#A Brief History of Montmaray

[ofliterarynature]

TBR Takedown: Goodreads Week 1B (Nov 7)

A Brief History of Montmaray (The Montmarary Journals #1) by Michelle Cooper

Sophie FitzOsborne lives in a crumbling castle in the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray with her eccentric and impoverished royal family. When she receives a journal for her sixteenth birthday, Sophie decides to chronicle day-to-day life on the island. But this is 1936, and the news that trickles in from the mainland reveals a world on the brink of war. The politics of Europe seem far away from their remote island—until two German officers land a boat on Montmaray. And then suddenly politics become very personal indeed. A Brief History of Montmaray is a heart-stopping tale of loyalty, love, and loss, and of fighting to hold on to home when the world is exploding all around you.

Goodreads: 3.66/5 StoryGraph: 3.68/5

PRO:

- sounds interesting!

- I like historical fiction and epistolary novels

- I have library access to my preferred format (audiobook)

- sometimes I do still enjoy older YA titles (this is from 2009)

CON:

- YA is very hit-or-miss for me these days, mostly miss

- I have no idea if the writing is good??

- I *don't* have library access to my preferred format (audiobook) for the rest of the series

[miraclerizuin]

for we carry what we boop inside us, always

[nedlittle]

[id in alt text]

i read a total of 10 books in november (155% of my yearly goal) and 2715 pages (167% of my yearly goal). my favourite was the fitzosbornes in exile by michelle cooper and my least favourite was a haunted history of invisible women: true stories of america's ghosts by leanna renee hieber and andrea janes.

full breakdown of star rankings and reviews under the cut 🖊📚

a net for small fishes by lucy jago 3.75⭐ [historical] [review]

the family chao by lan samantha lang 3.25⭐ [contemporary, literary] [review]

house of light by mary oliver 5⭐ [poetry] [review]

my cousin rachel by daphne du maurier 3.75⭐ [gothic, classics, historical] [review]

the dying day (malabar house #2) by vaseem khan 2.5⭐ [historical, mystery] [review]

a brief history of montmaray (the montmaray journals #1) by michelle cooper [reread 🔁] 5⭐ [historical, ya] [review]

the fitzosbornes in exile (the montmaray journals #2) by michelle cooper [🔁] 5⭐ [historical, ya] [review]

a haunted history of invisible women by leanna renee hieber and andrea janes 1.75⭐ [history, sociology] [review]

i await the devil's coming by mary maclane 3.5⭐ [classics, memoir] [review]

becoming the villainess by jeannine hall gailey 4⭐ [poetry, fantasy, feminism] [review]

[bedlamsbard]

It is always extremely disconcerting to find out that a book you thought was about one thing is actually a completely different book and now you have no idea what the original book you were thinking of is called.

so for ages I thought that We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson was a WWII novel, which apparently it is not even remotely and I got two books mixed up. (I haven't read the Jackson book.) The book I thought it was is set during WWII and is either YA or would be classed as YA today but was written before the genre existed, I can't remember if it's recent or not. (Though I think it is.) It's about a set of siblings who are the royal family of a small island nation (Mediterranean?) during WWII, who end up evacuating to London when Nazis invade their tiny island country. I think the eldest son, the prince, might be gay (and maybe joins the RAF?), but the main character is one of the daughters (I think it's a set of four siblings, two boys and two girls), who maybe becomes a FANY? I read it maybe ten years ago, but that doesn't mean it was actually published in the 2010s, and I feel like it made gentle waves in fandom for a while. Does that ring a bell with anyone?

ETA: It's the Montmaray Journals (A Brief History of Montmoray, The FitzOsbornes in Exile, and The FitzOsbornes at War) by Michelle Cooper! Thank you @minnarr!

[malkaleh]

What is the media(s) that just imbedded themselves into your soul and aren’t leaving?

Here is my list

Tolkien

Tamora Pierce Cinematic Universe

Grishaverse

Cinderella (2015)

The Gilded Wolves

The Tudors

A Little Princess

And then also:

The West Wing

A Brief History Of Montmaray

Criminal Minds S1-5

Wolves of Willboughy Chase

Taylor Swift music

Karliene Reynolds music

[trout-scout]

-runs in the rooms several hours late- ah!!! 18, 20, 14 and 25 please!!! for the end of year asks!

14- Favorite book you read this year?

"A Brief History of Montmaray" which is one I've read before but not for like a decade. It's set in 1936 & is from the journaled POV of the princess of a tiny, impoverished, forgotten, crumbling island nation in the Bay of Biscay- they need money, decide to sell a Fabergé egg from their swiftly emptying historical treasure hall, and then shit gets real. It has shades of "I Capture the Castle" but is I think a little more tragic, a little more desperate- it's all about things ending and transitioning and it doesn't help that WW2 is about to begin. Really underappreciated book & a very different experience to read it as a kid vs as an adult.

18- A memorable meal this year?

Okay so whilst in London I had all kinds of culinary delights but the one that had the most profound effect was at Stonehenge, I was kind of sick and didn't realize it until then, I was starving as well and hadn't had breakfast so death was near. But they sell these Cornish pasties at the visitor center that are like God's own meat & when I finally got to eat it was one of these and some tea right next to Stonehenge & I immediately felt better, it was magical. One could say it was the power of the Stones but it was really the power of a massive hunk of meat & potato & swede & pastry casing

20- What’s something you learned this year?

How to play electric guitar!!! I suck at it but whatever

25- Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year? Describe one

Why yes indeed I did...I wrote a new non-fic book this year and This Guy is one of the main characters from it (he wears tortoiseshell specs but I can't draw people wearing glasses)

The year is 1934. Lord Horatio 'Heron' Fenchurch is the eccentric, estranged uncle of the main character, Emilia, and runs a gigantic, weird manor house in Cumberland that's crumbling apart because despite their ancestral ties to Queen Elizabeth's secret societies they're poor as fuck. What's so weird about this house you may ask?? That's a spoiler you'll just have to read my book lmao. Emilia's mother, his sister, literally has not spoken to him in 14 years. He's grumpy, bird-obsessed, has a best frenemies relationship with a monstrous boar-beast from another world, can fight with a sword but doesn't really want to, for most of the first book doesn't particularly care whether or not his preteen nieces live or die, and I really really like him

[auslgbtqya]

A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper

2011

“There’s a fine line between gossip and history, when one is talking about kings.” Sophie Fitzosborne lives in a crumbling castle in the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray with her eccentric and impoverished royal family. When she receives a journal for her sixteenth birthday, Sophie decides to chronicle day-to-day life on the island. But this is 1936, and the news that trickles in from the mainland reveals a world on the brink of war. The politics of Europe seem far away from their remote island—until two German officers land a boat on Montmaray. And then suddenly politics become very personal indeed. A Brief History of Montmaray is a heart-stopping tale of loyalty, love, and loss, and of fighting to hold on to home when the world is exploding all around you. “Once in a while, a special book will cross our paths and make us grateful for life and the ability to read. I’m talking about A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper. I’m calling her Australia’s next stroke of literary brilliance.”—Viewpoint

Goodreads

[montmarayroyal]

FitzOsborne Sorting(Characters Property of Michelle Cooper)

Note: I am using the system devised by @sortinghatchats​, so a primary house is why the character does things, and secondary house is how they do them. So lets get started!

Veronica FitzOsborne: Veronica is an obvious Slytherin primary, she cares deeply about Montmaray and her family, and they are her clear priority. Before Simon becomes one of “hers” she could not care less for him, but afterwards, he becomes(grudgingly on her part) one of them. Veronica’s true love is for information(sorry Daniel), her favorite hobby before they leave for England is researching in the library, and once they are in England the way that she goes about solving their problems is by researching past precedent, international law, policies of the League of Nations, everything in short she can get her hands on; she is undoubtedly a Ravenclaw secondary. 

Sophie FitzOsborne: Sophie’s primary is very hard to identify, as she is narrating the story, I found that it became harder to quantify her motivations. Sophie is a Ravenclaw primary, preferring rules and procedures for how things will happen and who will do what. She tends to get flustered when the guidelines that she has established for herself fall apart, when they first arrive in England or when war breaks out. Sophie is also a Hufflepuff secondary, although she does not always realize it, she is excellent at building a community around her. She manages to get Veronica and Simon to agree, befriends Phoebe, gets the colonel on their side, and is in many ways the center of their family. Even when she acts sneaky, it is always for the ultimate purpose of helping everyone to work together. 

Simon Chester: Simon is a Slytherin primary, his priority will always be his group, his family and friends. He is also a Slytherin primary, very adaptable and easily able to change plans, strategies, and allies when necessary.

Henry FitzOsborne: Henry is a clear-cut, perfect example of a Gryffindor primary. She rushes into things without thinking about consequences, she never listens to anyone but her gut, and has zero impulse control. Henry is also a Gryffindor secondary, she just dives right in, without planning. 

Toby FitzOsborne: Toby is, like Henry, a Gryffindor primary. He follows his gut, has very little impulse control, and will always do what his conscience tells him, even when it will prove to have very negative consequences for him. However Toby is also a Slytherin secondary, while he may have no impulse control, he does posess a remarkable adaptibility. Like Sophie, he is incredibly likeable, however, while Sophie is always nothing but herself, he can be very much two different people when in different situations. He is very able to manipulate Aunt Charlotte, even as he lacks the ability to thinkl before doing the thing which would get him in trouble in the first place. 

Julia Stanley-Ross: Julia is very hard to sort, and I'm almost leaning towards a burned primary for her, as I think that especially by the end she has lost a great deal of faith in the society she grow up in and the values with which she was raised. I'm thinking a Gryffindor primary though, she very much goes with her instincts, especially by the end. For her secondary, I'm thinking maybe Hufflepuff, she proves herself a dedicated worker, and devoted family member.

Rupert Stanley-Ross: Rupert is both a Hufflepuff primary and a Hufflepuff secondary, except that instead of people, his priorities are animals. As a primary, he will always help those who need it lost, and as a secondary, he builds a "family" of animals around him.

Daniel Bloom: Daniel is another hard-to-sort character. I think he's probably a Hufflepuff primary, with his desire to help the underdog above all. I would say a Ravenclaw secondary, for his belief in education, and love for teaching.

TL/DR: Veronica: S/R, Sophie: R/H, Simon: S/S, Henry: G/G, Toby: G/S, Julia: G/H, Rupert: H/H, Daniel: H/R

Note: I tried to sort Antony and Kick, but i found them very difficult, although Ant definitely has some Ravenclaw and Kick definitely has some Gryffindor.

Some of them were very easy(Henry, Veronica, Rupert) and some were very hard (Simon, Julia).

These are all just my opinions, so I would be very interested to hear your thoughts. Who would you sort differently?

[historyandclassicactors]

Britain in the 30s & 40s

As always, there’s an explanation for how I came about my topic. But first, a disclaimer: Not to be confused with Britain in WWII (that’s to come, though, I promise!). 

The explanation: What else? Another book! Err, series in this case! Even better! The Montmaray Journals by Michelle Cooper. I got the series last Christmas (or birthday?) and have been savoring them all year. Because you have to savor something so amazing. [Picture Mine, clearly cuz, uh, that’s part of my bed, and my Christmas lights, and more books, which I've since reorganized, and well … ]

Summary: Sophie FitzOsborne is a princess of Montmaray and resides in the dilapidated castle with her brother, Toby; sister, Henrietta aka “Henry”; and cousin, Veronica. Well, that and a crazy uncle and possibly even crazier servant and her son (who might be another cousin, Simon). But when the Nazis bomb their beloved island, Sophie and her siblings (and cousins, who might as well be siblings, anyways) are forced into exile in England to live with their Aunt Charlotte, which proves to be an adventure of its own. In England, Sophie endures the terrors of the up-coming war and (maybe even more terrifying) coming out balls and the war itself.  All told from Sophie’s perspective via her journals, as the title implies.

Depression:

Like in most countries, Britain was sieged by the Great Depression in the 1930′s, unemployment hovering around 10% for most of the decade. However, like America, WWII helped boost the economy.

While the country was in the middle of a depression, the country actually “saw more economic growth than any other decade in British history” (Source). Industries that specialized in things like appliances, aviation, cars, and construction actually saw their golden years in the 30′s. Here’s why: Prices had fallen, which meant more people had extra money. Even those who lived at a “subsistence level” were bringing home more money on pensions and unemployment. In fact, by 1935, “a man on the dole was about as well off as a skilled worker in 1905″ (Source).

Aristocracy:

As was seen in Downton Abby, the country houses were fast becoming a thing of the past. After the first Great War, the “combination of the cost of war, death duties, crippling taxes and declining farm rentals put an end to the life of sophisticated glamour and feudal rights, duties and privileges previously enjoyed by Britain’s landed gentry” (Source).

Despite the decline of country houses, however, their way of life was not completely disrupted. As late as 1939, many were still able to maintain  their aristocratic lifestyles with glittering parties, concerts, dinners, and debutante seasons. Many debutantes were sent to Germany for finishing school. “There, the debutantes polished their manners; learned about music, art, and a spot of German; and enjoyed a whirlwind of dinners, parties, and leisurely activities.” Many were “unaware of the realities of the Nazi sate that surrounded them” (Source). Additionally, there was a strong connection between British and German high society through marriage and the Royal families.

In Germany, “they were cooed over and spoiled, with the Germans eager to impress upon the young women just how successful the country was and [to] make sure they passed on their praise to British ears” (Source).

This, all in preparation for their coming out season (which they could do more than once if they were unsuccessful. Sophie had three), which was coordinated with the Royal family’s residence in London: April-July and October-Christmas. As was tradition, debutantes were presented to the monarch and introduced to society. This was a key part of high society’s calendar.  [Below: Lost country houses. You have no idea how hard it was to find anything suitable for the topic. *sigh*]

War: 

Despite being disgusted with his anti-Semitism and his “abolishment of democracy,” many members of the aristocracy were originally keen supporters of Hitler because of his firm stance against Communism (Source).  

Even King Edward VIII (who abdicated in ‘36) and his American wife, Willis Simpson, were staunch supporters of Hitler. The Duke caused major problems in Madrid, spending time with “pro-Nazi Spanish Aristocrats, talking loudly about how wonderfully the Nazi had transformed Germany and how Britain ought to sign a peace treaty with them (The FitzOsbornes at War, 166). He even sent a letter to the king, “telling him to dismiss Churchill and the war cabinet and set up peace negotiations with Germany” (The FitzOsbornes at War, 167). Churchill threatened him with a court-martial but the Royals certainly didn’t want him back in England. Eventually, he and his wife were sent to the Bahamas, where they were more likely to stay out of trouble.

Unlike the first great war, the British were more resigned about the up-coming, inevitable war. During the first several months, they referred to it as the Phoney War or the Bore War. Still, many war time measures were being taken, such as rations, blackout curtains, and evacuation. 

“Aunt Charlotte is already driving me round the bend, and the war’s only been going for six hours. Imagine how I’ll be in six months” (pg. 22).

In an effort to appease Hitler, Britain bullied Czechoslovakia into giving the Sudetenland to Germany. Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement in 1938. Understandably, the Czechoslovakians felt they’d been betrayed by Great Britain. 

The most famous British debutante to fall under Hitler’s spell was Unity Mitford, the 2nd youngest of the Mitford girls. She and Hitler became quite close and Hitler even used her to “provoke jealously in his new girlfriend, Eva Braun” (Source).  She even made an appearance with Hitler on the balcony in Vienna when he made his Anschluss Speech in 1938. When Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939, she “shot herself in the head with a pearl-handled pistol given to her by Hitler” (Source). She survived and was flown back to the UK. [Below: Unity Mitford]

“Veronica threw out my Evening Standard Guide to Air Raid Sounds last week, because she said I was becoming obsessed. But the more information one has, the more one feels in control of the situation. That’s simply common sense. One would really think Veronica would understand that!” (pg. 198-199)

Cooper, Michelle. A Brief History of Montmaray. New York: Alfred P. Knopf, 2008.

---. The FitzOsbornes in Exile. New York: Random House, 2010.

---. The FitzOsbornes at War. New York: Alfred P. Knopf, 2012.

Topics/Suggestions List.

Up Next: Battle of the Bulge

[lotstradamus]

lgbt historical fiction recs? i'm chill w any time period, preferably light-to-no sex scenes

OH YEAHHHH BABY. any sex scenes in the below are either YA-level, or it’s so ~literary that it’s sort of vaguely alluded to, or over in half a page. no KJ Charles-esque fuckathons to be found. ENJOY 

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley 

Maurice by E. M. Forster 

The Quick by Lauren Owen

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee

Time Was by Ian McDonald

Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzie Lee (trust me)

A Land So Wild by Elyssa Warkentin

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

The Whale: A Love Story by Mark Beauregard

The Vintner’s Luck by Elizabeth Knox 

 Regeneration trilogy by Pat Barker

The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst

The Charioteer by Mary Renault

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann

Days Without End by Sebastian Barry

At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O’Neill

Eromenos by Melanie J. McDonald

McGlue by Ottessa Moshfegh

Fire From Heaven by Mary Renault

[beautifulpaxielreads]

10 Questions Tag

Rules: answer 10 questions and ask 10 new ones.

Thank you to @readingbooksinisrael for the tag! 😀

1. What is your favorite subgenre (fairytale retellings, comedy of manners, alternative history, etc.)?

I do love a good fairytale retelling, now you mention it! I also am a big fan of historical fantasy fiction, if that counts as a subgenre.

2. Do you prefer writing poetry or prose?

Prose, for sure. Poetry and I don’t agree with one another. 

3. What’s your favorite book from where you live (interpret this as broadly or as small as you want to)?

I think I’m going to go broadly with this one, because there is so much good Australian fiction out there, particularly by young adult authors.

My favourite is probably Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff for how innovative and fresh it is. I also love A Brief History of Montmaray (The Montmaray Journals #1) by Michelle Cooper for sheer rereadability (I know that isn’t a word, but I’m using it, so there!😋).

4. Do you watch any reality tv?

Masterchef and Gogglebox are the biggies, but I also enjoy “time-travel” style reality shows, where modern people experience life in another historical era.

5. Who is your favorite “sidekick” (from Robin to Ron and Hermione)?

Ron and Hermione, since you mentioned it. Can’t think of many others to be honest.

6. Do you prefer warm or cold colours?

Warm.

7. What is your favorite type of art to do?

I don’t really do much art, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be portraiture because I used to do a lot of that.

8. What was your favorite subject in school?

English for sure, because of my writing ability.

9. Do you like writing book reviews?

I used to, but now I can’t be bothered with them. They take too much time and I can’t always think of what I want to say about a book.

10. What’s a short story I should read?

I don’t really read a lot of short stories, but I recently read Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor and illustrated by Jim Di Bartolo (who is Laini’s husband) and I loved it, so I’d recommend any of the short stories in that, especially if you like fantasy.

I tag: @nerdyenby-vstheworld, @yesireadforfun, @clockwork-reads, @chri55ie, @theforgottencoolkid, @storytime-writings, @reedyalikeabook, @themelodyofspring, @idacippolinni, @jumpthequeue if they would like to do this challenge. If not, that’s totally fine too.

Just a heads up these questions will be of a book related nature. Here they are:

Have you ever finished a book out of spite? Like you weren’t enjoying it, but you were determined not to let it beat you?

Do you prefer ebooks, physical books or audiobooks? Why?

What’s the longest book you have read?

What’s the shortest book?

Do you read more than one book simultaneously? Why or why not? If so, what’s the greatest amount of books you have read at the same time?

Have you ever attempted to read a book that is not in your native language?  (both English and non-English speakers can answer) If so, how did it go? 

Do you prefer to borrow books from the library or buy them at a bookshop?

Have you ever bought a book from an online store? 

Is there one genre or style of book that you will never read?

When you come across typos in your reading, does it bother you?

[deeptheon]

book rec: the montmaray journals, starting with A Brief History of Montmaray

thanks i’ll look into it!

[mashamorevna]

im in such a bad reading slump and i trust ur taste. do u have any book recs? any recs really. i usually read fantasy but idc

That always makes me nervous because I don’t trust my own taste but… hopefully you’ll be able to pick some out of these-

fantasy (mostly YA):uprooted by naomi novika darker shade of magic by v.e. schwabthe knife of never letting go by patrick nesssix of crows by leigh bardugodeathless by catherynne m. valentean enchantment of ravens by margaret rogersonbitten by kelley armstrongcruel beauty by rosamund hodgethe hazel wood by melissa albertthe bear and the nightingale by katherine ardenwintersong by s. jae-jonesto kill a kingdom by alexandra christothe last werewolf by glen duncana court of thorns and roses by sarah j. maasvampire academy by richelle mead (i go hard for these kids) & bloodlines

non-fantasy:if we were villains by m. l. rionever let me go by kazuo ishiguroa brief history of montmaray by michelle coopertell the wolves i’m home by carol rifka bruntcode name verity by elizabeth weinthe secret history by donna tartt

mythology related:circe by madeline millerthe closed doors by pauline albanese (*short play)gameboard of the gods by richelle meadthe song of achilles by madeline millernefertiti by michelle morandaughter of smoke and bone by laini tayloramerican gods by neil gaimanthe heretic queen by michelle moran

mind-f*ckery:i’m thinking of ending things by iain reiddark matter by blake crouch

murder mysteries/thrillers:the broken girls by simone st. jamesinto the woods by tana frenchthe girl with the dragon tattoo by stieg larssonsharp objects by gillian flynnthe likeness by tana frenchgone girl by gillian flynn

books that are on my immediate tbr shelf based on good reviews:the poppy war by r. f. kuangspinning silver by naomi novikthe hating game by sally thornechildren of blood and bone by tomi adeyemithe wicked deep by shea ernshawthe shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafoni’ll be gone in the dark by michelle mcnamarathe woman in the window by a.j. finna little life by hanya yanagihara

good luck, wishing you slump-free weeks to come!

[nedlittle]

2,3,16 and 25

2. Did you reread anything? What?

 i reread [deep breath] a great and terrible beauty by libba bray, these shallow graves by jennifer donnelly, the pearl thief by elizabeth wein, truly devious by maureen johnson, the diviners/lair of dreams/before the devil breaks you by libba bray, a brief history of montmaray/the fitzosbornes in exile by michelle cooper, the whale: a love story by mark beauregard and i’m currently trying to finish ghostland: an american history in haunted places by colin dickey (which i read in january)

3. What were your top five books of the year? 

i don’t like choosing faves so here are some books i gave five stars

indecent by paula vogel

a tree grows in brooklyn by betty smith

priestdaddy by patricia lockwood

rebecca by daphne du maurier

red, white & royal blue by casey mcquiston

16. What is the most over-hyped book you read this year?

the bear and the nightingale by katherine arden! i was so ready to love it. i’d heard nothing but good things. and i could not tell you a single plot point from that book bc my eyes kept glazing over

25. What reading goals do you have for next year?

next year will be the first year i have a full time real adult job and i have a big move (and won’t have as many books readily available) so i want to try for a book a week. this year i read 150 books, next year i’ll be happy with a third of that. i also want to read more classics, more poetry & drama, and more translated books

[xueyangapologist]

i always think i've read I Capture The Castle because the premise is so similar to A Brief History Of Montmaray, like i read the summary and think "oh yeah i've read that" and then "oh no the one i read was set on an ISLAND. i should read this one too" and never do. that's my story for tonight.

[malkaleh]

Lil & Her Comfort Books 2/?: A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper. A trilogy of books (though I love the first one the best I adore all of them) about the fictional island kingdom of Montmaray. Narrated by Sophie aka one of my favourite characters in the world.