Victorian Musings

HAPPY NEW YEAR & HERE'S TO A FABULOUS 2014!

Gerard Freeman, at age ten, sneaks into his mother's room and unlocks a secret drawer, only to find a picture of a woman he has never seen before, but one that he will find again and again. His mother discovers him and gives him the beating of his life. Why this excessive reaction? She is a worried, paranoid, thin, and fretful type with an "anxious, haunted look." By tale's end, we know why. Phyllis Freeman, Gerard's mother, was happiest when speaking fondly of Staplefield, her childhood home, where there were things they "didn't have in Mawson [Australia], chaffinches and mayflies and foxgloves and hawthorn, coopers and farriers and old Mr. Bartholomew who delivered fresh milk and eggs to their house with his horse and cart." It's the sort of childhood idyll that the timid and lonely Gerard believes in and longs for. He strikes up a correspondence with an English "penfriend," Alice Jessel, when he is 13 and a half,

At the end of every year, I post a list of my favorite novels published in that year that I loved and or stand out in my memory. For 2013, I have chosen mostly historical fiction. However, I added one which is a mystery and trust me they are unforgettable for various reasons. I hope you will read them for yourselves at some point. I guarantee you will not be disappointed...and if you are, feel free to email me :) Eleanor of Aquitaine is a 12th century icon who has fascinated readers for 800 years. But the real Eleanor remains elusive. This stunning novel introduces an Eleanor that all other writers have missed. Based on the most up-to-date research, it is the first novel to show Eleanor beginning her married life at 13. Barely out of childhood, this gives an entirely new slant to how Eleanor is treated bv those around her. She was often the victim and her first marriage was horribly abusive. Overflowing with scandal, passion, triumph and tragedy, Eleanor's legendary sto

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas surrounded by your loved ones, good food, good wine, and lots of love and laughter always.  Thank you all for bringing so much joy and laughter into my heart all year long; whether you've read any of my articles, posts and whether you left comments or not. To everyone who has found my little nook, I will be thinking of you all and sending you the biggest of hugs.  xxx       Hello Mr. Dickens in a gorgeous advertisement for soap!  Here's Queen Victoria as well! 

I have come across some wonderful photographs of Alfred Tennyson, his brothers, his son Lionel, his nieces, and one of his father-in-law that I just wanted to share with you all.  I hope you enjoy them...Let's start with two of Julia Margaret Cameron herself...  Unknown photographer. Julia Margaret Cameron holding a watch on a chain. Note her beautiful Celtic brooch atop her lace trimmed collar. Albumen print, private collection, about 1856. Julia Margaret Cameron with her two sons Charles and Henry Cameron, 1856, Stephen White Collection II, Albumen print. Unknown photographer T I just love this one!    Alfred Tennyson's brothers:  Charles Turner Tennyson, Frederick Tennyson and Horatio Tennyson   Charles Tennyson (1808-1879) A writer, like his brother Alfred Tennyson, Charles received a B.A. from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1832 and changed his name to Charles Turner Tennyson in 1835 on succeeding to his great uncle’s property. He publi