Books for the Beach

[foxy]

Time to curl up with a good book in the sand. I really enjoyed this one.

 

"The Empress of Ireland" by Christopher Robbins. The true story of a straight writer who enters the gay world of film director Brian Desmond Hurst. You may not recognize the name but his most famous film is probably "A Christmas Carol". It's a world filled with famous actors, writers, rent boys and the Queen's guards. Smart, funny and very touching account of an unusual friendship.

 

What are you packing in your beach bag?

[Luv2play]

Just curious but did the title of the book have anything to do with the sinking of the Empress of Ireland, the greatest maritime disaster in peacetime in Canada, when the boat sank in the St Lawrence River on its way to Europe with the loss of over 2000 people, greater than the Titanic disaster? The ship was rammed by a Swedish collier and rolled over and sank within four minutes, after everyone had gone to bed. Enough to make you swear off ship cruises!

[foxy]

'The Empress of Ireland"

 

The opening line in the first chapter of the book is "Fucking old queen" which is what Brian Desmond Hurst is called by three workers when he enters a London pub for drink. At this point he is an old man and few are aware he was a famous director of over 50 films.

He ignores the remark and buys them a drink and they wind up lifting their glasses in thanks.

Hurst (who is Irish) then replies he isn't an old queen and says "I am the Empress of Ireland".

The book doesn't make any reference to the ship disaster.

[giovoni]

I went to the beach the other day.. by the end of the day the only book I really wish I had was my address book.

[Guest zipperzone]

>Just curious but did the title of the book have anything to

>do with the sinking of the Empress of Ireland, the greatest

>maritime disaster in peacetime in Canada, when the boat sank

>in the St Lawrence River on its way to Europe with the loss of

>over 2000 people, greater than the Titanic disaster? The ship

>was rammed by a Swedish collier and rolled over and sank

>within four minutes, after everyone had gone to bed. Enough to

>make you swear off ship cruises!

 

Isn't it strange that although the loss of life was greater than the Titanic - you almost never hear of this marine disaster. Could it be that it happened in Canada, therefor not worthy of being remembered?

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

The Beach

 

What I wish I had not packed was One Night Stand, which I got at the library in spite of my reservations based on the predictability and lack of continuity/reality in his previous books, soley because this book is about gay male escorts. But even the $1K a night "prostitutes" as Triple F likes to use the term, would not find this book realistic, or entertaining. It is one of the few books I got part way through and put away.

 

Both of Rupert Everett's novel were re-released in trade paperback recently and, actually, they are amusing and a fun read.

[Luv2play]

Actually, despite the grand name, the Empress of Ireland was just a regular ocean liner carrying just regular passengers with no celebrities of note. Appalling as it may seem, the Titanic is remembered chiefly because of the spectacle of a seemingly impregnable ship carrying seemingly invulnerable luminaries going to the bottom of the ocean. Sort of like a morality tale, of hubris followed by calamity. Shakespeare couldn't have written a better play.

[Luv2play]

Considering that Queen Victoria was the first Empress of Ireland (and practically the rest of the English speaking world apart from the USA), and that she was old when she acquired that title, it's surprising Hurst would deny being "a fucking old queen" if he considered himself to be the "Empress of Ireland". Unlike Elizabeth the 1st, Victoria was also no virgin, having produced 13 children with Prince Albert and when he expired, then going on to having a lifelong affair (reputedly) with her coachman, Mr. Brown. "Fucking old queen", indeed.}(

[Samai139]

RE: The Beach

 

It's now new, and definitely not titilating, but I read "Naked" by David Sidaris last week during by beach days. Thoroughly enjoyed the collection of semi-autobiographical vignettes. The author is gay and that crops up in several of the stories, but the title comes from an amusing week, few days, at a nudist camp. Very funny stuff.