Thursday, March 31, 2016

Would You Rather Austen Tag!


The world is bursting with spring and fresh breezes and rich blossoms, and I also have my bridesmaid dress finished in very good time for my friend's wedding this weekend (about which I'm VERY excited!), and as I'm altogether feeling in a very Austen-ish frame of mind I found Cordy's tag here thoroughly inspiring. (Yes, I'm exceedingly happy at the moment, hence all the lilac type. Paragraphs upon paragraphs of it... ;))


~ Who would you rather have act as your matchmaker, Lady Russell (from Persuasion) or Mrs. Jennings?
Mrs. Jennings, because (speaking from experience picked up here and there) I'm pretty good at deflecting/laughing off/handling certain comments from friends and acquaintances, whereas I think the emotional pressure would be tremendous and entirely different coming from someone filling a quasi-mother position. 


~ Who would you like as a pen pal from Jane Austen's works?
Oh my, there are so many. Jane or Lizzy or Elinor or Isabella (because all the Knightleys are so altogether wonderful)... but I suppose most of all Anne Elliot. She's understanding and well read and clear sighted and mature, with flashes of delightful humor. 


~ Who would you rather go on a walk with, Colonel Fitzwilliam or Captain Benwick?
Well (seeing as the scenes with Colonel Fitzwilliam in the '95 are some of my favorites) the former.


~ Who would you rather have to befriend, Mrs. Elton or Lucy Steele?
Oh, Mrs. Elton beyond a doubt. Irritating and cliquey as she is, she isn't wicked. Lucy's spiteful and manipulative.


~ Who would you rather have as a sibling, John Knightley or Mary (from Persuasion, not Mary Bennet)?
John Knightley. Yes, he's grumbly, but he's so very funny. And he's a Knightley, so he really does put up with a lot in spite of himself. In short, he would make a great brother/in-law.


~ Who would you rather dance with? (Very open book!)
Let us see... Mr. Knightley? Or Darcy? Or there's always Tom Bertram.


~ Who would you rather refuse, Mr. Collins or Mr. Elton?
This one's a poser. Hmmm. Both would be awkward at the time, but Mr. Collins's seemed to have less drastic after effects (i.e. he moved on with his life and cordial relations were soon reestablished, whereas Mr. Elton... Yes, lastingly awkward. (Btw, has anyone ever noticed that Emma's trying to marry her close friend off to Mr. Elton while Lizzy's closest friend promptly marries Mr. Collins? I hadn't thought of the two in contrast before...)


~ Who would you rather match-make for, Miss Bates or Mary Bennet?
Well, Austen told her family that Mary eventually married a clerk of her uncle's (Mr. Philips, that is), and it would be especially wonderful to see Miss Bates comfortably settled. For all her failings, she's so goodhearted and thankful and knows how to manage so well. 

I know! Maybe she might marry a steady older minister or curate that she met through Frank and Jane's being settled in the north of England? Or perhaps through Mrs. Elton's ties in Maple Grove? That'd definitely be a hilarious connection/sequence of events. ;)

~ Who would you rather have as a best friend?
Anne Elliot (for all the reasons listed above and then some).


~ Who would you rather argue with? (Mrs. Bennet, Lady Catherine, Emma Woodhouse, Mr. Woodhouse, Mr. Palmer, Mrs. Jennings, Fanny Dashwood, Captain Wentworth, Mr. Darcy, etc.)
Well, I couldn't argue with Mr. Knightley, seeing as I think he's right in just about every instance. Thinking of some secondary characters... maybe Lady Russell, actually. Because she's mature and would give thought to what I said and there would be strong hope of convincing her. Admiral or Mrs. Croft might actually be fun, too -- in a playful way.


~ Would you rather wander the grounds of Pemberley and risk being 'discovered' or wander over the downs surrounding Barton Cottage in the rain and twist an ankle?
I'd far rather wander the grounds of Pemberley. For one thing, as a general rule I do like traveling with relatives and seeing grand, historic houses. And I was going to say I'm not much prone to racing rain drenched storm clouds either, but then I realized I have done so on more than one occasion when doing evening chores, so I suppose that analogy won't hold true. ;) 


~ Where would you live in Austen's works?
On a smaller, comfortable, homey scale, the Collins's parsonage (yes, with its perfectly proportionate stairs and super useful shelves in the closets) or Longbourn itself (another favorite). On a grander scale, Hartfield or Donwell Abbey. All four have positively splendiferous gardens.


Thank you so much for the game, Cordy! It was tremendous fun. And I hereby tag anyone reading who would like to do it as well. Let me know if you do it so I can read your answers!

Can you tell my two top favorite Austen adaptations and what I'm feeling like watching at the moment? :) What do you have planned for this weekend?


Sunday, March 27, 2016

Resurrection Day ~ The Year of Our Lord 2016


At the Name of Jesus


"At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow,
every tongue confess him King of Glory now.
'Tis the Father's pleasure we should call him Lord,
who from the beginning was the mighty Word:


 "Mighty and mysterious in the highest height,
God from everlasting very light of light:
in the Father's bosom with the Spirit blest,
love in love eternal, rest in perfect rest.

"At his voice creation sprang at once to sight,
all the angel faces all the hosts of light, 
thrones and dominations, stars upon their way,
all the heavenly orders in their great array.


"Humbled for a season, to receive a name
from the lips of sinners unto whom he came,
faithfully he bore it spotless to the last,
brought it back victorious when from death he passed.

"Bore it up triumphant with its human light, 
through all ranks of creatures to the central height, 
to the throne of Godhead, to the Father's breast; 
filled it with the glory of that perfect rest.


"Name him all creation name him, with love strong as death,
but with awe and wonder, and with bated breath;
he is God the Saviour, he is Christ the Lord,
ever to be worshipped, trusted and adored.

"...Brothers, this Lord Jesus shall return again,
with his Father's glory, with his angel train;
for all wreaths of empire meet upon his brow,
and our hearts confess him King of Glory now."
Caroline M. Noel


Thursday, March 17, 2016

Book Review // Lost Lake House by Elisabeth Grace Foley

(Gorgeous cover, yes?)
First for the official story summary:

"The Twelve Dancing Princesses meets the heady glamor and danger of the Jazz Age...

"All Dorothy Perkins wants is to have a good time. She’s wild about dancing, and can’t understand or accept her father’s strictness in forbidding it. Night after night she sneaks out to the Lost Lake House, a glamorous island nightclub rumored to be the front for more than just music and dancing…in spite of an increasingly uneasy feeling that she may be getting into something more than she can handle.

"Marshall Kendrick knows the truth behind the Lost Lake House—and bitterly hates his job there. But fear and obligation have him trapped. When a twist of circumstances throws Dorothy and Marshall together one night, it may offer them both a chance at escaping the tangled web of fear and deceit each has woven…if only they are brave enough to take it."

This is actually my first book from Elisabeth Grace Foley and I already can't wait to start in on my next. Intriguing, glamorous, and fascinating, I was almost immediately caught in the whirl of the story and then promptly couldn't put it down.

As a note, I think Foley did a great job handling various themes of the story (i.e. obedience and disobedience, courage and cowardice, etc.) from a thoroughly Christian perspective yet without being 'preachy'. Altogether quite beautifully done....

Avoiding spoilers, I won't go into a ton of details, but I will say that the blossoming friendship between Two Certain People was one of my favorite things ever -- and I thought, too, slightly reminiscent (in setting, with the pines and the lake and the car, etc.) of Barney and Valancy's story in Montgomery's Blue Castle. In short, it's perfect, realistic, and absolutely darling.

I also found quite a few new favorite lines, so here are just a handful for a teaser taste:

“A breeze blew in through the open window, brushing the light curtains gently against her bare arms. It seemed to carry the spirit of gypsy adventure on its wings—”

"Dorothy set her mother’s dainty dimpled chin in an expression that belonged to her father. “All right,” she said, “I’ll be there.”

"There was a streak of something hard and real and true about him—he had experienced the reality of life in a way that flirting, thoughtless crowd she had followed on the ferry and in the ballrooms never had. Perhaps that was why it was no difficulty to talk to him, even though they were strangers; he knew how to speak to the point and about things that mattered."

"For the third time that night, Dorothy felt the stinging of tears in her eyes. She had the sudden impulsive feeling that she would have liked to hug him—but only if he had been a few years younger than she was, for as they were it wouldn’t do."

“If he says he will, he will,” said Dorothy. “That’s one good thing about him: he’s as straight as a line. He always keeps his word.”

~     ~     ~

So yes, evocative and engaging, I was riveted from beginning to end, thoroughly enjoyed it, and am now most happy to highly recommend it! :)

Tell me! Have you read or are you planning to read Lost Lake House?



(I received a free ebook of this story in exchange for my honest review.)

Friday, March 4, 2016

Period Drama Challenge Tag Answers ~ February 2016


February Tag Questions:


(Note: these are for Miss Laurie's Period Drama Film Challenge, which you can enter here.)

1. What period dramas did you view in February?
It wasn't a big movie month this time around, but let's see... 


I Dream of Jeanie (1952)


Judge Priest (1934)


A few scenes my sister was watching from the 1971 BBC Persuasion mini-series...


And (of course), The Magic of Ordinary Days (2005).

2. What is your favorite period drama musical?


The Music Man (2003) with Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth. I also like Anchors Aweigh (1945), Singin' in the Rain, and the live 2013 Sound of Music quite well.

3. If you could order up an adaptation of your favorite classic book, what would it be and who would star?


Well... besides Gaskell's N&S (which in itself is darker compared to some others) and all of Austen's books, my favorite classics are more along the lines of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and Conrad's Heart of Darkness, of which I'm not positive I want to see films ;), so we'll go with something else. Again, it's not my very favoritest book of all time, but a Little Women mini-series (taking time to go into more things and particularly expanding on Amy's adventures as well) would be most interesting. I've thought of Roger Hamley (with a beard) from Wives and Daughters for Mr. Bhaer and I think Keira Knightley could make an excellent Jo. 

4. If you could be a famous royal from history, who would you be and why?


From everything I've read thus far -- life and character-wise -- I think May of Teck (i.e. Queen Mary of England) would be tremendously intriguing.

5. What period dramas are you looking forward to viewing in March 2016?


The 1940 Mark of Zorro.  (For various sundry and exciting reasons... ;D)


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...