Present Epithetical Books Lady of Hay
| Title | : | Lady of Hay |
| Author | : | Barbara Erskine |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 600 pages |
| Published | : | March 13th 2001 by Welcome Rain Publishers (first published 1986) |
| Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Science Fiction. Time Travel. Romance. Fantasy. Historical Romance |
Barbara Erskine
Paperback | Pages: 600 pages Rating: 4.05 | 6681 Users | 528 Reviews
Interpretation Concering Books Lady of Hay
Where I got the book: bought retail. Full price. Seriously, sometimes I do that just for laughs. I read this book back in 1985 when it came out. I was 25. I cannot imagine this. I thought this book was AMAZING back then. I was hoping to recapture the moment... Sigh. You can never go back. Plot: beautiful, talented journalist Jo (STRIKE ONE) appears to have no other purpose than to be hypnotized back into a previous life. Because absolutely EVERYONE she meets can do this. Really? I could count the number of regression hypnotists I've met on one.... hair follicle. Minus one. But when it comes to Jo, NOOOOO everyone can wave a hand and send her back to the Middle Ages, where she's a beautiful, willowy (STRIKE TWO) Lady of Hay called variously Matilda, Matilde, Maud or Moll. If nobody else is around to hypnotize her, Jo self-hypnotizes, boom, back in time before you can reach for the Scotch. And they DO reach for the Scotch, oh yes they do, when they're not reaching for the coffee. In the contemporary parts of the novel intensely-blue-eyed (STRIKE THREE) ex-boyfriend Nick, sinister ex-boyfriend-brother-who-may-or-may-not-have-blue-eyes-but-who-cares? Sam, wimpy wannabe-boyfriend Tim and slightly-slutty-ex-boyfriend's-girlfriend Judy narrow their eyes a lot, drink much Scotch and much coffee, sleep with each other and gaze at each other with intensely blue eyes. (view spoiler)[Most of them are reincarnated, natch. Because it's PERFECTLY NORMAL to find reincarnated royalty/nobility who happen to have cassette tapes of the EXACT SAME flute music from the Middle Ages in London in 1985. (hide spoiler)] But thank heaven for the reincarnations, say I. The Middle Ages plot is the only plot in the novel, the contemporary parts being nothing but the aforesaid Scotch drinkings and eye narrowings, with a bit of driving around foggy damp Welsh hills and the occasional punch-up thrown in. The Middle Ages characters do all sorts of exciting activities, either on horseback or at swordpoint or, I was going to say in bed but the sex is pretty perfunctory, his eyes narrowed and next minute they were smoking a cigarette or drinking a post-coital Scotch kind of thing. Oh no, wait, I was in the Middle Ages so perhaps no Scotch. Damned if I know. This is the anniversary edition, so there's a sequel short story which is over-the-top silly with lots! of! exclamation! points! Interestingly, Erskine seems at times to refute the New Age beliefs which evidently gave rise to this idea that you could simply hypnotize yourself back into the past. Or fly, depending on which drugs you were taking. The 70s were awesome. You know, if you just stuck to the Middle Ages story you'd have a great tale of love, loss, dynastic power-mongering, rogue kings and towering castles. I only felt like screaming every time we landed back in the 1980s. Of course, if you remember the 1980s you'll sympathize with that. Verdict: a novel that is past its prime. A humungous hit in its day, but it doesn't travel well.
Point Books In Pursuance Of Lady of Hay
| Original Title: | Lady of Hay |
| ISBN: | 1566491606 (ISBN13: 9781566491600) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | John of England, Richard de Clare, Jo Clifford, Matilda of Hay, William de Braose, Tim Heacham, Pete Leveson, Carl Bennet, Ann Clements, Nick Franklyn, Sam Franklyn, Adam de Porter, Margaret de Lacy |
Rating Epithetical Books Lady of Hay
Ratings: 4.05 From 6681 Users | 528 ReviewsAppraise Epithetical Books Lady of Hay
I found this to be a very hard book to put down, even though there were things i didn't like about it. I just had to keep reading to find out how it would all end. I had one big problem with it, however. It really bothered me that Prince John was supposedly in love with Matilda. Who needs love like that? That was more about wanting something he couldn't have, lust and ownership, than love. If he had loved her he would not have raped her, so brutally. There was no love in that, only rage. I hadThe first time i read this i was blown away. Each chapter revealing more and more to me. The characters being swept up in this irrealistic plot, yet believably, and it was breathtaking. The female lead was bravely trusting her heart in explosive situations. The writing and settings swept me along. Revelation after revelation kept me turning the pages. years ago I would have given this a five.Just read it for the second time and i found it to be the most offensive, misogynistic literature i have
I really struggled to read this. Like many others, I found the historical story, that of Matilda, much more interesting than the current-day events. But the current-day storyline is what really ruined it for me. All of the characters were completely unlikable and downright psychotic.Nike brutally rapes and repeatedly attacks Jo, but he claims to love her. Jo conveniently moves past all that and they end up happily ever after.Why was Sam completely off his rocker? No good explanation is ever
I simply do not understand how this book averages more than 4 stars. It's fairly terrible. The characters are shallow and if one reader could identify with them, I'd want to punch that person in the face. The plot takes FOREVER to develop -- seems as though about halfway through the book the author finally makes some revelation about what she's going to write about. The characters are in the upper echelon of London society, all have infatuations with each other (really?), are all ultra
From my book review blog Rundpinne I have been struggling with my review of Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine and putting it off hoping my feelings toward the book would change with time, they have not. I had truly wanted to adore Lady of Hay and quite unfortunately, I did not care for the book. There, I said it. I enjoyed the idea of the story, especially the descriptions of life in the twelfth century. Erskine did an excellent job at creating two realistic and vividly described centuries and
Where I got the book: bought retail. Full price. Seriously, sometimes I do that just for laughs.I read this book back in 1985 when it came out. I was 25. I cannot imagine this. I thought this book was AMAZING back then. I was hoping to recapture the moment...Sigh.You can never go back.Plot: beautiful, talented journalist Jo (STRIKE ONE) appears to have no other purpose than to be hypnotized back into a previous life. Because absolutely EVERYONE she meets can do this. Really? I could count the
**review to come **
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