I have finally finished reading Cotillion, and thoroughly enjoyed it..............with a few exceptions.
- The first 50 pages or so I felt were somewhat tedious with so many characters being introduced who were sometimes referred to with first names and other times referred to with last names........it was confusing for me. And it felt like it took a long time for the plot to develop.
- After that my only complaint was the language.......and that’s my fault I guess for being illiterate when it comes to Victorian English.
So, in keeping with my tradition here are a few of the fun words I have added to my vocabulary, at least temporarily, through the reading of this book.
- liefer: willingly
- reticule: small handbag with drawstring
- ton: the popular echelons of Britain’s elite society
- misogynistic: a hatred of women
- dessicated: dull or lifeless body
- quizzing-glass: monocle
- interpolated: to insert or introduce between
- sangfroid: composure or coolness under trying circumstances
- jointure: an arrangement by which a man sets aside property to be used for the support of his wife after his death
- phaeton: a sporty open carriage
- cits: citizens
And my 2 favorite quotes from Cotillion:
"She was a hard-featured woman, with a predatory mouth, a smile that never reached her eyes, and an air of consequence." (Description of Lady Dolphinton)
"I cannot think that she would take the terrible step of putting a period to her existence!" (Kitty about Olivia)
What I especially LOVED about Cotillion was the literal character development of Kitty and Freddy. And while the ending was no surprise to me, it was exactly what it should have been, and I found it to be very satisfying. I’m glad Grandma Mary suggested it and will definitely read other Georgette Hyer books in the future.
LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR COMMENTS!
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Does anyone want to suggest our next read? If not I may suggest The Simeon Solution by Anne Osborn Poelman. She's an LDS author, a physician, and convert to the church; writes about dealing with the doctrinal questions we have no answers for. It almost reads like a novel and would possibly be interesting for people of other faiths.
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Just for fun I'm attaching an interesting fact about the month of July this year, and some pictures of Julie's family's recent visit to Grandma before their move to Japan.
Julie's girls and 2nd cousin Ilah Wallace – Jennifer's youngest daughter
Also of interest, Aunt Peachy & Uncle Roland will be home from their mission the first week in August! So I'll post some pictures of that happy reunion then.
I won't be able to read this one--the base library doesn't have it here and if I ordered it from the states it would be mid-August at least before it came! I should be able to order the next one and read it in time; just let me know what it is.
ReplyDeleteJapan is an amazing country with generous, polite, and very hard working people. We are trying to get off base and soak up as much language and culture as we can while we're here.
The weather is quite balmy--I'm surprised at how humid it is. It's a much thicker kind of humidity, sort of like Alabama. The sun comes up at 4:30 am so the evenings cool down some days and it's nice to be out then.
The base is super supportive and our neighbors have been really kind--I think 10 of them have come over with cookies and such. We have a nice sized branch and they are all military so we've got a lot in common with each other. The kids have handled the move really well and are making friends pretty easily.
I just wanted to give you guys an update and stay in touch even though I missed out on the book. I look forward to reading all the comments!
Thanks Julie for your update! We hope you have a fabulous experience while in Japan! (Good luck with the humidity.........I think I'd die!) Continue to read with us when you can, but keep your comments coming regardless!
ReplyDeleteJulie's comment reminded me that several weeks ago I got an email from Jacque who was almost apologetic for not always being able to read with us. Her explanation for not doing so was something I thought all you busy young mothers could relate to. For that reason I have posted parts of her email below, and hope that others of you will post something about your busy lives as well.
Jacque wrote: "Mommyhood, volunteering at the kids schools, all the extracurriculars, normal Cub Scout stuff, and planning/preparing to run Cub Scout Day Camp again this summer just have me swamped all the time. Our schedule is ridiculous.............Trev is busy with work as usual and trying to balance a new calling in the Young Men's Presidency with everything else. Sarah just had her dance recital this weekend. It was a big shindig at an actual professional theater and she was part of a group of 45 students performing a Hip Hop mix. Ry just passed another belt testing in Tae Kwon Do so he's a blue belt now with aspirations for a black one (in a few years) and is finishing another season of soccer. They both did very well at their piano recital as well. Jake is a curly haired cutie who chats up everybody, anywhere, and, occasionally, drives me insane as only a four year old can. LOL. He's also enjoying pre-school summer camp and soccer right now.
"And, yes, we're going to be in St. George when Ida and Roland get home from their mission. We can't wait to see everyone again!
Thanks again,
Jacque
That's fun to hear about everyone. Everyone's lives sound so...exotic I guess. Just different from my own really, but fun to take a glimpse into something out of the ordinary. I just finished the book and I liked it much more than I anticipated I would after reading the first 50 or so pages, just like you said mom. I felt like I needed a character map or something and it frustrated me that they kept referring to the same person by the first and last names. I finally think I figured everyone out towards the end of the book. I was also hoping she'd end up with Freddy and guessed that she probably would, but I had my doubts a few times which made me nervous. I guess that's proof that she's an effective writer! I would love to see this as a movie and see how the director would actually portray people like Fish, Dolph and Kit. Dolph seems like a total nut job and even Kit seems a tad conniving at times, the way she starts crying in front of Freddy and then he gives in to what she wants. That bugged me. I was wondering what happened at Arnside with the Uncle and Fish. Other than that, I thought it resolved well and I really enjoyed reading it once I got into the groove of the language. Good pick Grandma!
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