My mother loved historical romance novels. These tales were the “chick-lit” of her day, usually set in an era of voluminous skirts and low, square necklines (which looked good on the cover) and centered around headstrong, resourceful heroines who caused scandals and made mistakes until circumstances or the right man came into alignment and the heroine became a part of history. Mom’s favorite writers were Norah Lofts and Anya Seton, two authors who made a point of researching the background of each book for accuracy. I know because I read every book in her collection. (This was before before YA books really came onto the scene and I will read the back of bug repellant bottles if nothing else is available.) My favorite was an Anya Seton story set in 19th century Massachusetts and it’s a little bit different from the rest. It was called, The Hearth and Eagle. The Hearth and Eagle is (in the story) a historic tavern in Marblehead and the daughter of the tavern owner isn’t interested in history. Hesper Honeywood’s dad may be fascinated by genealogy and poetry but his daughter prefers ready bought goods to home-made and the company of a young fisherman to…
I’ve called this column “The Books that Follow you Home” and for these first two months I’ve focused on the books but during “this festive season of the year” to quote my hero, Dickens, I must admit I’m thinking about the other noun in the title, Home. Home is, of course, a big part of the culture of Christmas but it means different things to different people. To some, home at Christmas is a decorated house, the bigger the better, that is bursting at the seams with family, friends and presents to mark the occasion. To others, it’s a small place, where they live very quietly and alone. Home can be an apartment, a ship, a trailer or even just a box but it’s as sacred and wonderful as Windsor Castle or The Breakers because it belongs to you. In a scary, changing world, home is the place where you can be yourself without apology and there’s no reason to be afraid because you are protected when you are between these walls. When home is a good place the very walls seem to warm and comfort you like a comfortable sweater. It’s when architecture becomes a friend. All of this…