see if I can find themMelinda Hammond/Sarah Malloryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10402460212860103804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-43765087374263725272013-07-07T11:57:23.607+01:002013-07-07T11:57:23.607+01:00I think they'd be your sort of books, Jane and...I think they'd be your sort of books, Jane and Nicola - plenty of adventure and romance, together with well-researched - though not intrusive - historical background.Elizabeth Hawksleyhttp://www.elizabethhawksley.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-22005312311088396552013-07-07T08:06:19.144+01:002013-07-07T08:06:19.144+01:00I hadn't heard of her but they sound like the ...I hadn't heard of her but they sound like the kind of book I would love. Like Nicola I shall try to get hold of them. Thanks for bringing them to my attention, Elizabeth.Jane Jacksonhttp://www.janejackson.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-11808403754900997272013-07-05T16:18:20.055+01:002013-07-05T16:18:20.055+01:00Thank you for your comments, Michelle W - it's...Thank you for your comments, Michelle W - it's great to meet another fan! <br /> Meriol Trevor never repeats herself; her heroes and heroines are all very different characters and the minor characters are fully-rounded people, too.<br /> I also enjoy her other novels like 'The Civil Prisoners' where the heroine is one of a group of British civilians detained in Verdun after the break down of the Peace of Amiens in 1803.<br /> Some of her Luxembourg characters turn up, too, which allows the reader to feel at home in her world, like meeting old friends. <br />Elizabeth Hawksleyhttp://www.elizabethhawksley.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-66666620420719068842013-07-05T15:37:36.178+01:002013-07-05T15:37:36.178+01:00I have loved Meriol Trevor's books for years. ...I have loved Meriol Trevor's books for years. Found them in our library and eventually bought many of them at a library sale. I have all of the Luxembourg novels. It's interesting to see that the first begins just after the French revolution and the last is set after Waterloo. So the six cover a long period and at the end the young lovers are now twenty years older. <br />They immediately appealed to me, as she wrote so well, so smoothly. The plot keeps a reader hooked and the characterisations are particularly well done. She presents conflict and honour extremely well. This is especially brought into focus with the relationship between the two Erlen brothers - as the younger, Dominique chooses to follow Bonoparte and in the series becomes a general in the French Army.<br />I also appreciate her inclusion of religion as part of the times and the characters, but it is not intrinsic to the plot.<br />I've read other of her historical novels and enjoyed them as well. She wrote YA historicals too, the Letzenstein Chronicles, and they are very similar in style.<br />If you can't find the books, some of the titles have recently begun to come out on Kindle.Michelle Wnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-14969164658058101192013-07-05T12:26:02.617+01:002013-07-05T12:26:02.617+01:00Thank you for the recommendation, Elizabeth. I kno...Thank you for the recommendation, Elizabeth. I know Meriol Trevor's name but haven't read any of the books. I will see if I can get hold of them.Nicola Cornickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12916076219284821820noreply@blogger.com