It seems to me that the answer to your question “Why not French characters in France, rather than British characters in Britain?” is that it takes extra work for an author to deal with the French situation.
1. Disruption in France from the troubles of the Ancien Regime through the first half of the 20th Century makes HEA hard, let alone being distracting. And the French had conscription during the Napoleonic wars. Jane Austen, when she chose, could ignore the war; the author of a novel set in France cannot.
2. France lost these wars, so the French come across as losers. How does the author deal with presenting the hero, and possibly the heroine, as losers?
3. How do honorable characters defend supporting the disgusting regimes in power in France during these times? How does the author deal with this?
4. For a good time, check out Mark Twain’s essay on the lowest form of life. 😉
I’m looking forward to _The_Orchid_Affair_. Congrats on Mistletoe. I didn’t see how you could make Turnip seem worth spending time with, which is why I read and you write. Please keep them coming.
I’m looking forward to The Orchid Affair even more now! One thing I particularly love about your books is your ability to get inside different characters’ heads, and it wounds as if you’ve really done that this time.
Thanks for breaking away from the cliches yet again. I think people do forget (if they ever knew) just how desperate conditions in pre-revolutionary France were for the vast majority of the French.
“Mischief” was great fun; personally, I liked it better than “Temptation”. Yay Turnip! And I loved Arabella.
It seems to me that the answer to your question “Why not French characters in France, rather than British characters in Britain?” is that it takes extra work for an author to deal with the French situation.
1. Disruption in France from the troubles of the Ancien Regime through the first half of the 20th Century makes HEA hard, let alone being distracting. And the French had conscription during the Napoleonic wars. Jane Austen, when she chose, could ignore the war; the author of a novel set in France cannot.
2. France lost these wars, so the French come across as losers. How does the author deal with presenting the hero, and possibly the heroine, as losers?
3. How do honorable characters defend supporting the disgusting regimes in power in France during these times? How does the author deal with this?
4. For a good time, check out Mark Twain’s essay on the lowest form of life. 😉
I’m looking forward to _The_Orchid_Affair_. Congrats on Mistletoe. I didn’t see how you could make Turnip seem worth spending time with, which is why I read and you write. Please keep them coming.
Lauren,
I’m looking forward to The Orchid Affair even more now! One thing I particularly love about your books is your ability to get inside different characters’ heads, and it wounds as if you’ve really done that this time.
Thanks for breaking away from the cliches yet again. I think people do forget (if they ever knew) just how desperate conditions in pre-revolutionary France were for the vast majority of the French.
“Mischief” was great fun; personally, I liked it better than “Temptation”. Yay Turnip! And I loved Arabella.