strange and random happenstance

Ah, The Cinder Path, I think this might have been my first foray into Catherine Cookson territory. There's a chance that this other movie I was obsessed with might have been written by Catherine Cookson, but I have yet to figure out which one or even if it is by her. Let me know in the comments below if you have a detailed knowledge of films that are about farm girls who look vaguely like Kathy Ireland who get involved with their boss's son/nephew and have a magical summer together but she ends up pregnant and he goes back to his friends... You would literally be solving one of the mysteries of my life. Back to The Cinder Path. So there's one reason and one reason only I watched The Cinder Path, and that's Lloyd Owen. So I've always been obsessed with The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Like hardcore obsessed. Like I have a fan magazine actually signed by Indy himself, that would be Sean Patrick Flanery to everyone else. Well when I was rewatching the show a few years back now I was all, who is that hot actor playing Professor Henry Jones, Sr., the role iconically created by Sean Connery? The answer was Lloyd Owen. So I started looking up other things he'd been in around the time he was Indy's dad. I vaguely remembered him in Coupling, but The Cinder Path looked interesting. Also Catherine Zeta-Jones from around the time of The Darling Buds of May! Interesting fact, she was also on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles if you were interested in other facts from that show. I have lots of facts from that show. LOTS. Anyway, this is pure Catherine Cookson, slightly over the top, I mean, love saves our hero from the shrapnel that could either move towards his heart and kill him or away from his heart and save him. It's so melodramatic it's kind of ridiculous but also hits the spot just right when you're in the mood. The only real complaint I had for this miniseries is that Catherine Zeta-Jones spent way too much time on horses and "the cinder path" which was a form of punishment didn't look that punishing. I wanted more, walking on hot coals, this was kind of, could they at least look like they're in pain?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Catherine Cookson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Fifty Years a Masterpiece, Lloyd Owen, Masterpiece Theatre, Melodramatic, Sean Connery, Sean Patrick Flanery, The Cinder Path, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale
Published by: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: August 25th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Shannon Hale, bestselling author of Austenland, comes Kind of a Big Deal: a hilarious, madcap story that will suck you in - literally.

There's nothing worse than peaking in high school. Nobody knows that better than Josie Pie.

She was kind of a big deal - she dropped out of high school to be a star! But the bigger you are, the harder you fall. And Josie fell. Hard. Ouch. Broadway dream: dead.

Meanwhile, her life keeps imploding. Best friend: distant. Boyfriend: busy. Mom: not playing with a full deck? Desperate to escape, Josie gets into reading.

Literally. She reads a book and suddenly she's inside it. And with each book, she’s a different character: a post-apocalyptic heroine, the lead in a YA rom-com, a 17th century wench in a corset.

It’s alarming. But also...kind of amazing?

It’s the perfect way to live out her fantasies. Book after book, Josie the failed star finds a new way to shine. But the longer she stays in a story, the harder it becomes to escape.

Will Josie find a story so good that she just stays forever?"

Dream author, dream concept! 

My Little Occult Book Club by Steven Rhodes
Published by: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 80 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"My Little Occult Book Club is a hilarious collection of Steven Rhodes' parody book covers for the aspiring occultist, exorcist, necromancer, and more, illustrated in his fan-favorite artistic twist on retro '70s and '80s children's books.

The humorous fake titles include Sell Your Soul! (Economics for Children), Necromancy for Beginners, and Caring for Your Demon Cat, and much more.

• Written in a playful voice that parodies subscription book catalogs
• Features puzzles, activities, and even a free fold-out poster 
• Funny fake mail order offers for gifts such as "Cursed Videocassette"

Whether you're looking for a health guide for your changing werewolf body or a simple introduction to alien abduction, this silly and twisted read features a wide selection of books for any occult need.

For fans of dark humor, nostalgic horror, and vintage books alike, don't wait - order today!

• Perfect gift for fans of Stranger Things, IT, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
• Add it to the shelf with books like Yiddish with Dick and Jane by Ellis Weiner and Barbara Davilman and My Best Friend's Exorcism: A Novel by Grady Hendrix"

As a graphic designer and book cover connoisseur who has a dark sense of humor, this is a must buy book for me.

Ink and Sigil  by Kevin Hearne
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: August 25th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author Kevin Hearne returns to the world of his beloved Iron Druid Chronicles in a spin-off series about an eccentric master of rare magic solving an uncanny mystery in Scotland.

“Ink and Sigil is escape reading, and I loved every word.” - Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author of A Longer Fall.

Al MacBharrais is both blessed and cursed. He is blessed with an extraordinary white moustache, an appreciation for craft cocktails - and a most unique magical talent. He can cast spells with magically enchanted ink and he uses his gifts to protect our world from rogue minions of various pantheons, especially the Fae.

But he is also cursed. Anyone who hears his voice will begin to feel an inexplicable hatred for Al, so he can only communicate through the written word or speech apps. And his apprentices keep dying in peculiar freak accidents. As his personal life crumbles around him, he devotes his life to his work, all the while trying to crack the secret of his curse.

But when his latest apprentice, Gordie, turns up dead in his Glasgow flat, Al discovers evidence that Gordie was living a secret life of crime. Now Al is forced to play detective - while avoiding actual detectives who are wondering why death seems to always follow Al. Investigating his apprentice’s death will take him through Scotland’s magical underworld, and he’ll need the help of a mischievous hobgoblin if he’s to survive."

I don't know if you follow Charlaine Harris's book recommendations like I do, but they are ALWAYS good. So listen to Charlaine and get this book!

Chili Cauldron Curse  by Lynn Cahoon
Published by: Kensington Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2020
Format: Kindle, 100 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author Lynn Cahoon introduces a new heroine with her own special brand of culinary magic in this novella to introduce her Kitchen Witch series.

When Mia Malone’s grandmother asks her to take a week away from her restaurant job and come to Magic Springs, Idaho, she’s happy to oblige. Like Mia, Grans has witchcraft running through her veins, and life with her is never boring. Plus, the cause is a good one - helping Grans get the local food bank up and running again. But there’s an unappetizing surprise in store. While Mia is knee-deep in boxes of donated produce, she encounters the body of Dorian Alexander.

Dorian was a warlock, leader of the local coven. He was also her Grans’ new beau. There’s no potion that’ll make this trouble disappear. But if Mia wants to keep her Grans - now a prime suspect - from serving a spell in prison, she’ll have to unearth the real killer fast...."

Anyone else thinking, I want something to read reminiscent of the Sarah Michelle Geller and Sean Patrick Flanery film Simply Irresistible? Well here you go!

Killer Kung Pao by Vivien Chien
Published by: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: August 25th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Vivien Chen's Lana Lee returns for Killer Kung Pao, another delectable cozy set in a Chinese restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio!

Is life at the Ho-Lee Noodle House becoming too hot to handle?

Lana Lee’s plate is already plenty full. Running her family’s Chinese restaurant in Cleveland’s Asia Village is challenging on the best of days. But just when Lana thinks she might be able to catch her breath before the weekend - which she’s eager to spend with her equally overworked boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau - Lana witnesses a car accident in the parking lot. And now she has no choice but to get involved.

June Yi, of Yi’s Tea and Bakery, is a serious businesswoman well-known for her heartlessness. But June meets her match when she rear-ends the Cadillac belonging to Mah Jong lover Mildred “Millie” Mao. As each woman curses - and threatens - the other, it becomes clear to Lana that trouble lies ahead. Still, who could have imagined that Millie would end up dead at the beauty salon? The evidence suggests that she was electrocuted while having a foot bath, and all eyes are on June. Can Lana find a way to solve this case before another fatality occurs in Asia Village?"

I can't be the only one wanting my summer reading to end with some "steaming hot homicide?" 

Blunt Force by Lynda La Plante
Published by: Zaffre
Publication Date: August 25th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jane Tennison must navigate the salacious world of theatre to solve a brutal murder in the heart of London's West End, in the brilliant new thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama, Lynda La Plante.

Things can't get much worse for detective Jane Tennison. Unceremoniously kicked off the adrenaline-fuelled Flying Squad, she now plies her trade in Gerald Road, a small and sleepy police station in the heart of London's affluent Knightsbridge.

With only petty crime to sink her teeth into, Tennison can feel her career slowly flatlining. That is until the discovery of the most brutal murder Jane has ever seen: Charlie Foxley has been found viciously beaten to death with a cricket bat - his body dismembered and disembowelled.

As a big-time theatrical agent, Foxley had a lot of powerful friends - but just as many enemies. And alongside her old friend DS Spencer Gibbs, Tennison must journey into the salacious world of show business to find out which one is the killer, before they strike again."

I'd be happy if it was just a Jane Tennison mystery, but one in the world of theatre!?! YAS!

Murder at Kingscote by Alyssa Maxwell
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: August 25th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In late nineteenth-century Newport, Rhode Island, journalist Emma Cross discovers the newest form of transportation has become the newest type of murder weapon...

On a clear July day in 1899, the salty ocean breeze along Bellevue Avenue carries new smells of gasoline and exhaust as Emma, now editor-in-chief of the Newport Messenger, covers Newport's first-ever automobile parade. But the festive atmosphere soon turns to shock as young Philip King drunkenly swerves his motorcar into a wooden figure of a nanny pushing a pram on the obstacle course.

That evening, at a dinner party hosted by Ella King at her magnificent Gothic-inspired "cottage," Kingscote, Emma and her beau Derrick Andrews are enjoying the food and the company when Ella’s son staggers in, obviously still inebriated. But the disruption is nothing compared to the urgent shouts of the coachman. Rushing out, they find the family's butler pinned against a tree beneath the front wheels of Philip's motorcar, close to death.

At first, the tragic tableau appears to be a reckless accident - one which could ruin Philip's reputation. But when Emma later receives a message informing her that the butler bullied his staff and took advantage of young maids, she begins to suspect the scene may have been staged and steers the police toward a murder investigation. But while Emma investigates the connections between a competing heir for the King fortune, a mysterious child, an inmate of an insane asylum, and the brutal boxing rings of Providence, a killer remains at large - with unfinished business to attend to..."

Ah, for the days when the wealthy left the city for the summer and committed murders elsewhere! Go back to those days and pretend that summer is just starting and not about to end.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alyssa Maxwell, Book Covers, Charlaine Harris, Gilded Newport, Jane Tennison, Kevin Hearne, Lynda La Plante, Lynn Cahoon, Sean Patrick Flanery, Shannon Hale, Simply Irresistible, Steven Rhodes, Vivien Chien

Death in St. Petersburg by Tasha Alexander
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 10th, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Emily is a little put out that her husband Colin keeps getting to go to Russia. Yes, it's for his work, yes, it's for the crown, but she longs to travel there herself. To stroll along Nevsky Prospekt, to gaze across the Neva, to attend a performance of the Imperial Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre, these are Emily's dreams. Luckily life has a way of working out. Just after Colin is called once again to St. Petersburg Emily's dear friend Cecile asks if Emily would like to accompany her to that same city to visit her dear friend Masha and take in the New Year's festivities. At first Emily is worried her harried husband will be displeased she has followed him to Russia, thankfully the warm welcome she receives on arriving makes her concerns disappear like a snowflake in front of a roaring blaze. Colin's busy schedule means he can only occasionally accompany his wife, but Emily and Cecile take in the sites of the city and are charmed by it's beauty until the night of the ballet. For the first time ever the prima ballerina assoluta Legnani isn't staring in Swan Lake and has chosen Irina Semenova Nemetseva as her successor. Only Nemetseva never finished her performance.

Ekaterina Petrovna, Nemetseva's understudy, finished the show and made everyone forget about the original ballerina, until they exited the theater and found Nemetseva's body face down in the snow. The blood spatter looked like rose petals around her corpse. Emily being Emily wants to get to the bottom of the crime but it's only when Prince Vasilii Ruslanovich approaches her that she is given a sanction to do so. Prince Vasilii was Nemetseva's secret lover. He doesn't want to draw any attention to this and therefore asks Emily to discreetly make inquiries. What Emily discovers is friends and lovers that admired Nemetseva. Ever her understudy, Ekaterina Petrovna, loved her like a sister and at one time hoped Nemetseva would marry her brother Lev so they would indeed be sisters. Lev though has some radical tendencies. Could the murder be politically motivated? One thing is sure, St. Petersburg loves to gossip and soon there is a development in Nemetseva's murder that has everyone talking. A ballerina keeps appearing throughout the city with a red silk scarf who disappears whenever anyone gets near. Could this be Nemetseva's ghost seeking justice? Emily doesn't believe in ghosts but she does believe in finding justice for the slain ballerina no matter what the cost.

Russia! Finally! I was almost as excited as Emily to find that we'd finally be going to St. Petersburg. Tasha had dropped enough hints in the previous volumes, even going so far as to have Emily state that were she to run away from all the chaos in her life during the events of A Terrible Beauty that she would go to St. Petersburg. Thankfully Colin was aware of this and would have followed her north. Now I know that Russia might not be everyone's cup of tea, or podstakannik as the case may be, but I was born and bred with a love of Russia in my bones thus making this book a perfect read for a long winter's night. My mother was actually a Russian major in college, a rather questionable major during the height of the cold war as evidenced by the fact the government kept tabs on her; but she adored Russian literature, in particular Pushkin, even if Tolstoy's War and Peace wins out as her favorite book. My parent's first date was going to see Doctor Zhivago at the Hilldale Theater, and the rest is history. From rather creepy Imperial Ballet paper dolls to oversized art books showing the treasures of the Hermitage to watching Gorbachev step down, my upbringing had Russia always present. I don't even know how young I was when I was sat down and forced to watch Doctor Zhivago, but I'm sure my parents didn't appreciate me rooting for Geraldine Chaplin as Tonya.

But for all my love of Russia I am very lukewarm on the whole Imperial Ballet. The truth is ballet is one of those things that you have to fall for very young. There are the horse girls, the ballet girls, the sporty girls, and then there was me. I didn't really fit or want to fit in any category. I have a vivid memory of going to the mall once with my mom and asking if I could buy some ballet shoes, because I thought they would be cool to wear. She said unless I took ballet that wasn't happening. My love of the shoes wasn't that great. But she also painted a very bleak picture of ballet, I'm not sure if that was from her Russian studies or from the fact she didn't want to drive me to lessons, but if I hadn't given up the dream of the shoes so easily I'm sure there would have been an even longer lecture. Ballet continues to be one of those artistic mediums I just don't connect to. It's not that I don't get what they are going for, for my theater degree we had to watch the Imperial Ballet to see the groundbreaking work they did in costume and stage design, but it never drew me in. I'm just not a fan of dance in any form. No matter how many shows I've seen I just don't get it.

Perhaps if I was lucky enough to have a mentor like Tasha did I wouldn't be indifferent. But I can't go back in time and change what happened. Thankfully Death in St. Petersburg works on many levels. I'm sure if you're a devotee of the ballet there is even more for you than if you're just in it for the human drama surrounding the ballerinas. Personally I was very glad for the drama surrounding the ballerinas. It's not just their friendships and allegiances that drew me in, but the level of intrigue surrounding the patronage system. Patronage isn't something unheard of in the arts, in fact I often lament that the days of individual patronage are over because I could do with some money to make art for a wealthy robber baron. Yet in the physical art world you give them art for their patronage. In the visual art world, particularity women, have other things to give... This is just another way you can sleep your way to the top. By aligning yourself as the mistress of a well-to-do noble, you get a better life and a better career. But at the same time this patronage system is creepy. You're being pimped out by the ballet to the richest bidder. I feel that this perfectly underscores why the revolution in Russia eventually happened. The rich used their influence to get the best mistresses, whether they wanted to be despoiled or not.

While the Russian Revolutions didn't start until 1905 with them culminating with the abdication of the Tsar in 1917 and the execution of the royal family in 1918 Death in St. Petersburg really felt like it was on the cusp of this big historical event. Tasha clearly depicts the disparity between the poor and the rich ending with the whiff of revolution in the air. While the other books with Lady Emily don't shy away from politics or historical events for some reason this book just felt more specific. This book made history more alive with Emily in the center of it. Therefore I couldn't help thinking of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Seriously, people stop doubting me about the show's genius, which are many of my friends. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was a formative show for me for many reasons and is probably why I love historical fiction so much. The series was created by George Lucas as an offshoot from the Indiana Jones film franchise as a way to engage children with history. I myself was very much engaged, and not just because of Sean Patrick Flanery, though he didn't hurt. The episode "Petrograd, July 1917" made the Russian Revolution more real to me than anything had before until now. To my mind there is a direct link from that episode to this book in making this era of Russian history more alive and vibrant than anything else I've ever read or watched. Therefore if Russian history is your podstakannik of tea don't miss this book.

With revolution in the air and the dawning of a new century, Emily is really coming into her own. While Emily thinks that the Russians not questioning a female's capability of being an investigator as societal progress I think that is only half the story. If you look to the ballerinas she is interviewing as part of her inquiries she is operating in a female dominated field. To these women, who many be forced to work within the patronage system, they still see that it's their own skill and drive that makes them succeed in the end. No matter how wealthy or high up their patron without the skill they could never succeed. So why can't a woman succeed in another field if she sets her mind to it? Ekaterina Petrovna and her love Mitya both shock Emily with their easy acceptance of her investigative role. While this does signify the bigger sea change I think it is also specific to the mindset in Russia. Revolutionaries didn't distinguish between male and female, they were all comrades, where women could effect as much change as men. I know it's odd to think of Russia as more progressive, but the revolution that was coming forever changed world history so it makes sense that they would be willing to see Emily as what she is and not dismiss her. That isn't to say her investigation was completely smooth sailing, but that there were less bumps in the road, less explanations than previously, and for this series going forward, it will be wonderful to see Emily embrace all the changes that are in store.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Terrible Beauty, Alexander Autumn, Ballet, Death in St. Petersburg, Doctor Zhivago, Murder, Russia, Sean Patrick Flanery, St. Petersburg, Tasha Alexander, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, War and Peace

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Tales of Innocence
Starring: Sean Patrick Flanery, Jay Underwood, Veronica Logan, Pernilla August, Renato Scarpa, Anna Lelio, Selina Giles, Clare Higgins, Evan Richards, David Haig, and Roshan Seth
Release Date: July 14th, 1999
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Indy is stationed in Northern Italy. While his work has him arranging the dangerous defection of German troops to the allied forces, he spends all his time thinking of getting back to Guiletta. Guiletta, the girl of his dreams. Sure, her parents don't approve, but what does that have to do with love? All is well until he realizes he has a mysterious rival for the affections of Guiletta. He spills his guts out to a fellow American who drives an ambulance that night in the local cantena. Ernest Hemingway seems full of great ideas to one-up this upstart, that is until Indy realizes that Ernest is his rival! The two friends quickly become bitter enemies trying to win the heart of Guiletta while still doing their duty in the war. And war being war, anything could happen. Ernest and Indy are both injured in an air raid. While Indy is recuperating in Venice, his body and his heart start to heal. Though once healed he will be back in action, stealing hearts and saving the world. He only wishes his new assignment were more exciting. Trying to find out the culprits behind the transferring of arms in Morocco seems dull compared to fighting on the front lines. Yet his companion, the novelist Edith Wharton, turns what would be a boring mission into the journey of a lifetime.

Right before I started high school The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles premiered. Despite being such a short lived series it will forever hold a place in my heart. In fact, starting high school it was a good way to weed out prospective friends, if they watched the show and loved Sean Patrick Flanery as much as I did, well, friends for life. Literally. I fell hard for Young Indy and Sean Patrick Flanery, River Phoenix in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was long forgotten. I even have the premiere issue of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Magazine that I ordered through Scholastic signed by Sean Patrick Flanery, who was the nicest person you could hope to meet and I had so much fun talking about the show with him at Wizard World Chicago. Yes, I fully admit to fangirling all over this series and Sean but luckily not to his face. I was so caught up in the stories and the romance and the action, and let's not omit the Sean angle, that I didn't realize how sneaky George Lucas was being. George Lucas was making me learn history! Designed as an educational program for children and teenagers, historical figures and important events were showcased through these prequels to the films.

I learned much of my history through the life of Indiana Jones. While I was more into the romantic travails of Indy fending off a young Ernest Hemingway, the Easter Rebellion wormed it's way into my brain. Pancho Villa worked his way in while I was admiring Indy's horsemanship. Damn that boy can ride! George Lucas had secretly succeeded in teaching me where my teachers failed. To be fair though, in grade school, it was the fault of the teachers not of history. The film franchise with Harrison Ford was very much centered on the Nazis and World War II. Therefore, due to Indy's age, it only made sense for "Young" Indy to be involved in World War I. From enlisting in the Belgian Army because of his young age, to fighting at the Somme and Verdun, to transporting weaponry across German East Africa and the Congo, to escaping from a prisoner of war camp, to escorting Austrian Princes, to even being seduced by Mata Hari, Henry Jones Junior encapsulated all of the Great War in his escapades in a way that was memorable and entertaining. I can't help but think that if my high school English teacher had combined A Farewell to Arms with Indy's adventures in Northern Italy in June of 1918 I might not have taken such a strong dislike to Hemingway.

Watching the first half of this episode twenty-three years after it first aired I'm amazed that it still holds up. It's not just for the Sean Patrick Flanery devotees, there's a good solid plot, lots of zany and goofy humor, in particular one scene involving the mass consumption of pasta, as well as some nice jabs at Hemingway. And yes, I still don't like Hemingway all these years later, so I take great amusement in his suffering. But what really struck me this time around was the influence of E.M. Forster on the look and feel of the Italian storyline. Yes, there's probably a part of me nostalgic for all his books and movies I devoured just last fall, yet there's this lovely innocence to Indy and Hemingway vying for the love of Guiletta, even if they get a little debauched at the bar after wooing hours... this story does have Hemingway in it so it was inevitable. I also think the fact that Howard's End coming out a year before this episode aired isn't a coincidence, even though this story is more reminiscent of A Room with a View in my opinion. When Indy goes on a walk with Guiletta with Granny as guardian, the beauty of the countryside is almost overwhelming. The show might have ended because it cost so much to make, but just watching it again, they did it right, and isn't that what matters?

What I love though about this storyline is that it shows that the Great War wasn't just in trenches in France with Germany bombarding them. This was the smallest section of the "European Theater" yet the war effected quite literally the entire world. With Indy traveling around we see how the war was fought from North Africa to Russia. Here we get a glimpse of the work being done in Northern Italy, with German forces successfully defecting, as well as the importance of non-active troops, such as ambulance drivers, which is how Hemingway served during the war. We also see that not every second of every day was devoted to battle. They have down time to drink, to think of the future, to love. Just because there is a war doesn't mean that we stop being human. I think that is what comes across most with the adventures of Indy, these famous people were actually people. Sometimes we look on celebrities as a different breed, people apart. But in the end they're just like us. They have hopes and dreams, like Hemingway wanting to be a writer, even if Indy shuns his idea of a love letter, which is hilariously literal. Humanizing history is what this show does, and perhaps that's why I became a lover of historical fiction.

Though while the first half is forever one of my favorite sections, the second section with Edith Wharton, which was never aired, I think is the most eye opening. To me Edith Wharton is so of a different time that I have never really connected her to the fact that she was around during World War I. She seems somehow of the past yet unmoored from historical events. Yet she tirelessly helped the war effort in France throughout the conflict. All that she did is amazing if you read about it, heck she even wrote several books on it herself. She was even appointed to the Legion of Honour for her work! And while the continuity doesn't quite work with her actual travels in Morocco, it's interesting to see Indy, not just solving a mystery, but having a relationship with a woman that is more about conversation and mutual understanding than about infatuation or seduction. Indy is, after all, a ladies' man, but Wharton here has the power. In an obvious mirroring of Wharton's own work, I mean just look to the title of this episode, Indy is relegated to the weaker role, that of Newland Archer, where Wharton holds all the cards of a intelligent and irresistible Countess Olenska. It's great fun to see Indy wrong-footed, but also to appreciate a woman for something more than just her looks. Which is why I knew he always HAD to end up with Marion Ravenwood. Always.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Fall of Poppies, A Farewell to Arms, E.M. Forster, Edith Wharton, Ernest Hemingway, George Lucas, Indiana Jones, Sean Patrick Flanery, The Age of Innocence, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, WWI