@Lana Leigh loves Meryl Streep: She's only 10, so she's prepubescent. Raging hormones haven't quite kicked in yet. And a 10 year old in that era was much more a child than a 10 year old today.

@maude_flanders: She's 10. And while it's not as uncommon among 10 year olds as most people would probably think, it seemed especially telling that Betty would throw in that mention of Grandpa....

Did anyone else wonder about Sally masturbating as a possible sign of abuse? (Not that all kids who masturbate are abused, obviously, but it's a common behavioral marker in those who are). Plus the fact that Betty said "oh, she really started acting out after her grandpa lived with us and then died."

Further proof that she and Lawrence Olivier really were the perfect match.

@Hortense Smith: That's the way I read it too, and I think it's bullshit. You can't charge someone extra for a cost that doesn't actually exist. Even if you "anticipate" that it'll be necessary sometime in the future, build it into the cost of doing business, like every other "anticipated" cost.

I want all of those hats. And I don't even really like hats.

@rd2uk: Seconded.

@NapalmKitty: Good rant.

The people who are most opposed to this are the Real Americans who are constantly reminding those of us who live in NYC that we're not Real Americans.

@Cookie Guggleman: Maybe. But I think she says pretty clearly in there that she wants to respect his privacy, and there's no way she could unpack the truth about their marriage without seriously violating his privacy.

@Skyblacker: Yes, Mary Boleyn was the only one who managed to get away clean. And she had two kids by Henry and died an old lady which is a better fate than any of his wives managed.

@Trulymadlyme: I didn't think so. She never accuses him of being the source of her problems, never says he mistreated her, and took responsibility for her own unhappiness and need to leave the marriage. She definitely had a bit of a victim complex, but she never accused him of being the one who victimized her.

Second all the ladies here who are saying not to expect that it'll be a magical orgasmic wonderland the first time. If you're with a dude, it may feel good but it will likely feel odd or painful or both, even if you're sufficiently aroused (my main response at the time was "Oh. That feels weird. And good. But…

@Adora Belle Dearheart: I think so. I mean, I wouldn't make a huge deal over it, but if you say "you know, I haven't done this before", a decent person will hopefully be a little more thoughtful and attentive to your experience than if he/she didn't know ahead of time.

@Skyblacker: Actually, HVIII was much better looking than JRM. He was athletic, over 6 feet tall (which was very unusual for his time), with red-blonde hair and blue eyes. There are all kinds of heavy-breathing contemporary accounts of his good looks, his hot bod, his skill as a horseman, etc. Also, he was extremely…

@Skyblacker: Not to burst your bubble, but IRL by the time period they're on now, Henry was in late middle age, obese, balding, had running sores on his legs, and had to be lifted into his bed each night by a crane. Not the stuff of fanfic.

@gbmbg: hearted for that!

I think Liz Gilbert stayed classy by not hanging their dirty marital laundry out in EPL. So when he decided he was going to publish his own book and tell his side of things, I thought she looked even more classy by comparison.

@babyruthless is MzJenkinsless: Well, most of us have a nice pad of fat on our mons. Otherwise sex would be pretty uncomfortable.

@babyruthless is MzJenkinsless: I think that's what's technically known as your FUPA (Fat Upper Pussy Area).