skygiants

Yes, it is exactly that kind of melodrama - although in Dorothy Dunnett it bothers me less, because I came to her when I was much younger and so much more prone to go 'oh the ANGST' *teardrop* and enjoy wallowing unreservedly without using the analytical/cynical bits of my brain. I am more mature now! Or, you know, more overeducated or something. (Although also I think Lymond is supposed to be generally more of an ass than Emilio is; or rather, at least the author admits that he brings more of it on himself.)

Yeah - and I think the way it works in Russell is that those issues/fascinations often get conveniently pointed out or picked up by other characters. Like, I do not think I would have noticed the Sephardic thing to be bothered by it if there had not been Anne (who makes so much more sense now that I know she is something of a self-insert) to go, "Oh, that reaction naturally means Sephardic Jew! Here is the context!" That is the part that made me go '. . . it does?' more than the reaction itself.

However, I also cut her some first-novel slack on that; contrivance is the sort of thing people sometimes get better at, so I am not going to pass judgment until I read a non-first-novel book . . . although what with all the comments above I feel like I will be weighing in on something of an Issue when I declare my opinion of Children of God!

I will be very interested to hear what you think if you do read the T.E. Lawrence one.