Or perhaps I should write "vingt-huitième semaine," as I've been consuming more French content via podcasts over the past week — more on that anon.
With little time to read lately, I couldn't have chosen a better moment to listen to Death at the Manor by Katharine Schellman. As fans of this series have come to expect (I've already written about the first and second volumes), wherever Lily Adler sets foot, violent death is sure to make an appearance. In this instalment, elderly Mrs. Wright's body is found in her locked bedroom just as a group of unannounced visitors (including Lily), intrigued by reports of a Grey Lady haunting the house, drop by in the hope of a guided tour. I love a good locked-room mystery and am always interested in seeing what twist the author will put on this trope. This didn't disappoint! We also got to meet Lily's aunt, a formidable woman in whom we can perceive many of her niece's very best qualities. I've already noted that this series deals with topics on which numerous historical novels remain silent; in this case, she features the presence of people of colour throughout Britain (yes, even during the Regency!) as well as the existence of long-term partnerships formed by women (same-sex relationships among men have long dominated the historical discourse on homosexuality). My only quibble resides in the absence of Simon Paige, Bow Street constable and ally of the irrepressible Mrs. Adler.
Tel que susmentionné, l'écoute de contenu francophone a récemment tenu une plus grande place qu'à l'habitude dans mon quotidien. Je nomme ici deux balados : tout d'abord «Femmes d'exception», une série où la toujours passionnante Laure Adler présente 8 femmes qu'elle aime et admire (sans toutefois avoir réussi à changer mon opinion sur Simone Weil), puis «Les Résistantes», qui vise à mieux faire connaître les femmes du mouvement de résistance français lors de la Seconde Guerre mondiale à travers l'expérience de cinq d'entre elles. Je les recommande vivement.