2 comments about Irish Californians: Historic, Benevolent, Romantic.

1. Irish Californians: Historic, Benevolent, Romantic

   California in the mid-nineteenth century was awash with opportunity. The readily available land and the gold rush were big draws to an immigrant Irish population, often fresh from the coffin ships of the dark famine years. The Eastern seaboard had served them well but did not present many with the opportunity for fame and fortune. So they came west in their hordes. The growth and development of California is inextricably linked to the story of the Irish settlers of those times. The state was in its infancy and the Irish were ideally suited to the frontier environment by dint of their vision and capacity for sheer hard work.

   Patrick Dowling's latest offering provides a vivid and exhilarating record of the history of the Irish in California. Included here are accounts of some noteworthy politicos, as one might expect, but also the stories of some of the ordinary Irish men and women who thrived in California. It is this holistic approach which brings Mr. Dowling's book to life. Through his engaging biographies of the personalities of the period, he gives us an informative and accurate picture of the contribution made by the Irish.

   We learn of the senators, mayors and judges who ran California and in particular San Francisco, and of the teachers that often were the first to institutionalize education in the state. Also of the entrepreneurs, developers and engineers whose plans and buildings still stand in testament to their endeavors. The soldiers who played such an important role in the formation of modern-day America, and the altruistic Irish men and women who nursed and treated them are also featured. Irish sports stars that are now household names throughout the land are not forgotten. The list goes on. Each chapter deals not only with the actions and achievements of its subject but is also infused with details and clues as to their individual personality, the inherent "Irishness" of the protagonists always to the fore.

   Comprehensively researched (over 10 years) and delightfully and lavishly illustrated, it is at times witty, often moving and always enticing. Dowling's style is akin to that of a storyteller. It is littered with skillfully handled twists and hilarious anecdotes. This is enjoyable in the extreme and an absolute requirement for any Irish Californian or anybody for that matter who has the slightest interest in the history of the Irish in America. Patrick Dowling wrote this book, in his own words, "to awaken Irish Americans to their forgotten heritage, both in Ireland and California, and to help inspire a renaissance of Irish history, culture and achievements." He will certainly accomplish this dream.




2. This book is about an immigrant group and its assimiliation into California life and society. The many stories told in the book affirm that optimism and hard-work go a long way in a wide-open and prosperous place like California. Most of the people whose stories are told in this book started out with little or nothing, and yet achieved greatness through their own perseverance and boundless energy. The book possesses a rare combination of attributes in that it is both entertaining and inspiring.

1 comments about Danger to Elizabeth.

1. Most books on Elizabeth spend little time putting her reign into historical context, which is why Alison Plowden's books on that time period are a must-read for those interested in Elizabeth. In Danger to Elizabeth, Plowden describes the plans and plots of the Catholics who were determined to overthrow Elizabeth and rescue England from heresy. Plowden's research is thorough and her writing style is interesting and engaging.

5 comments about The Unruly Queen: The Life of Queen Caroline.

1. A biography about one of England's most enigmatic and on this side of the pond at least lesser known Queens. Charlotte born into the rather stogy provincal atmosphere of the Hanoverian Court was married off while still a teenager to her first cousin the future King George IV. A dandy and bon vivant who had already contracted a marriage years ago to the attractive and apparently virtuous widow Mrs. FitzHerbert. Alas Mrs. FitzHerbert was not only a commoner but a staunch catholic and George was a spend thrift. When His father refused to continue filling his coffers unless he found himself a proper (i.e. Royal) bride he abandoned Mrs. FitzHerbert and wed poor Charlotte.

   Almost at once however he was repulsed by his cousin (whom he had never before met). After siring one child (a daughter Charlotte) he promptly returned to the far more worldly and appealing Mrs. FitzHerbert. This led poor Charlotte to rebel.

   Her rebellion was to cost her dearly. Leading in the end to a notorioius and flawed trial headed by parliment to decide if she was in fact guilty of adultry.

   Charlotte led a tragic but interesting life. As with Marie-Antoinette it can be said that Charlotte's own bad judgement and ignorance were as much (if not more) to blame for her misfortunes as the ill will of her enemies.

   Overall it was an engaing account of a fascinating woman and period in time. It gave glimpses into the lives of the rest of the British Royal Family. From George's rather embittered maiden sisters to his mad father King George III and his outwardly sweet but meddling mother Queen Charlotte.




2. Whatever were they THINKING!?! I mean, the author, and worse, the editors. This is an appallingly bad book. I staggered through the whole University of California paperback version, convinced that eventually it would improve. Sadly, I was too optimistic.

   Caroline of Brunswick was clearly quite an unpleasant person all 'round. Ill-educated, dishonest, gullible, ill-bred, plain at best, lacking in style and sense, desperate for any sort of attention, she would be difficult to like in the hands of the most talented biographer. It's a shame that she was left to Flora Fraser. This particular Ms. Fraser is living proof that a talent for biography isn't hereditary. She is pendantic, tedious, and apparently without enthusiasm for her subject, whom she abandons regularly in pursuit of political minutiae.

   I was startled by the ineptitude of the editing. In a number of instances the vocabulary used was clearly anachronistic slang, but the quotes were not footnoted, leaving the reader bewildered as to the meaning of the quote. In these instances, the Oxford English Dictionary was no help, surely a responsible standard for an editor of a British/American release? Some quotes are simply inaccurate.

   I suspect the editors may have been overawed by Flora Fraser's lineage, and hopeful of a comparison between Diana Spencer and Caroline of Brunswick. If Caroline was as Flora Fraser describes, there is scant ground for such hopes.

   I majored in British history, am quite accustomed to dry texts, and have read each and every one of Lady Antonia Fraser's splendid works with pleasure. In this case, the daughter should NOT have attempted to go into the family trade, she has no talent for it.

   I very much regret the time I wasted plodding through this exceedingly dull book about a sad, dreary woman who would have been best left to rest in peace.

   And no, to the best of my knowledge, I'm no relation to this branch of Frasers.




3. Flora Fraser writes beautifully, and her research is impeccable. This is one of the best "life and times" set in Georgian England available today. The popularity of Queen Caroline with the populace, always looking for symbols of opposition to the monarchy, makes clearer the similar fascination in our time with as inexplicable a figure as Diana, Princess of Wales. The books is a great read that has something to say, rather like the wonderful Mediterranean histories written by the late Sir Steven Runicman (e.g., History of the Crusades). The Unruly Queen, along with David Gilmour's Curzon, are must reading for those interested in British history.



4. This is a fascinating, almost incredible, true story, but (as reviewers who've preceded me here have pointed out) Flora Fraser hasn't managed to do it justice. Queen Caroline's actions are so baffling, so inconsistent, and so seemingly self-destructive that a writer really must have a "take" on her for a biography to be enlightening or moving. Fraser seems almost afraid to take a stand, or else so mired in her research that she's lost the need for a big picture. The result is that when Caroline veers in completely new directions-- suddenly taking lovers after years of faithfulness to a husband who despised her, or leaving England at the drop of a hat after years of determination to fight her battles there-- the reader gets the (highly detailed) facts without any insights that could help us understand a seemingly random shift. We don't even learn why Caroline, with few marital prospects into her mid-20s, was chosen to marry the future George IV in the first place. It's not even clear whether Fraser likes her subject, approves of her actions, or felt much enthusiasm for the project except as a collector of commemorative objects she calls "Carolingiana." I guess writing biographies is just the family business...
   
   Specific oddities include no real sense of George IV's personality or motivation, the tendency of key people to drop out of the narrative altogether when they're not present in Caroline's life (even those important to Caroline, like her daughter Charlotte), and detailed descriptions of paintings (by one of Caroline's supposed lovers, Thomas Lawrence) that Fraser hasn't actually included in the illustrations. So much is made of the transformation of Caroline's appearance over the years that we really do need to see more from her later life than caricatures and cartoons.
   
   It would seem inevitable that someone will make a great drama out of this story-- as a biography, or even as a play or film. It's a shame that Fraser didn't see that she could convey some of this drama, and real insight, without compromising her extensive research.



5. Both Fraser Mother & Fraser daughter can research a subject to death. However, neither writes gracefully or entertainingly. This book reads like a compilation of notes. Yawn. I'd rather read a loosey goosey Mitford biography, as if I wanted sleep, I'd read dissertations.

No comments about The Little Book of Boris.

1 comments about Exiled in Paris: Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Samuel Beckett, and Others on the Left Bank.

1. After the end of the Second World War, a number of African Americans, including many of our most talented intellectuals, decided that America was just not a sufficiently hospitable home. Those who could left for Europe. Many, landed in Paris, which provided a far more civilized society.

   Literary giants like James Baldwin, Richard Wright and other intellectuals found a place where their worth was determined by things more significant than skin color. This is the story of their experiences.

   Another book worth searching for.

No comments about Courtesans.

No comments about Churchill: An Unruly Life.

No comments about James Ussher: Theology, History, and Politics in Early-Modern Ireland and England.

No comments about Dr. Eamonn O'Sullivan: A Man Before His Time.

No comments about Remarks on the Life and Writings of Dr. Jonathan Swift.