Dorothy Dunnett - why has it taken me so long?

[Sausagenbacon]

Now and again someone has recommended DD to me, and I've always given up on them, finding them too dense. But, for some reason, the Niccolo series has 'clicked' for me. I'm half-way through the 5th one.
I just can't believe how good they are, and amazing female characters are found in them.
I'm already worried about finishing the last one. Are the Lymond books as good?

Yes Margaret is Jenny Fleming's daughter. Not Janet who is married to the still alive Buccleugh.

Yes, she's the most surprising author I've read.

I'm struggling a bit with the Irish characters in the second Lymond book. I'm Irish and it just reads so Darby O'Gill and the Little People in my head. Is it like this throughout the whole book?

Yes, I felt there was a lot of that.
But it does redeem itself, keep going

Thank you @mimbleandlittlemy and @ChinHairDontCare and OP, of course, for the thread.
I bought Lymond ( Game of Kings) yesterday, so will start reading that later.

I was reminded by this thread of the books, and I've just reread Checkmate. There was something I wanted to check against memory, and I spent most of several days doing so. Oh my goodness! What a delight.
But I was struck by the fighting landscape - the names of the places, older and much more recent, Agincourt, the Somme, that poor area. (And I wondered if DD had drawn upon WWI records or memories.) I didn't notice first time round.
And I'm left with a puzzle, a loose end, perhaps I've missed it. Who owned the house in the Rue de cherries, for whom the agent was keeping Philippa's gold? I think there was reference way back.
And first time round I didn't appreciate how good Francis was in that house with Philippa. (I wonder if Lindsey Davies has read it - there's an episode in the first Flavia Alba book rather like it.)
I read and enjoyed King Hereafter, but I never got into Niccolo, don't know why. Like driving into a snowdrift.

The house is very significant but that's all I am going to say.

Treaclemine, I can PM you with who owns the house but it's a fairly major bit of plot so a bit of a spoiler for a 6 book series if put out in the open.

Yes please. I've got a lot of the significance, but the fate of Philippa's money is bothering me. Did I miss the bankers converting it to draughts and sending it to Britain? I was reading fast to get to the conclusion and the bit I was checking on. (which wasn't in it!)

I'm going to have to reread all of them now. Aren't I?

Treaclemine - have sent you a screed of PMs.

Only one through so far. Thanks for it. My computer isn't very intuitive for reading PMs, of which this is the first time I have had some.

There should be three more at some point.

Well, the others haven't arrived, and the first is now invisble. The PM pagr won't scroll, so I can only see a bit by turning my hybrid to portrait! Weird.

That is very weird.

@Treaclemine been lurking as I love DD - the problem with PMs is known and MNHQ have it on their fix list. I did a thread on it a while ago. IF you can pull MN up on CHrome and go to the site menu in the top righthand corner and click on "show side bar" you will be able to access your messages - a rather better explanation of how to do it on here

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/site_stuff/4847578-problem-accessing-dms

Even more problems accessing those messages now. My original email address is now dead and I can't login without it or change it. Thus name change and new account. So could mimbleandlittlemy post them again to my new name? Not to worry if not, it is just bad karma, I suppose.

People interested in Dorothy Dunnett might find some of this interesting:

https://www.nls.uk/dorothy-dunnett-centenary/

As a result of that post, I've read about her opening sentence for the Game of Kings, and got caught, ordered it from ebay, and a guide to all 6 books. That'll keep me busy. I must say, most of the covers are awful! I pick the order from ones that don't show wilting women in his arms.

Oh lord yes. There are some notoriously awful covers.

True about some of the covers. Though personally I wouldn’t mind wilting in Lymond’s arms if the situation required it.

Not in any of those avatars, though.

And Philippa doesn't wilt.

True. Although in Ringed Castle she knocks herself out and he carries her through the Savoy garden to where she’s staying and lays her gently on her bed. I could live with that.

This thread should have spoiler warnings.
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The Hall of Revels scene is one of my favourites in the whole saga. Along with the chase through Paris in Checkmate (shamelessly ripped off by Diana Gabaldon).