Beatrix: Balzac

Balzac's novels do rather feel as if they've been thrown together. This one- for example- begins as a study of the Breton landscape and character, turns into a melodrama of thwarted love- featuring a character based on George Sand- and ends up as a story of Parisian intrigue. There are two ways of looking at this: you could say Balzac lacks artistry or- my preference- that he's full of surprises.

Kiplingiana

The Elms, Rottingdean, Kipling's home, 1897-1903.

The Elms is in private hands, but the walled gardens- occupying a large area in the centre of the village and now called Kipling Gardens- belong to the local Preservation Society and are open to the public free of charge.