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Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Poisoning Angel in Books

Dec 17, 2018  
TP
The Poisoning Angel
Jean Teulé | 2014
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>

Some people may already know of the prolific French serial killer of the 1800s. Hélène Jégado, over a lengthy period of forty years, is thought to have murdered at least thirty-six people, most likely more, in the region of Brittany. By being hired as a cook in a wide range of establishments throughout her life gave her the opportunity to poison people through their meals, predominantly with arsenic. Jean Teulé, a French novelist, combines his own imagination with the historical statistics in order to create an insight to the tale of this infamous poisoner.

The tale begins at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Hélène is only seven years old, in the small hamlet town Kerhordevin, Plouhinec. Nicknamed Thunderflower by her mother, a name that she is often referred as throughout the narrative, she becomes fascinated with superstitious stories about Death’s henchman, Ankou. In order to extinguish her fears of this formidable character – something she later claims – she decides to become Ankou beginning with the poisoning of her own mother. Soon after she sets off on her first of many journeys to work as a cook, where her killing spree begins.

It may seem surprising that she were not caught earlier on in her murderous career, especially with entire households succumbing to their deaths, but - at least in Teulé’s telling - the Breton’s still held strong belief in their old Celtic superstitions and altered between worshipping Hélène as a saint for not dying herself, or accusing her of witchcraft and bringing misfortune wherever she went. It is not until Hélène is approaching the age of fifty that the police begin to investigate, arrest and finally send her to the guillotine.

Each chapter begins with a map, detailing Hélène’s journey through Brittany so that the reader can see just how many places she went doing Ankou’s work. Teulé also turns this disturbing historical novel into a black comedy with the inclusion of two wig makers from Normandy who happen to go where Hélène goes, although are completely unconnected to, to whom bizarre misfortunes constantly fall.

<i>The Poisoning Angel</i> is an interesting tale and absurdly fascinating at times. From time to time it could fall a bit dull with the repetitiveness, but in a way it could not be helped, as it remains a fact that Hélène Jégado poisoned a large number of people. Melanie Florence must be commended for her translation from the original French, something that is by no means an easy feat.
  
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Heathere' (25 KP) rated Fables & Fairy Tales to Cross Stitch in Books

Apr 24, 2018  
Fables &amp; Fairy Tales to Cross Stitch
Fables & Fairy Tales to Cross Stitch
Véronique Enginger | 2018 | Reference
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Huge variety of patterns and ideas- (0 more)
Cross Stitch/ point de croix~with a retro feel!
There are so many patterns to choose from in this book by, Véronique Enginger. This is a newer release book and originally available in French with a different cover and at a much higher price. I adore Véronique's patterns and am a big fan of her work! This book is full of fairy tale characters, characters from fables and French nursery rhymes. My favorite is Little Red Riding Hood but Beauty & The Beast and The Little Mermaid were also in the run for my favorite. I would complete all of the patterns, I love this book, that much! I like that Véronique creates patterns that can tell a story or you can choose to stitch a smaller scene or character. Véronique's patterns of faces are incredible and look like true works of art. It is very difficult finding cross stitch patterns with such natural looking faces. I have made several of her patterns and they are easy to follow and look just like the finished samples on the pages of her books. This book has given me so much inspiration and joy and I can't wait to work on more of the patterns. The book is hardcover and has nice big pages to make it easy to work from. The patterns have a retro feel that you might find on a 1940's-50's apron, blanket or tablecloth. I highly recommend this book for cross stitch enthusiasts, like myself. This isn't a beginner's book, however and should know how to read a cross stitch graph. It's also helpful to know how to stitch on linen to give these a more professional feel and more realistic look.