Recent reading

[luzula]

The Yellow Poppy by D K Broster (1920)
Very characteristic of Broster, with her fondness for dilemmas between what honour demands and what love demands. There's also a lot of mistaken/hidden identities which are slowly revealed to the reader and to the characters. This one's a het romance with little or no potential for slash, but I did like the central romance: it's about a middle-aged married couple who have been separated for years, partly by circumstance and partly by conflicts/issues they had in their marriage. And now they get a second chance and meet again, both changed by what they've been through. I will say that Broster's tastes in romance and mine diverge a bit when the couple actually get to meet: they've been working through various stuff on their own, and I would've liked to see them talk and work it through together as well, but Broster evidently prefers instant blissful falling into each other's arms instead. But to be fair, they do work through some stuff later as well.

The setting (Royalist aristocrats during the French revolution) grated on me a little bit more here than in The Wounded Name, where it's just a set-up for slash and hurt/comfort and could basically have been set anywhere. I mean, they're all very brave and honourable and loyal and all, but...I don't actually believe in what they're fighting for. My favourite part of the book was probably Valentine at Mirabel, haunted by her past life and trying to accept her present one. I liked her resourcefulness and resilience; unfortunately she grows a bit less interesting once she's reunited with her husband, although I did like her at the ending as well. And Roland was adorable. I also thought de Brencourt was an interesting character--he does some pretty horrible things, but then is given a chance to redeem himself in some ways. I wasn't actually sure whether Broster was going to commit to the ending, or avoid it, but...she committed. And yeah, I think it was a good choice, in the sense that it followed from the themes of the book.

It seems that Napoléon actually did the dishonourable thing he does in the book, but he did it to another guy? Broster writes in a note: "that which is here laid to the First Consul's charge is no libel, for the deeds done at Alençon and Verneuil in mid-February, 1800, are written in history".

I have seen the yellow poppy referred to in the title once in my life! It's quite rare in Sweden and grows on seashores.

Comments

[regshoe]

Aww, I agree that Valentine at Mirabel is the best part of the book—the image of her living there like a ghost in her own old house, walking through the rooms and remembering her old life there, with everything changed around her... it's all very evocative, and of course Broster makes the most of the effect.

I mean, they're all very brave and honourable and loyal and all, but...I don't actually believe in what they're fighting for.

Haha, yeah, that's about it! I think her early French Royalist books in general are a lot less nuanced about the characters' loyalties and allegiances than the Jacobite books. It'll be interesting to see whether that complexity comes back in the other French-set books she wrote later.

Also agree that a bit more actual working through of the issues between Valentine and Gaston would have been good, but I enjoyed what we do get of that—the scene on the beach with the yellow poppy metaphor is utterly gorgeous.

[luzula]

I think this is the first Broster book I read which has a female character take such an important role, and I appreciated that.

Yes, the Jacobite trilogy is a lot more nuanced about the political stuff! Especially since in FotH we have one protagonist from either side, and see some of the flaws of both sides.

And yes, a lovely beach scene! Quite different from the FotH one, but I guess both are about doomed, short-lived love. I did appreciate that the het couple gets a doomed love here, so it's not just Keith and Ewen. : )

[regshoe]

Now I think of it, Sir Isumbras at the Ford has a significant beach scene too—including detailed and emotionally significant description of a particular plant growing there, and of the white sand... it's clearly a thing with Broster :D

I did appreciate that the het couple gets a doomed love here, so it's not just Keith and Ewen. : )

Heh, yes!

[jesse_the_k]

Flower wise!

[luzula]

Flower wise?

[jesse_the_k]

The yellow poppy! I appreciate that you notice this stuff.

[luzula]

Ah, okay. Yes, when I got to the scene with the poppy I was all, oh, I've seen that one! : )

[hyarrowen]

I think this is one of the ones I've never read; I went through a long phase where I only allowed myself to buy books if I found them in s/h bookshops or libraries. Otherwise I felt I was cheating. The thrill of the chase, and all that. I should get over that!

The yellow poppy, is it's Mecanopsis cambrica, grew like a weed in my garden in Derbyshire. It rampaged all over the rockery. :/

[luzula]

The thrill of the chase, hah, I've never heard that applied to books! Easier to chase than butterflies in that they at least don't move. : ) But this one's available as a free ebook, I linked it in the post.

Ah, no, the one Broster means is Glaucium flavum, I can tell from the description.

Derbyshire, huh. I'm afraid my only association for that is Pemberley. : )

[garonne]

I read your review with my eyes half-closed, because I am only a few chapters into this book, so am afraid of being spoilered :D

I nearly gave up at the first chapter, because it is so very far-fetched, and there are so very many named characters that I was pretty confused. But now I'm really enjoying it.

[luzula]

I did try to avoid spoilers! Though it's hard to do so entirely, of course. I hope you enjoy it!

And yes, I too found it difficult to swallow all those characters at the same time...

[garonne]

Finally finished this, three or four years later! Not sure whether I enjoyed it or not... It's extremely well written, of course, and there are some great bits in the middle: Valentine at Mirabel, as you say, and just in general great character dynamics.

But the characters' way of thinking was so alien to me, indeed almost repulsively so, that (especially towards the end) I didn't even care what happened to them anymore...

It's an interesting book, though. My very first impulse was to seek out all the reviews on dreamwidth!

[luzula]

Wow, three or four years later! Anyway, looking forward to discussing it, although by now it's been long enough for me that I might not remember all the details.