ladybusiness | Entries tagged with genre: historical fiction

Book cover of Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia

Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are off to Alabama to visit their grandmother, Big Ma, and her mother, Ma Charles. Across the way lives Ma Charles's half sister, Miss Trotter. The two half sisters haven't spoken in years. As Delphine hears about her family history, she uncovers the surprising truth that's been keeping the sisters apart. But when tragedy strikes, Delphine discovers that the bonds of family run deeper than she ever knew possible. (Source)

Both Ana and I reviewed One Crazy Summer, the first of Rita Williams-Garcia's books about the three Gaither sisters, their Pa, Grandma (Big Ma) and their activist mother. Join us as we (sadly) see the trilogy finish up and co-review the final book, Gone Crazy in Alabama.

( Read more... )

helloladies

Today we're excited to welcome justira to Lady Business to talk about Agent Carter! Ira is a kickass illustrator, writer, and web developer who gained their powers by consuming the bones of their enemies. They make art, comics, and writing when they are not distracted by way too many video games. You can find more of Ira's work at their tumblr.

So (this season of) Agent Carter is over and one of the most interesting bits of noise to emerge from the finale — besides, of course, the speculation over renewal and, less positively, continued criticism of the show's lack of racial diversity — is the furor over a possibly bisexual Howard Stark. But why are we (again) so excited about a white dude and his feels on a show that is, for once, explicitly about a woman? Well, let's take a look, because we're going to cover Peggy/Angie, Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson, love interest roles, Captain America: The First Avenger retcons, and sites of transgression — but most of all, we're going to talk about how much heteronormativity blows. Spoilers for Agent Carter and both Captain America movies below!

Peggy and Howard face off.

( Read more... )

helloladies

Cover at for PS Be Eleven by Rita-Williams Garcia, showing three black girls skipping rope on a city street, wearing 1960s style bell-bottom jeans

After spending the summer in Oakland with their mother and the Black Panthers, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern arrive home with a newfound streak of independence, and the sisters aren't the only ones who have changed. Now Pa has a girlfriend. Uncle Darnell returns from Vietnam a different man. But Big Ma still expects Delphine to keep her sisters in line. That's much harder now that Vonetta and Fern refuse to be bossed around. Besides her sisters, Delphine's got plenty of other things to worry about-like starting sixth grade, being the tallest girl in her class, and dreading the upcoming school dance (her first). The one person she confides in is her mother, Cecile. Through letters, Delphine pours her heart out and receives some constant advice: to be eleven while she can.

Jodie: Even though we didn't co-review One Crazy Summer I think we're united in our feelings about Rita Williams-Garcia's first Gaither Sisters book. Loved, loved, loved it! You recently said 'it's a story that makes room for several simultaneous truths', and the way the book validated both Delphine and Cecile's feelings absolutely swept me away.

Did you have any particular hopes, dreams and expectations going into the sequel, P.S. Be Eleven because of the way One Crazy Summer developed? ( Moar words )

helloladies

Illustration of a girl suspended in the sky above tall factory buildings. Her hair and skirt are on fire, and her head is bowed. She holds a long piece of red thread in one hand.

In America, they don’t let you burn. My mother told me that.

Jodie: Ana, you read "Burning Girls" a while ago and then suggested it might be a good piece for us to discuss together in a Short Business post. Was there one aspect of this story that you were excited to talk about first?

Ana: First of all, I thought that like me you might be interested in the way "Burning Girls" combines history with fairy tale elements. Reading The Girls at the Kingfisher Club recently was a reminder of how much I love that sort of thing, so it was great to revisit a story that does something along the same general lines.
( Spoilers behind the cut )

bookgazing

Today, I have five - count 'em - five short reviews for your delight and delectation. Talking cats, giant grasshoppers, emotionally fragile superheroes - Lady Business is a broad church today!

( Cat Girl’s Day Off – Kimberly Pauley )

( Grasshopper Jungle – Andrew Smith )

( Rivals in the City – Y. S. Lee )

( Happy Families – Tanita S. Davis )

( Hawkeye, Vol. 1: My Life As a Weapon and Hawkeye, Vol.2: Little Hits – David Aja & Matt Fraction )

bookgazing

"Belle Trailer 2013 Gugu, Tom Felton, Amma Asante 2014 Movie - Official [HD]" (Watch on YouTube)

"Belle" is yet another answer to a common internet cry. Have you been longing for a period film which shows that chromatic people in history occupied a diverse range of roles? Well, Amma Asante’s "Belle" may just be what you’re looking for.

"Belle" was inspired by a painting of real life cousins Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay and Elizabeth Murray. The painting originally hung at Kenwood House, where the real life Dido was sent by John Lindsay, her white father, in the 1765. Her father’s uncle the Earl of Hampstead, was the Lord Chief Justice of England at the time and he resided at Kenwood with his wife.

"Belle" presents a fictionalised version of Dido’s life at Kenwood. In the film Dido, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, is the equal of her cousin. Although her parents were unmarried and she is of mixed race, she is acknowledged as a Lindsay by her father. When he leaves, she is cherished by her great uncle and aunt, and is encouraged to call them Papa and Mama. And when John Lindsay unfortunately dies at sea she becomes a wealthy, independent heiress.

( Read more... )

Other Reviews

The Close Historian
The Guardian
Roger Ebert
The London Film Review

bookgazing

book cover for The Lie shows a young soldier holding staring at his hat in his hands and a scene of another soldier standing by barbed wire in No Man's Land

Cornwall, 1920, early spring.

A young man stands on a headland, looking out to sea. He is back from the war, homeless and without family.

Behind him lie the mud, barbed-wire entanglements and terror of the trenches. Behind him is also the most intense relationship of his life.¹

Daniel has survived, but the horror and passion of the past seem more real than the quiet fields around him.

He is about to step into the unknown. But will he ever be able to escape the terrible, unforeseen consequences of a lie?

God, I am so sick of publishers using book blurb code for LGBTQ books. There are gay soldiers in "The Lie", OK? This happens:

'We were laughing. He was hauling me up. We staggered together and I could smell the drink on him as well as on me. I felt drunker than I'd been all night. I don't know what happened then except our faces must have got close. I tasted my own blood and then his mouth, his spit and the taste I seemed to know already because I knew the smell of him so well. Him, himself, as if we'd come out of the same womb. How good he tasted. We were no use on our own, either of us. If I was ever going to be myself I needed him.'

"Torchwood - Jack/Jack Kiss" (Watch on YouTube)

Gay soldiers.²

( Read more... )

Other Reviews

The Telegraph
The Guardian
Kirkus
The Historical Novel Society

bookgazing

Picture of The Bletchley Circle main cast from series one and two

I know, I know - it seems like only yesterday I was trying to convince you to get your heart broken by investing in a kick-ass TV program that was cancelled far too early. And here I am poking you to watch another cancelled series that has absolutely no hope of being revived. Quit it, Jodie, you say, just quit it.

I think I can win you round though. Yes, even though there are only seven episodes to watch. Yes, even though the actress playing the protagonist left half way through the second series. Yes, even though – look, are we going to have a problem here?!

Anyway, here are five good reasons why I you think I should latch on to "The Bletchley Circle".

( Read more... )

bookgazing

Two important things you should know about Carnival Film's recent series "Dracula":

Nonso Anozie wears a red bowler hat and smartly tailored grey check suit, with a tie that matches his hat as Renfield

Nonso Anozie wears a red bowler hat and smartly tailored grey check suit, with a tie that matches his hat as Renfield

This is Nonso Anozie. He plays R. M Renfield.

headshot of a blonde Katie McGrath with a large red flower in her hair which matches her lipstick and earings playing Lucy Westenra

This is Katie McGrath. She plays Lucy Westenra.

I assume you are now powerless to avoid this show. Cool. Come share my pain.

( Read more... )

Supplementary Material

The Lucy Westenra Tumblr
"Occupation Girl" - nbc dracula tag
My favourite image of Lucy
"ScreenSlam" - Youtube playlist including "Dracula" cast interviews

bookgazing

"The White Queen: Series Trailer - BBC One" (Watch on YouTube)

Set in the 14th century, "The White Queen" follows the many fascinating royal and noble women caught up in the dynastic struggles between the houses of Lancaster and York. If you enjoy settling down to a period drama, but are tired of watching various actors parade around as the murderous and lecherous Henry VIII, then this fun drama that celebrates the mixed up, disrupted lives of ladies could be just what you’re looking for.

( Your text book is full of spoilers too. )

Supplementary Material

"Freedom at 21" (fan-vid)

Other Reviews

Asking the Wrong Questions
Yours?

Learn about Lady Business!

A group of fans, reviewers, and critics who like art and media. Hugo Award Winners². (We really like Hugo Award recommendations.) You can support us on Patreon, read our past work by month or by topic, but please note our comment policy. Learn more »

Lady Business

this is feminism x it is not scary pet the pretty feminist pony xx

Entries tagged with genre: historical fiction

Co-review: Gone Crazy In Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia

Sites of Transgression and Bisexual Themes in Agent Carter

Co-Review: P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia

Short Business: Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes

A Cat, A Grasshopper and A Superhero Walk Into A Bookstore..

"Belle"

"The Lie" - Helen Dunmore

Five Reasons to Watch "The Bletchley Circle"

Review: "Dracula" (Series One)

Review: "The White Queen"

Learn about Lady Business!