Valentine Grey

Title: Valentine Grey
Author: Sandi Toksvig
Published: 2012
Genre: War and Victorian London.
Pages: 334 plus bibliography and such




I always love it when Sandi Toksvig is a guest on QI, she's just great and funny, so when I found this lovely thing at the bookshop -on the same trip when I found Maxie Mainwaring: that was a good, good day- I was just tickled pink! The book's about the Boer war, and life of gay people in the Victorian times, so I wasn't expecting a giggle a minute, but I have to say, I also didn't expect to have my heart torn to pieces! Wahh!!!


Valentine Grey, our heroine, spent her first ~15 years in India, as the apple of her father's eye. Things change drastically when she gets sent to her uncle's house in London, where she has to wear skirts and shoes and act the proper lady. Lucky for her, she gets along famously with her cousin Reggie, who takes her out into the city, and to meet his lover, the lovely Frank.


Then on comes the second Boer war against the Dutch, in South Africa. But instead of the dandy Reggie, it's Valentine who puts on the uniform and heads out for adventure! Cross-dressing fun and jolly war adventures, right? Nooo! Toksvig thankfully doesn't romanticize war and has tossed cliches aside. So, even though yes, my heart is still bleeding, I loved this book and its characters. Plus, there was the history lesson, which I always like. Even if it's on such an ugly thing as a war.




   Now Reggie was cross. 'Why must you be so adventurous, Valentine? Honestly, you scared me half to death. It's so unnecessary. Why can't we all just sit? Read a book or something? Do what English people are supposed to do and spend an hour on the weather?'