A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett

A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett

I love books that clamber for your time and attention, with compelling characters, a fast moving plot, and a world that wraps around you and draws you in.  An author who can do that will be forever my friend and companion.

Now a disclaimer.  I am an unapologetic anglophile. When I have a few spare days and a full piggy bank, you’ll find me in England, soaking in the theater and the sights of London, or wandering further afield to spots like Dartmouth, Oxford, Bath, and Cambridge.  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a panorama of familiar history.  Especially fascinating is how the upper classes of England lived in the bygone era before the First World War bled Europe white and forever changed society.

A Dangerous Fortune spans the lives of the Pilaster banking family from 1866 through 1892.  But that’s only a very placid, two dimensional description.  Time to throw in a twisting, turning plot of ambitious devilry pitted against honorable intentions, dangerous scoundrels against ethical men and women, upper classes, with their private clubs and scandalous wealth, against the lower classes living only a day from starvation.

I couldn’t put the damn thing down!  Ken Follett is a fabulous storyteller who convinces you all is determined, until it suddenly isn’t, who paints his characters into impossible situations, then twists and turns around solutions the reader would never have guessed. “Oh, my god, what next?” is the question I constantly asked myself, just before I decided it wasn’t too late to read ‘just one more’ chapter!  Wife is waiting on supper?  Well, she’ll just have to wait!  Supposed to join friends for wine?  Looks like we’re going to be a tad bit late.

Yes, even in the undeviating society of the Victorian era, the upper and lower classes shared lives amid swirling pools of friction and enchantment.  People’s fortunes did rise and fall.  The rich got richer, or sometimes poorer.  The poor sometimes rose ‘above their station.’

Hugh Pilaster, the black sheep of the powerful Pilaster banking family, is only able to survive though wit and ambitious intelligence and something more.  He holds the keys to unlocking a dark family secret. He’s the member of the family who’s only tolerated because he is family and he knows too much.  He also has unmatched business acumen.

But, Hugh, although central to the plot, is far from the only character of indelible traits.  There’s the constant and skillful schemer, Aunt Augusta, her lackadaisical son, David, Hugh’s friends that bridge the gap between scandalous and forthright, and so many more actors of every stripe who populate this rip-roaring tale.

How can a book, written in 1993, and nearing 600 pages keep you glued and impatient to find out what happens?  Think a plot and characters from the 19^th Century must be dusty and uninteresting? Maybe you think ambition and scandal and the conflict between families and businesses and the rich and the poor are only found in history books and won’t ring true to the modern mind.  Oh, are you in store for an eye-opening treat!

Ken Follett’s A Dangerous Fortune.  Pick it up and you’ll hear the sound of horses’ hooves on London’s cobblestone streets, smell the cigars and leather in exclusive men’s clubs, see women as the powers behind the power… and be in for the ride of your life!

People of London, Part II

Did you miss Part I ?  Here it is:  https://stroudallover.blogspot.de/2017/12/people-of-london.html

I know both my faithful readers have been up all night, drinking heavily, their

hearts aglow, waiting for the next installment of People of London.  Always 

daring to please even your darkest desires, I raced back to London to chat with

 more Londoners and down a few very bright and stirring beverages.

Now let’s begin our journey back into the hearts and souls of those who call this 

fabulous city their home.

Lorenzo to the left, Mustafa to the right

There’s the barmen at 45 Jermyn St, pronounced German.  #45 is a part of the very

famous grocers, Fortnum & Mason, but a floor down, with a separate entry on

 Jermyn Street, while F & M’s entry is around the corner on Piccadilly.  Wonderful

 place to stop in for an afternoon pick-me-up.  Make sure to sit at the bar.  The

 barkeeps listen intently as you describe your taste preference and cater to you

 personally. Lorenzo and Mustafa know their stuff.  Lorenzo is from Italy and

 Mustafa is British.

Three of us order a gin and tonic, but add, “Make this a special one.” A discussion

follows of tastes and preferences.  With these barmen, hearing about a customer’s 

tastes is not just idle chatter. They offer what has become the rarest of services, 

they listen.

Mustafa brings over a bottle of Sipsmith, a gin made in London.  “This is my

favorite,” he says and begins a litany of all the aromas and flavors, with hints of

this and that.  His extensive knowledge not only informs, but exudes charm and 

trust. Good reason.  I feel sure he could tell you every ingredient in every bottle on 

the bar.

“And the tonic?” I ask.  Mustafa grabs a bottle of Double Dutch India tonic from

the frig, a brand recently created by twins from the Netherlands, Joyce and Raissa.

You know, of course, that gin originally came from the Netherlands.

“You’ll find this is not too sweet, but pairs well with the Sipsmith,” He says. I found 

this to be exactly true, with just a bare squeeze of lemon to brighten it up.  The man

 certainly knows how to listen and faultlessly match flavors to my taste buds.

No artificial ingredients, colorings, or additives in this tonic and paired with Sipsmith, 

it’s the best gin and tonic ever to tickle my tongue and slide down my thirsty throat. 

High praise from a very experienced throat.

We’d ordered salads, so as not to appear mere drinkers with a rabid thirst.  Lorenzo 

explained buratta to us.  “It’s the creamy inside of fresh mozzarella, and so delicious.

You’ll love this salad.”  And so we did!

But, just in case you're having breakfast and not at present into gin and tonic I've 

included a recipe (from Genius Kitchen web site) for a Bloody Mary, that very roughly

approximates the fab Bloody Mary served at 45 Jermyn.

Having slaked our thirst and hunger, we wandered just down the street in search of 

more conversations.

Berry Brothers & Rudd are the oldest purveyors of wine and spirits in London and

although the main shop is still in the same place it has been for centuries, around the corner

they have just opened a more expansive retail wine and spirit shop. Quinton, 

a young Frenchman works there and so do Englishmen, George and Rob.

Quinton is spelled the same way in French, but pronounced something like Coun-tan.  

You know those French, love ‘em or hate’em, you have to love ‘em.

Quinton was quick to answer questions about wine and spirits, but he is also a

home-taught chef who was exuberant about cooking.  A very saucy man.  Yes, 

dear ones, that is called a pun.

But, as a man with an interest in languages, I had to ask how Quinton became so

proficient in English. “At first I had only English from school, which everyone knows

is only good for learning words and phrases you will never use. (laughing)  

‘My grandmother’s pen rests on the table.’  Which has never come up in conversation.

 So, I kept practicing with friends and when I got a job here, English came very fast.”

Both George and Quinton told us about a liquor concocted by Berry Bro & Rudd in

1903 for the King Edward VII of England.  George’s version was:  “The King’s

Ginger was commissioned by Royal Physicians to keep the King warm and revived

during his morning drives in his Daimler auto, the first ‘horseless carriage’ to be

owned by the Royal Family.”  George poured us a taste.  We bought a couple of bottles. 

Want to know more? http://thekingsginger.com/ 

The King’s Ginger does indeed have a gingery flavor, but it’s more complex than that.  

Try to imagine the aromas of Christmas, with cinnamon and ginger and pine and the

heat from a roaring fire.  I’ve no doubt it pleased the king as he braved the crisp 

morning air and put pedal to the metal.

By the way, King Edward, who only reined 1901-1910, was the eldest of Queen

Victoria’s children. Just to whet your appetite to know more, let’s say Edward lived

LARGE.

In the afternoon, it was off to Duke’s Bar at Dukes Hotel. 

Sitting and waiting for a table and a Vespa Martini at the world famous Duke’s Bar

in the Duke’s Hotel, we met a young Brit couple who live just outside the city and

came in for a night. A delightful pair!  Do they come into the city often?

“No, not really.”  Have they been to Duke’s before?  “No, never.”  And then we chat

 lightly about living in America and England.

Not sure what a Vespa Martini is or curious about the Duke’s Bar experience? 

https://stroudallover.blogspot.de/2015/04/a-martini-worthy-of-james-bond-dukes.html

Also waiting was an actor, That’s the PC, generic term for male and females with

beautiful faces who are paid exorbitant amounts to pretend to be someone else. 

But in the non-PC world, she is an actress.  So much more polite to say actress than

 to speak of genitalia. . 

But, yes, she is both very beautiful and very charming, with dark hair and hypnotic 

eyes. As I fell under her spell, I just had to ask a delicate question that didn’t involve 

Harvey Weinstein. “So are actors able to compartmentalize and go full steam ahead

at auditions?  Do you worry about anything or anybody?”

“I don’t do a good job of compartmentalizing. I keep thinking, ‘Oh! the woman

before me did such a good job!’ and the air is filled with insecurities.”

She’s not an American native, but from Victoria, British Columbia and I kept 

thinking, she’s a Canadian, living in L.A., visiting London and chatting with a

 couple of Americans who live in Germany.

But, then, that’s the essence of London, people from all over, coming to populate

a city, some staying forever and some for only a short time.  But short stay or long, 

people are the city.

Try not to forget this valuable lesson, children, when you visit this wonderful city,

shopping, drinking everywhere from the neighborhood pub to the some of the finest

and most elegant watering holes in the world.  And never again just walk past the

shopkeepers and policemen.  Want to get to know London? Get to know the people!

 So endeth the daily lesson.

from Genius Kitchen

·       3cups tomato juice

·       3tablespoons lemon juice

·       3tablespoons lime juice

·       1tablespoon prepared horseradish

·       1 ¹⁄₂tablespoonsWorcestershire sauce

·       ¹⁄₄teaspoon garlic powder

·       ³⁄₄teaspoon Tabasco sauce

·       ³⁄₄teaspoon celery salt

·       ¹⁄₂teaspoon coarse black pepper

·       ¹⁄₃cup pickle juice

·       1ounce vodka, per drink

DIRECTIONS

1.   In a blender combine the tomato juice, lemon juice, lime juice, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, pickle juice, and hot sauce and process until smooth. Transfer to a nonreactive container and add celery salt and black pepper, to taste. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

2.   When ready to serve, fill each glass with ice.

3.   Add 1 ounce of vodka to each glass, then fill the glass with the bloody Mary mix. Stir well, and garnish each glass with your favorite veggie, pickle, celery, pickled green bean, or a pickled okra.