nuba

I saw the responses to the Paris Reading List post, and I am hoping to get some similarly positive and helpful feedback. <BR> <BR>I will be heading to London and York in little more than a month, and would like to read some fictional books that are specifically about these two cities. I will also be making a visit to Bath; isn't there a Jane Austen book that takes place there? <BR> <BR>I really want to learn more about the history of these places; I have read non-fiction texts, but it is not so easy to retain all of that information without having a context. Movies might also be helpful. <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance. <BR>

martha

The Jane Austen novel you're thinking of is probably Persuasion, which was also made into a movie (maybe more than once). A big chunk of Northanger Abbey is set in Bath, too. <BR>Lots of Dickens novels are set in London, although he often doesn't make it seem like a particularly desirable destination. If you're a fast reader, you might want to try Bleak House. <BR>Tom Jones, film or novel, may set up some unrealistic expectations about the social life in London, but you might enjoy that, too. <BR>One of the sights I really enjoyed in London is Fairfax House. As I recall, Fairfax was one of Andrew Marvell's patrons (AM may have tutored the daughter for whom the house was built), and I think Marvell wrote a poem about him. I believe there's a fairly meaty biographical footnote on Fairfax in the Penguin Marvell edited by Elizabeth Story Donno. <BR>Fairfax House used to sell a book called "A Walk though the Snickleways of York" that's a lot of fun.

martha

Oh yeah--there's a biography of Ben Jonson (don't remember the author, but it's called "Ben Jonson") that has a lot of good background on England around 1600 and I think a handy map, too.

wes fowler

Nuba, <BR>Check out V. S. Pritchett's "London Perceived". It'll give you some insights into the character, eccentricities and charm of London's citizens. It's also blessed with some fascinating photographs of Londoners at work and play.

Beth

Edward Rutherford has two rather massive novels about England. The first (and superior, in my oppinion) is called "Sarum" and is about Salisbury and the surrounding area. The second is called "London". Both are similar in that they follow two families in the area through about 2000 years of history. <BR> <BR>I also really like "The Autobiography of Henry VIII" by Margaret George. But then I've always been interested in Henry, he's such a character!

dan

Check out galleryslaves.com/britlit. <BR> <BR>I like Dickens and Sherlock Holmes.

Kat

REQUIRED READING for a trip to England: Bill Bryson's 'Notes for a Small Island.' Laugh-out-loud funny! <BR> <BR>Candace Robb sets her medieval mystery novels in York with wonderful characters and lots of painless history. The 13th-century York she describes still is recognizable today; you can tread the same stones, walk atop the same town wall. Great fun! Recommended titles: 'The Apothecary Rose,' 'The Nun's Tale,' 'The Lady Chapel,' 'The King's Bishop.' <BR> <BR>Martin Cruz Smith recently published 'Rose' which is a spectacularly good book (even a bit of a thriller) about life in and around the coal-mining area of Wigan (Lancashire) in the 1870's. I'm no historian but it seems to me the Wigan Cruz replicates in 'Rose' must have been very close indeed to the real thing. <BR> <BR>Another plug for Jane Austen's 'Persuasion' much of which is, indeed, set in Bath where the pump room is much as it was in Jane's day and the assembly rooms, too. No doubt I was being smugly fanciful but there WAS something exciting about imagining my foot being placed precisely where Jane had trod . . . I was compelled to remove a shoe at one point, then looked around quickly to see if anyone was watching and saw another tourist holding a shoe in her hand, too, and looking about as sheepish as I felt. <BR> <BR>Mary Wesley's wry and wonderful novels are so good they are miracles. Very revealing miracles -- if one can't travel to England, don't pass up Wesley's books which are the next best thing! Especially, "The Vacillations of Poppy Carew," "Harnessing Peacocks" and "Jumping the Queue." <BR> <BR>Joanna Trollope writes witty, intelligent, observant novels mostly about life in present-day English villages although 'The Men and the Girls' is set in London (and a fine book it is, too). For village flavor, refer to "A Village Affair," "Best of Friends" and "Next of Kin." For hugely interesting stories in which the Church of England (CofE) itself is a salient protagonist, avail yourself of "The Choir" and "The Rector's Wife." <BR> <BR>David Lodge's books depict variously English academic life, male menopause and conflicts of conscience. His are superior novels crammed with wit, sly insights, warmth and balanced by pragmatism. <BR> <BR>Doris Lessing has a small tome titled "In Pursuit of the English." <BR> <BR>I'm very fond of George Orwell's books, including particularly for getting the taste of the U.K., 'The Clergyman's Daughter' and 'Road to Wigan Pier.' <BR> <BR>Oh dear, I didn't mean to wax so enthusiastic but your query did rather itch my achilles heel or some such.

Mark

For York read the wonderful book 'Behind the scenes at the museum' by Kate Atkinson.

Beth

Dan, <BR> <BR>is there, possibly, a typo in your post? I can't find the site galleryslaves.com.

dan

Sorry about that. It is galleyslaves.com, not gallery.

elaine

Perhaps this is stretching the point <BR>but not far from York is the magnificent Castle Howard which is open for tours. <BR>The Brideshead estate in "Brideshead <BR>Revisited" was inspired by Castle Howard.

Annalynn

A couple of great books I have discovered are travel essays written by Susan Allen Toth, "My Love Affair with England" "England As You Like It" and a third book, entitled, I believe, "England for All Seasons." The first is the best, however. <BR> <BR>Definitely read "Persuasion" by Jane Austen. It is one of her best novels, and Bath is a central figure in the novel. it will really help you appreciate Bath in its glory. There are cheezy tourist walks you can take in Bath which walk in Jane's footsteps. I happen to rather enjoy these walks, but I know others hate them. <BR> <BR>As far as other books to read: anything by Graham Greene, especially "Travels With My Aunt." <BR> <BR>Sue Townsend is a fmaous writer in England. She writes more comedic books, but they can really help give you a good appreciation for the British culture. In particular I recommend "The Queen and I" in which the Queen and all the Royals are booted out and put on the dole by the government. The "Adrian Mole" diaries are also wonderful. <BR> <BR>I'd probably add Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. <BR> <BR> <BR>I wasn't sure which type of books you were interested in... if it was more modern or historical, fiction or history, etc. Many of the previous posters have already recommended some wonderful choices. <BR>

Joe

I'll add a vote for Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island." I'm reading it now and it's funny and insightful. And what about Agatha Christie? Her mysteries still read well. <BR> <BR>I also suggest that you start your London visit at the National Portrait Gallery, which is next to the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square. It offers a great introduction to English history from ca. 1400s forward, and it has many of the painting that you've seen in the history textbooks.

Beth

I see, in re-reading this entry, that you also asked about movies. A couple of my favorites about English historical figures: "A Man for All Seasons" (especially if you are planning to visit Hampton Court), "Shakespeare in Love", "Sense and Sensibility" (the recent Emma Thompson movie), "The Madness of George III", "The Lion in Winter". I'm sure there are lots more., but these are a few to get you started.

wes fowler

Nuba, <BR>Look into Edward Rutherfurd's novel "London". It's a James Michener type book in that it traces the history of London from Roman times through 2,000 years of history, all as experienced by six families of Londoners. Rutherfurd has a similar novel called "Sarum" which treats the history of Salisbury in a similar style - from Stonehenge to now.

Nuba

Wow - what a well-read group of people! Thanks for the all the suggestions. Looks like I'll have to give up the television for the next few weeks to get some reading done. Any suggestions for Scotland? I'll be in Edinburgh for a few days (and possibly Glasgow). <BR> <BR>Again, thank you!

Cheryl Z.

<BR>For interesting fiction on England/France, how about "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett? This really held my interest and while it's fiction, it's based on history. I haven't been to England yet, it made me think about my trips to Germany and France and visiting all the castles, churches.

Cheryl Z.

<BR>For interesting fiction on England/France, how about "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett? This really held my interest and while it's fiction, it's based on history. I haven't been to England yet but it made me think about my trips to Germany and France and visiting all the castles, churches.

Caryn

I tried to recommend Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett the other day but I couldn't get it to post. This is one of my favorite books and everyone who I have recommended it to has liked it, too. <BR> <BR>There's another book I'd like to recommend: A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford. It's a fictional novel that is a saga about a girl who grows up on the Moors of Yorkshire to build a great business empire which is a fictional parallel to Harrod's department store. (This is not a "trashy" book for those who are familiar with some of this author's other books). <BR>

topper

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