Booking Geography
Posted on August 24th, 2006 by Deb
- Have you ever wanted to travel to a place described in a book?
Definitely. I’d love to visit Mary Stewart’s Greece, or L.M. Montgomery’s Prince Edward Island. Hogwarts. Pern. Middle Earth. Sharon Shinn’s Samaria (if only to hear the music!) Whether the place is fictional or not, there are some locations that just sing. - Have you ever ACTUALLY travelled to a place because of the way it was described in a book?
Some, anyway. I made a point of driving through Concord Massachusetts because of Nancy Bond’s “Best of Enemies.” I visited race courses in England in college thanks to Dick Francis…. - And if so, did it live up to the expectations, feelings, emotions you expected from the book? Did you feel like Anne was going to come romping around the corner of Green Gables? Was it as if Jo was upstairs at Orchard House, scribbling on a story? Or was it just a museum, or just a city street? Like Abbey Road without the Beatles?
Yes and no. There’s a nice feeling, knowing you’re standing where an author you love must have stood in order to describe something so perfectly. There’s a sense of connection, visiting the home an author lived in. But at the same time, there’s that tiny sense of disappointment that the characters aren’t there. Not that you expect them to be–they’re (usually) fictional, after all. But still, if you’ve read an adventure story that takes place on the Mall in London, and you look around, expecting something exciting and the most you see is a tourist with a camera . . . well. What could you expect? (grin)
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Tannenbaum.
House Calls
I made a pilgrimage to Haworth once because I love Wuthering Heights. I planned to take the hike out to the ruins. But it was May, and I thought, you know, England in May, it’ll be nice. But it wasn’t. I learned the true meaning of “wuthering.” I only made it about halfway to the ruins before I turned back. But I really, really want to go again someday–properly prepared for wuthering weather this time!
I will join you at most of those places you would like to visit, if only I could snap my fingers and go! =)
I’ve done some thinking after reading your answer to #3 and as much as I love the characters of these books, I also love the places the author describes. It’s almost like the “place” is a character itself so as long as it really existed I don’t think I’d be disappointed.
Cheers.
Thanks for the great questions!! I had fun answering them.
Hope Chappy is well. Charlie is doing OK on the probiotics, but didn’t like the vanilla yogurt.