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At The Back of the North Wind. George MacDonald. 1871. 346 pages. [Source: Bought]

I HAVE been asked to tell you about the back of the north wind.

Do you enjoy reading children's classics? Or enjoy reading children's fantasy novels? There's a chance that you may love George MacDonald's At The Back of the North Wind. I won't lie. It is a good, old-fashioned story packed with morals and symbolism. So maybe it won't satisfy every single reader. Still there is something about it, even if it is is too wholesome for some.

At The Back of the North Wind is Diamond's story. Diamond is a young boy who is completely good and rather odd because of it. He is a bit of an angel, always doing the right thing, always saying the right thing. His intentions are always as pure as can be. But he isn't smug or arrogant. And he does genuinely care for others. So I do not personally see him as being self-righteous or obnoxious. One of Diamond's friends is the North Wind. The first half of the book focuses on this dream-like relationship. At night, he sometimes accompanies her on her journeys. Eventually, he does find his way to the back of the North Wind. The second half of the book focuses on Diamond's family and his personal relationships with his family and friends. The family situation definitely changes throughout the novel. And Diamond's life isn't an easy one. He is an optimist, a dreamer. But the family's struggle is very real and a definite concern to him.

One of Diamond's friends is the kind-hearted Mr. Raymond. Mr. Raymond has a heart for children, especially for poor ones, and he does what he can to help everyone. He is also a story-teller. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Mr. Raymond's story called "Little Daylight." Even if you're not interested in reading the whole novel, even if it doesn't sound like your kind of book, you should make time to read this one stand-alone chapter. Especially if you LOVE fairy tales. (And who doesn't love fairy tales?!) I think Little Daylight would make a lovely picture book adaptation.

So I definitely enjoyed this one. Perhaps not as much as The Light Princess. But at least as much as the two Princess books (Princess and the Curdie, Princess and the Goblin).

 Quotes:

At the same moment, a peal of thunder which shook Diamond's heart against the sides of his bosom hurtled out of the heavens: I cannot say out of the sky, for there was no sky. Diamond had not seen the lightning, for he had been intent on finding the face of North Wind. Every moment the folds of her garment would sweep across his eyes and blind him, but between, he could just persuade himself that he saw great glories of woman's eyes looking down through rifts in the mountainous clouds over his head.
He trembled so at the thunder, that his knees failed him, and he sunk down at North Wind's feet, and clasped her round the column of her ankle. She instantly stooped, lifted him from the roof—up—up into her bosom, and held him there, saying, as if to an inconsolable child—
"Diamond, dear, this will never do."
"Oh yes, it will," answered Diamond. "I am all right now—quite comfortable, I assure you, dear North Wind. If you will only let me stay here, I shall be all right indeed."
"But you will feel the wind here, Diamond."
"I don't mind that a bit, so long as I feel your arms through it," answered Diamond, nestling closer to her grand bosom.
"Brave boy!" returned North Wind, pressing him closer.
"No," said Diamond, "I don't see that. It's not courage at all, so long as I feel you there."
"But hadn't you better get into my hair? Then you would not feel the wind; you will here."
"Ah, but, dear North Wind, you don't know how nice it is to feel your arms about me. It is a thousand times better to have them and the wind together, than to have only your hair and the back of your neck and no wind at all."
"But it is surely more comfortable there?"
"Well, perhaps; but I begin to think there are better things than being comfortable."
"Yes, indeed there are. Well, I will keep you in front of me. You will feel the wind, but not too much. I shall only want one arm to take care of you; the other will be quite enough to sink the ship."

"You never made that song, Diamond," said his mother.
"No, mother. I wish I had. No, I don't. That would be to take it from somebody else. But it's mine for all that."
"What makes it yours?"
"I love it so."
"Does loving a thing make it yours?"
"I think so, mother—at least more than anything else can. If I didn't love baby (which couldn't be, you know) she wouldn't be mine a bit. But I do love baby, and baby is my very own Dulcimer."
"The baby's mine, Diamond."
"That makes her the more mine, mother."
"How do you make that out?"
"Because you're mine, mother."
"Is that because you love me?"
"Yes, just because. Love makes the only myness," said Diamond.

"What are you reading?" I said, and spoke suddenly, with the hope of seeing a startled little face look round at me. Diamond turned his head as quietly as if he were only obeying his mother's voice, and the calmness of his face rebuked my unkind desire and made me ashamed of it.
"I am reading the story of the Little Lady and the Goblin Prince," said Diamond.
"I am sorry I don't know the story," I returned. "Who is it by?"
"Mr. Raymond made it."
"Is he your uncle?" I asked at a guess.
"No. He's my master."
"What do you do for him?" I asked respectfully.
"Anything he wishes me to do," he answered. "I am busy for him now. He gave me this story to read. He wants my opinion upon it."
"Don't you find it rather hard to make up your mind?"
"Oh dear no! Any story always tells me itself what I'm to think about it. Mr. Raymond doesn't want me to say whether it is a clever story or not, but whether I like it, and why I like it. I never can tell what they call clever from what they call silly, but I always know whether I like a story or not."
"And can you always tell why you like it or not?" "No. Very often I can't at all. Sometimes I can. I always know, but I can't always tell why.

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Lady Susan. Jane Austen 1794?/1871. 64 pages.

I recently reread Jane Austen's Lady Susan. I remembered it as being a quick, light read full of gossip and scandal. Lady Susan Vernon is not a "nice" woman; she's a still-quite-beautiful widow with a near-grown daughter, Frederica, who sometimes forgets her place. After creating a mess--or scandal--she invites herself to her brother-in-law's estate. Of course, she's not completely honest about it--not admitting that it is her last resort and that she really has no interest in his company or the company of his wife, Catherine Vernon. If readers get an honest glimpse of the woman at all, it is in her letters to Alicia Johnson, but, even then I think she's not being completely honest all of the time.

Lady Susan is a tricky, manipulative woman who likes to keep her options open. The other women that readers get to know in this little novel are Catherine and Frederica. Catherine would find it difficult to say anything positive about her sister-in-law, Lady Susan. Though she could probably admit that Lady Susan is quite beautiful and charming--when she wants to be. Catherine thinks Lady Susan is a horrible mother--and she is. And Catherine thinks she is PLOTTING to get her brother, Reginald De Courcy--and she is. Reginald starts strong, but, within a day or two he's convinced that Lady Susan is THE ONE. In other words, he becomes horribly stupid. Frederica, Catherine's daughter, also falls for Reginald. Lady Susan is all about DRAMA. Gossip. Scandal. Lies. Manipulation. Tension. Lady Susan is a divisive woman--breaking apart families, the cause of endless quarrels. 

Lady Susan isn't really like Austen's other novels. Lady Susan, Catherine, and Frederica aren't really like Jane Austen's other heroines. And that is definitely true with the heroes as well. Reginald is not like Tilney, Darcy, Wentworth, or Knightley. Lady Susan is not a swoon-worthy romance. It is fun, lively, gossipy. 

Here's my first review.

My favorite quotes:

Where there is a disposition to dislike, a motive will never be wanting. (7)

In short, when a person is always to deceive, it is impossible to be consistent. (27)

Facts are such horrid things! (54)

Read Lady Susan

• If you are looking for a classic that is a quick, lively read
• If you like stories where what is not being said is just as important as what is being said
• If you like not-so-nice heroines; true Lady Susan is no Moll Flanders, but, she's no Fanny Price either! She just really, really likes it when men--single or married--fall in love with her.
• If you like Jane Austen

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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This Day in World History - At eight o’clock at night on October 8, 1871, a fire broke out in Patrick and Catherine O’Leary’s barn. Winds were strong that night in the Windy City, and the city itself was largely made of wood—not just the buildings, but even the sidewalks and signs. Every structure served as kindling, and the ferocious fire burned out of control for thirty-six hours, not stopping until it had destroyed 18,000 buildings over an area of three-and-a-half square miles. Three hundred people lost their lives in the fire, and a third of the city’s people were made homeless.

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Austen, Jane. 1871* Lady Susan. (Around 80 pages.)

Think Austen is all about being prim and proper? Think Austen is boring? Well, just you read Lady Susan. Lady Susan has several things going for it. It's short for one thing. Just 41 little letters. (Yes, this is one of those books told through letters.) Just the right length for one or two afternoons. But perhaps even more importantly, it's different from what you might expect. It's fun. It's lively. It's snappy.
Sometimes what is not being said is half the fun. What's going on between the lines.

Here is one of my favorite lines: "Where there is a disposition to dislike, a motive will never be wanting."

Lady Susan Vernon. The woman every woman loves to hate. And not without reason! She'll come to visit and try to steal your husband and your daughter's beau** all in the same trip. Just ask Mrs. Mainwaring. When this novel opens, Lady Susan is making a hasty retreat. She'd been staying--along with her daughter, Frederica, with the Mainwarings. But Mrs. Mainwaring has had just about enough of her. What with Lady Susan encouraging Mr. Mainwaring and Mr. James Martin. She's telling everyone who will listen to beware. So Lady Susan writes a letter to her dear brother. She'd just love to come and stay with him and his wife, Catherine, at Churchill.

When gossip arrives just ahead of her visit, why she'll come up with every excuse in the book as to why everyone else has got it wrong. She flirting with Mr. James Martin? And her only a few months a widow? Well, she was just trying to secure him for her daughter. And Mr. Mainwaring? Well, that's just a lie. Would she be receiving letters from Mrs. Mainwaring if the rumors were true?*** Fortunately, for the reader--and to the great entertainment of all--Lady Susan tells the truth to her dear friend, Alicia Johnson.

Catherine Vernon. The sister-in-law of Lady Susan. She can't stand "Lady" Susan. At all. She writes to her family--her mother mainly--the de Courcys. (We're also privy to the mother's letters--Lady de Courcy.) Catherine is really regretting the fact that Catherine's visit happens to coincide with her brother's visit. Reginald De Courcy is dumb, dumb, dumb when it comes to women.

Alicia Johnson. A kindred spirit to Lady Susan. Or so we're led to believe. She loves to flirt and carry on as much as her friend, or does she? (She's a married woman. So technically, she shouldn't be acting like a wild woman.) Is there enough room in the world for these two sillies?

As Reginald begins to seek Lady Susan--he feels himself truly, madly, deeply in love--will Lady Susan's past come back to haunt her? Is there anything hidden (or not so hidden) in her life that will dampen Reginald's affections?

While men enter into the story--quite passively in a way--this one is all about women. There aren't any Henry Tilneys, Fitzwilliam Darcys, Colonel Brandons, or Captain Wentworths around for female readers to swoon over. This isn't a traditional romance. This isn't a oh-love-is-wonderful, let's-all-live-happily-ever-after piece. If Pride and Prejudice can be likened to Much Ado About Nothing, I'd say Lady Susan is more like A Midsummer Night's Dream. Where love is more lust, and where men and women are more foolish than wise.

So why would I recommend this one? Well, I think it's fun. I think the very fact that it is so short and yet so lively and entertaining works in its favor. I think it's a lot less intimidating than her other books.

*Written in the 1790s, possibly 1794. But not published until 1871.
**Or is that Miss Mainwaring a niece not a daughter? I can't remember and since they share the same last name, it's difficult to remember.
***The letters are in fact from Mr. Mainwaring. Whenever she receives a letter from him, she proclaims it from his wife. I don't think she's reading these aloud and passing them around.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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