The English Counties Challenge

[willoyd]

Janet - maybe not, but then North Yorks isnt famous for Dracula; similarly Durham for NN. I HAVE asked a couple of dozen people who live in North Yorks what book they associate with NY and none said Dracula, but we chose it as one.

 

I was simply going on which book(s) I had heard of, as fame is a key criteria.

[Janet]

I'm not really bothered which wins for Bristol, but you made such a fuss about County Durham because you said Catherine Cookson was no longer famous.  I was merely pointing out that neither is Fanny Burney.  If the criteria is the more famous book then I would say that the one by Philippa Gregory is more famous here.

[chesilbeach]

Well, in my first absolutely, completely, selfish decision so far, as a Bristolian and an Austen fan who has never heard of Evelina or Fanny Burney - and although I didn't ask 3000 , I did do a straw poll of a handful who also hadn't, but some had heard of E H Young (and yes, I know it's the book not the author, but like I said, I'm being selfish on this one, and I personally feel any of her books are more famous than Evelina) - so I'm having the deciding vote and settling on The Misses Mallet (a.k.a. The Bridge Dividing) by E. H. Young for Bristol, since it is available in paperback (and also in ebook from Project Gutenburg) which I hadn't realised and had put me off nominating it in the first place.

I'm also happy to go for The Two Sisters by H. E. Bates for Bedfordshire, so we'll mark that one up as well.

So, the next two counties up for discussion are:

Buckinghamshire:
Lark Rise To Candleford by Flora Thompson (may again suffer from fame due to TV adaptation)
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
Enigma by Robert Harris
In The Springtime of the Year by Susan Hill (I've seen this on a list for the county but struggling to find evidence?)

Cambridgeshire:
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce


I've just come up with these from a quick internet search, and were all books I'd heard of, so there may be more famous ones out there - anyone got any other suggestions, or can provide more information to exclude any of them?

[willoyd]

Good move Claire!

 

I'm fairly sure Candleford is in Oxfordshire. I had Dark is Rising as my choice for Bucks.

 

Two ideas for Cambridgeshire:

Waterland by Graham Swift

The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers (here or Norfolk?)

 

Janet - I do argue strongly but I also learn from it. I thought criteria was simply famous book with a setting in the county. That discussion suggested that strength of association was important - which I agree with. If we were discussing Durham again I would 'vote' differently. BTW I didnt say CC wasnt famous. I said her fame was diminishing. But then I'm someone who has thought that Fanny Burney was reasonably famous for years, so probably not the best judge. Havent a clue who EH Young is but then Im not from nor particularly know Bristol.

Edited November 1, 2013 by willoyd

[Janet]

Sorry if I came across as rude - that wasn't my intention but I posted and ran, as it were.  I would probably have edited/deleted it if I was home to make it seem a bit less bossy.  I'm pleased with the book Claire has chosen, but would have equally been happy with one of the others. 

 

I will Google the two new counties myself and see what I can find. 

 

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce is quite possibly my favourite children's book ever!      I'm not saying I want to choose it though as I've read it a few times, but it's a charming book and if it doesn't get picked I'd say try it anyway (those of you who don't mind reading children's books) - it's a really lovely story. 

 

ETA:  Thanks for the Beds choice too. 

[willoyd]

Janet - you werent rude to me!

[Janet]

I was just coming to say that I've never heard of The Dark is Rising. 

 

Having read the synopsis, it sounds great (it's a children's book, yes?) - and on a purely shallow note, the Vintage version cover is gorgeous!   I know Kay and Kidsmum haven't had their say yet, but I'd like to vote for that one. 

 

ETA: I think I was a bit - but thanks.

Edited November 1, 2013 by Janet

[chesilbeach]

Good move Claire!

 

Thanks

 

I'm fairly sure Candleford is in Oxfordshire. I had Dark is Rising as my choice for Bucks.

 

According to the article I read, Lark Rise is Oxfordshire and Candleford is Buckinghamshire, so it could fit in to either, if we needed it. For me, The Dark Is Rising is my most famous book for that county anyway, so that's one the two of us agree on, let's see what the others think.

 

Two ideas for Cambridgeshire:

Waterland by Graham Swift

The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers (here or Norfolk?)

 

So that makes the nominations ...

 

Cambridgeshire:

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

Waterland by Graham Swift

The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers

[Janet]

Porterhouse Blue by Tom Sharpe for Cambridgeshire? 

 

I've never read any of his books - he's an author I'd like to try.   Just a thought. 

 

ETA:  Sorry, the phone rang and I forgot to hit 'post'! 

Edited November 1, 2013 by Janet

[chesilbeach]

Thanks Janet - yes, it is a children's book, it's actually the second in a series, but it doesn't matter which order you read the first two books in, and my OH has raved about the series for years - they even made a film version of The Dark Is Rising a few years back with Christopher Ecclestone.
 
Another famous book for Cambridgeshire!  Those pesky Oxbridge counties  New list ...
 
Cambridgeshire:
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
Waterland by Graham Swift
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers
Porterhouse Blue by Tom Sharpe

[Kidsmum]

My choice for Buckinghamshire is Lark Rise To Candleford, The Dark Is Rising is a fantastic children's book which i loved but we already have Watership Down & Wind In The Willows for the other counties if we're not careful we could end up with more children's fiction than adult .

 

For Cambridgeshire - i've no idea which is the most  famous book but out of the options Waterland  Graham Swift sounds like a really good read so that's my choice.

[poppyshake]

Another famous book for Cambridgeshire!  Those pesky Oxbridge counties  New list ...

Cambridgeshire:

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

Waterland by Graham Swift

The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers

Porterhouse Blue by Tom Sharpe

Well the three that stick out for me are Tom's Midnight Garden, The Nine Tailors and Porterhouse Blue .. not sure which one I'd go for as 'most famous' though? I'd be happy with any of them (  I'm getting too wishy washy )

 

Also happy to go with The Dark is Rising (all this happiness .. what can it mean?  )

[willoyd]

On Lark Rise:Yes, LR is Juniper Hill and C is Buckingham. I suppose I see it as Oxon because JH is where she was born and brought up. Anyway will stick to Dark is Rising for Bucks and save Flora for Oxon

 

On Cambridgeshire I reckon most famous is Nine Tailors. Second I'd put Porterhouse Blue.

 

Kidsmum: apparently Watership Down is sold as a children's book only in the UK. Throughout the rest of the world it sells as adult.

Edited November 1, 2013 by willoyd

[Janet]

I haven't read any Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries.  I presume they don't need to be read in order? 

[chesilbeach]

My choice for Buckinghamshire is Lark Rise To Candleford, The Dark Is Rising is a fantastic children's book which i loved but we already have Watership Down & Wind In The Willows for the other counties if we're not careful we could end up with more children's fiction than adult.

 

Kidsmum, I understand your decision, but this is only the third children's book out of 21 counties we've chosen books for so far, and one of those has an adult alternative listed for it, so as it seems to chime with others too, I think it's okay to add this one to the list. Of course, as I've always said, you can choose to read something other than the book listed if you want to.

 

I haven't read any Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries.  I presume they don't need to be read in order? 

 

Can someone who knows the book answer Janet's question? If it can be read out of order, we'll go for The Nine Taylors and if not, Porterhouse Blue seems like the next best for Cambridgeshire.  Or, should we put both on, with a warning that The Nine Taylors is not the first in the series of books?

 

While we're waiting for the outcome of that, here's what I've found so far for the next two counties:

 

Cheshire:

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

 

Derbyshire:

The Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker

Peveril of the Peak by Sir Walter Scott

The Toll-Gate by Georgette Heyer

[poppyshake]

Cranford is an excellent choice

 

I don't think I've heard of any of the Derbyshire novels  .. I guess we can't have Pride & Prejudice again?  (just remembering the wet shirt .. oops .. I forgot .. it's not in the novel ) Out of the three listed I personally would go for Sir Walter Scott's Peveril of the Peak as it's ringing the slightest tinkle and it would be good to see him listed among the authors (not a criteria I know  but the best I can come up with )

 

I don't know about the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries .. I haven't read them yet  

[poppyshake]

I did find this page though

http://lordpeter.org/corpus/

 

.. it says ..

 

One fairly frequently asked question is which Lord Peter Wimsey books there are and in which order they should be read in.

There is no one answer, but we can provide you with a few suggestions. Many people do prefer to start at the beginning of the series and work their way through, so as to see the development of Lord Peter and other characters. Others like to start with the four Harriet Vane novels, and still others read them in no particular order at all. It's all up to you--no one is going to tell you that you've done it wrong.

 

Not particularly conclusive but I think they are a bit like Poirot novels etc .. you can probably read them out of turn.

[Janet]

Thanks for the info about the Lord Wimsey books, Kay. 

 

I'm happy with Cranford for Cheshire.   Unless someone can suggest something better? 

 

Re: Derbyshire - I was going to suggest Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks as it's set in Eyam. 

 

None of the other suggestions really leap out at me, although I did once dine in a hotel called Peveril of the Peak - I didn't realise (until today) that it was named after a book!

 

ETA: The paperback version PotP is quite expensive in book form  even second-hand.  It's free on Kindle/eReaders for those who have one. 

Edited November 2, 2013 by Janet

[Kidsmum]

 Kidsmum: apparently Watership Down is sold as a children's book only in the UK. Throughout the rest of the world it sells as adult.

 

Well there you go i didn' t know that 

 

Kidsmum, I understand your decision, but this is only the third children's book out of 21 counties we've chosen books for so far, and one of those has an adult alternative listed for it, so as it seems to chime with others too, I think it's okay to add this one to the list. Of course, as I've always said, you can choose to read something other than the book listed if you want to.

 

Yes i understand Claire & it is the most popular choice   I think i am going to follow Janet's lead & go with some of my own choices for a few of the counties as i would like to try some of the less well known books 

 

I'm very happy to go with Cranford as well & out of the two choices for Cambridgeshire it's Nine Tailors for me.

 Re: Derbyshire - I was going to suggest Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks as it's set in Eyam.

 

None of the other suggestions really leap out at me, although I did once dine in a hotel called Peveril of the Peak - I didn't realise (until today) that it was named after a book!

 

ETA: The paperback version PotP is quite expensive in book form  even second-hand.  It's free on Kindle/eReaders for those who have one. 

 

I agree with Janet on this one , Year Of Wonders sounds like a really good read whereas the others don't really float my boat .

[willoyd]

Glad you said that Janet: Year of Wonders was the one on my list.

 

Cheshire - had one or two ideas, but cant beat Cranford!

[chesilbeach]

We're motoring on through these now. Cranford for Cheshire and Year of Wonders for Derbyshire, and it looks like The Nine Taylors is good too.

First post updated with the list so far which completes 24 counties and we're halfway through!

Next up are:

Devon:
Evil Under The Sun by Agatha Christie
Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie
The Act of Roger Murgatroyd by Agatha Christie
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Sense and Sensibilty by Jane Austen
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Secret of Crickley Hall by James Herbert

I couldn't pick between the Christie's and I think she's probably the most famous author associated with Devon, and these were the books set in the county that I felt were the best well known.  If we do go for a Christie book, it might end up being the one we all want to read most, as they're equally famous as far as I can tell.

East Sussex:
Mapp and Lucia by E. F. Benson (not the first, but can be read out of order)
Between The Acts by Virginia Woolf
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell

I want to include Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, but I'm not sure whether it's set in East or West Sussex - anyone know?

[Janet]

  The Act of Roger Murgatroyd by Agatha Christie

Hehe - I think that's a parody of The Murder of Roger Actroyd!  It's by Gilbert Adair.  

 

We did The Murder of... as a Reading Circle (it was ace!).   For me, And Then There Were None is probably the one I think of when I think of Christie. 

 

I'm desperate to read Cold Comfort Farm but as far as I can tell it was never specified which county of Sussex it was set in. 

[chesilbeach]

Hehe - I think that's a parody of The Murder of Roger Actroyd!  It's by Gilbert Adair.  

 

What an idiot!!! Need to concentrate more

 

Devon:

Evil Under The Sun by Agatha Christie

Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Sense and Sensibilty by Jane Austen

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Secret of Crickley Hall by James Herbert

[Janet]

You're not an idiot!  It was an easy mistake to make, and no doubt I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't read the book.     I don't mind any of the choices above, so unless you need a deciding vote (and I hope you don't!) I won't say which I prefer.

 

Thanks for organising all of this. 

 

If Cold Comfort Farm doesn't count, then I'd  prefer the Mapp and Lucia book for East Sussex.

[chesilbeach]

Thanks Janet.  I'm enjoying this a lot, and pleased the you all want to join in.

 

Apparently, And Then There Were None is her best selling novel (in fact according to one list I saw, it is the sixth best selling book of all time!  I guess that adds to the argument that it's the most famous, so I'd be happy with that one, but we'll wait and get a few more opinions just now.

 

I think Mapp and Lucia is the most famous to me, but that's probably because I'm a fan, so I'll be interested to see what everyone else thinks.