My Google Diary for Edenbrooke

Edenbrooke

by Julianne Donaldson
Format: select

 

When I read, I ask a LOT of questions. Here’s some stuff I searched or wondered about while Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson.

From my review: 

If Jane Austen could write about scandalous things (in a proper manner of course) like highwaymen robbing you etc. then it would have come out like Edenbrooke.  The author, Julianne Donaldson, did a good job of making a Regency romance a little more modern.  The characters, settings, and manners were are all Regency but the plot had a more modern, quick pace which was really fun. Read more….

Places

Bath, England

Edenbrooke is set in Bath, England.  I had the chance to visit there a few years ago and it’s beautiful.  It’s most famous for the Roman Baths there so I chose this picture of me at the Roman Baths while it was raining.

Pump Room

Of course he would suggest the social hub of Bath for another “chance” encounter. He knew my habits well.  I smiled politely and made a mental note to avoid taking tea at the Pump Room for the next week at least.

– Julianne Donaldson, Edenbrooke: A Proper Romance Chapter 1

The Pump Room is a restaurant where you can get some afternoon tea in the most charming place imaginable.  You can also try the spa water since it’s connected to the Roman Baths.

The official site for the Pump Room says “You can try the hot Spa water at the fountain in the Pump Room. It contains 43 minerals and has a rather unusual taste.”  I was too chicken to try the water while we were there and used the excuse that since I was pregnant these 43 minerals may or may not be a good idea.

My husband did try it and as he was choking on it a little said it tasted warm, salty and kind of like sulfur.  Sounds yum :)

People drink the spa water for the same reason they bathed in it – it’s believed to have healing properties.

Royal Crescent

Then I pulled Aunt Amelia toward the broad green lawn that separated the gravel path from the Royal Crescent. The building curved in a graceful half-circle of butter-golden stones, like a pair of outstretched arms ready for an embrace. Grandmother’s apartment within the Royal Crescent was among the finest Bath could offer. But luxury could not make up for the fact that Bath was town living at its worst. I missed my life in the country so desperately that I ached for it day and night.

– Julianne Donaldson, Edenbrooke: A Proper Romance

This is me at the Royal Crescent.  Which one do you Marianne lived in?? :)

I wonder if the quote above is a Jane Austen reference because she, too, hated living in Bath and missed the country.

Kent

My dearest friend Louisa Wyndham has invited me to stay with her at her estate in the country. I understand it is very grand. It is called Edenbrooke and is situated in Kent.

– Julianne Donaldson, Edenbrooke: A Proper Romance

Kent looks so charming.  I found this country house located in Kent which Winston Churchill lived in.

Rose and Crown Inn

I was even more relieved to find the unmistakable marks of an inn. “The Rose and Crown” hung on a rough-hewn wooden sign above the door.

– Julianne Donaldson, Edenbrooke: A Proper Romance

The inn didn’t exist in the Regency era, but there is an inn called the Rose and Crown in Kent now in what used to be stables and a 16th century pub.  I thought that was pretty cool.  Trip Advisory says it’s an excellent bed and breakfast.

 

Dream Movie Cast

There’s an awesome Q&A with the author in the back of the book and one of the questions was who she could see playing the main characters if Edenbrooke became a film.

There is a young British actress named Imogen Poots who I can totally see as Marianne. My favorite leading men right now are Jake Gyllenhaal and James McAvoy. I would pay good money to see either of them play dreamy Philip.

– Julianne Donaldson, Edenbrooke: A Proper Romance

Book Trailer