Citizen Reader is one of my favorite book blogs, and a lot of the nonfiction books I read have been because of her reviews. Her tastes seem to be pretty similar to mine because I always enjoy the books she recommends. So when she said that Jane Austen fans should run, not walk, to get Anna Dean's new novel Bellfield Hall Or, the Observations of Miss Dido Kent, I obeyed. Well, I didn't run. One should never run in the library. But I did walk over and pick it up immediately.
She's right about its appeal for Jane Austen fans. This is an entertaining mystery set in Regency England. When Mr. Richard Montague abruptly leaves his home and new fiancé and a murdered woman is found in the shrubbery, Miss Dido Kent*, the spinster aunt to the jilted fiancé, attempts to uncover the answers to these mysterious events. Dido is clever and plucky, making her a very likeable main character. Dean does a wonderful job with the language and social customs of the time, as well as creating an interesting mystery. A fun read.
*Was Dido a popular name back then? I've never seen it used in fiction before that I can recall. Wonder why the author chose this name?
1 comment:
Wow, got this message from Jody...
Dido Elizabeth Belle
Dido was the illegitimate daughter of Sir John Lindsay, a captain in the Royal Navy, and a woman prisoner Lindsay took from a Spanish vessel. Dido was born in England and John Lindsay acknowledged her as his daughter. She was brought up by Lindsay's uncle, Lord Mansfield. Lord Mansfield and his wife also raised Dido's cousin, Lady Elizabeth Murray. Lady Elizabeth was the daughter of the English ambassador to Austria and Paris.
Dido and Lady Elizabeth grew up together, and there is a portrait of them walking arm-in-arm. Dido's position in the family is a little hazy, but it seems to have been that of a valued poor relation. She took down Lord Mansfield's correspondence, but she also received a quarterly allowance, birthday and Christmas gifts.
When Lord Mansfield died he left her £500 plus £100 a year for life. She married John Davinier in 1793 and in 1794 the name on her account in the Bank of England was changed to Davinier. In 1809 her son, Charles Davinier, applied to join the East India Company. Dido Elizabeth Davinier was buried in July 1804 in London.
Good work Jody.
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