Sparkling, Bohemian London!

Hello everyone! I hope you had a great week. Mine was splendid I am back from a fantastic escapade…will tell you about it in due course. But for now, as promised I will share my stay in London with you.

I adore the London vibes and was impatient to revisit the National Gallery, to stroll through Soho, to walk from South Bank to Westminster, to eat fish and chips at The Fish House of Notting Hill and to go to the theatre.

My vacation started with a traditional afternoon tea at The Royal Horseguards Hotel, a venue full of superlatives. The other days were spent playing the tourist; I visited Her Majesty Elizabeth II`s splendid Buckingham Palace for the first time, admired the wonderful St. Paul’s Cathedral, watched the sunset over Hyde Park, was overwhelmed by the performers of comic play “Hay Fever” at the Duke of York’s Theatre….I even bought books in a place I adore: Hatchards on Piccadilly, one of the best bookshops in the world. Now, for the lover of books that I am, imagine how I felt? Well, I was smiling like the village idiot!

Of course, I couldn’t miss the Portobello market with its antiques and bric-a-brac treasures; the hardest thing was to select the special item among so many other special things… I discovered the contemporary art at Whitechapel Gallery exhibiting great artists from around the world. The rest of my stay was terrific, but unfortunately I didn't stay long enough (5 days only) to visit Hampton Court, a place I particularly cherish, but which quite remote from the centre.

I bought a few gifts at Liberty, actually I couldn’t resist their Caramel Cornish Sea Salt Fudge, so yummy…I got stationery cards in Paperchase….I discovered an amazing old-English shop in Burlington Arcade:  Penhaligon’s. I also got myself a cute baby bag at Aldo in Oxford Street. BTW, I have had now the best burger ever at Patty & Bun in Marylebone.

There will be much more, but you ladies and gents will have to check the upcoming posts. 

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (1996)

1859. Grace Marks, sentenced to life imprisonment, slowly turns in circles in the yard of a Canadian penitentiary. At the age of 16, Grace was accused of two horrible murders. No one ever knew if she was guilty, innocent or crazy. At her trial, after giving three versions of the facts, Grace walled herself up in silence: amnesia or dissimulation?

Doctor Simon Jordan, a promising young specialist in mental illness, wants to discover the truth. He obtains permission to visit Grace, to make her speak at length. Grace talks about her Irish childhood, the agony of her mother on the boat that takes them to Canada, her domestic jobs, the death of her only friend; a crafty little maid...

Alias Grace is an historical fiction, winner of the Canadian "Giller Prize" and was shortlisted for the "Booker Prize".

Author: Margaret Atwood was born in November 18, 1939 in Ottawa. She grew up in northern Quebec, Ontario and Toronto. She has lived in many other cities, including Boston, Vancouver, Edinburgh, Berlin and London, and travelled a lot. She has published over forty books, including novels, poetry and literary criticism. She lives in Toronto with novelist Graham Gibson and their daughter Eleanor Jess.

My thoughts: I read the French translation in the 90s. This is without a doubt my favourite book, a magnificent book. The beauty of Alias Grace lies not within the plot, which is mysterious and based on a true story, nor within the voices of the characters, but within the artistry that Atwood has demonstrated, the true craft of a writer.

The celebrated murderess, young Grace Marks, was a real person in Canada in 1843. She was arrested, along with a man named James McDermott, accused of murdering their employer, Thomas Kinnear, and his pregnant housekeeper-mistress Nancy Montgomery. Grace told three different versions of the murders throughout the trial and was sentenced to life in prison, while McDermott hung. Grace was a loner, she had nobody. Doctor Simon Jordan makes it his mission to lead Grace through her life leading up to the day of the murders. Little by little he started to like her and feel compassion for her, and "saved" her in all the ways a person can be saved.