I have thought about the term jolie laide a lot and did a little Google image surfing and here's what I came up with. From top left in a clockwise pattern:
Katherine Hepburn (Since Cassandra is described as tall I though Katherine most likely matched her in looks, however, Katherine looks more than capable of swimming out of a wee bottomless loch on her own), Meryl Streep (she reminds me in this picture of all those Dutch doctors' mothers "beautifully made up" but still quite plain), Barbara Stanwyck (here reminds me of Betty's short plain heroines--she even obliged me by not wearing makeup!), and Angelica Huston (who is just a babe even though no one would ever call her conventionally attractive).
Let me be clear. I think these ladies are all dishes but they do require the appreciative eye of the seasoned traveler instead of the callow youth. They all also happen to have a bit of a sharp nose that just might quiver at the ends if they are lying... [Betty Debbie: I'm voting for Anjelica Huston as the most Cassandra-like..but with a slightly thinner nose]
On the subject of children. Our hero is very much for them. They discuss this on their Honeymoon:
"How ever many?" she gasped.
"I hated being an only child, my darling, and I've enough money for a dozen."
..."I'll tell you what," said Cassandra. "I'm prepared to compromise. How about half a dozen, assorted?"
It sounds as though they have pulled up to the drive-thru window at the local Krispy Kreme. [I shall now think of my half-dozen assorted kids as Krispy Kremes] [Betty Keira] Do you ever get the idea that Dad and Mom had this conversation?..."Okay dear, but only a dozen." [or two]
Also, correct me if I"m wrong Betty Debbie, but they never own Ogre's Relish, do they? It is merely borrowed or leased. This is quite unusual for Neeldom. In her later books she became a more profligate spender. If a Dutch doctor wanted to maintain a cottage residence on a remote Scottish isle for use two weeks out of the year he would not only have owned it but installed a trusty retainer/former patient to tend it all year round and keep it stocked at all times.[And local woman who come in daily to "oblige"]
There was sooo much in this book to write about, that I ended up leaving some jewels out. The "Other Man Wannabe", in the form of the local pastor John Campbell. He is described as "an almost middle-aged man, very thin and stooping, with hair combed tidily over a bald patch on the top of his head, and thick glasses." No man with a comb-over is ever, EVER going to get the girl (Both Betty Debbie and Betty Keira have reason to be a little smug about that....knock on wood. No we are to feel very smug about it. And your fella practically has lint colored hair that might be blond and might be silver...). Also, what exactly is "almost middle-aged"??? 40?45?50?...The pastor is a fairly nice guy (he means well), but has an overbearing, supercilious, snotty sister. The poor guy will never get married with her around. Speaking of marriage...it's assumed that Mr. Campbell has the dubious honor of uniting Cassandra and Benedict in holy matrimony (they are married in the local church on Mull). Poor guy...comb-over, thick glasses AND a harpy for a sister - he has the trifecta of deadliness in dating. I hope they tipped him by sending the sister off for a cruise. Properly alone and this guy would attract the kind of woman who likes fix-'er-uppers.
Back to the subject of children. The two kids in this story are a five year old girl and a six year old boy. I myself have had children of that age...and now have grandchildren right in that age bracket. Five and six year olds do NOT play Monopoly...except in Neeldom. Little kids are always playing either Monopoly or Scrabble. Scrabble does come up in Cassandra By Chance. Cassandra wiles away an evening playing Scrabble with Benedict's Aunt Beatrix. In Holland. Are they playing it in Dutch? I'm guessing not - probably in English, in which case poor Aunt Beatrix is not playing it in her native tongue. I hope Cassandra spotted her some points. Whenever they play in Dutch I'm always wondering if they have the proper number of letter tiles for Dutch words...enough 'j's for instance for all those dijks.
Oh, absolutely in English -- Dutch is a hard language to learn (or so we're told in more than one Neels book) and so everyone there knows English -- except the Friesians who have their own language and are very proud of that. But nonetheless the marriage of convenience heroines all take Dutch lessons, which are taught one-on-one by some elderly retired professor who's happy to make a few extra gulders.
ReplyDeleteI love the non-chalant way all the Dutch doctors/friends tell the heroine not to worry - everyone speaks English. Which, I have to say, I found truish...or should I say, true-enough for a day trip.
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