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tracey_stewart's review
4.0
I love this stuff.
I didn't so much want to read this as a writer as as (as as?) a reader. I used to write, though not historical fiction (HF) – but I am a long-time (sometimes I feel it should be "long-suffering") reader of all-sorts, including lots of historical fiction and mystery. And as I know I have said in several HF/HM (historical mystery) reviews, one thing that is sure to make me fling a book against the nearest wall (unless I'm reading on my Kindle) is for anyone in any story set before about 1875, or an equivalent time period, to say "okay". It's not okay.
Susanne Alleyn is a lady after my own heart. She knows the pain of an anachronistic "okay", or an out of place revolver, or an impossible cup of tea – and instead of just complaining about it like me she aims to do something about it.
And so, in an intelligent and fun-to-read format, she proceeds through the various areas where authors, and not just new authors, tend to screw up. Don't – as [a:Adam Schell|2780038|Adam Schell|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1305325970p2/2780038.jpg] so wonderfully explained in [b:Tomato Rhapsody|6090444|Tomato Rhapsody A Fable of Love, Lust & Forbidden Fruit|Adam Schell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320422913s/6090444.jpg|6267393] – include tomatoes in Italian (or any European) cuisine before the 1500's; don't have a chipmunk run over someone's foot in 16th century England or have an Apache brave leap onto his horse in 15th century North America; don't – DON'T – have anyone say "okay" before 1890, no matter what.
I've been looking over some of my book reviews lately, and I'd love to anonymously send at least a few of those authors copies of this book. Because just about everything she tries to instruct against has come up at some point. (Except tobacco… I don't think I've seen misuse of tobacco in a book. I think I would have flagged it.) Like the Restoration Era CPR in one book, along with the use of "hammered" to mean drunk; the references to personal space in another; an accusation that one person is "playing" another in 15th century Scotland, along with a reference to "play[ing] that card". All the bits that seem to be written with a tin ear toward historical accuracy … I've never understood why someone with that sort of tone deafness chooses to set his tale in another place and time. I've never understood why someone who chooses to set his tale in another place and time can't do the research. Here, in one easy dose, is an antidote to a whole heck of a lot of that nonsense – and it's also a gateway drug, to abuse that metaphor further: with this as a starting point, it can't but be a great deal easier to know whether that one character should be eating spaghetti … or if that other one should be wearing underpants…
I didn't so much want to read this as a writer as as (as as?) a reader. I used to write, though not historical fiction (HF) – but I am a long-time (sometimes I feel it should be "long-suffering") reader of all-sorts, including lots of historical fiction and mystery. And as I know I have said in several HF/HM (historical mystery) reviews, one thing that is sure to make me fling a book against the nearest wall (unless I'm reading on my Kindle) is for anyone in any story set before about 1875, or an equivalent time period, to say "okay". It's not okay.
Susanne Alleyn is a lady after my own heart. She knows the pain of an anachronistic "okay", or an out of place revolver, or an impossible cup of tea – and instead of just complaining about it like me she aims to do something about it.
And so, in an intelligent and fun-to-read format, she proceeds through the various areas where authors, and not just new authors, tend to screw up. Don't – as [a:Adam Schell|2780038|Adam Schell|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1305325970p2/2780038.jpg] so wonderfully explained in [b:Tomato Rhapsody|6090444|Tomato Rhapsody A Fable of Love, Lust & Forbidden Fruit|Adam Schell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320422913s/6090444.jpg|6267393] – include tomatoes in Italian (or any European) cuisine before the 1500's; don't have a chipmunk run over someone's foot in 16th century England or have an Apache brave leap onto his horse in 15th century North America; don't – DON'T – have anyone say "okay" before 1890, no matter what.
I've been looking over some of my book reviews lately, and I'd love to anonymously send at least a few of those authors copies of this book. Because just about everything she tries to instruct against has come up at some point. (Except tobacco… I don't think I've seen misuse of tobacco in a book. I think I would have flagged it.) Like the Restoration Era CPR in one book, along with the use of "hammered" to mean drunk; the references to personal space in another; an accusation that one person is "playing" another in 15th century Scotland, along with a reference to "play[ing] that card". All the bits that seem to be written with a tin ear toward historical accuracy … I've never understood why someone with that sort of tone deafness chooses to set his tale in another place and time. I've never understood why someone who chooses to set his tale in another place and time can't do the research. Here, in one easy dose, is an antidote to a whole heck of a lot of that nonsense – and it's also a gateway drug, to abuse that metaphor further: with this as a starting point, it can't but be a great deal easier to know whether that one character should be eating spaghetti … or if that other one should be wearing underpants…
maplessence's review
5.0
"May we never again read about Dark Ages peasants eating tomatoes; unbelievably plucky/feisty liberated medieval heroines with names like Dominique; 18th-century travelers crossing Europe of the Atlantic in a week; slang that's sixty years ahead of its time and many, many other such common anachronisms of fact and attitude..."
Preach it sister!
When I'm reading a Historical/Historical Romance/Historical Whodunnit I want to totally lose myself in the book's world. Little mistakes can really jar me, big mistakes (or not really mistakes but the author simply doesn't care enough to do any research) can be enough for a DNF. If an author doesn't want to be reasonably accurate then they should market their book as a Historical Fantasy, or really let themselves go & make it Steampunk!
I have some examples;
One book where various characters manage to travel very long distances in nineteenth century New Zealand/Aotearoa in a very short period of time. I remember in 1960s Aotearoa it taking forever to get just from Auckland to Keri Keri in the north! (in spite of this, this book remains a favourite of mine! Sometimes the heart loves what it loves)
I know I have read one romance where the heroine rode quite a long distance attired in a muslin dress. Can you imagine the chaffing?
Another where the heroine's name changed (frequently) from Blois to du Blois. They are different surnames!
&, a personal favourite, where the heroine kept her pet goat in an aristocratic house in the middle of London! No, not in the stable - the actual house! Goats defecate constantly & even the cleanest goat will have a smell. No one in their right mind would do that! (I have owned goats myself, by the way.)
So, although I have no plan to write a book of my own, this one appeals to my inner nitpicker & I am planning to leave this one on my kindle for a quick reference source & to use the websites Ms Alleyn gives, as well as the extensive bibliography - which I might use for further reading of my own.
I'll admit that I did get a bit bored with the explanation on how the British titles work (& that is an error I'm willing to overlook in historical novels, as I can't be bothered working them out myself!) but finding out how a guillotine is constructed and what foods were available when was very interesting.
Ms Alleyn is critical - but she also acknowledges both her own & her grandmother the late [a:Lillie V. Albrecht|2973238|Lillie V. Albrecht|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s errors & is less harsh on mistakes made by authors that didn't have the wonderful tool that is the internet available to them.
I can't help but wonder - with underpants being such a modern invention it must have been a tad breezy down there - even with the long skirts. But I guess what you don't know you won't miss!
Fascinating.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshessonovel.wordpress.com
Preach it sister!
When I'm reading a Historical/Historical Romance/Historical Whodunnit I want to totally lose myself in the book's world. Little mistakes can really jar me, big mistakes (or not really mistakes but the author simply doesn't care enough to do any research) can be enough for a DNF. If an author doesn't want to be reasonably accurate then they should market their book as a Historical Fantasy, or really let themselves go & make it Steampunk!
I have some examples;
One book where various characters manage to travel very long distances in nineteenth century New Zealand/Aotearoa in a very short period of time. I remember in 1960s Aotearoa it taking forever to get just from Auckland to Keri Keri in the north! (in spite of this, this book remains a favourite of mine! Sometimes the heart loves what it loves)
I know I have read one romance where the heroine rode quite a long distance attired in a muslin dress. Can you imagine the chaffing?
Another where the heroine's name changed (frequently) from Blois to du Blois. They are different surnames!
&, a personal favourite, where the heroine kept her pet goat in an aristocratic house in the middle of London! No, not in the stable - the actual house! Goats defecate constantly & even the cleanest goat will have a smell. No one in their right mind would do that! (I have owned goats myself, by the way.)
So, although I have no plan to write a book of my own, this one appeals to my inner nitpicker & I am planning to leave this one on my kindle for a quick reference source & to use the websites Ms Alleyn gives, as well as the extensive bibliography - which I might use for further reading of my own.
I'll admit that I did get a bit bored with the explanation on how the British titles work (& that is an error I'm willing to overlook in historical novels, as I can't be bothered working them out myself!) but finding out how a guillotine is constructed and what foods were available when was very interesting.
Ms Alleyn is critical - but she also acknowledges both her own & her grandmother the late [a:Lillie V. Albrecht|2973238|Lillie V. Albrecht|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s errors & is less harsh on mistakes made by authors that didn't have the wonderful tool that is the internet available to them.
I can't help but wonder - with underpants being such a modern invention it must have been a tad breezy down there - even with the long skirts. But I guess what you don't know you won't miss!
Fascinating.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshessonovel.wordpress.com
gillothen's review
3.0
Reasonably enjoyable, but a bit limited in places - she lays into Dickens, but no mention of the wannabe Austens and Heyers (including PD James!) Not much I didn't already know, as something of a history geek, so I may well not be the target audience.
roxanamalinachirila's review
3.0
I won't lie: I bought this book because I liked the title and I thought I'd very much enjoy a book called "Medieval Underpants and Other Blunders". It sounded like a fun guide to random historical things you'd assume were different, complete with quotes and examples.
And... well, it is. I suppose.
Have you ever had the feeling that you're reading a book and wrestling with the author at the same time? Because that's how I felt. While the information here was fun, the tone wasn't. I guess it would have worked for Tumblr posts jotted down while tired, but it felt oddly out of place in a published book.
What annoyed me:
- the author facepalmed a lot. By which, I mean she literally wrote *facepalm* on a separate line fairly often. It felt... mean?
- servants kept getting compared to vacuum cleaners and other appliances; and while I'd agree that their *roles* were somewhat similar (helping keep a house), this felt uncomfortably like dehumanizing said servants. I'm sure they get ignored in a lot of period fiction, but fiction is different from real life - they ignored a lot of things in fiction.
- some things felt reductionist (like describing women as basically dismissed as child bearers... eh... eh).
Otherwise, there's random interesting stuff there, like what medieval underwear was like, or how sugar got imported, how cemeteries worked, how and on what people wrote, the fact that fruit isn't all available at the same time (...I guess the last one can be explained by the fact that the author is American, because I don't think people around here don't know that strawberries and grapes don't come into season at the same time) and all sorts of other things.
Not that bad, but not a book I'd heartily recommend, either.
And... well, it is. I suppose.
Have you ever had the feeling that you're reading a book and wrestling with the author at the same time? Because that's how I felt. While the information here was fun, the tone wasn't. I guess it would have worked for Tumblr posts jotted down while tired, but it felt oddly out of place in a published book.
What annoyed me:
- the author facepalmed a lot. By which, I mean she literally wrote *facepalm* on a separate line fairly often. It felt... mean?
- servants kept getting compared to vacuum cleaners and other appliances; and while I'd agree that their *roles* were somewhat similar (helping keep a house), this felt uncomfortably like dehumanizing said servants. I'm sure they get ignored in a lot of period fiction, but fiction is different from real life - they ignored a lot of things in fiction.
- some things felt reductionist (like describing women as basically dismissed as child bearers... eh... eh).
Otherwise, there's random interesting stuff there, like what medieval underwear was like, or how sugar got imported, how cemeteries worked, how and on what people wrote, the fact that fruit isn't all available at the same time (...I guess the last one can be explained by the fact that the author is American, because I don't think people around here don't know that strawberries and grapes don't come into season at the same time) and all sorts of other things.
Not that bad, but not a book I'd heartily recommend, either.
hrjones's review
2.0
The intent of this book is to provide a guide to writers of historic fiction in how to avoid silly blunders in their historical world-building. I picked it up largely because, having written a research paper on the topic of medieval women’s underpants (or lack thereof), I was curious to see Alleyn’s take on how to approach historic accuracy. Unfortunately, for all its good intent and useful tips, I’m not sure this book will go over well with the well-meaning but clueless beginning writers it purports to be intended for. There’s a bit too much of an arch snideness that suggests its real audience is “those of us who know better and can laugh at the silly blunders other people make.” That attitude is ok for a private chat channel where you can vent your frustrations with other experts, but it’s a bit unhelpful and cruel when done in public.
allie_rose's review
3.5
A wealth of historical knowledge/trivia about medieval - enlightenment England and France but authors tone got pretty condescending at points
valhecka's review
4.0
Fun and interesting both as a writer's guide and as general reading on details of life in the historical West (pre-modern up to 19th century for general Europe with a focus on France, to early 20th century for England, and to the 60s-ish for North America, with close attention to the differences between urban, suburban, and rural life). The author's tone is extremely 2015 with all the headdesks and facepalms, but that's kind of exemplary of how quickly vernacular can become dated, right? I love (appreciate?) her fixation on the French Revolution and the ways pop culture has done it wrong. Especially the chapter on guillotines.
macthekat's review
4.0
wow it have been a long time since I have read a non fiction book cover to cover, let alone in under 24 hours
judya's review
4.0
Useful book for the historical fiction writer, but not as much for those interested in 20th Century fiction. Well written, but needed some sort of editing upon printing due to headings stranded at the page bottom and similar glitches.