Frances Fischer

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May 2021


Frances Terry Fischer lives the dual-cultural life in Denmark, well integrated - absolutely - but still and always American, oh my yes. Frances did a lot of moving around back home too, as the daughter of a geologist moving from one project to the next, ending in Tucson, Arizona.
As a young widow and single mother, Frances spent the most unforgettable summer in Ireland, studying in Dublin, traveling around, also to County Cork, the place her forefather Tom Robinson left in 1849 and sailed to America. How she got from there to Denmark is the start of the lifelong adventure. It might have been more symmetrical had she ended in Ireland - call it re-emigration - but less challenging, and likely less rewarding too. Frances never did any of the th
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Frances Fischer I would zip right off to the Discworld, Terry Pratchett's fantasy world that swims through the universe on the back of Great A'Tuin, the celestial tur…moreI would zip right off to the Discworld, Terry Pratchett's fantasy world that swims through the universe on the back of Great A'Tuin, the celestial turtle, through 41 brilliant novels, the funniest I have ever read. But they are so much more than hahas. Sir Terry has no illusions about the failings & foibles of humankind, but he is benevolent. There are fools & egotists aplenty living on the Discworld, but there are no evil villains & that, I want to bring into my own writing. Native speakers have the advantage here, with the puns & names & phrasings throughout. His use of language is my greatest pleasure, but I know several good readers of English as a second or third language who cannot get into Pratchett; he is simply beyond them. My husband Thomas & his younger brother Jean have no such problem. The Discworld & other Pratchett titles - often collaborations with science or science fiction writers like Neil Gaiman - fill several shelves in our library, most sent by Jean when he lived in London, & they have all been read & reread. Among other delights, his love for Shakespeare comes through in several plots & characters, so what I would do on the Discworld is join the 3 witches - Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg & Magrat Garlick (who in their first book marries the king).
Three witches ... Shakespeare ... hmm, does this ring a bell? Their first book, Wyrd Sisters, opens as an eldritch voice screeches, "When shall we three meet again?" A rather more ordinary voice answers, "Well, I can do next Tuesday."
Yeps, I would tog out in black from the thrift shop, pull on my pointy hat, learn to be so still I almost become part of the hedge, learn healing & headology, meet the wizards at Unseen University & learn a few tricks there too. (I have already written the lyrics to Nanny Ogg's ditty, A Wizard's Staff has a Knob on the End.) Mainly, I would learn to fly on a broom so I could be all over the Discworld with Granny & Nanny, wherever a witch is needed. Wish I could go tomorrow.
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Frances Fischer Not quite, how about a 4-sentence instead? Here it is:

That noise again – he froze, afraid, ashamed, thinking she was free now, and who knew what that …more
Not quite, how about a 4-sentence instead? Here it is:

That noise again – he froze, afraid, ashamed, thinking she was free now, and who knew what that crazy jealous bitch he once loved might think up. Search the dark, shaking, come on, be a man. He took one step forward, darkness lifted from the floor as her fat orange cat slipped from the shadows and looked up at him, apologizing.
“Stupid cat!”
He laughed so hard he never heard the whish of her knife.
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Average rating: 4.67 · 3 ratings · 2 reviews · 1 distinct work
My Northeast Passage - Hope...

4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings2 editions
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Midwinter

Midwinter
Yep, it’s midwinter, Candlemas or Groundhog Day, traditionally the coldest day of the year, although it didn’t live up to that here. Storm Malik withdrew yesterday, leaving cold sunshine between the clouds. Any Danish groundhog would have to play peek-a-boo if it hoped for a shadow to check the tilt of its ears. Folk tradition therefore says spring is on the way. Mainly, there’s about an Read more of this blog post »
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Published on January 31, 2022 12:27
My Northeast Pass...
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Frances Fischer Frances Fischer said: " BookView: "The book reveals much more than it ever clearly states, with its focus on marriage, relationships, family, friendship, adaptability, second chances, estrangement, reconciliation, and discovering meaning in the ever-changing possibilities o ...more "

 

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Frances Fischer rated a book it was amazing
History of Denmark by Palle Lauring
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Back in the day, when his prodigal daughter had moved to Denmark, my dad swallowed this book in 2 slurps. It took me somewhat longer but it is still the classic history of a small country that has steadily gained more notice on the international scen ...more
Frances Fischer wants to read
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
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James by Percival Everett
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“He was the first milestone on the way to grownup. And the first millstone too.”
Frances Fischer, My Northeast Passage - Hope, Hassles and Danes

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