The Magnificent Marriage

"There were also subjects nearer home. She found birds fascinating, but discovered that when she had learnt all about them making their nests, breeding and their migrations, it was impossible not to hate the idea of their being slaughtered for sport." - A pity more people don't realize this about hunting in general.

"What would he feel, Dorinda asked herself, when he learnt how querulous and difficult Letty could be, how incredibly stupid she was and how impossible it was for her to discuss even the most fundamental and commonplace subjects of everyday life?" Cartland has made the insipid blandness of British women in the aristocracy a running theme of her novels where 1 out of 100 000 are unique in that they have a brain and think about more than vanity.

"They are a sensible practical race,” Doctor Johnson commented. “A Chinaman usually has a very good reason for everything he does.” - Her writing is quite condescending about other races in comparison to the British.

"The children were small and each one of them held in his hand a little wicker birdcage containing a parakeet." “While Lady Lettice likes the birds,” Sister Teresa said, “I must admit to having a great affection for the animals.” “Surely not the tigers!” Maximus Kirby exclaimed. “Or do they also find a place in your ever-open heart?” “Not man-eating tigers!” Sister Teresa confessed. “There are far too many of those, as you well know.” “And that is why there is a Government reward of one hundred and fifty dollars for every dead tiger that is brought into a Police Station.” - this colonial attitude has destroyed natural ecologies and decimated/exterminated more species than we can count. Truly appalling to think of all the valuable animal life, sentient life that was destroyed by such individuals.

"There are always carriages outside the front door both day and night,” Lee Chang Lo replied. “If Mr. Kirby wishes to go out, they are there waiting. He does not have to send to the stables.” It is well known that carriage horses have been treated poorly. To expect them to lie in wait all day is abominable!

"Also, as a Governor was usually Knighted either before or soon after he took office, the Queen would appoint only a person of unblemished reputation and who lived, at least officially, a blameless and respectable life." Having read up British history, "unblemished" reputations is almost non-existent within these circles. Cartland knows this as a running joke - what you see is definitely NOT what you get.

"“They are very interesting,” Dorinda tried to cajole her, “and there will be lots of Chinese and Malayan children working with their fathers and mothers.” - plantations are the modern equivalent of sweatshops. There is nothing outstanding about subjugating individuals to rules of tyranny...

"Dorinda would have liked to talk to the coolies, but she knew that they would not understand her." Coolies is a derogatory word - When Cartland wrote this book, she should have added in an appendix so readers could understand this book included slavery looked at as enterprise and the expansion of the British Empire.

"This is only the beginning. In a month I am going to start to clear another great area of the jungle." Again - there is nothing admirable about destroying valuable ecology. We are in this mess because the western notion of 'take take take' has corrupted multiple societies.

"The tiger fell with a thud amongst the undergrowth it had been standing in and hundreds of birds rose from the trees with a noise that seemed as loud as the report from the gun." - Let's not forget what we do to someone who invaded our home. Taking an innocent life (tiger) is not a heroic act when we have behaved like parasites.

Cartland's books are mostly drivel - her love for the Greeks and their contributions to the world always fail to mention that the Greeks would never have achieved anything had they not learnt from Egypt where some of Greece's greatest contributors sat at the feet of learned Egyptians who taught them everything they passed on. It would be wise of readers to look beyond "white history" - one they are happy to acknowledge and push past it to learn real history that is only now emerging.

One of the best books by Cartlanda