onsdag 16 september 2009

Of a literary turn

My choice of books these days shows with embarrassing clearness that I'm still waiting for Brian (my brain) to return.
Gutenberg is not only a wonderful source of knowledge – it also provides me with schmaltzy novels.
"Jan and Her Job" by L. Allen Harker (Lizzie Allen),1863-1933, was published in 1917. Jan, the heroin, is going out to India to help her sick sister who lives there. From the beginning, the pages are full of memsahib, tikka-gharri, ayha – words that are not to be found in my dictionaries (well, some are) but most of the time I can guess what they mean.
Already in the second chapter I could guess whom Jan will marry. Or rather, I'm quite sure that she'll marry Peter, but I don't know yet if I'm right. I don't even know if I'll finish the book, but have to admit that I'm curious to know if I'm right – so maybe, I'll read on.


4 kommentarer:

  1. The pictures tell all, Margaretha! I think we sometimes need to wallow in a little corny sentimentality, just don't stay down there for too long or Brian will never return.

    How are you getting on with your Folio selection?

    SvaraRadera
  2. Maureen,
    Don't worry, I don't have the kind of patience that it takes to read this kind of books. If Brian is lost for ever I rather just sit and do nothing - which is what I'm doing most of the time already. And up til now I've been doing it outside, which is the reason (at least part of it) that I haven't started to read my Folio books. It has been too cold to read - or at least to hard to turn the pages with mittens on - outside. Today is the first day when it is too cold to sit outside, still only +13°, but it was only +1° this morning.
    Margaretha

    SvaraRadera
  3. Hey, the story sounds good to me! I love all those words. Who knows maybe some publisher will reprint this book, and it will be all the rage! And you can blithely say, oh, yes, I've read it.

    SvaraRadera
  4. Nan,
    I love to learn all these words - there are plenty of English words I have to look up too - but the story is a bit overwhelming, so i read it slowly.
    You don't happen to know a publisher?
    Margaretha

    SvaraRadera