Comments on: REVIEW: The Good Mayor by Andrew Nicoll

By: Regency

Regency — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:26:49 +0000

Is the cover a reproduction of “Il Baccio” in Venezia, Italy? It looks like it. I love that. Have the poster of it and everything.

I’m definitely adding this to my Must Buy list.

By: Andrew Nicoll

Andrew Nicoll — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:41:33 +0000

Sorry, Leslie, I can’t seem to work out what your email address is. That “rr” business has thrown me.
Well, Nicoll might not be a common name in your part of the world (I’m guessing that’s Maine) but we are pretty thick on the ground where I come from. And I doubt there would be any Islip connection. My family tree got kinda bushy and untraceable about 15 miles from my house bck in 1789. I suppose we were just too poor, too scared or too stupid to get on that boat.
Lovely to hear from you.

best wishes

Andrew

By: Leslie

Leslie — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:27:16 +0000

Hi Andrew,

We share the same surname and as I am sure you know, there are a limited number of people named Nicoll in the world. I read that you are Scottish. My Nicoll ancestors came from Islip, England, to Islip, New York. The Scottish branch went to Nova Scotia (my understanding). Still, I am sure we are related. What a wonderful place and way to find a distant relative! I downloaded a sample of your book and am looking forward to reading it.

If you want to contact me, write to me at lnicoll at maine dot rr com. I look forward to hearing from you.

I apologize to the group for this genealogy intrusion but I couldn’t resist….

Leslie Nicoll

By: Jayne

Jayne — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:19:55 +0000

As Boris says in “Lady and the Tramp,” “Miserable being must find more miserable being. Then is happy”.

By: Rissa

Rissa — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:42:52 +0000

@Jayne:

It is quirky but remember there are some darker aspects to the story. It's a little like the fairy tales as they originally were and not the sanitized Disney versions we have today. Well, perhaps not quite as dark and pain filled as the originals but it ain't all whimsy.

To the east lies the famous lands of Slavic melancholy where doom & gloom is pretty much de rigueur.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:18:14 +0000

@Andrew Nicoll:

And that's exactly what I wanted. I didn't want to write a Big Mac of a book to be wolfed down in a minute and forgotten. I wanted to leave scents and colours and flavours in your mind for you to enjoy long after.

Oh, definitely not a fast food book. It's more like a leisurely, many coursed meal at a quiet out of the way restaurant where you tell a Mamma Cesare type, "just bring me what's good." And she does.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:13:42 +0000

@Laura Kinsale: Ah, that sounds like a lovely trip. Not all about lost luggage and bad meals. I've always thought these countries looked a little magical. I guess that's why there are so many tales/movies set in mythical central European countries.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:09:46 +0000

It is quirky but remember there are some darker aspects to the story. It’s a little like the fairy tales as they originally were and not the sanitized Disney versions we have today. Well, perhaps not quite as dark and pain filled as the originals but it ain’t all whimsy.

By: Rissa

Rissa — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:07:22 +0000

Oh, goodie. Nicoll’s world sounds like a quirky mix of the Baltics/Balkans. I probably have to read this one.

By: Andrew Nicoll

Andrew Nicoll — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:24:16 +0000

Thank you very much for your kind and considerate review. TGM is not for everybody, I know that, but you have understood it perfectly.

You wrote: I'm still not sure exactly what everything means and why you used some of the devices and characters in the story that you did but! this is a book I will think of, think on and probably go back to peruse to seek to understand more at a later time.

And that’s exactly what I wanted. I didn’t want to write a Big Mac of a book to be wolfed down in a minute and forgotten. I wanted to leave scents and colours and flavours in your mind for you to enjoy long after.

Thank you again for your kind interest.

with all good wishes

Andrew Nicoll

By: Tae

Tae — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:49:58 +0000

sounds wonderful, I must check this out – sounds right up my alley – a blend of fairy tale and romance

By: Laura Kinsale

Laura Kinsale — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:20:54 +0000

Having just returned from a trip to the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) I can say that they ARE magical and just that little bit “off,” so that you feel you’ve wandered into places that you’re only certain exist, like Brigadoon, when you are there, and possibly vanish when you leave.

I think I’ll have to read this!

Thanks for the excellent and intriguing review, I’d never have heard of it otherwise.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:42:14 +0000

I kind of liked the other one with him peeking through the door hole ;)

By: Janine

Janine — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:06:36 +0000

Ah, it’s okay, I am glad to have gotten to see both covers. I can see why this one caught your eye. It’s very romantic.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:03:40 +0000

@Janine: The current cover, with the couple standing together under an umbrella, is the one on the book I have and which caught my eye. Since I made a comment about it in my review, I should have indicated to Jane which one I was referring to. My bad.

By: Janine

Janine — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:55:55 +0000

Ooh, the cover picture has changed. Which is the American cover, this one, or the previous one? Not that it matters that much; I liked both.

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:35:47 +0000

You do make the book sound very good. It’s not one that would have caught my eye but you are the master at finding the hidden gem.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:32:26 +0000

@Heidi: Hey, "just because" is a great reason to buy a book. I've done it before myself. Great covers have also lured me. ::Sighing"" I sound so easy...

By: Jayne

Jayne — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:27:00 +0000

@rebyj: Thank you! There are some wonderful scenes with food to whet your appetite even more. ;)

By: Heidi

Heidi — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:26:19 +0000

Wow! What a great review Jayne. I’m getting this book just because :)