Books, books, and more books

The Dovekeepers

2012-01-03T10:16:00.000Z

The Jewish community in Rome dates to the time of the Roman Empire. Their community were subjected to periods that varied from toleration to low level harassment and always taxed more heavily just because they were Jews. Inspiration for this book was the real AD70 sack of Jerusalem when the Romans persecuted with a heavy hand.

The persecution of this race forced these people apart and into inhospitable lands where they are tested to the limits of human endurance. The softening touch of the doves of the title arrives quite far into the story but winds its threads until the end.

Four women who seem to be unconnected tell their tale until the invisible ties entwine in ways that influence their destiny. Their belief is that all is written before a person’s birth and it is the individual’s duty to live the pre-ordained life. A constant theme emerges of the strength that develops through adversity and of secrets kept by women. Secrets of who fathered them and who fathered their child bind these strangers together as does the endurance of love in its different forms even when forbidden by social rules. In a male dominated society the, supposedly humble, women appear as the mortar that binds the bricks. Consistent throughout the tale is the moral that conditioning will lead us on a certain path even although adhering to those principles leads to our own destruction.

Hoffman illustrates intimate knowledge of the Jewish calendar, gender segregations, superstitions and beliefs of that culture. Based on archaeological finds and true events the tale of the women, like so many in history, was not recorded. Hoffman tells that story with sensitivity and realism. Dovekeepers is a thoroughly good read.

The Dovekeepers, Alice Hoffman, Simon and Schuster, 2011.

A short description of the life of the Countess Kata Bethlen by herself; written in Transylvania in the 1740s

2011-09-19T08:38:00.000+01:00

Despite being well connected to the Transylvanian aristocracy Kata Bethlen (1700-54) had her fair share of trials in life. Twice widowed before her early twenties she endured the death of four infant children, the removal of a son according to a marital agreement and the removal of her daughter contrary to that same marital agreement. This daughter was then actively encouraged to hate her mother because they belonged to a different religion. Kata adhered without waivering to the Calvinist faith in a country that was predominantly Catholic.

Although the actions of less principled kin were clearly aimed at acquiring the Countess’ property Kata remained convinced that their motives were religiously based. Furthermore, she placed every action of another human as a trial from God to test her faith.

This diary is more a series of prayers interspersed with revealing events that reveal Kata as a mere mortal and victim. Who could not admire a woman who fought a custody case that was presented to the Queen of Austria for solution? As a contrast, when a hailstorm made her barn roof into a sieve, ruined crops and killed cattle she was convinced that God had laid his hands in condemnation upon her. When this was closely followed by local flash flooding and a period of plaque Kata meekly accepted His Will, which, in her own words, ‘by the destruction of my worldly goods has increased my spiritual wealth … by exhausting my bodily strength has strengthened my faith.’ Throughout the book I wondered how a woman who spent her whole life in prayer and supplication was continually berating herself for unspecified sins.

Is her craving for solace in solitude enough to account for the remarkable absence of outside events in her diary? Persecution of religious minorities by absolute monarchs was rife across Europe during her lifetime yet she does not appear to be in a network with other Calvinists. Neither Prussia’s military expansions nor the Jacobite wars in

Britain

, centred upon religious freedoms, are ever mentioned. In addition, this was a period of agricultural advancement that does not seem to have arrived at Kata’s estates in Transylvania.

It is clear that Kata lives her life preparing for death from her early forties. Every New Year was noted in a negative fashion as if another endurance test that kept her from her redeemer. Had it not been for this diary of thankful prayers and the replacement of a wooden church with a stone construction for the tiny Presbyterian congregation this lady may have had her wish for no earthly remains.

A short description of the life of the Countess Kata Bethlen by herself, translation by Bernard Adams, Shaun Tyas publishing, 2004

Maharanis; the lives and times of three generations of Indian princesses

2011-08-24T10:13:00.001+01:00

The subject of this book is the lives of three influential princesses during the transition of India from the rule of native princes to the British. Chimnabai, Sunity Devi and Indira moved between two worlds; one regulated by the strict hierarchy of a caste system and the other a liberated western outlook. A surprising aspect of this book is how much time these families spent in the south of England.

To set the context there is in-depth detail regarding the men in the lives of these women and the politics of British India. This co-operation was encouraged by the British government but made the princes outcasts to their traditionalist population. The British found that doing business with rulers enlightened by speaking English with an understanding of European culture was an easier process than with fundamental traditionalists. However, the princes were considered by the British as mere vassals to liven up processions and add weight to British authority. Furthermore, equality was to be denied these rulers, for example, Indian princes had to petition for influential positions in the military.

In a country where 300 female new-borns were ‘snatched by wolves’ in one year the high-caste princess led a privileged but restricted life. Living between these two worlds was certain to lead to conflict. All three princesses portrayed were daughters of enlightened fathers who embraced British culture. The result was an educated, well-travelled, bilingual woman who was allowed to dress in western clothes but regularly returned to strictly female-only sari-covered purdah. It is inevitable that the feeling of freedom was not entirely left behind when the princess was expected to conform as a dutiful Indian daughter or wife. Although a western educated majarahi may wish a wife of similar standing he expected traditional Indian behaviour as well.

Chimnabai’s marriage to Sayajirao was a marriage of equals. In her book about the lives of Indian women she endorsed reform and the creation of credit societies, borstals, model farms and agricultural improvements. Although these may seem strange subjects for a late 19^th century female mind they reflect her husband’s thinking as well as exposure to English society. However, the basis of her beliefs was the education of females so that they would make fit companions for their husbands and guides for their children. She was placing opportunities for Indian women into the minds of the educated elite around the world. Ironically, the women who would benefit from this foresight could not, at that stage, even read her words.

Sunity Devi of Cooch Behar was a reigning Maharini when she visited England and made a lasting impression on Queen Victoria. She and her husband, Nipendra were soul-mates with the hunting, shooting and fishing fraternity of Victorian England. In their case, they were using elephants to shoot tigers or fishing for fighting mahseer in jungle rivers. They saw no dichotomy in eating spiced curries whilst serving European food to their guests. Although his loyalty to the British crown was not rewarded Nipendra died on English soil and after an honorary funeral as a British Colonel was cremated as a Hindu. Despite the problems, Sunity benefited from her husband’s determination that she was an equal. The theme of male acceptance of female emancipation is consistent throughout the lives of all three princesses.

Chimnabai’s daughter, Indira, defied her parents to marry Jit, the son of Sunity Devi. In another example of this dual world their ceremony at Paddington Registry Office was followed by an Indian blessing. In an unexpected twist of fate Jit was Majarahi within weeks of their wedding making this ostracised daughter a Maharani. At the instigation of her father purdah was first abolished in her home state of Baroda in 1913, the same year as her marriage. It took time for other states to follow this example and, unlike most world changes, it needed a royal example to lead the way.

Despite the freedoms and privileges accorded to these families it did not bring happiness. The children of these marriages struggled with alcohol, trouble with the law, failed marriages and estrangement from their parents. One has to consider the price of freedom.

Maharanis; the lives and times of three generations of Indian princesses, Lucy Moore, Viking, 2004

Mary and Marie; united Queens

2011-07-19T10:41:00.000+01:00

Did you know that the French Queen, Marie Antoinette is a direct descendant of Mary, Queen of Scots?

This blog is a result of discovering something whilst searching for something else. In conversation I couldn’t remember the name of Marie Antoinette’s brother who ruled Austria. When looking through the family tree I saw a direct line to the famous French Queen.

So how does this happen?

Starting with Mary, Queen of Scots, we have James VI and I who produced Charles I and his sister Elizabeth, who married Frederick V, the Elector Palatine in 1613. Their daughter Lisolette became the second wife to Duc d’Orleans, son of Louis XIII. This hereditary title is given to the brother of the French King. The marriage between le Duc and Lisolette produced thirteen children. A daughter Elisabeth Charlotte of d’Orleans became the wife of the Duke of Lorraine.

The son of Elisabeth and the Duke of Lorraine is called Francis Stephen, Emperor of Austria. He married the formidable Maria Teresa who becomes Empress of Austria. Their eighth daughter was christened Maria Antonia Josepha Joanna. When 14 years old the Austrian archduchess crossed the French border to become Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI. Hence, this little girl with Scots, English and French blood is a direct descendant of Mary, Queen of Scots and the Stewart dynasty. Marie Antoniette is six generations descent from Mary, Queen of Scots.

Other links in this family tree include:-

The first wife to Duc d’Orleans was Henriette Anne of England, daughter to Charles I and mother to Louis XV.

There is a link from the Duke of Lorraine backwards to the Lorraine-Guise of France. This powerful family influenced French royalty and through marriage produced Marie de Guise, mother of Mary Stewart (Stuart).

Elizabeth of Bohemia was also the mother of George, the first Hanover on the British throne.

Mary Stuart became a victim of the axe on 8 February 1587.

Marie Antoinette became a victim of the guillotine on 16 October 1793.

Amazing what you can find in a book!

Marie Antoinette; the journey, Antonia Fraser, Phoenix, 2002

Wideacre

2011-06-15T20:22:00.000+01:00

Would you be interested in a novel where the central character is a lust-driven, single-minded, self-centred teenager? Yes? Then this is your book. Unfortunately I’m not.

Set on an 18^th century Sussex estate Wideacre is the first in a trilogy. The main character, Beatrice, has an ingrained love and knowledge of the land her father farmed. Due to the laws of the land she will be denied ownership whilst her uninterested brother inherits all that comes with being the first-born son. At the age of fifteen Beatrice is complicit, with her childhood lover, to the murder of her adored father. Soon after, she deliberately leaves her lover for dead. Whilst in an incestuous relationship with her brother she produces two children, whom she promptly foists off onto unsuspecting family members. Whilst driving her husband to drink and the asylum she hurries along the death of her mother. During all this scheming to become the power behind the Squire she manages to maintain her innocent persona to the wider world.

At no stage of the character’s development did I feel sympathy or understanding. Her sense of injustice at being overlooked in a man’s world didn’t strike any chords in my heart. Although perfectly true of many periods and cultures real life has given us plenty of examples where women overcame the limitations of their lives without being so self-centred. Her incestuous relationship was born from an unadulterated need to control the next Squire and I wasn’t convinced by Beatrice’s later justification that she was paying her dues like any tenant on the estate. That’s a case of a short memory or convenient cover-up for guilt.

Adoration and acknowledgment of her superior farming knowledge is a cornerstone to Beatrice's confidence. The fact that she is never suspected of her hanging offences and her capacity to destroy lives starts to wear thin. The beginning of the end is when she makes decisions, for the future of her son, that go against best practice for the land and villagers. The one thing in favour of this book is the introduction to farming practices that were rejected for new efficiency and higher profits but poverty-stricken cottagers.

Whilst reading this 20 chapter, 620 page novel I was thinking that the chances of picking up the next two in the series was extremely thin, especially if Beatrice survived. However, the last third of the story became more interesting and I was given a reason to perhaps look at the second in the series, The Favoured Child. Maybe, one day …

Wideacre, Philippa Gregory, Harper Collins, 2001

Confessions of a Justified Sinner

2011-06-03T21:39:00.000+01:00

I can only describe this book in the words of a 1947 reviewer ‘It is long since I can remember being so taken hold of, so voluptuously tormented, by any book.’

The central themes of Gothic horror, satire and open exposure of the hypocrisy of a strictly enforced religious doctrine are laid bare. James Hogg splits his 1824 tale into two parts. The first is a narration by the ‘editor’ which Hogg makes clear is not himself thereby prompting the question of 'who is it'. The second part is the story as lived by the justified sinner, Robert Wringhim, in the 17^th century.

Wringhim, whose very name says just what should have happened to him, is led to believe that his place in heaven is assured regardless of his deeds on earth. This confidence was instilled in him by his fanatically Presbyterian parents. Evil is unleashed when Wringhim is influenced by a mysterious friend who appears and vanishes with the mist. Whilst this vulnerable youth believes he has been chosen as an avenger of God to cleanse the sanctuary I found myself inwardly, frustratingly, screaming that his imaginary friend is the Devil Incarnate.

The reader becomes as immersed in this world of schizophrenia as the main character.

Ironically, crimes that lead to hell are committed by those convinced of their place in heaven. Confessions is a hard-hitting criticism of the Calvinistic beliefs in elect and reprobate where God’s judgement at birth dictates a person’s spiritual after-life. We are informed on page 11 that the justified can do no wrong. This to Wringhim, means that taking the fun loving life of his half-brother, the hereditary Laird of Dalcastle, is not a crime.

The twists and turns of this tale tossed my emotions from sympathy to disgust, from certainty to doubt, then back again. The editor makes a return at the end of the book and provides the final revelation. This ensures that the reader must make up their own mind and that will depend entirely on your beliefs.

Hogg most certainly was not just telling a tale set in the 17^th century when religious divisions caused a Civil War. Without mentioning the schisms and increasingly stricter practices within the 19^th century church his book was drawing parallels with contemporary society. Contemporary society noticed and was outraged.

I have heard the book criticised by those who study English literature as hard to understand. Don't analyse it. Just delve in. I loved it for its ability to draw me into an insular, narrow world that still has meaning for anyone with beliefs and faiths.

Confessions of a justified sinner, James Hogg, Canongate, 1990

The CureWife

2011-05-09T12:41:00.000+01:00

Watson’s diary of a curewife precedes the story told by William Blain in Witches Blood. The character, Grissel Jaffray, is a healer who has inherited healing knowledge passed down through generations of women. This book is a diary of that knowledge that was intended for the daughter Grissel never had. It was refreshing to return to a Dundee largely forgotten. Where the hill town was literally a village to the north rather than a central artery to the town. Grissel gathered her herbs and plants from areas that recent generations have forgotten ever was green land.

Written in a similar format to Blain the characters are woven into the pivotal moments of Scottish history from Robert the Bruce to Charles II. It is a fast paced read where the reader is carried along by vivid descriptions of murder and mayhem created by the Civil War sieges. As someone who has read so many dry facts it was engrossing to read an interpretation of how the burgh’s residents survived the military actions by both sides of the Civil War argument.

Although the real life events are, like Blain’s novel, not mentioned by name, those with an understanding of Scottish history have no difficulty in identifying the situation. For those who do not have that in-depth knowledge it is still a good read. However, desciptions within popular novels tend to become the general belief. Urban myth soon has a way of becoming ‘fact’. This leads to my one criticism. The hatred held by the main character, Grissel, towards the Marquis of Montrose is mentioned throughout. However, the slaughter attributed to Montrose is, in reality, attributed to the attack by General George Monck 6 years later. Dundee had the distinction of being attacked by both sides of the Civil War argument. Contemporary evidence of Montrose’s attack is restricted to damage to property and drunken behaviour of the troops. Within hours of entering the town Montrose and his troops hastily retreated as the Parliamentarian forces approached. For some reason his attack is portrayed as more vicious than Monck's which is credited with the slaughter of one-eigth of the population. The theft of its possesions left the town pleading poverty for decades afterwards. Whilst reading I eagerly anticipated reaching the 6 year occupation of the town by Monck’s forces which is a period I would like to have described but alas! there is a leap in time.

This easily read account of Dundee as a medieval town and the different reasons that a woman could be charged with witchcraft has an ironic twist at the final stage.

The CureWife, Claire-Marie Watson, 2003, Birlinn

Dundee Book Prize winner 2002.

Soiled Doves; prostitution in the early West

2011-04-11T10:17:00.000+01:00

Perceptions of the American frontier and Wild West as exciting times are immortalised by Hollywood. A time when men were defined by the fast draw and whiskey drinking but women were defined as respectable or soiled doves.

Women attracted to frontier towns went for the same reasons as men; money, adventure and, in their case, to find a husband. With a ratio of 2 females to 100 males attention seemed likely. Unfortunately life often turned sour and women were left with no alternative but to become a ‘sporting gal.’ As the oldest occupation known to mankind a focused courtesan could gain a royal lifestyle. However, prostitution also involves the bonded and the forced.

This book conveys the real-life fragile links between prostitutes and the society that shunned them. A life where Madams contributed to church and state but received no Christian solace or legal protection. Where the women aided the sick and took in the poor but are called sinners. These women spent their income on fancy goods but were not considered beneficial to a settlement. Embraced yet rejected these women fell into two camps, the willing and the victims. The book contains images of real prostitutes ranging from posed glamour to the plain squalor of the police profile.

With the aid of a published directory, men of all classes could locate a boarding house or parlour under the control of an entrepreneurial Madam, where a business card was left at the door before gaining access to an attractive, literate, piano-playing companion.

At the lower end of the market were the brothels with its distinctive red lights. Where a 15yr old could become an old hag in her twenties. The parlour girl could not rest easy because when the effects of her life showed in her face and body she would find herself on the trail of mining town brothels vulnerable to flesh peddlers.

By any moral standards the means used by pimps to control their assets was barbaric and akin to conditions associated with the slave trade. Chinese and Dutch girls embarking on a new life joined emancipated slaves for sale at private auctions to the lower end of the market. Tied to a crib for up to six years a girl was forced to proclaim the prices for each favour to the potential customers. The taint of being a soiled dove meant being denied a respectable marriage and the reality of burial in un-consecrated ground.

With occasional glimmers of kindness, this book will take the reader through all the emotions of desperation, acceptance and resignation. Recommended reading.

Soiled Doves; prostitution in the early West, Anne Seagraves, Wesanne Publications, USA, 1994

Letters from the Crimea; writing home, a Dundee doctor

2011-03-14T09:08:00.000Z

A young man is separated from home, shipped out to a war zone and is a participant in events that are recorded in world history. One would expect this to be an absorbing read venturing to the exotic port of Constantinople and battle sites of Gallilopi, Kinburn, Inkerman and Balaclava. When we find that he entered Scutari, Turkey on the same ship as the soon-to-be-famous Florence Nightingale much is expected of this volume of letters.

Through his descriptive letters from the front-line of the Crimea War, newly qualified medical assistant, David Greig, has preserved his world for posterity. From 1854-55 this voluntary participant wrote once a fortnight, alternating his letters between his father, mother and sister. Descriptions of rooms, places and people he met were all given to satisfy the curiosity of the women. His father received more general news of the war effort or moans that there is no news. Sending regards to former neighbours, asking to be remembered and pleas for newspapers is a constant theme of his demands upon his family. For anyone with Dundonian connections this is a valuable genealogical resource as David’s letters always include names of neighbours and acquaintances with snippets of news.

His earliest letters from the Scutari hospital consistently refer to his desire to be ‘sent up’ to the action points – to see the fun! He uses his connections in Dundee to achieve this in order to broaden his own surgical experience. He treats this war as a big boy’s adventure and a great opportunity for advancement of medical science. When he is bored or a harsh winter threatens his comforts he campaigns for a move. At one stage I wondered if there was a war going on! Not once does it occur to him that he might be killed or that as a doctor the cavalry and infantry might need his services! Even his own brush with death through illness caught in his own hospital doesn’t dampen his eternal cheerfulness.

Despite flying artillery making the most terrible row, night-time attacks by Russians, men being ‘knocked about’ and living in mud the tone of the letters display an indomitable stiff upper lip. By his own admission he goes without very little and has jolly outings to villages that he surmises were pretty before being fired and destroyed. He often recounts his own resourcefulness in providing home comforts in his hut.

Images of a less politically correct world are hinted at but without any sense of violence or world order being upset. An example of this is his indifference to men being flogged. Being present is just another duty as a fellow gets what he deserves. His later attempts at capturing a pig from a deserted homestead would make a great comedy element in a film although sure to upset animal rights activists.

What is surprising is the amount of parcels being sent to and from home, although the much yearned for marmalade (made by Keillors in Dundee of course) remained elusive for eighteen months. Any researcher will be fired up by the thought of enquiring into the fate of the multiple curiosities collected from the battle sites that he sent home.

As his letters are focused on either himself or fellow doctors there is little sense of the severity of a war that involved over 110,300 British men and Allied losses totalling 140,000. Did the fighting men have fireplaces in their huts, wine cellars and a servant? Only in the final moments before the truce does the correspondent display more depth of character. This is the one niggling aspect of this rare resource. He comes over as a pretentious upper-class twit. For anyone who knows the reputation of industrialised Victorian Dundee it is a marvel how the city could produce such a creature. Alternatively, this is an insight into the life of a minority of this industrialised town who did wear white shirts and ‘cut-throat’ collars. Dundee had its share of men who could stay in Covent Garden hotels, hold accounts and employ agents. Some may excuse David’s rudeness with the benefit of the doubt by excusing his youth (aged 23-24) or his need to reassure his family of his safety. To be fair he does end each letter with assurances of his sound health and, at times, his distance from the real action. I say action, as he at no time referred to danger. The kind-hearted may assume that his mocking rebukes to those who fear for him are his way of expressing emotion in a situation that required strength of character. Who could not sympathise with his anger of having an early private letter reproduced in the Dundee Courier. However, if you tell someone that you cut off a shoulder of a dead Russian then carelessly leave it for the rats to devour….!

David’s accounts of life do not match the chaos immortalised by Florence Nightingale’s accounts of the same places. Despite several assertions that the British Army was healthy it takes David more than a year to mention the importance of cleanliness in a camp. Surprising, considering this war is estimated to have claimed 16,000 lives to cholera, typhus and other diseases. Despite constant descriptions there is little analysis of his environment. He rarely offers details of his work but insists that regular correspondence is essential to his personal well-being. Whilst highlighting his need to have an outside world his dedication to keeping his family informed has to be admired. Despite my criticism this is a valuable first-hand account and the volume of letters to different recipients allows a fuller picture to be gained.

Long after hostilities end David is allowed to return home. A 63 day sea journey to England is immediately followed by a transfer to various hospitals around London. His request for leave is hard won but he eventually returns to Dundee two years after leaving on his grand adventure. After a respectable career in his home town David has an opportunity to return to the much changed Crimea and this journal is concluded with one poignant letter home.

Letters from the Crimea; writing home, a Dundee doctor, D. Hill (editor), Dundee University Press, 2010.

Elcho of the ‘45

2011-03-07T10:52:00.000Z

With an insatiable appetite for Jacobitism I eagerly clutched the chance to delve deep into one man’s experience of being a follower to Prince Charles Edward Stuart literally on to the battlefield at Culloden.

Two hand-written manuscripts, one in fluent French, by David, Lord Elcho, are the basis of this book. The Fife based family of Wemyss have a lineage dating back to the 12^th century when their service to kings began. With Presbyterian allegiances since the Reformation Elcho and his brother went against family tradition. They found themselves as accidental Jacobites due to a father’s leanings and a tutor who may have been a Jacobite agent. After the obligatory Grand Tour and training at a military college in Angers, France, Elcho rose through the ranks as a competent officer in the royal army.

Despite examples around him of men who joined the Bonnie Prince then became disillusioned Elcho continued to serve the man he believed was rightful king of the newly integrated Great Britain. His life before defeat at Culloden was socialising with a Who’s Who of the aristocracy. Once exiled in Europe and inextricably linked to both the Prince and Catholicism Elcho was in turns treated as an outcast or favoured guest.

Unfortunately, their relationship fell apart over the non-repayment of a loan that Elcho maintained he gave the Prince to fund the Rising. In defeat, these funds were sorely needed by Elcho to rebuild a life in exile but his request was stubbornly ignored by his Prince. This rift meant isolation from the company that he had known since birth. To add to the anguish, Elcho remained an exile whilst other Jacobite activists were pardoned by the English government. He was destined never to receive that pardon nor return to his homeland.

There is no doubt that Elcho was sorely used by his Prince and paid the price for his loyalty for the rest of his life. The Prince Charles that is hinted at in Elcho’s Journal is not the romantic ideal of nostalgic history but a headstrong, ill-educated, vain-glorious self-seeker. For this reason alone I would recommend reading this book. Despite severe provocation Elcho maintained the mindset of his period and did not write derogotary remarks about his master. However, what also comes across is that Elcho was a dry, factual writer with no hints at emotion. His contemporaries considered him irritable and slightly eccentric. Although I think his judgment of the Prince is accurate how much did Elcho contribute to his own loneliness?

Throughout the book there are several references to the fact that these narratives were not intended, by Elcho, for publication. With the double negatives and convoluted grammar I often found myself wishing that the editors had abided by that decision. This book is for scholars of the subject and for those well acquainted with Jacobitism.

Elcho of the ’45, Alice Wemyss. Ed: John Sibbald Gibbon, 2003, Saltire Society

The Trial of Jack the Ripper

2011-03-02T21:32:00.000Z

FACT: William Bury, aged 29, was hanged for wife murder 28 April 1889 at Bell St Police Station, Dundee.

FACT or FICTION: William Bury was Jack the Ripper?

Macpherson has unearthed surely every detail that could be known about the movements of William Bury during his short stay in Dundee. The book is written in two sections; Part 1 is the events in Dundee that led to Bury’s execution in 1889. The opening chapters offer all the gory similarities between the murder of Bury’s wife, Ellen, and the 5 victims of the unidentified Jack the Ripper. Only a truly cynical reader (or one with extra knowledge) could reach the end of Part 1 unconvinced of Bury’s connections with the London murders.

However, early into Part 2: London 1888, the doubts are introduced. Each chapter deals with the violent end to a woman’s life in Victorian Whitechapel. Predictably, the contemporary evidence is not consistent and I wasn't always convinced by the author's attempts to deal with each of these inconsistencies. A reader is not likely to overlook a piece of evidence because the author ensures that the clue is repeated when another piece of the jigsaw matches. My only criticism is that he dismisses a piece of evidence because it does not fit with his case against Bury. Yet, this is a failing that he attributes to other investigators.

Overall, I wanted to reach the final chapter with a definite conclusion or overwhelming sense that Dundee did indeed get their man but Macpherson allows each reader to make their own decision.

The Trial of Jack the Ripper, Euan Macpherson, 2005, Mainstream Publishing

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

2011-02-28T09:23:00.001Z

World Book Night has printed 1,000,000 special editions of 25 renowned titles for free distribution on 3rd March 2011. The unsuspecting public of Cupar, NE Fife will be offered, by myself, the classic tale of an Edinburgh schoolmistress who lives her life through six girls aspiring to be the crème de la crème.

Miss Jean Brodie is a maverick at the 1930s Marcia Blaine School for Girls. Taking advantage of the school’s traditional reputation Miss Brodie deliberately sets an alternative educational curriculum that is centred on her beliefs and principles. With the complete confidence of a woman in her prime she maintains a subtle influence over ‘her girls’ even after their progression to senior school.

Brodie’s world disdains the team spirit of Brownies and Girl Guides but exalts Mussolini. Although the threats of Fascism and the Spanish Civil War seem another world the lives of these young girls are affected by Brodie’s admiration of the doctrine.

Although comic elements abound, usually on serious matters, there is added pathos. The behaviour or personalities of characters is often explained away by the person’s adherence to a religious faith. The father of six babies is, of course, a Catholic. Preferring that a pious student become a pioneering missionary in some faraway land Brodie warns that the young girl’s lack of ambition may lead her to a bleak future as ‘a Girl Guide leader in a suburb like Corstorphine’. Little does Brodie realise that the young girl wants to be a Girl Guide leader in her home suburb.

What appears to be manipulation by Brodie is later recognised as the non-maverick conformity of her personality and society as well as a fear of recognising her own emotions. Whilst attempting to influence the sexual awakenings of these pubescent girls Brodie stoically refuses to accept love. The author makes us aware of the fate of several of the girls quite early on and the reader journeys with them towards that fate. Although it seems a couthy, straightforward, tale readers will find subversive messages according to their own experiences.

Brodie tells her girls proudly that she is descended from the infamous Deacon who was hanged from a gibbet of his own devising. It becomes clear that Brodie also created her own undoing; a result of encouraging innocent eyes to see!

Do you want a languid Sunday afternoon by the fireside? Then this is the book of choice.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Muriel Spark, Penguin Press, 2011

The Lady in the Tower; the fall of Anne Boleyn

2011-02-14T09:00:00.004Z

Alison Weir has left no aspect of Anne’s character or life unexplored in this page-turner that focuses upon the period from Anne’s fall from favour to execution. Due to a religious or political bias of biographers there are several accounts of Anne that make an impartial account difficult. For those who thought they knew all they needed to know about this woman Weir makes you think again.

Henry the Eight’s 2^nd wife, Anne Boleyn, is alleged to have used witchcraft to snare her man who needed to overthrow his existing Queen. To do this meant a break from Rome and the Catholic Church. Once in that exalted position Anne is credited with alienating Catholic Europe with her zeal for reform. Was that the real Anne or the image given to her by enemies?

It seems that Anne was indiscreet, perhaps too sure of her position, and this played its part in her downfall. This book offers insights into Anne’s relationship with Henry and his first daughter, Mary Tudor, and any courtier who stood in the way of her ambitions. Her reforming zeal is linked to the emerging Protestant faith yet in her last hours she received the Eucharist and died a Catholic. This is shown by her belief that she would achieve heaven because she had done enough good works, whereas, the Reformed Faith promoted that heaven is acheived through faith alone.

Anne was neither high born or well connected meaning that when in trouble she had no willing saviours or reasons for her enemies to restrain their actions. Weir exposes the depth of the sham trial that was a miscarriage of justice, not only for Anne, but for the 5 men accused with her.

It seems remarkable that this thick book could cover only the last months of Anne's life. Whole chapters devoted to the days and hours before the inevitable execution are illuminating for two reasons. Firstly Weir, through the trial documents, records the 16^th century legal processes. It is hard to prove, but equally hard to deny, that Anne’s downfall was entirely due to the fact that she failed to provide Henry with a living heir. Her trial was within months of her fourth miscarriage. As with many historical events the documents that would shed clearer light on matters did not survive. Therefore, we can not say for certain what charges were in the court depositions. Coincidentally several of the accused men were inconvenient to Master Secretary, Thomas Cromwell, for either political or religious reasons.The depths of duplicity to frame six innocent people for the alleged crime of treason is startlingly clear.

Whilst besotted with Anne, Henry worked very hard to have his marriage recognised by foreign leaders. A special bill, Act of Succession, pronounced her as lawful Queen in her own right and named Elizabeth as a successor. In the period leading up to the trial and after her execution Henry back pedalled by trying to get the marriage annulled so that the world would accept his next choice of wife. On the day of her execution Anne, who had no royal blood, died as a Queen who was not married to a King.

The unexplored irony is that Henry's next wife, Jane Seymour, is considered a sweet contrast who achieved her reputation by dying in childbirth with Edward VI. Yet, with family ambitions pushing her forward, Jane did to Anne, exactly what Anne had done to the previous Queen, Katherine of Aragon.

This book is great reading and I would recommend it.

The Lady in the Tower; the fall of Anne Boleyn. Alison Weir, 2010, Vintage Books

Witches Blood

2011-02-07T09:00:00.004Z

First published in 1946 this novel set in Dundee is still in print today.

Blain’s novel starts in August 1658 when a flame-haired bonnet maker has a seizure during which she mumbles incomprehensible words. When these mutterings come true Elspet Renkyn is marked as a witch and suffers burning at the stake.

She leaves behind a young son, Adam, called English, after the Covenanting soldier whose army had besieged and occupied the royal burgh during the Civil War. Succeeding generations of the English family are imbued with a hatred of ‘the right ones’ who control the town. Their desire to be the power in Dundee is motivated by the predictions of the ‘witch’ Elspet and the constant reminder of the lock of red hair that was cut from the dying woman’s head.

Blain tells the history of Dundee, and Scotland, from the Civil War through the lives of the English family. The longest living character, Katherine, was a favourite of her grandfather, who overlooked the red hair and hunchback that society rejected. In return Katherine spent her life in constant search of the undefined power and influences the family’s decisions and activities.

Blain never refers directly to the real-life events or dates, which makes it enjoyable for non-historians and non- Dundonians. However, those familiar with Scottish history will recognise the 17^th century Civil War, the Darien adventures that led to the 1707 Union of Parliaments, and the Chartist movements for political and social reform. For Dundee that meant the 1651 siege and occupation by a Covenanting army, the overthrow of a corrupt burgh council and social mobility due to the rise of flax, linen and jute manufacture.

I have no criticism of this novel and no suggestions as to its improvement. Witches Blood has to be the perfect read.

William Blain, 1978, Corgi Books

DUNDEE Memories

2011-01-25T16:46:00.001Z

Ian Malcolm’s twenty short chapters of memories flow seamlessly to offer the reader a glance into Dundee during the mid 20^th century. The tales flow from his birth in 1925 until the start of World War II when he sailed away with the Merchant Navy. By covering his family, childhood activities, streets, local shops, the ‘baths’, schooling and early work experience the reader becomes part of his world.

As a tour guide in the city I read with an eye to gathering knowledge. However, I was able to read this book as a Dundonian and enjoy it. Words such as plat, short for platform, referring to the balcony on most Scottish tenements, keeps the culture alive. (I know the word as plettie). The ease with which children were allowed to wander around the city belongs to a bygone age, although there seems no doubt that such early freedoms resulted in confident, mature adults. Rural spaces were closer to hand and offered exciting adventures as well as danger, from which the author and his brother, Eric, easily survived.

The black and white pictures included are a wealth of information in themselves; showing the smoky industrial area yet immaculately groomed schoolchildren in the class photo, the changed landscape around the City Churches, and the suits with bonnets worn by men even on a day out.

The only thing that jarred with me was the constant use of ‘Eric and me’. I’m assuming that a proof reading error slipped through at the mention of the town bard, John McGonagall, or I’ll need to start researching this rival to the famed William Topaz McGonagall.

However, for an interesting look at Dundee’s past for locals or as an introduction to visitors this is as good a place to start as any.

DUNDEE Memories, Ian M Malcolm, 2005, Birlinn

THE WALLACE, Nigel Tranter 1975 Hodder & Stoughton

2011-01-24T17:56:00.000Z

To start my new blog the most appropriate choice had to be a book that, as an adult, reintroduced me to history. More importantly, this most iconic character of Scottish history, William Wallace, introduced to me the fact that Scottish history is not the British history that was so freely available for my childhood reading. I was hooked by page 3, have read this book three times and loaned it to others.

The action starts with the boy Wallace finding fourteen bodies hanging from the gateway of his childhood home. In the occupied Scotland of 1296 hangings were common as Edward Longshanks imposed his rule. It is here watching his relatives and household members swinging from beams that Wallace makes a vow to rid his country of the English invaders. Tranter vividly conveys the uncertain life of an outlaw in the hills, the separation from loved ones and Wallace's reluctant rise to Guardian of Scotland. This story allows an insight into the other main characters of the period, King Edward of England, the future King of Scotland, Robert the Bruce, and Philip of France.

Tranter at his best.

The Pillars of the Earth

2011-01-24T17:31:00.003Z

The author describes this 10 year endeavour as going against his established formula for success. First published in 1989, neither he, nor his publisher, need have worried. The main characters are Tom Builder and his family, the rich Aliena and her brother Richard, the upstart and aspiring Earl, William. Add a corrupt and ambitious Bishop alongside a pious Prior and you have fast paced storylines that show how humans are all connected. Untold secrets binding yet separating the characters abound and interweave throughout the saga. The plot centres around the building of a dream, the finest cathedral in medieval England, for which Follet gives a real sense of medieval architectural design and methods. As if this isn't enough, the setting for the period is the middle of the 12th century when anarchy and civil war reigned.Justice is over-ruled by the needs of civil war and politically motivated kings. The battle between good and evil takes its victims with the principled characters facing calamities whilst devious men of the sword prosper. Ultimately, as we are all trained to expect, the good find love and the bad pay the price.

This book extracts exclamations of delight from anyone who has read it. The TV version strayed slightly from the book. Reading the book first gave me the bigger thrill.

The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follet, 2003, Macmillan