I love reading M & B historical fiction, mainly for relaxation - 'collecting your sleeping pills?' teases the library van-man when I get a selection! But there are some great writers amongst them, Louise Allen springs to mind, and Nicola Cornick is another. However this week I bought Bronwyn Scott's Untamed Rogue, Scandelous Miss and gave it a go. No problem with the story, a rollicking romp about horse training and racing. But oh readers, do take heed of the problems of research! Our hero and heroine are out for the day in St Albans which OK is a town I know well. They spend time in the market in 'Peters Square' (now Peters Street) and then take a walk UP Holywell Hill and picnic at the top with a stunning view. So what is wrong with that you ask? Well, Peters Street is at the top of the town and Holywell Hill is a steep slope DOWN (very steep - and certainly not to be attempted in high heels running to the Abbey!!). In other words, the author had looked at a map, seen a hill and imagined it the way she wanted it. Now that is fine, except she used a real place and place name and inevitably anyone who knows the place would be irritated. And she treats the Abbey as ruins, it wasn't it was still in use in the 1830s though run-down, I admit. I was fascinated however to discover from her book that our Grand National horse race did in fact originate as the ST Albans Steeplechase and that it terminated on Nomansland Common which is renowned as the playground of the Wicked Lady - there is a pub on the common named after her now.
It was only after a few years of running that someone thought what a good event for Aintree and pinched the idea.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Oh, the perils of research! I would never use a real town without either a working knowledge or checking in the library or googling for pictures.
Oddly, when I was writing my training-and-racing Regency romance Fortunate Wager, I also had research problems. I hadn't realised the Abbey ruins at Bury St Edmunds were in private hands in 1817 and permission had to be applied for in order to walk around them. Fortunately I found out long before the book got to proof stage and I could correct it!
Post a Comment