Retro Reads discussion

What has happened to our heroine, Hero? Sorry, I couldn't resist that one :D

I wouldn't be able to either :) Really, it's a great name. I can just see her monogrammed handkerchiefs, calling cards, and personalized stationary.
Lieutenant Larrimore, Clayton Mayo, Thaddeus Fullbright, Cousin Cressy . . . I think the names she came up with are exceptional.

Hero is described now (pg 99 in my book) with Recamier or Caroline Lamb curls. Here's Juliette Recamier


And Caroline Lamb

Descriptions of Hero is rather contrasting in an amusing way. On one hand, there's "nothing soft" in her appearance, and naturally she looks quite sharp with critical tone and strong sense of justice taken into consideration. On the other hand, more than once it's mentioned that "she could be rather naive in some ways." Which is hard to envision with a sharp look. Very few known faces on TV/silver screen could I refer to envisioning how Hero looks. Anna Torv is one of them. Pity I couldn't find her with curly hair or costume of the age.




By the way, I have a question...how do you think Hero develop her sense of justice? From Mrs. Pemberly? It intrigues me for quite some time that she, as a spoiled girl, would be obsessed with the well-being of others, particularly those who are very remote to her. It makes no sense to me, for based on her breeding I imagine she should rather behave like Belinda Harlowe in The Far Pavilions.

Here's another picture of Caroline Lamb with a sharper look. I could picture Hero as looking rather like this:



or you might prefer this one:

Great pictures. We are only missing the black eye!

Love these pictures! The scene with the midnight secret trading operation was wonderfully atmospheric.

Pretty horrific details on the slave trade in Zanzibar and from what I've been reading it's very accurate.

I don't much like Clay or Hero's relatives,

Hana, but wasn't it exceptionally well done? It takes some skill to make one take an instant dislike to a character and Clay's dismayed glance and hastily summoned sympathy are so telling. In my opinion, Hero is much too married to the idea of marrying him after a red flag like that. I suppose her virtue is consistency, even when she's mule headed.

Larrimore's explanation of the harbour and the beach is pretty sickening. It's easy to feel Hero's horror.

Jaima wrote: "Hana, but wasn't it exceptionally well done? It takes some skill to make one take an instant dislike to a character and Clay's dismayed glance and hastily summoned sympathy are so telling."
That's a very good point, Jaima--and I was impressed with that moment as well.

It's tricky, though, to have a book in which so many main characters are not particularly likeable.

Jaima wrote: "Larrimore's explanation of the harbour and the beach is pretty sickening. It's easy to feel Hero's horror."

Slavery is a fact they teach you in history class, but from reading books like this, there's quite a lot they didn't include.

Fun reading this again, especially having others to chat about with at the same time. I probably remember more than I should, so I'll mostly sit on my hands until the spoilerland section.

Oh, do please keep commenting, Misfit!

I agree about the insights into slavery--it's taken me quite a bit of non-fiction reading to realize that the North Atlantic/US slavery we learn about in school was just a tiny portion of a massive and terrible global industry.

Hana wrote: "Oh, do please keep commenting, Misfit!

I agree about the insights into slavery--it's taken me quite a bit of non-fiction reading to realize that the North Atlantic/US slavery we learn about in sch..."

I appreciate Kaye doesn't pull any punches, disturbing as the details are. Like the slave ships and the smell. *shudders*

"A man is not responsible for his ancestors, so why should he accept credit or shoulder blame for anyhing they did? Or, for that matter, be judged in advance by the fact that he happens to have been born on one side or another of some imaginary line? It's an archaic and dangerous idea and it's quite time it became outmoded, since it leads to a deal of trouble.
People are people; black, white, yellow or brown. You either like someone or you don't, and the bit of earth they were born on shouldn't have anything to do with it or be allowed to influence your judgement in any way."

WOW! Quite an unexpected outburst of progressive thought from our not-so-much-a-hero who happens to be an occasional slaver but still speaks of the equality of humans. Don't know what to make of him. As, I think, Dorcas wrote in her review, nothing is as it seems in this book.

So true, and all the characters have many sides -- no one quite really good or even really evil.

This book is hilarious! Gossip prone people never seize to amaze me. :D :D

I don't like Clayton Mayo. He is so childish and full of himself. And his reaction when he saw Hero's face marks him as a very superficial person in my mind. Plus, I wouldn't trust a man who so publicly professes his promises of being constant. I might not be making sense but I just don't like him. I think I prefer Rory Frost. At least he will tell you like it is in your face.

Samanta wrote: ""A man is not responsible for his ancestors, so why should he accept credit or shoulder blame for anyhing they did? Or, for that matter, be judged in advance by the fact that he happens to have bee..."

I loved that speech, especially since it was said rather off-handedly and not in a dogmatic, crusading way. We've heard a lot lately about being responsible for our ancestors' behaviors, but I'm with The Pirate on this one!

As Hero walks through the streets for the first time, and comes face-to-face with the hideousness of slavery, it does make you realize just how hopeless this could make you feel. One person, one fortune - just how much good can you do? I'm thinking Miss Hero is not going to let this get her down, however.

I'm liking that Kaye is not letting anyone off the hook here for the responsibility of slavery: Northerners, Southerners, Europeans, Africans, Arabs. I'm just waiting for some Koreans (random group) to show up on the pages (and if they do, I'll get a good laugh at it).