tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post9130849186100868391..comments2024-03-25T09:03:39.020-07:00Comments on The Uncrushable Jersey Dress: The Mistletoe Kiss--1997Betty Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16446092401692468002noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-27792904303844783832023-01-02T12:46:31.245-08:002023-01-02T12:46:31.245-08:00Of course a consultant would never have a reason t...Of course a consultant would never have a reason to be where Emmy is working. That is the genius of Betty. Emmy was delivering some papers as a favor to Ruerd’s secretary. She was also curious to meet him, having heard about him through the hospital grapevine. After that, all of their meetings were engineered by Ruerd, who suddenly found himself constantly drawn to Emmy‘s office. So cute.<br /><br />Happy New Year to all the Betty’s!<br /><br />Betty Meridith Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-8246644197306965222021-08-21T22:26:41.661-07:002021-08-21T22:26:41.661-07:00Loved seeing that you are still commenting. Has th...Loved seeing that you are still commenting. Has there ever been such an author as the Great Betty? This is one of my favourites, because both Emmy and the RDD have so much personality. Emmy is such a goer! One of my top 20!Aussie Bettynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-91150829867774329592021-08-01T07:22:15.154-07:002021-08-01T07:22:15.154-07:00I have read it for the third time, and still like ...I have read it for the third time, and still like it really well, probably because I admire Emmy's dignity, especially dealing with that Annelise woman :-) and I like the Professor, really!Dorotanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-19264954528632302592021-04-30T09:54:38.749-07:002021-04-30T09:54:38.749-07:00I loved this book, but I felt the same way when I ...I loved this book, but I felt the same way when I read the remark about the mother. That was a head scratcher. Regarding Annalise’s boyfriend, I got the impression that he was just back, she actually loved him, and wanted to be with him as much as possible. I’m not sure why Ruerd thought it would spoil the party to break off the engagement. I think his family had made it obvious that it would be a cause for celebration, not a spoiler. Very cute that he used the mistletoe excuse, and even cuter that he thanked Emmy for taking care of “ his” kitten for him when she got caught with it at work. <br /><br />Oh, and the whole bit about her parents being stuck with two houses’ worth of furniture after the previous occupant died. I did wonder if Betty knew someone that had happened to. They were a happy little family, and the parents hid the awful conditions at the new house even as Emmy hid the awfulness of staying behind. The perfect excuse for a RDD to whisk them off to Holland, even if I did question babysitting as a treatment for a concussion.Betty Meridithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11569082183184422077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-36832200939133205952021-04-26T02:37:20.697-07:002021-04-26T02:37:20.697-07:00Cultural expectations and norms tend to influence ...Cultural expectations and norms tend to influence our reactions. This is a family that has been living a paycheque to paycheque existence, once that immediate financial pressure is off, rather than build a nest egg, the father squanders that opportunity. We realise in the context of the novel this is a moot point as Emmy's job is made redundant but this heedless regard to the future is so irresponsible (and in real life has devastating consequences).<br /><br />Twenty three is no age at all but she is beginning to age out of opportunities. By the time she graduated (assuming this was formal qualification) she would be competing with people younger (and cheaper) than herself. Let alone mention that pursuing a career in the arts without a secondary income source is foolhardy. Her financial position is perilous. It is so angering that Emmy's father is so feckless and Emmy's trust in her father potentially can led to her ruin. The Silencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11726296159407789314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-54763968443846758142021-04-12T22:32:20.810-07:002021-04-12T22:32:20.810-07:00part two
Emmy is an only child, she should be mor...part two<br /><br />Emmy is an only child, she should be more understanding of Annaliese's feelings in that respect.<br /><br />Can you explain this line to me, though? Emmy meets his parents and sees that "his mother, despite her elegant bearing, had a homely face, spared from downright plainness by a pair of very blue eyes. No wonder he has fallen in love with Anneliese, reflected Emmy, with that lovely face and golden hair."<br />What does that have to do with his mother not having a lovely face? Does she think he doesn't love his mother? Does she think his handsome father doesn't love his wife because she's not a babe? Does she think Ruerd is afraid if he doesn't marry a model his kids will be gargoyles? I think Emmy is almost as emotionally retarded at times as Ruerd is. (See? They're so perfect for each other.) If she says, "But you are kind! and handsome and sexy," don't think, oh, she doesn't like me. If someone rips open his trenchcoat of emotional armor and flashes his Dawning Realization at you in such a beautifully phrased way, --"One day, a man will look at you and love you. He won't notice the clothes; he will see only your lovely eyes and the kindness in your face. He will find you beautiful and tell you so."--you do not squirt ice-cold seltzer in his beaky-nosed face! No, you think, "Whoa, where did that come from?"<br />Also, why didn't Ruerd announce that the engagement was off, the next morning? He thought it would pressure Emmy or something?<br /><br />But Ruerd was so thoughtful and honorable (and "Nice! Nice!") And I appreciated that he only kissed her that once. <br />I think I have to read the review again now.<br /><br />B. BaersmaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-53281212313663319662021-04-12T22:27:46.011-07:002021-04-12T22:27:46.011-07:00You make some good points, B. Silence (here and in...You make some good points, B. Silence (here and in your other comments, too)--but they don't change my affection for this book. This is possibly the best review on the site and one of my favorite books, mostly because of the abundance of hero POV and the fact that he's consistently kind. <br />First, to address your points: Her father doesn't seem to be "unperturbed" by her lack of education, perhaps because he knows she really hates living in London and wants to follow her heart and her artistic leanings into a more pastoral yet still possibly capitalistic world of one of those little craft shops where she can sit all day giving demonstrations of those really complicated forms of needlework. (You just know that when they marry, she's going to go to all those classes and then Ruerd will help her set up a business and she'll provide baby clothes and custom embroidery to the adel, and to mail order customers around the world.) <br />Emmy said, "Will there be a house with the job?... Oh, Father, it's almost too good to be true!"<br /> He didn't sound "high-handed" when he "advised" her to give notice--"Mr. Foster said slowly, 'Your mother and I have been talking it over. You will have to give a month's notice, will you not? ... would you stay on for the last month, Emmy? Could you bear to do that?"....Her father frowned. "It's not an ideal arrangement ... if you give a month's notice you'll be free by xmas..." It's a given among the three of them that Emmy wouldn't want to stay on in London any longer than she had to, certainly not to stay and make her life there. She wants to get back to someplace like Littleton Mangate as fast as she can, and they seem like a nice loving family. As her mother says, "Just think, when we've sold this house there'll be a little money to spend. Enough for you to go to a school of embroidery or whatever else you want to do. You'll meet people of your own age, too." There has been no indication that her father feels any differently or more dismissively of her.<br />Joke may have engineered the job for Emmy, once she saw that Emmy was not likely to stuff her babies full of Seconal if they stayed up too late, as a chance to get her more time with Ruerd and to show him how well she fit in with his family. <br />But you're right, Oom Domas's binoculars are a bit contrived.<br /><br />Ok, why would Annaliese bring Humbold Humbold to the house? Because she needed a buffer against the waves of hatred emanating from the ter Mennolt family? Because he showed up at her house with nowhere to go for the holidays and she thought Ruerd would understand? Because somewhere along the line she was related to Hugo-let's-bring-the-ex-girlfriend-home-to-the-wife-I've-been-developing-a-close-relationship-with-over-the-phone-during-the-trip-I-coldly-canceled-on-her-and-can't-understand-why-she's-upset? Really, because underneath, she wanted Ruerd and Emmy to be happy together and knew that only an action as drastic as being caught in flagrante would give them the complete break necessary for their guiltless happiness? Or, plot device.<br /><br />(to be continued)<br />B. BaersmaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-6470839228842742712021-04-05T02:33:51.733-07:002021-04-05T02:33:51.733-07:00Love the humourous review.
We have to keep remind...Love the humourous review.<br /><br />We have to keep reminding ourselves that although the book is published in 1997 it is not necessarily set in 1997 but some parallel universe.<br /><br />In some respects, Neels 1970s heroines were far more independent than her 1990s ones. It is difficult to fathom that the daughter of a school teacher was afforded no opportunity to engage in tertiary education and as a consequence the father seems unperturbed that he is condemning his daughter to working class poverty. Also annoying was the high handed manner that he 'advises' Emmy to give her notice. She is 23!!! Emmy is well rid of her parents at the end. <br /><br /> <br />Bit disturbed by some of Ruerd's relatives. Joke seems entrust the care of her children to anyone who shows the slightest interest in them (no wonder Annaliese avoids them) and Oom Domas and his handy binoculars. <br /><br />Can we talk about Annaliese? We are repeatedly told she is clever but why would one so clever jeopardize the engagement by bringing her lover to a family function? It is so out of character. We also don't think it was fair that she be condemn for wanting only one or two children. <br />The Silencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11726296159407789314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-75298260480841913572013-05-12T19:18:16.005-07:002013-05-12T19:18:16.005-07:00I have read this one twice in the past six months....I have read this one twice in the past six months. Bettys please don't hate me but after awhile the RDDs and plain girls with one redeeming feature ie lovely voice, lovely eyes, rich hair blur together. <br />I love this particular one, its so so Betty. Out of step with time? Check. Chaste to the extreme (most Bettys are but I was shocked to extreme when a heroine hinted that she and her dull yet worthy fiance spend a weekend out of town together....What!) Check. Good food, good servants, good pacing and consistent relationship with main characters. Check.<br />Wonderfully entertaining review for a thoroughly enjoyable book. <br />Betty DeliaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-37547060090646687822012-06-10T09:48:39.928-07:002012-06-10T09:48:39.928-07:00Not that long ago, someone clever mentioned that t...Not that long ago, someone clever mentioned that the time it took to start a computer and boot up a word processing program had not decreased in the 20+ years since his first computer.<br /><br />(I'm pretty sure that statement's no longer true; I can get to my documents fairly fast these days, although not all that much faster than back in the 1980s when I had an early IBM PC.)<br /><br />But I have greater appreciation for The Great Betty as I get older. My mother was in her 60s and 70s when she stopped learning new technology if she didn't want to. Thus, she could operate a fancy Swiss sewing machine but "couldn't" start a CD player attached to the stereo. ("Okay, Mum, you push the button marked 'power' then the button with the 'open' symbol, put in the CD, label up, press the 'open' button again, then press play.")<br /><br />And I'm getting there. I can learn new stuff, but do I want to? The tragedy is, I'm still (barely) younger than when The Great Betty started writing her books.Magdalenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11551590278859598110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-64282145613902522472012-06-10T05:48:26.637-07:002012-06-10T05:48:26.637-07:00The reason a RDD will not break his engagement is ...The reason a RDD will not break his engagement is this: when a man has given his word he cannot go back on it. It’s a question of honour. I have read a lot of 19th century /early 20th century literature. It just isn’t done.<br /><br /><b>telephonist</b> - pronunciation<br />\tə-ˈle-fə-nist, ˈte-lə-ˌfō-nist\ (e/E as is l<b>e</b>ft) tuh-LE-fuh-nist, TE-luh-fo-nist <i>Merriam-Webster</i><br />/tɪˈlɛf(ə)nɪst/ (i as in <b>i</b>t) ti-LEF-(uh-)nist <i>Oxford Dictionaries Online</i><br />/təˈlef.ən.ɪst/ (e as is l<b>e</b>ft) tuh-LE-fuh-nist <i>Cambridge Dictionary Online</i><br /><br />I myself did not have a computer before I was past the four zero mark. Wasn't interested, didn't need it – cannot see myself without one these days. At work, we had computers, of course, and there were about four or five different special programmes for our line of business that everyone was taught. And even the elderly ladies without prior computer experience managed beautifully!!! - Nowadays, there are companies where you cannot apply for a job unless you have a computer because you have to send your application online or via email. Or, if you want to apply for a job - say assembling cars or whatever - and you have to take a 2-hour test, at a computer. And those poor men, not in their first youth, who have never had a computer or even a typewriter...<br />When I was a kid everyone had a television set. It was strange if anybody did not. There was this one boy at school in a lower grade, parents both lawyers, and they did not have one. (He became a <b>physician</b>, by the way, and went to work in <b>British hospitals</b>. And at the time, late 90's/early 2000's, they still had those multi-multi-bed wards we know from Neelsdom.)<br />Betty AnonymousAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-38891590388736200412012-06-09T18:11:25.027-07:002012-06-09T18:11:25.027-07:00Love Magdalen's way of looking at this. I can ...Love Magdalen's way of looking at this. I can vouch for the terrors of operating a PBX switchboard: I temped as a telephonist during a working holiday, and my university degree did not prepare me for it at all. I cut off conversations all the time. Caused mayhem. They gave no training: it was not intuitive (for me, anyway). <br />Telephonist seems the logical name for people operating telephone switchboards (and telly-phon-ist would be an odd pronunciation, so te-leff-phon-nist makes sense). Magdalen might also like the British way to pronounce Lieutenant, which is "leff-ten-ant" (or Lefty for short). <br />Theory on terminating engagements: RDD might not want to break off engagements until new love secured for his cast-off, lest she turn into witch and haunt his own new beloved?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-47777527392665860872010-12-14T06:18:53.050-08:002010-12-14T06:18:53.050-08:00Betty Francesca,
If you e-mail your high-crowned m...Betty Francesca,<br />If you e-mail your high-crowned melusine hat picture to the Founding Bettys, maybe they can post it so we can see it.<br />p.s. The cover of "The Convenient Wife" is very nice.Betty JoDeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552570070311742671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-9986848722631927712010-12-14T04:44:01.314-08:002010-12-14T04:44:01.314-08:00Dear Betty Francesca,
The book you're looking ...Dear Betty Francesca,<br />The book you're looking for is 'A Convenient Wife'. It happened to be among the books we reviewed back in January(that would be the dawn of time here at TUJD).<br /><br />http://everyneelsthing.blogspot.com/2010/01/convenient-wife-1990.html<br /><br />You're very welcome.Betty Debbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16446092401692468002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-27049796054921690572010-12-13T22:17:55.946-08:002010-12-13T22:17:55.946-08:00I need help finding the right BN book.
Can anyon...I need help finding the right BN book. <br /><br />Can anyone remember the title for this story?:<br /><br />Heroine is asked to marry the guy for a few months because his female ward~17-18 y.o. is a handful and needs to see what a real marriage/relationship looks like. <br /><br />Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-78397562749298258562010-12-13T20:31:27.913-08:002010-12-13T20:31:27.913-08:00High crowned Melusine Hat
bummer. I was trying to...High crowned Melusine Hat<br /><br />bummer. I was trying to post a pic here of the hat. Most are black high crowned hats that look like Fred Astaire wore. There was one in white. So I would think the wicked princess was getting ready to either dance or ride a horse!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-3908833455330996612010-12-13T19:28:17.187-08:002010-12-13T19:28:17.187-08:00I started reading TMK last night and immediately r...I started reading TMK last night and immediately realized, I don't think I've read this before. I got a big bunch of Bettys all at once a few years back and lost track of which ones I read.<br />The tip off was Snoodles, the cat and George, the elderly Dachshund. We had a cat and our own elderly hot-dog until 2 years ago, so I would have remembered the book for that reason alone. His name was Ritz and she was Kimmy. Both about 15 when they passed away about 6 months apart.<br /><br /> <br />Did you consider in the founding days of doing a section on the animals of Betty in addition to food, clothes, and cars? It would be interesting to know what the favorite breeds and names were.BettyMaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12676458096380002508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-65842847766148993882010-12-13T11:41:55.620-08:002010-12-13T11:41:55.620-08:00I suspect that "telephonist" is the pers...I suspect that "telephonist" is the person who answers and asks you "how may I direct your call?" I'm constantly trying to guess: am I already speaking to someone who can answer my question or do I need to figure out how much information I tell *this* person so that she (or he) can direct my call?<br /><br />Hotels are at the top of that list for me; I just need to remember to ask for "Reservations, please" because most likely the person who answered the phone can't help me.<br /><br />The real implausibility is that Emmy is working anywhere that a consultant would ever be... As we'll see with Olivia, it beggars the imagination that a consultant would come down in person to the file room.<br /><br />(We've just finishing 2010's Cookie Weekend and Betty Henry is helping pack cookies for his office staff; the file clerk is high on his list. "As you might imagine, she's someone I want to be very happy with me...")Magdalenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11551590278859598110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-65330974910210849932010-12-13T09:40:27.513-08:002010-12-13T09:40:27.513-08:00I really, really liked this book. I thought it wa...I really, really liked this book. I thought it was beautifully paced, and the main (and secondary) characters were adorable.<br /><br />The name Ermentrude was perfect because that's partly what made Ruerd look twice in the first place. The other reason he noticed is that Emmy never was so intimidated by him that she lost her personality--he did indeed become enchanted quickly.<br /><br />I actually thought that the Ruerd's engagement plot was perhaps one of the best treated in Neelsdom. He admitted to himself that he became engaged to the Wicked Witch without being in love with her because she had the qualifications that suited him. To throw her over (we're talking high Dutch society here and LOTS of $$$) in humiliation after the banns were read, so to speak, because he in essence changed his mind was untenable to his idea of how real men behave. Once he came to know what "twue love" (see "The Princess Bride") was, he decided that for him to marry her and not love her was worse than the humiliation. Remember he decided this still thinking that Ermentrude saw him as just an old guy. AND I like that he only kisses her as an engaged man with the mistletoe as an excuse--how adorable--of course, he makes it count.<br /><br />Plus, I really liked that they actually became friends before either of them fell in love. AND there gets to be some serious chemistry flowing at least on his part.<br /><br />I bet Betty meant a telephonist to be like an old PBX switchboard operator--which actually was, while not brain surgery, a challenging job at times.<br /><br />Betty Barbara--don't like "Roses for Christmas"--made a bogus cover to that effect.Betty JoDeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552570070311742671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-61384364873381370542010-12-13T08:25:37.506-08:002010-12-13T08:25:37.506-08:00I am a big P.G. Wodehouse fan - especially the Jee...I am a big P.G. Wodehouse fan - especially the Jeeves and Wooster stories. Bertie Wooster was always getting engaged (whether he wanted to or not)...but he could never be the one to break off the engagement - usually Jeeves would work out a solution to the problem. <br />If only Betty Neels' RDDs had more Jeeves-type people working for them, all those unfortunate engagements could be speedily dealt with.Betty Debbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16446092401692468002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-63589556421008319772010-12-13T07:24:51.157-08:002010-12-13T07:24:51.157-08:00I was a little gobsmacked when I got to the part i...I was a little gobsmacked when I got to the part in Mistletoe Kiss where he decides that he is going to break his engagement whether Annaliese likes it or not. Very un-Neels-like. But then Annaliese gets caught kissing a long-hair and Ruerd's dirty work is done for him. <br /><br />I'm in the middle of Roses for Christmas and probably have feelings split somewhere between you two--I had just finished Mistletoe Kiss and it isn't quite as good as that for me but it's not bad at all.Keirahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12334172370385784966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-58872334593929066472010-12-13T06:11:19.438-08:002010-12-13T06:11:19.438-08:00Betty Barbara here--
Betty Keira--great review. I ...Betty Barbara here--<br />Betty Keira--great review. I loved, loved, loved the Beauty and the Beast analogy!! I am soooo glad you loved the book as much as I do.<br /><br />Betty Magdalen-- I, too, will be interested in the review for Roses for Christmas. I am beginning to think I am the only Betty out here who doesn't love it! <br />Re: breaking an engagement--I think The Betty is hewing to the old fashioned societal standard that the woman has to be the one to call it off(officially, anyway). <br />I think Betty always gave the fiancee another guy so that it would make story sense for her to throw over the RDD. Because if there wasn't another guy handy, why would fiancee dump such a treasure as the RDD?? <br />Re: lack of skills--we have had many a conversation about that. Some of her later heroines are competent secretaries (type, shorthand, some computer skills), but most aren't. I was kind of taken aback by the fact that Emmy's house didn't have a phone! I have no idea how much basic landline cost in England in the 90's, but I did not get the impression that she was living in dire poverty!Barb in Marylandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11374278685536530837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931981138747432610.post-26004134254217103642010-12-13T05:30:47.847-08:002010-12-13T05:30:47.847-08:00I'm rereading all the Christmas books with gre...I'm rereading all the Christmas books with great fervor -- loved <b><i>Roses for Christmas</i></b> & can't wait for it to be reviewed -- and I loved this one. Particularly for the ending, where Ruerd admits that being engaged to the wrong woman was <i>"something unbearable I never wish to live through again."</i><br /><br />There are two things that strike me about the books-she-wrote-later-in-life: 1) It's quite unbelievable (to me at least) that young women can be well-educated but still have no skills with computers etc. (Heck, half the time they live without a landline telephone, let alone a DSL connection.) 2) Betty Neels clearly had some very interesting notions about the ethics of engagements & "understandings" -- the RDD can't break an engagement *until* even his nasty crone, uh, fiancée, has found someone for herself. I can't decide if this is evidence of The Great Betty's fine notions of fairness, or just plain stupid.<br /><br />Oh, and you just HAVE to make the British Word of the Week "Telephonist" which is - forgive me if you knew this already - pronounced <i>teh-LEFF-uh-nist</i>. Gotta love the Brits!Magdalenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11551590278859598110noreply@blogger.com