tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post3802257620578014117..comments2024-02-10T19:58:20.327+00:00Comments on Stuck in a Book: For Sylvia by Valentine AcklandStuckInABookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-6342557749084147332014-06-14T23:11:14.171+01:002014-06-14T23:11:14.171+01:00I've not read either book - just been introduc...I've not read either book - just been introduced to these two souls today and interested to do more reading on them. A good lesson for you to not judge a book by it's cover (the book and the person). :) What I see in the photo of Valentine, was her painful existence as a human - the sadness, struggling, mental torture ... I only saw the misery once I read your words [the 'physical' result of inner suffering]. It will be interesting to read if I'm getting the right vibes from the photo. and if her mind was as I feel. I am looking forward to reading about Valentine, I feel a strong spiritual attraction.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-30867044420020940902012-06-09T13:08:28.560+01:002012-06-09T13:08:28.560+01:00I suppose that's what Waters (or whoever did s...I suppose that's what Waters (or whoever did say it) meant. To my mind, the only person who saved her in any way was David Garnett - she often attributes him with being the first to suggest that she could be a writer.<br /><br />And those lovely letters! If she had written nothing else but her letters to William Maxwell, she would still be a great writer.StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-62688445165653413612012-06-09T12:28:06.904+01:002012-06-09T12:28:06.904+01:00There are lots of lovely STW letters to sweeten th...There are lots of lovely STW letters to sweeten the pill! I cannot see STW as somebody who required 'saving' in any way. However, I can see why Sarah Waters wants to celebrate their relationship - for a lot of their time together, it did work well, and detailed, intimate accounts of long-lasting lesbian relationships like this are like hen's teeth, at least pre-1960.Tanya Izzardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05229305256800572696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-89082352737095312812012-06-09T12:12:21.946+01:002012-06-09T12:12:21.946+01:00Oh, I know! Poor Sylvia. The odd thing is that s...Oh, I know! Poor Sylvia. The odd thing is that she seemed grateful to Valentine in the end, so perhaps I should just let her feel what she wanted to feel.StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-14804407069579195392012-06-09T12:11:51.462+01:002012-06-09T12:11:51.462+01:00You're right, of course, I can't judge ent...You're right, of course, I can't judge entirely by her diaries. I do have I'll Stand By You, so must read that soon - I'll have to get over my prejudice before I start reading, though!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-91759366194448267822012-06-09T12:10:40.079+01:002012-06-09T12:10:40.079+01:00I read somewhere - maybe in Sarah Waters' piec...I read somewhere - maybe in Sarah Waters' piece, now you mention it - that meeting Valentine had 'saved' Sylvia. How I spluttered!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-19442959034545377312012-06-08T16:36:29.689+01:002012-06-08T16:36:29.689+01:00I know I would find this difficult to read. My sy...I know I would find this difficult to read. My sympathies are wholly with Sylvia and the more I read about Ackland, the worse I feel for the devoted Sylvia.Claire (The Captive Reader)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07430380065718826213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-70746090194381472472012-06-08T14:40:48.979+01:002012-06-08T14:40:48.979+01:00I've also read this, albeit years ago, but I a...I've also read this, albeit years ago, but I agree that Valentine can be difficult to like. She comes over a little better in the Claire Harman biography - I think Sylvia's diaries are, quite reasonably, an outlet for her feelings and therefore the Valentine that emerges from them is quite negative - and in the selection of letters between the women published as I'll Stand By You. Valentine's life always seems rather thwarted to me, she couldn't seem to find her place anywhere, which is very sad.Tanya Izzardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05229305256800572696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-9791406240432368482012-06-07T18:34:59.574+01:002012-06-07T18:34:59.574+01:00I find this fascinating, Simon. In her introductio...I find this fascinating, Simon. In her introduction to 'Lolly Willowes', Sarah Waters seems to eulogise the relationship between Valentine Ackland and Sylvia Townsend Warner, but you've given me an entirely different perspective! I did read a biography of Sylvia about 15 years ago which hinted at unhappiness in the relationship; I've also dipped into Sylvia's diaries and read about Ackland's death. Poor Sylvia, I feel....Sue Gedgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01387494692709639043noreply@blogger.com