tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post9200283878330040540..comments2024-03-28T20:46:22.875+00:00Comments on Clothes In Books: Book of 1987: A Masculine Ending by Joan SmithClothes In Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-34155044917873120472015-07-23T10:09:49.866+01:002015-07-23T10:09:49.866+01:00The whole shoulderpad thing is vaguely inexplicabl...The whole shoulderpad thing is vaguely inexplicable - did the TV shows lead the way or follow the trend? In those days you could buy a kind of stretchy vest with shoulder pads in it, so you could wear that under any of your very out-of-date clothes that had no pads. I wish I could find a mention of that in a book...<br /><br />I'm sure every generation thinks 'oh there have been more changes in my lifetime than in any other', but I think we really do win some kind of a prize for seeing change.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-60988222682388030052015-07-23T02:32:52.015+01:002015-07-23T02:32:52.015+01:00We used to joke about the shoulder pad obsession o...We used to joke about the shoulder pad obsession on 80s TV show costumes all the time in college. Joan Collins wardrobe on DYNASTY alone may have contributed to making them very trendy over here.<br /><br />Hard to believe how every day life has changed in just 28 years. Your mention of lack of computers and how news was learned in this book reminded me of the few culture shocks in reading my 1987 book. It was kind of fun to read about pay phones being used so matter-of-factly. Though I depended on them for decades I can't remember the last time I even saw one! But the reminder of cocaine as the party drug of choice had just the opposite effect on me. Too many friends lost to that addiction.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-4109920637493675882015-07-21T09:40:30.555+01:002015-07-21T09:40:30.555+01:00Oh yes - I read that years ago, and remember it as...Oh yes - I read that years ago, and remember it as being very good, it is still on my shelves somewhere. I am reading another of her crime novels, and there is an excellent scene set at the reunion of a women'[s group - very uncomfortable ('You were all so het! I couldn't tell you!') but hilarious and all-too-convincing. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-89583020590697139972015-07-20T22:30:23.547+01:002015-07-20T22:30:23.547+01:00I've only known Joan Smith from her journalism...I've only known Joan Smith from her journalism - her book 'Misogynies' is both devastating and unputdownable, with a particular notable essay about the hunt for the 'Yorkshire Ripper'. Grim but brilliant. Lissanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-35888666481181947232015-07-20T11:09:50.837+01:002015-07-20T11:09:50.837+01:00If it turns up do read it Tracy. I have to say, I ...If it turns up do read it Tracy. I have to say, I don't see it much as a 2nd hand book here in the UK, so it doesn't seem likely there are many around in the USA...Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-77089297023419924022015-07-20T00:51:35.624+01:002015-07-20T00:51:35.624+01:00I had not heard of this author before this post. S...I had not heard of this author before this post. Sounds interesting although I often have problems with amateur sleuths. The factors you mention for books written in the late 80's are why I like books written in that time. I can do without computers in a mystery. But I am pretty old so that is just a personal issue. <br /><br />The books are a nice length which is good when you want to try a series. Right now I have so many books; I can look at the book sale but it is rare to find UK books (especially of that vintage) there. You never know, though.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-45790095659742808612015-07-19T10:54:20.059+01:002015-07-19T10:54:20.059+01:00No - if one turned up in the tubs I would recommen...No - if one turned up in the tubs I would recommend you try it, but you shouldn't threaten the embargo...Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-46534579358802745382015-07-19T10:53:55.168+01:002015-07-19T10:53:55.168+01:00Thanks Katy - I obviously missed a trick! I knitte...Thanks Katy - I obviously missed a trick! I knitted shedloads of sweaters in the 1980s and never thought to add shoulder pads to them....Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-83515456765570953362015-07-19T06:36:39.312+01:002015-07-19T06:36:39.312+01:00Interesting books which I hadn't heard of befo...Interesting books which I hadn't heard of before, but probably not ones I'll seek out.col2910https://www.blogger.com/profile/06422138069939709043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-62212764909697912742015-07-19T05:49:19.823+01:002015-07-19T05:49:19.823+01:00I had lots of sweaters with huge shoulder pads - n...I had lots of sweaters with huge shoulder pads - not hard to buy for home sewing....Katy McCoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18205124269464918598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-65114635055398116202015-07-18T20:09:16.450+01:002015-07-18T20:09:16.450+01:00That's a really excellent question Rich! and o...That's a really excellent question Rich! and one I was mulling over myself - you wouldn't normally put shoulder pads in a hand-knitted sweater (even in the late 80s) but if those are her real shoulders she could have played American football without padding.... So maybe...Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-54028288080389665302015-07-18T19:53:45.179+01:002015-07-18T19:53:45.179+01:00Thanks Moira, a completely new-to-me author. Has t...Thanks Moira, a completely new-to-me author. Has that jumper got shoulder pads?!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-40748664203357149322015-07-18T19:50:41.760+01:002015-07-18T19:50:41.760+01:00I know! It sounds ridiculous but I was thinking &#...I know! It sounds ridiculous but I was thinking 'as long as 20 years ago' but it's much more than that. And they were ground-breaking back then.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-82385791393751703012015-07-18T19:49:12.394+01:002015-07-18T19:49:12.394+01:00I too remember enjoying them very much at the time...I too remember enjoying them very much at the time Margot - it was nice to read about a strong female character in a contemporary setting, and I liked the academic background as well as the political one.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-78478977276893263252015-07-18T15:24:32.670+01:002015-07-18T15:24:32.670+01:00I read and enjoyed these in the eighties and early...I read and enjoyed these in the eighties and early nineties, Moira. What a horribly long time ago it seems! Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16510409974009816550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-58280638346369792362015-07-18T13:18:48.625+01:002015-07-18T13:18:48.625+01:00Oh, I really liked this series, Moira, so it's...Oh, I really liked this series, Moira, so it's great to see it featured here. Looking back now, it seems dated in some ways. But certainly reading the novels, you're right back there in the late '80s - the era is depicted beautifully. And I do like Loretta Lawson. OK, the Oxford setting for some of the stories is a major draw for me, too...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com