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I know Mary Roberts Rinehart as a writer of mystery novels. She was quite well-known in the 1900-1970 time frame. One of her novels is credited with the "the butler did it" phrase and she invented the plot device of "if only I had known then."
But in 1914, she went to France and Belgium as a representative of the American Red Cross to assess what supplies were most needed from the USA (we were not in the war yet). I recently found a compilation of 27 of her works on Amazon Kindle - either free or under $2. One of them is her report of her trips, titled "Kings, Queens, and Pawns." She got to the front lines, with a few hundred yards of the German trenchs and reported everything she saw. She also met with the King of Belgium and many generals. Her account of what had happened to Belgium revealed something I had either never known or had forgotten. As a historical document, it is engrossing!
I was also not aware that she had written romantic comedies and romances earlier in her career. This collection contains her earliest work as well as her better known work. I find her depiction of the culture of the times fascinating: the roles of men and woman as the suffragette movement was just beginning; the reluctance to get into the war; the social class divisions; the clothing; everyday life when the electric power went off at midnight in the smaller towns, to conserve it and who would want it on so late anyway?
Also, there are several of her books available. Looks like a couple are free or just pennies in Kindle mode. Plus, there are a couple of biographies about her available. Inexpensive.
I prefer to actually hold the book and try to smell the ink which might be ether at this point in time.
The Kindle does not interest me but the free electronic books are really a great deal.
I just got her autobiography today and began to read it. Very interesting! I can see where some locations of her novels arise from her life circumstances. I was browsing a bit and saw that Kings, Queens, and Pawns was banned for a while - not sure in which country for why.
I was browsing a bit and saw that Kings, Queens, and Pawns was banned for a while - not sure in which country for why.
All the more reason to read it.
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