tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post8199054598600170051..comments2024-03-23T12:38:46.260+00:00Comments on The History Girls: 'Who Blundered? - The Mystery of the Light Brigade' by A L BerridgeMary Hoffmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06241989732624913706noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-5390551898965121632012-04-23T22:34:56.751+01:002012-04-23T22:34:56.751+01:00Dear Louise,
I understand yor point of view.
But ...Dear Louise,<br /><br />I understand yor point of view.<br />But you deliver so many information in your posts - and the other History Girls also do that - that every visit here is for me like reading a book.<br /><br />I look forward to your next post which will be after the publishing date of Into the Valley of Death.ediFanoBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11129248787624088717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-39803889446996365932012-04-22T00:45:46.944+01:002012-04-22T00:45:46.944+01:00Thanks so much, Penny. I'm oversimplying hugel...Thanks so much, Penny. I'm oversimplying hugely, of course, which makes it all rather easier!<br /><br />Impressive reading agility, Leslie - from Tolstoy to Pratchett in a blink! I very much like the sound of Commander Vimes...<br /><br />Edi - thank you, but (as always) you are far too generous. The joy about posting here at the History Girls is that all the members (and many of the readers) know and share exactly the same kind of dilemmas, so I can post honestly without fear of seeming to set myself up as an authority. I post to get the feedback more than anything, and the comments here are always helpful. To 'publish' a post would be a very different thing, and not nearly so enjoyable.<br /><br />Perhaps one day all the HGs might publish one collectively - various thoughts on writing historical fiction. Now THAT would be well worth doing!alberridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15986443240923520466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-87580808384223230342012-04-22T00:14:28.750+01:002012-04-22T00:14:28.750+01:00Dear Louise,
you know I love your books. But I mus...Dear Louise,<br />you know I love your books. But I must say you surprise again and again with your posts here at the History Girls.<br /><br />Don't worry I will not praise your post by stringing together all these precious adjectives I know. It would look like I would try to butter you up.<br /><br />I will do it in another way. <br />You should take into consideration to collect all your post - each is a short story of its own - and publish them as a kind of short story collection. I know it would not easy to find a publisher. But there are possibilites to convert these posts into and eBook and publish it by yourself.<br />It would be a shame if all these information would not find a greater audience.ediFanoBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11129248787624088717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-78793532074130110952012-04-21T17:32:31.790+01:002012-04-21T17:32:31.790+01:00Oh dear, I can't remember when in W&P. Hav...Oh dear, I can't remember when in W&P. Have only just read it, too.....<br />Just reading Terry Pratchett. Love Commander Vimes who thought war was a crime, like murder....Leslie Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15105465949970430998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-29152295793667830382012-04-21T10:54:32.945+01:002012-04-21T10:54:32.945+01:00Found this a really great and informative post and...Found this a really great and informative post and explained so clearly, both the historical events and people as you understand them and the writer's choices.Penny Dolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16386668303428008498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-72122005968198016922012-04-21T09:45:58.744+01:002012-04-21T09:45:58.744+01:00Thanks so much for that, Leslie. Interesting about...Thanks so much for that, Leslie. Interesting about Tolstoy too - he didn't arrive in Sevastopol until November 1854, but people would certainly have still been talking about the Charge. Can you remember roughly where he talks about such an incident? I was going to say 'I'll have to reread "War and Peace"' but my heart just failed me...<br /><br />And thank you for sharing your Dad's memories. There's a real danger that subjects like these can be reduced to an intellectual puzzle, but you just put the emphasis right back smack where it should be. People died. Hundreds of them, and needlessly. It still makes me angry, but what it would be like for someone like your dad who actually saw such things is dreadful to imagine.alberridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15986443240923520466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-75835826613967172172012-04-21T08:14:18.901+01:002012-04-21T08:14:18.901+01:00I wanted to say - but my keyboard refused on me su...I wanted to say - but my keyboard refused on me suddenly - also a problem of using my phone - that I normally find descriptions of battles hard to follow, but you set this out with so much clarity, Louisa.Leslie Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15105465949970430998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-80583301274726853182012-04-21T08:11:55.919+01:002012-04-21T08:11:55.919+01:00Very interesting and informative! There's a bi...Very interesting and informative! There's a bit in War and Peace where Tolstoy describes something very like The C of th L B, and I wonder if he was thinking about it - he was in the Crimean War. My Dad who was in th Royal Army Medical Corps was always very angry about an occasion when he reckoned Churchill had pointlessly thrown men's lives away, and I can't remember when now. Since he saw the results of such actions, I can see why it made Dad angry.Leslie Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15105465949970430998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-23385226206384091422012-04-21T03:17:47.128+01:002012-04-21T03:17:47.128+01:00lol, oops - that's what I get for replying wit...lol, oops - that's what I get for replying with my phone ;)Rebecca A. Burrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03529525533988404906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-44119115449762028792012-04-21T02:48:59.056+01:002012-04-21T02:48:59.056+01:00Thanks again, Becky - but that has to be one of th...Thanks again, Becky - but that has to be one of the best typos I've seen in a long while!!!(is it me, incidentally, or is the 'Preview' on these comments doing very strange things?)alberridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15986443240923520466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-4854931548640427612012-04-21T00:25:13.324+01:002012-04-21T00:25:13.324+01:00No, I didn't find it sentimental - simply cons...No, I didn't find it sentimental - simply conscientious. And I would be very surprised if what you wrote didn't stand alone- this is simply a chance to further the discussion. I had a similar reaction to a question you'd posted about a non-evil Richelieu in your precious novel :)Raburrellhttp://rburrell.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-28158693825453130762012-04-20T23:51:44.691+01:002012-04-20T23:51:44.691+01:00That's so sweet and kind of you, Becky, but I ...That's so sweet and kind of you, Becky, but I know I need to watch it with the advocacy. Once it tips over into sentimentality I've had it.<br /><br />And you're so right about the advantages of the modern author - the existence of blogs means I get a second chance to say 'what I REALLY meant'. The snag, unfortunately, is that the book needs to stand on its own without me sneaking in extra arguments in cyberspace...<br /><br />Thanks for dropping by, Becky. Really good to see you here again.alberridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15986443240923520466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-70744233905818318222012-04-20T19:35:14.834+01:002012-04-20T19:35:14.834+01:00At the risk of embarrassing you, Louise, and with ...At the risk of embarrassing you, Louise, and with complete sincerity, I have to set that I've never met someone with such fierce determination to do right by someone they've never met. May we all be so lucky as to have such an advocate for our deeds after we're gone. <br /><br />Really, it's a brilliant analysis, and you've threaded a very fine needle with what you chose to do, I think, and I can imagine the hair-pulling that went into it while you were at your desk writing. Then again, it's a lovely thing that the life of a modern author gives us the chance to read the full genesis of your idea hereRebecca A. Burrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03529525533988404906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-31555001715173970322012-04-20T15:22:11.152+01:002012-04-20T15:22:11.152+01:00Mark - thank you! 'Sidetracked' is absolut...Mark - thank you! 'Sidetracked' is absolutely right, and it cen be frighteningly tempting. What deters me, I think, is the fear of what Celia Rees' brilliant post below would call a 'hurler' - of showing off the research instead of following a narrative drive.<br /><br />And Linda - what a brilliant idea of optional footnotes! Publishers seem to loathe them in print, but extra pages don't matter in an e-book. Personally I love them - especially when they're witty as well as informative like George Macdonald Fraser's in the Flashman series.<br /><br />Adele, that's so kind of you, but I only have to talk for 5 minutes to a member of the CWRS to realize just how 'clued-down' I really am. But I'm intrigued by the reference to Miss Nightingale - please, please tell me more as I'm 'doing her' right now!alberridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15986443240923520466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-84171192244228708462012-04-20T12:53:04.509+01:002012-04-20T12:53:04.509+01:00Gosh you are so clued up! Brilliant stuff...do you...Gosh you are so clued up! Brilliant stuff...do you know a lot about Florence Nightingale by any chance? I have a reason for asking...I will email you now!adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826710558292792068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-2850100460141764802012-04-20T12:41:28.878+01:002012-04-20T12:41:28.878+01:00Sue - thank you so much. I actually worried a bit ...Sue - thank you so much. I actually worried a bit about the 'David Hemmings' factor - the 'female' urge to defend the most good-looking (and horse-loving) bloke in the whole lot of them - but I've read Nolan's diary now, and it makes a difference when you know a man 'from the inside'. Having said that, I'd still definitely recommend you [i]watch the film!!![/i]<br /><br />Catherine - thank you. It's a fearful thing posting one's historical 'dirty underwear' for the real professionals to read, and your comment means a lot. Thank you.alberridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15986443240923520466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-74224113071513538062012-04-20T11:57:19.786+01:002012-04-20T11:57:19.786+01:00Well said, Mark! Like Harriet, there's clearl...Well said, Mark! Like Harriet, there's clearly a lot of the 'pure' (as in pure or applied) historian in you, Louise. With the advent of the e-book, perhaps it would be an idea to start a precedent for the copiously annotated historical novel, footnotes that you could turn on or off according to taste... In any case, a truly fascinating post, thank you.Linda B-Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01599899073420595717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-33313436763016677962012-04-20T11:27:16.332+01:002012-04-20T11:27:16.332+01:00Fascinating Louise, and what a dilemma - so easy t...Fascinating Louise, and what a dilemma - so easy to be sidetracked, I find, so admire your determination. Can't wait to read your book!<br /><br />And historical novelists, please stop apologising!Mark Burgesshttp://www.markburgess.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-73140588091021458202012-04-20T11:23:07.131+01:002012-04-20T11:23:07.131+01:00Great post. The book sounds fabulous!Great post. The book sounds fabulous!Catherine Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14610226884546830879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-79337035120589024662012-04-20T11:21:39.804+01:002012-04-20T11:21:39.804+01:00What H.M.Castor said, an absolutely fascinating po...What H.M.Castor said, an absolutely fascinating post.<br />I need to see the film with D.Hemmings. I also need to buy your book! It's been ages since I read Woodham-Smith's book. I should probably read that again too!<br /><br />Thanks, Louise. Beautifully written and argued, as always.sue laybournhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14549268075528924978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-59601632357066748382012-04-20T10:24:10.286+01:002012-04-20T10:24:10.286+01:00Ooh, I don't envy you that! But you're rig...Ooh, I don't envy you that! But you're right - we're curious, hybrid creatures with a foot in each world, and running the risk of being acceptable to neither. I have an article out in this month's 'War Correspondent' (journal of the Crimean War Research Society) and it's full of apologies for being a writer of fiction...<br /><br />I guess the touchstone for me is that nothing I write should ever warp the truth. I'll move a date if I have to (and explain it in the Historical Note), but I won't say Lord Cardigasn was a git if he wasn't(he was), and I won't blame someone for something they didn't do. I hope the way I've written this it'll still be clear that Nolan unfairly took the blame for a blunder that started before the order was ever put in his hand.<br /><br />At least, I hope...!!alberridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15986443240923520466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-60536020734251629732012-04-20T10:04:10.011+01:002012-04-20T10:04:10.011+01:00It's especially relevant for me now, Louise, b...It's especially relevant for me now, Louise, because I'm sitting here today writing a talk that I'll be giving at an evening which I'm sharing with a writer of historical non-fiction... and the first thing I find myself doing is feeling I need to justify my work in some way - i.e. to argue that it's valid as a work of history... um, but then, why is it in novel form? So I need somehow to indicate its validity as a novel too! It's something that I assume doesn't come up for writers of non-fiction history books *or* for writers of non-historical novels...<br /><br />But apart from all that, I found your account of the events leading up to the charge of the Light Brigade absolutely fascinating. Can't wait to read the book!H.M. Castorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08716936870601385683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-1922720064573392992012-04-20T09:00:29.457+01:002012-04-20T09:00:29.457+01:00Neither had I, really. I just had a vague sensatio...Neither had I, really. I just had a vague sensation of grappling with guilt, and it was forcing myself to blog about it that helped clarify it in my mind. The HG Blog as therapy!<br /><br />Thanks so much for commenting - and for making me feel less drippy about it!alberridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15986443240923520466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-321609643348068052012-04-20T07:15:28.078+01:002012-04-20T07:15:28.078+01:00Wow, what a fascinating post. Utterly gripping. An...Wow, what a fascinating post. Utterly gripping. And I think the points you make about having, as a novelist, to plump for one version, and about sacrificing your theory for the sake of the focus of the story are brilliant. It's what I'm grappling with every day & yet I hadn't explained it that way to myself.H.M. Castorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08716936870601385683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-61238999407538149762012-04-20T01:24:24.595+01:002012-04-20T01:24:24.595+01:00pretty cool post, thankspretty cool post, thanksSaniahttp://adf.ly/7WjvZnoreply@blogger.com