The Friday 56 (212) & Book Beginnings: Washington Square by Henry James

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Back when New York was still young, so was heiress Catherine Sloper. A simple, plain girl, she grew up in opulence with a disappointed father and a fluttery aunt in a grand house on Washington Square. Enter Morris Townsend, a handsome charmer who assures Catherine he loves her for herself and not for her money. But Catherine’s revered father sees in Townsend what she cannot. Now, with her tearful aunt Penniman as his amusingly melodramatic ally, Townsend will present Catherine with the hardest choice of her young life.…

With a New Introduction and an Afterword by Michael Cunningham, Author of The Hours

Beginning: "During a portion of the first half of the present century, and more particularly during the latter part of it, there flourished and practiced in the city of New York a physician who enjoyed perhaps an exceptional share of consideration which, in the United States, has always been bestowed upon distinguished members of the medical profession."

56: "It will probably seem to the reader, however, that the doctor's vigilance was by no means excessive, and that these two young people had an open field."

Comments: I read Washington Square by Henry James. I enjoyed this one. Note: It wasn't until I was picking the quotes that I realized how long the first sentence of chapter one actually was. What are you reading this week?

Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of Edward I by Kelcey Wilson-Lee

Title: Daughters of Chivalry, The Forgotten Children of Edward I
Series: n/a
Author: Kelcey Wilson-Lee
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Nonfiction; History
Publisher/Publication Date: Picador; March 21, 2019

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Virginal, chaste, humble, patiently waiting for rescue by brave knights and handsome princes: this idealised - and largely mythical - notion of the medieval noblewoman still lingers. Yet the reality was very different, as Kelcey Wilson-Lee shows in this vibrant account of the five daughters of the great English king, Edward I. The lives of these sisters - Eleanora, Joanna, Margaret, Mary and Elizabeth - ran the full gamut of experiences open to royal women in the Middle Ages. Living as they did in a courtly culture founded on romantic longing and brilliant pageantry, they knew that a princess was to be chaste yet a mother to many children, preferably sons, meek yet able to influence a recalcitrant husband or even command a host of men-at-arms

I started 2022 with some historical nonfiction. Kelcey Wilson-Lee’s Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of Edward I.

One of the early lines from the introduction says: “Is she acquiescent, a person whom the most important things happen to or for, rather than an actor in her own right?” This book went to great length to show the layers of the lives of Edward I’s five daughters.

Wilson-Lee built a strong and concise narrative—based on surviving records and few instances of speculation—that followed them from early childhood to adulthood and their eventual marriages. It deftly explained the expectations (and limitations) for women at the time, while also setting the ultimate subjects of the book apart, by the privileges (education, fine foods, and good clothing) afforded to them; as well as the power and influence they were able to wield in their respective positons.

I liked how Wilson-Lee touched on the tricky subject of arranged marriages. The book covered the ways they were used to solidify Edward I’s influence, by forging those all-important alliances and connections. But, there was also a focus on what each princess stood to gain from the unions, such as expansive estates that were, in some instances, held jointly with their spouses.

The reign and eventual death of their father and the crowning of their brother, served as examples of time at the height of their influence, as well as further tumultuous periods (beyond war related conflicts) that came with the shift from “daughters of the king” to being “sisters of the king”.

All-in-all, Daughters of Chivalry was excellent.

Music Monday (188): Aurora

 Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: One of my most anticipated albums of the year was Aurora's The Gods We Can Touch. I already had a post dedicated it. So, my pick this week is Exhale Inhale. I love this song.

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (211) & Book Beginnings: Daughters of Chivalry by Kelcey Wilson-Lee

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Virginal, chaste, humble, patiently waiting for rescue by brave knights and handsome princes: this idealised - and largely mythical - notion of the medieval noblewoman still lingers. Yet the reality was very different, as Kelcey Wilson-Lee shows in this vibrant account of the five daughters of the great English king, Edward I. The lives of these sisters - Eleanora, Joanna, Margaret, Mary and Elizabeth - ran the full gamut of experiences open to royal women in the Middle Ages. Living as they did in a courtly culture founded on romantic longing and brilliant pageantry, they knew that a princess was to be chaste yet a mother to many children, preferably sons, meek yet able to influence a recalcitrant husband or even command a host of men-at-arms

Beginning: "Close your eyes and think of a medieval princess. Do you see a woman clothed in vibrant silks and rich velvets, her head, hands, and waist girdled with gleaming gold and sparkling gemstones?"

56: "Now under royal patronage, the next century saw significant expansion in the wealth and size of the priory." 

Comments: My first read of 2022 was Daughters of Chivalry by Kelcey Wilson-Lee. It's a nonfiction book I've been meaning to get to, and it was just as good as I thought it would be. It's all about the daughters of Edward I. 

What are you reading this week? Or what was the first book you read in 2022?

I Listened to The Gods We Can Touch by Aurora

A lot of good music came out in January of this year. First with FKA Twigs’s mixtape, Caprisongs, and now with Aurora’s album: The Gods We Can Touch. 

With Aurora, I already guessed that the album would be thematic, and I was right. The six singles—Cure For Me, Giving In To The Love, Exist for Love, Heathens, A Dangerous Thing, and Everything Matters featuring Pomme—offered a taste of the tone of the album, and the title paints a pretty clear picture of what to expect.

The Gods We Can Touch was emotional and topical, but ultimately it was lighter and different than some of Aurora’s previous music. It felt a lot more experimental and upbeat, bringing in notes of electro-pop without losing the ethereal/dreamy nature adjacent quality that I liked about Aurora’s backlist tracks. Some of my favorites from this particular album include: Cure For Me, Blood Like Wine, Exhale Inhale, and A Dangerous Thing.

In some ways, it reminded me of Halsey’s 2021 album: If I can’t Have Love, I Want Power. They both have historical and mythology references, but the albums go about the presentation of themes in a way unique to the respective artist.

So, The Gods We Can Touch was one of my most anticipated albums of 2022. My expectations were sky high, considering how good the singles preceding its release were. Overall, this was a great album, and I’m looking forward to Aurora’s next project.