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Two books I've read of late have some things in common: both written by men in the twentieth century, and both feature a slightly unusual woman.

Travels with my Aunt
by Graham Greene

Published in 1969 it felt to me as if it were from an earlier initially although later references make it clearer. I had always assumed - on no basis - that this was a memoir of the author's travels with his aunt but quite the contrary. It is fiction - I'm tempted to say with a capital F - following events in the life of retired bank manager Henry Pulling. It begins at his mother's funeral where he meets for the first time in his memory his aunt, who drops the bombshell that his mother wasn't actually his mother.

Aunt Augusta is a larger than life character with a very modern attitude to sex, and a number of dubious lovers in her past. Henry finds himself drawn to her and even partaking of adventures that he would never have dared to consider previously. It is very much a story of rebirth in many ways.
****

Miss Hargreaves
by Frank Baker
Published 1939

Norman Huntley is a young man who leads a simple life, living at home with his family, courting Marjorie, and enjoying jaunts with his friend, Henry. The trouble is that he and Henry have a habit of making up stories, which is all well and good until one of Norman's characters seems to come to life, and not just that, but to dominate Norman's life. 

Miss Hargreaves alternates between a favourite aunt and a grumpy bossy old woman, and has such an effect on Norman's life that everything changes. I too alternated between liking her and thoroughly disliking her, but for all that she is a wonderful invention. I believe a film was made that starred Margaret Rutherford and I think she would have made an excellent Miss Hargreaves.

My favourite character though was Cornelius Huntley, Norman's father, a bookseller who lives in a wonderful world of his own.

This would have had 4* were it not for the attention given to organ playing details that were completely lost on me, so I'll give it 3.5*