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Red Red Rose Marjorie Farrell 9780451408174 Books

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Red Red Rose Marjorie Farrell 9780451408174 Books

A friend told me this is a splendid novel and I'd really enjoy it. No kidding! This was one of the best I've read in ages.

The setting is mostly Portugal during the Peninsular War. I like military history and am fascinated by this particular period, so I was raring to go. What immediately struck me, though, is that the author didn't just paint this with broad strokes ~ she put us "on the ground" so to speak. Such research! She even makes us see what a close-run thing, politically, this campaign was for Wellington, a circumstance often ignored by authors.

Val Aston, our hero, was drawn with such depth and insight, I'm still amazed. The same was true of Elspeth, our heroine, even though there was less space devoted to her. Remarkable. This was true, as well, of the secondary characters...even Val's dead mother. I loved the good ones and hated the villain. There was a great deal of dialogue which I liked very much. The author didn't take the easy path and just tell us.

The love story evolved quietly and beautifully. I was touched by Elspeth's tender understanding of Val during their first love scene. She instinctively knew Val was at the end of his tether.

Ms. Farrell managed to poignantly and sensitively portray Val's emotional struggles with his bastardy. She also conveyed the horrors of public schools of the era as well as the dire plight of homosexuals of the time. These portrayals in no way detracted from the story. Rather, they added to it ~ they were related in a spare, matter-of-fact way.

Timing. I rarely mention this in a review but Ms. Farrell's timing in this story was exceptional. Had a certain event occurred during very late pages of the story, I may have been in a funk for a week. As it was written though, I lived, got through it and later came to understand the reasoning for it.

Beautifully written, wonderful story.

Enjoy your reading! :)


Tags : Red, Red Rose [Marjorie Farrell] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A nominee for the <IT>Romantic Times<RO>'s Lifetime Achievement Award pairs an officer's daughter with a brave Regency soldier who rescues her from the predations of Spanish bandits but cannot escape his own past to return her affections. Original.,Marjorie Farrell,Red, Red Rose,Topaz,0451408179,Romance - Historical - General,Fiction,Fiction General,Fiction Historical,Fiction Romance General,Fiction Romance Historical General,Romance: Historical

Red Red Rose Marjorie Farrell 9780451408174 Books Reviews

The story line was pretty good, however, I didn't finish it, because it started getting a little vulgar, and not halfway through yet. So I decided to cut my losses. I love it when people write reviews and include a note if it is vulgar, or explicit or some words to indicate the same. I've found when the words like "cock" starts being used, and mildly vulgar descriptions of a sexual experience occur, worse is ahead. So although I was enjoying the story, I read regency romances to stay away from the vulgar and explicit nonsense which destroys an otherwise awesome story often. Once vulgarity or explicit sexual content is focused on it takes away from the story and the story becomes focused on that. So if you are ok with the vulgar business, you may love the book as others have. I returned the book and it's sequel (Jack of hearts) for a refund prior to the 7 day deadline.
This book is about Valentine Aston, bastard son of the Earl of Faringdon, and his childhood experiences. It goes on to tell of his experiences in the Peninsula during the war with the French. It also tells of his involvement with Elsbeth Gordon, daughter of Major Gordon. This story has excitement, and heart-wrenching scenes of the war. I couldn't put it down and I highly recommend it.
I class Red, Red Rose (RRR) as one of the small but growing group of historical romances that work in a subtler, quieter fashion than the historicals of the 80s and 90s, but that nonetheless work, and work well.

The writing is streamlined, with a large amount of dialogue and very little description; we do not even know what hair color the female protagonist has until about halfway through the novel (although we are told, several times more than necessary, how unusually tall she is). Ferrell mostly avoids the unwieldy dialogue tags and adverbs overused by new writers, but I think she or her editors have gone a little too far in trying to "show, not tell;" the matter-of-fact writing is just this side of "spare." Because so much else in the novel works, and because you WILL eventually grow attached to the characters and their struggles, I will describe Ferrell's style as "emotionally understated" and predict that you will be surprised at how effective it is.

Instead of an aggressively self-confident "alpha" male protagonist, Ferrell gives us what some commentators have called a "beta" hero, a man of good nature and even temper, sometimes with low social standing. Our heroine is not "fiery" in the least, nor is she beautiful; in fact, she is several times described as plain, and may put you in mind of a rather wittier and more charmingly direct version of Jane Austen's Ann Elliot (Persuasion). These two quiet people are unconventional in their own ways; Val is a ba_stard son with low social status, and Elspeth has grown up in military camps with her mother and officer father. Neither is likely to make any marriage at all, much less a good one.

Although many romances are told with a sort of split Point of View, alternating back and forth, often in chapters, between the hero's and the heroine's, I'd say about 80% of RRR is told from the male lead's POV. In fact, there is a very lengthy prologue--about 45 pages--that delves into Val's boyhood and troubled history. One of the surprising things about RRR, and perhaps one of its weaknesses, is that Elspeth is not fully formed as a character for the reader until the last 1/3 of the novel. On the other hand, this may be a boon to people who prefer a more realistic POV; in real life, we rarely get to peek into the psyches of more than one person. And Val is certainly a well-drawn character with whom the reader empathizes.

Quite a few historical romances are heavy on the history, including war, and educate the reader rather well. But RRR, with its Napoleonic/Iberian military situation, is a bit heavier on the war strategy than many novels. I'd say at least half of the book is taken up with scenes of strategy, reconnaissance, and the aftermath of battles, though combat is never described; there is very little violence depicted "on-stage." These are, for the most part, interesting, unless you dislike military stories of any kind.

The relationship between the two leads develops slowly, and without much fanfare. Although there is a dramatic meeting, there is little of the witty banter, flaring tempers, and vocal show-downs that characterize courtships between an alpha male and alpha female lead. Val is drawn to Elspeth for reasons one might expect of a beta hero he is not turned on by challenge or conflict, but by the heroine's thoughtfulness, consideration, and forthright but always gracious manner. The romance does not really take center stage until about the last 1/3 of the novel, but when it does, it is quietly poignant, and very believably rendered. (Well, I'll say it is believably rendered but for the way in which the couple's marriage comes about--that part is a bit hurried and contrived.)

I will also add that there is a plotline involving a homosexual character's struggles, as well as a realistic and disturbing look at the gentry's abuse of those lower in the pecking order. There is an uncomfortable scene of child abuse. All are tastefully and matter-of-factly presented.

So, is RRR for you? If you do not care for books in which the historical/military doings are front and center, in which the hero and heroine are quiet and of relatively humble social status, or in which the romance develops in an understated and subtle fashion, then you may want to pick up one of the better-selling Regencies flooding the market today. But if you are looking for an unusually slow-"blooming" romance that is well-told, please consider RRR. It rewards the patient reader, and the thoughtful one.
A delightful adventure on the dusty plains of Spain during the Napoleonic battles. Complete with spying, intrigues, Class division, a love story between a lieutenant and a Majors daughter whose family are camp followers. Their lives are different from the laundresses and others. But they are intertwined. The carriage attack and escape is worthy of an American western but the
Confrontation with the spy in parliament is breath taking. The ending is a surprise but follows the history of the times, yet so modern. A great story worthy of a re-read. The author has done her homework!!
A friend told me this is a splendid novel and I'd really enjoy it. No kidding! This was one of the best I've read in ages.

The setting is mostly Portugal during the Peninsular War. I like military history and am fascinated by this particular period, so I was raring to go. What immediately struck me, though, is that the author didn't just paint this with broad strokes ~ she put us "on the ground" so to speak. Such research! She even makes us see what a close-run thing, politically, this campaign was for Wellington, a circumstance often ignored by authors.

Val Aston, our hero, was drawn with such depth and insight, I'm still amazed. The same was true of Elspeth, our heroine, even though there was less space devoted to her. Remarkable. This was true, as well, of the secondary characters...even Val's dead mother. I loved the good ones and hated the villain. There was a great deal of dialogue which I liked very much. The author didn't take the easy path and just tell us.

The love story evolved quietly and beautifully. I was touched by Elspeth's tender understanding of Val during their first love scene. She instinctively knew Val was at the end of his tether.

Ms. Farrell managed to poignantly and sensitively portray Val's emotional struggles with his bastardy. She also conveyed the horrors of public schools of the era as well as the dire plight of homosexuals of the time. These portrayals in no way detracted from the story. Rather, they added to it ~ they were related in a spare, matter-of-fact way.

Timing. I rarely mention this in a review but Ms. Farrell's timing in this story was exceptional. Had a certain event occurred during very late pages of the story, I may have been in a funk for a week. As it was written though, I lived, got through it and later came to understand the reasoning for it.

Beautifully written, wonderful story.

Enjoy your reading! )