I'm a couple pages from the end, will finish reading before bed. Writing up what I have now while I'm at the computer.
* Heinrich started behaving a bit better toward Mina immediately after Fritz died? Of course he did. She's no longer a reminder of Fritz's ongoing power and abuse, but past power and abuse, which is slightly less painful.
Sigh.
THERAPY FOR EVERYONE, BUT ESPECIALLY MINA RN
Fritz, I guess you get therapy by death, like you always wanted. "When I am there, I will be sans souci."
:(
Oh, lol at selenak's I'm almost starting to come around to Fritz' pov on Hannover versus Hohenzollern, but luckily your Ziebura read through reminds me this would be wrong.
I laughed really hard at that, in a facepalmy kind of way.
* Zomg, and no sooner does Mina start getting to participate in society again than her health takes a nosedive and prevents her? I knew she'd lost her sight and hearing at the end of her life, but Parkinson's (probably) too?! Parkinson's is the worst. :/
* And FW2 is now siccing people Mina doesn't like on her staff? For ten plus years?? THERAPY.
* On a lighter note, I love the image of EC being *shocked* at the scandalous newfangled waltz and averting her eyes. Kids these days. :P
ETA: Aaand, we're done.
Heinrich: *looks forward to Mina's death for 48 years* Mina: *outlives him by 6 years* Ha!
Which made me realize that, yep, that marriage lasted 50 years. Fritz/EC, 53. As I said about my grandparents' 61-year unhappy and abusive marriage: what a waste. :/ Divorce for everyone!
Also, yeah, things that didn't make it into the Heinrich bio.
-That detail about the last letter Louise wrote starting out normally and then by the last page she can't control her hand anymore :(
* Heinrich started behaving a bit better toward Mina immediately after Fritz died? Of course he did. She's no longer a reminder of Fritz's ongoing power and abuse, but past power and abuse, which is slightly less painful.
Ohhhhh of course, I should have realized this but mostly I was just relieved for Mina *sigh*
* And FW2 is now siccing people Mina doesn't like on her staff? For ten plus years?? THERAPY.
I knoooooow! What was UP with that, "oh, I'll move him as soon as I can," TEN YEARS LATER??
Which made me realize that, yep, that marriage lasted 50 years. Fritz/EC, 53. As I said about my grandparents' 61-year unhappy and abusive marriage: what a waste. :/ Divorce for everyone!
Geez. That is really a waste. :(
Yeah, it was a good decision to read this after Heinrich and AW, although I'm seriously side-eyeing both of them way more now. (Still OK with Heinrich fic for Yuletide, though! Just saying :) )
I meant to bring this up, but I have it in my head that I didn't, and I also can't find it in our discussions, so here goes: Ziebura *doesn't* think Kalckreuth tried to compromise Mina as a favor to Heinrich. She says he did it in order to bring Heinrich down with him by creating a scandal. Then she comments that Heinrich was disappointed when Mina was exonerated, because it would have given him an excuse to divorce her.
I mean, who knows what was going on in Kalckreuth's head; maybe compromising Mina was a win-win for him. Either Heinrich's grateful and takes him back, or he doesn't but now he's embroiled in a scandal.
Yeah. Kalckreuth, best of boyfriends.
I pity Fräulein von Morrien SO MUCH, marrying him to protect Mina and then dying in childbirth a year later. :/
Weeelll...if you assume Kalckreuth put in half as much effort with the much older woman he was forced to marry as a symbol of his humiliation *and* who played an active role (unlike EC and Mina) as he did with the prince who was, regardless of personal feelings, and let's hope there were some, his path to fame and fortune...
In other words, I hope so too, but I have my doubts. :(
Well, maybe he was one of those types who hated to be bad at something, including sex.
And you know that I think there were some feelings for Heinrich beyond ambition. I mean, an attempt like the one to see Heinrich again in the aftermath of Heinrich's second journey to Rußland (the one where Lehndorff got to give him the brush off and enjoyed every minute) could be because he still thought if they made up, he'd get back on track with fame and fortune. But after Fritz was dead, Kalckreuth's career revived and took off, big time, and Heinrich was out in the cold, so to speak, with no more influence or a career, yet Kalkcreuth wanted to see him again and at last reconcile, and did. Also, what I've read of his memoirs is ego-tastic, to be sure, but actually far more positive about Heinrich (and Fritz critical) than Ziebura led me to expect, and these were written in the 19th century, when the next generations were all Fritz worshippers and hardly knew who Heinrich had been anymore. In conclusion: Kalckreuth: a bastard and a jerk. But he did care about Heinrich.
...which of course doesn't make it more likely that he had a good sex life with his first wife, but like I said: maybe he was in a "I'll show you" mood. Also according to Lehndorff he had gotten a lot of the women of Heinrich's little court at his side, so he could be charming to the ladies if he wanted to be.
And you know that I think there were some feelings for Heinrich beyond ambition.
Yes, and that is some convincing evidence. I buy it.
...which of course doesn't make it more likely that he had a good sex life with his first wife, but like I said: maybe he was in a "I'll show you" mood.
I hope so!
Also according to Lehndorff he had gotten a lot of the women of Heinrich's little court at his side, so he could be charming to the ladies if he wanted to be.
Definitely, and that did occur to me. Let's hope he kept it up with the heroine of this tragedy.
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Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Everyone dies off
Date: 2020-09-22 02:26 am (UTC)* Heinrich started behaving a bit better toward Mina immediately after Fritz died? Of course he did. She's no longer a reminder of Fritz's ongoing power and abuse, but past power and abuse, which is slightly less painful.
Sigh.
THERAPY FOR EVERYONE, BUT ESPECIALLY MINA RN
Fritz, I guess you get therapy by death, like you always wanted. "When I am there, I will be sans souci."
:(
Oh, lol at
I laughed really hard at that, in a facepalmy kind of way.
* Zomg, and no sooner does Mina start getting to participate in society again than her health takes a nosedive and prevents her? I knew she'd lost her sight and hearing at the end of her life, but Parkinson's (probably) too?! Parkinson's is the worst. :/
* And FW2 is now siccing people Mina doesn't like on her staff? For ten plus years?? THERAPY.
* On a lighter note, I love the image of EC being *shocked* at the scandalous newfangled waltz and averting her eyes. Kids these days. :P
ETA: Aaand, we're done.
Heinrich: *looks forward to Mina's death for 48 years*
Mina: *outlives him by 6 years* Ha!
Which made me realize that, yep, that marriage lasted 50 years. Fritz/EC, 53. As I said about my grandparents' 61-year unhappy and abusive marriage: what a waste. :/ Divorce for everyone!
Also, yeah, things that didn't make it into the Heinrich bio.
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Everyone dies off
Date: 2020-09-27 12:00 am (UTC)* Heinrich started behaving a bit better toward Mina immediately after Fritz died? Of course he did. She's no longer a reminder of Fritz's ongoing power and abuse, but past power and abuse, which is slightly less painful.
Ohhhhh of course, I should have realized this but mostly I was just relieved for Mina *sigh*
* And FW2 is now siccing people Mina doesn't like on her staff? For ten plus years?? THERAPY.
I knoooooow! What was UP with that, "oh, I'll move him as soon as I can," TEN YEARS LATER??
Which made me realize that, yep, that marriage lasted 50 years. Fritz/EC, 53. As I said about my grandparents' 61-year unhappy and abusive marriage: what a waste. :/ Divorce for everyone!
Geez. That is really a waste. :(
Yeah, it was a good decision to read this after Heinrich and AW, although I'm seriously side-eyeing both of them way more now. (Still OK with Heinrich fic for Yuletide, though! Just saying :) )
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Everyone dies off
Date: 2020-10-03 11:54 pm (UTC)I mean, who knows what was going on in Kalckreuth's head; maybe compromising Mina was a win-win for him. Either Heinrich's grateful and takes him back, or he doesn't but now he's embroiled in a scandal.
Yeah. Kalckreuth, best of boyfriends.
I pity Fräulein von Morrien SO MUCH, marrying him to protect Mina and then dying in childbirth a year later. :/
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Everyone dies off
Date: 2020-10-04 05:07 am (UTC)Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Everyone dies off
Date: 2020-10-04 05:52 pm (UTC)In other words, I hope so too, but I have my doubts. :(
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Everyone dies off
Date: 2020-10-04 06:01 pm (UTC)And you know that I think there were some feelings for Heinrich beyond ambition. I mean, an attempt like the one to see Heinrich again in the aftermath of Heinrich's second journey to Rußland (the one where Lehndorff got to give him the brush off and enjoyed every minute) could be because he still thought if they made up, he'd get back on track with fame and fortune. But after Fritz was dead, Kalckreuth's career revived and took off, big time, and Heinrich was out in the cold, so to speak, with no more influence or a career, yet Kalkcreuth wanted to see him again and at last reconcile, and did. Also, what I've read of his memoirs is ego-tastic, to be sure, but actually far more positive about Heinrich (and Fritz critical) than Ziebura led me to expect, and these were written in the 19th century, when the next generations were all Fritz worshippers and hardly knew who Heinrich had been anymore. In conclusion: Kalckreuth: a bastard and a jerk. But he did care about Heinrich.
...which of course doesn't make it more likely that he had a good sex life with his first wife, but like I said: maybe he was in a "I'll show you" mood. Also according to Lehndorff he had gotten a lot of the women of Heinrich's little court at his side, so he could be charming to the ladies if he wanted to be.
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Everyone dies off
Date: 2020-10-04 06:04 pm (UTC)Yes, and that is some convincing evidence. I buy it.
...which of course doesn't make it more likely that he had a good sex life with his first wife, but like I said: maybe he was in a "I'll show you" mood.
I hope so!
Also according to Lehndorff he had gotten a lot of the women of Heinrich's little court at his side, so he could be charming to the ladies if he wanted to be.
Definitely, and that did occur to me. Let's hope he kept it up with the heroine of this tragedy.