Thank you

[hawkwing_lb]

It seems the next book up is Redemption in Indigo. Thank you.

I am presently being irritated by the sentiment herein: After all, if you grow up loving fairy tales and King Arthur and saints who battle monsters, you want the British Isles the way some kids want boyfriends. Yes, I know, policing other people's emotional reactions, not on. More power to her that writes good books, etc.

Still. My hackles. I grow old and sour and less inclined to charity towards romantic idealisation (of Britain, Ireland, or almost anywhere) with every passing year. This is probably exacerbated by the fact that I'm presently reading Ian McDonald's King of Morning, Queen of Day and hating it with the bitter hate of recognition. And appreciation for a technical achievement, of course.

Romantic Ireland's dead and gone, it's with O'Leary in the grave. Bad cess and good riddance to them.

Comments

[catvalente.livejournal.com]

My point was that I was basically a child. I DID romanticize it. I'm better now. I don't read much Britain-based fiction anymore.

But I can't lie about what I loved then.

[hawkwing-lb.livejournal.com]

Pay me no heed. I'm sour and perfectly cranky about the least whiff of romanticism of late: it comes of negotiating around flocks of tour groups to get into my college library every day. It is always worse when the sun comes out.

(Also far too inclined to run my mouth in public, so. Apologetic retraction.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I found it somewhat painful to read too, as it happens, though more the comments than the original post. Because we live here, you know, and the weight of the expectations -- and, yes, the disparagements, too and the 'oh, that's over' attitudes -- are restrictive and culturally uncomfortable and controlling.

[hawkwing-lb.livejournal.com]

Mmm.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

I've seen Paris both with and without herds of tourists, usually of the Ugly American variety. You have my eternal sympathy.

[hawkwing-lb.livejournal.com]

I quite like Americans. But the rampaging Hordes of Wealthy Foreigners gets annoying. Especially around Joyce season.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

It's that old "outliers define perception" problem...there are lots of nice American tourists in Paris, but they're so well-behaved they don't make you notice them.

[hawkwing-lb.livejournal.com]

Not just Americans. (She said, sourly.)

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Of that I have no doubt. But those are the ones I'm qualified to wince about.