My book club chose to read this book because of the this review - it was very glowing.

The general consensus at book club was that it was a good choice; one person loved it and no one hated it - unlike a few of our other choices.

Here’s a description …

Eighteen-year-old Maya de Jong has moved from Warton, country WA, to Melbourne, in the hope of finding work and getting away from the stifling environment of a small town. She’s never really suited Warton, and though she loves her parents and her younger brother, Magnus, the town holds no future for her. Through a family contact in Melbourne she lands a job working at Global Imports, a small operation owned by the enigmatic fifty-year-old Maynard Flynn, whose wife Dory is dying of cancer. Maynard is entranced by the impressionable Maya and the two begin an affair. Business is not booming and after the death of his wife Maynard is convinced by a shady business acquaintance to move interstate to start up another line of business. Maynard persuades Maya to go with him, to drop everything and leave immediately. She agrees, and they go despite the fact that Maya’s parents are on their way to Melbourne to stay with her for a couple of weeks. Jacob and Toni, Maya’s parents, turn up at her share house and are told by Maya’s housemate Cecile that Maya has disappeared and she doesn’t know where she is. And so begins a search, both physical and emotional, that spans the couple’s past and present. For Jacob and Toni, their whole identity has been about being good parents, or being good enough parents. With the disappearance of their daughter, everything they have stood for, believed about themselves over the years is called into question and will affect not only their notion of who they are, but their relationship with each other.

 Ms London writes beautiful prose her description of the toilets in Maya’s office building is fabulous. This novel was written from many different points of view, which I liked, but then I always like first person narratives. I think she writes well about adolescent angst - particularly teenage boys and her descriptions of ordinary events are full of detail and very convincing.

I enjoyed reading about Perth and Warton - it’s always nice to read a story set in your own town. I thought the accidental meeting at the MCG at the end was a bit too neat (I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil the story). However, one of my friends did comment that things like that happen all the time. About two thirds of the way through the book I was ready for it to end, but overall my impression is positive and I shall try to read her other works.

As P is very keen on dinosaurs and A on princesses, I decided to make them applique T-Shirts. I found the designs at Designs by Juju (I did briefly consider digitising my own designs, but as hers werre exactly what I wanted it seemed more efficient to just buy them - plus she had a buy two sets get two sets free offer!)

 I bought these ones …

Fit for a Princess Applique

Jacobean Floral Applique

Sunbonnet Belles Applique

Dinosaurs Roar Applique

The applique is quite time consuming, but easy to do. I’ve used calico as a base and then sewn them onto the T-Shirts afterwards (that way there isn’t a lot of thread on the inside of the T-Shirt and I don’t have to try to hoop a T-Shirt).

I’ve been going to Woolly Lattes knitting nights. While there I work on my sock and have a bit of a chat. The ladies that pop around to help are fabulous - calm and definitely not precious. They’re all about how knitting is relaxing and how we shouldn’t get stressed about it.

My sock is progressing. I’ve turned the heel and picked up the stitches and am now reducing back to my original number of stitches. This time I followed the general recipe in this book and it is much easier.

I’m a big Georgette Heyer fan. She writes regency romances (and some thrillers, but I’ve never read any of those). Her ‘regencies’ are meticulously researched and you can imagine the world of the ‘ton’ - her use of slang or cant can be a bit over the top, e.g.

‘He don’t look like a downy one to me’ objected the waiter. ‘And if he’s swallowed a spider he wouldn’t have handed me a fore-coachwheel only for asking of silly questions for him’

Her novels are very formulaic as she writes to her publisher …

It is a Regency society-comedy quite in my lightest vain. There is a certain young man who has appeared in several of my books - he was Cedric Brandon in The Corithian, Viscount Winwood in The Convenient Marriage - and some others!

She even refers to Mark 1 and Mark 11 heroes in her letters …

Mark 1: The brusque, savage sort with a foul temper

Mark 11: Suave, well-dressed, rich and a famous whip

Despite all of the above, I love her novels - they are like frivolous Jane Austen novels.

In The Foundling the Duke of Sale escapes his retainers and proceeds to have an adventure involving a run away school boy, a beauty and a charming cad.

The Duke was born after his father’s death and was a sickly child consequently he has been mollycoddled and protected all of his life. His uncle (and Guardian) informs him that he expects him to marry Lady Harriet Presteigne, as does Lady Harriet’s family, he is shocked and surprised, but still (and this I don’t understand) offers for her. While in London, he hears of his cousin’s woes and decides to solve his problems while pretending to be ‘plain Mr Dash’. He is involved in a series of rollicking adventures, but all ends happily.

The ‘foundling’ of the title is the beautiful Belinda who will go off with any man if he offers her a purple silk dress. Mr Liversedge, the villain, is hilarious. He is completely inept at blackmail and kidnap, but finally convinces the Duke to finance a ‘gaming hell’ on the continent.

Finally the relationship with Harriet. This was a bit disappointing. They were reluctantly engaged at the start (at least on the Duke’s part) and in love by the end, but I’m not really sure why of how the transition occurred.

The next Heyer on my list is Cousin Kate.

 I selected this book because it was recommended by Jane Brocket. I bought it from here (which, by the way, is a fabulous place - free postage!).

This is the blurb from the back …

I’ve started cutting out this fabric. My plan is to do something with nine patches …

I have started a pair of socks for myself based on the recipe in this book. This yarn is Jigsaw Heirloom Sock Yarn Colour 57. I have two more balls, colour 58 and colour 27. Not to mention three balls of Twilleys of Stamford Freedom Spirit 508 Senses - I plan to make more socks! I’m addicted.