Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Tante by Anne Douglas Sedgwick


Free US/UK Kindle Classic

Tante was a bestselling novel in the States in 1912. (US Edition)  (UK Edition)  It is by American-born author Anne Douglas Sedgwick who grew up in England and spent her life there.  The novel is set in London and has American and British characters.

One of the main characters is a woman who is a concert pianist.   This will give you an idea of her writing style.

Gregory Jardine's face, however, was not framed to express enthusiasm. It was caustic, cold and delicate. His eyes were as clear and as hard as a sky of frosty morning, and his small, firm lips were hard. His chin and lower lip advanced slightly, so that when he smiled his teeth met edge to edge, and the little black moustache, to which he often gave an absent upward twist, lent an ironic quality to this chill, gay smile, at times almost Mephistophelian. He sat twisting the moustache now, leaning his head to listen, amidst the babel of voices, to Betty Jardine's chatter, and the thrills of infectious expectancy that passed over the audience like breezes over a corn-field left him unaffected. His observant, indifferent glance had in it something of the schoolboy's barbarian calm and something of the disabused impersonality of worldly experience.

The pianist adopts a girl, and this is discussed:

"Well, but if she misses children so much; this takes the place," Gregory objected.

"Takes the place," Miss Scrotton repeated, "of a child of her own? This little nobody, and an uninteresting nobody, too? Oh, she is a good girl, a very good girl; and she makes herself fairly useful in elementary ways; but how can you imagine that such a tie can satisfy maternal craving?"

Ooh!  That is severe! 
I'm reading: Tante by Anne Douglas Sedgwick Tweet this!

5 comments:

  1. Do you know why I can no longer "buy" direct from the Kindle? I have to place it in a wish list and then go online with my computer to download it. That removes the value of having the blog on the Kindle. The message I get is: "This mobile site does not currently support the purchase of this item. Purchases can be made on your Android device from the Amazon Appstore app." Is this a limitation they have placed on your site, or is it something I have set wrong? I used to be able to download directly from your blog on the kindle.

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    Replies
    1. Wow! I had no idea. That convenience is the whole point of subscribing to the blog.

      It sounds as if you are using a Kindle device.

      So why would you get a message about using an Android app?

      Amazon does not promote blogs or pay as much to us, compared to other content they sell, but they are not out to thwart blogs. I am going to work on this. I have some contacts, but get back to me with either the model type of your Kindle or info if you use a smartphone.

      Thank you for letting me know and I am sorry you are having a problem. My e-mail is marilyn@marilynlitt.com

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    2. Angie, are you in the US or the UK? My subscribers are about 60/40, with the majority UK.

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  2. Hi Marilyn, I'm in the UK. It's a Kindle Touch. I do have an Android phone and have used the kindle app on it. I wonder if something is now set wrong. Now that I know it isn't something you knew about I will take it up with amazon. Thanks for the great blog.

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  3. The thing that really stands out to me is you are getting an Android message. I sent a message on this, but it was to Amazon US - of course I hope they answer! I checked and I can't contact AmazonUK, but Amazon has great Kindle support and I hope they will help you. Please let me know how this gets resolved.

    I could find nothing with a Google and I AM the queen of Google!

    If anyone else has had a problem, please speak up! : )

    Thank you for the kind words about my blog. It is not easy and, I have to say, not very remunerative. But, I like doing it and that is what counts! Hardest thing is to find a decent title that is also free in the UK. That is just so hard, sometimes I have to go with some inexpensive, rather than free, UK titles. One ongoing complication is periodically AmazonUK is set so US residents cannot see the prices. That makes extra steps for me. Of course I would love to buy a UK Kindle, but that is not allowed. I am a real Anglophile and would just love to be able to buy books from AmazonUK. I want the best of both worlds!

    Good luck clearing this problem up, Angie!

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