Recent reading

[luzula]

Mr Rowl, by D K Broster (1924)
About a French parole prisoner in Britain during the Napoleonic wars. This was quite enjoyable! Though I didn't fall in love with it like Flight of the Heron. D K Broster knows what she likes, and what she likes is: slash, hurt-comfort, situations where one character mistakenly thinks they are betrayed by the other, and complicated dilemmas involving personal honour. All these elements occur in both books. Otherwise, this was quite different, mainly in that the inevitable het romance (because of course Broster can't end it with the m/m romance her heart obviously desires) gets a lot more space and is better than in FotH. On the whole, I would say that this book is definitely less slashy, because the slash relationship is not central to the premise of the entire book, like in FotH.

The first half of the book is on track for being a het romance, and I actually quite like it. There's no love at first sight (which I usually am not that into), and Juliana Forrest has much more personality and agency than Alison Grant in FotH. In fact, about half of the misunderstandings and dilemmas over honour occur in the het relationship in this book.

And then, after half the book, our regularly scheduled het romance is interrupted for some slash. Captain Hervey Barrington is very obviously Not Interested in women--he's a bachelor who, on seeing the cross-dressed main character: a girl to whom his attention had subsequently been drawn--indifferent though he was to the sex--mainly because she seemed so desirous of attracting none. Ha. There are a couple of more remarks like that, too. And then we get seeming betrayal, rescue, hurt-comfort, feeelings, etc. It's quite slashy, but I read it as mostly one-sided on Captain Barrington's part, and then it ends with the het couple getting together at the end.

So anyway, I enjoyed it! It's a bit Heyer-esque, but slashier. And I wish I had Broster's talent for plotting characters in and out of trouble like that, because I will surely need it in my further fic-writing.

Comments

[regshoe]

Oh, I do admire an author who knows what she likes and goes for it! This sounds very good.

[luzula]

Do report on it when you've read it!

[philomytha]

I enjoyed this one a lot too! I liked the forced march section, with the soldier who looks after Raoul and takes care of him and then takes the opportunity to steal his watch and escape, I thought that was a nice sequence and took the 'loyal son of the soil respects the natural authority of his betters' plotline in an interesting direction.

And yes, the Barrington section is a lot more one-sided than some of her other slash ships, but it was very sweet and also excellently full of people's honour running at cross-purposes.

[luzula]

That's true, I also liked it when that deserter stole his watch and escaped. : )

And yes, Barrington is very sweet! I'm glad he got his ship, at least (I did see that plot twist coming, at least...).

[hyarrowen]

I love this one - Raoul is such a trouble magnet, and he just keeps going through it all. Captain Barrington is honourable in the extreme, and the way he suddenly turns into a King's officer when he discovers who Raoul's real identity, is a joy.

The story is based on an actual instance of a French POW from one of the parole towns and a local English girl falling in love, I believe; if I can remember which book it's in I'll post a link.

Very Heyeresque, especially early Heyer - I'm thinking These Old Shades and The Talisman Ring particularly.

[luzula]

the way he suddenly turns into a King's officer when he discovers who Raoul's real identity, is a joy

You mean when his sister comes down and tells him Raoul is a man? I took his behavior there to be much more about feeling humiliated over being fooled by the cross-dressing, than motivated by duty to turn him in.

Broster herself mentions that she is indebted to the book Prisoners of War in Britain, 1756-1815 by Francis Abell.

I haven't read those Heyers, I think--for whatever reason, I read about one Heyer a year, so it'll take me a while to get through them. : ) My favorites so far are probably Cotillion and A Civil Contract.

[hyarrowen]

I took his behavior there to be much more about feeling humiliated over being fooled by the cross-dressing, than motivated by duty to turn him in.

Hm, I took the opposite viewpoint! He was humiliated, yes, but escaped prisoner" is what I picked up from it.

The Abell is the book I was thinking of, yes. I may even have a copy, packed in a box somewhere.

You have good taste as regards Heyer - those are two of the very best. My favourite tends to be whichever one I'm reading at the time. I keep thinking, "How did she do it??"

[luzula]

Hm, I took the opposite viewpoint! He was humiliated, yes, but escaped prisoner" is what I picked up from it.

I mean, otherwise why would he feel ashamed about it afterwards, as he does? If he were motivated mainly by duty it wouldn't be anything to be ashamed about, though he might regret it as having hurt Raoul.

But his gradual change in attitude to Raoul is lovely, until quite soon it's 'oh, I must cradle him in my arms so he's not cold!' *g*

ETA: Also I'm glad he got another ship! Though I did see that coming, when that officer was looking for him...

[garonne]

I read this in one sitting this weekend. DK Broster writes a great adventure story! I wish she had written even more of them.

Yeah, it's certainly less slashy than FotH overall, in the sense that Barrington and Raoul's rather one-sided relationship is not the only or even the main relationship. But I did think it was queerer. I mean in the sense that you can easily read Ewen and Keith as having a very strong platonic friendship, if you want, but I find it hard to read Barrington as anything other than queer.

I mean, not that there's necessarily a strict dividing line between queer and non-queer, obviously, but anyway, I did think Mr Rowl was a bit different in that sense.

That lieutenant who brought the prisoners to the hulks was also pretty smitten with Raoul, for whatever definition of smitten :D He was quite sweet, I was sorry not to see him turn up again later!

[luzula]

Hmmm. Yes, I too find it hard to read Barrington as anything other than queer, but then I also find it hard to read Keith as anything other than being hugely attracted to Ewen, including physical attraction. You could definitely read Ewen as only platonically into Keith, though, if you wanted. But maybe you're right that it's a little more explicitly text with Barrington, since we get told right out that he isn't into women.

That lieutenant who brought the prisoners to the hulks was also pretty smitten with Raoul, for whatever definition of smitten :D

Yes! That's very true. : )