Thanks to a mention on Boud's blog I dug out an old Barbara Pym novel to read. The one I chose, A Glass of Blessings, is set in a much slower paced world and is full of vicars and temptations for a bored housewife. All very middle class English and a great escape form reality.
After that I turned to The Trouble with Sheep and Goats.
A friend gave it to me for my birthday an when I read the blurb at the back I thought it sounded familiar. This is where a blog comes in handy. I was able to check back and find that, yes, I had read the book before, but . . .
"A woman disappears and two ten-year-old girls on the estate decide to find out what's happened to her. I got to the end of this book and very nearly did something I've never done before: start again from the beginning. I reached the end not really knowing what had happened or understanding the conclusion. There were a lot of characters and I struggled to remember which one was married to which etc. But I do read last thing at night so that's my excuse. I'd still give it ***"
I paid much better attention this time around and got it all sussed. Lots of secrets but not always what you may think. This time I gave it 4*.
And today I borrowed from the library the new Thursday Murder Club mystery from Richard Osman, The Bullet That Missed, and my first Christmassy book of the season for a bit of frivolity, The Cornish Cream Tea Christmas.
I've missed a trick there not setting my novels in cake/sweet/Cornish/village cafes/shops.
4 comments:
I don't think I've ever read any Barbara Pym books. Vicars! How very British.
She's brilliant, a comedies of manners, skewering everyone. Takes no prisoners.
I hope the Osman is published in a different font in the UK. I tried and failed to read the US print edition, and I'm now waiting to continue on my Kindle, where I can choose a more readable font, not all blocky and small.
I read and enjoyed the first two Osman books and look forward to reading the new one. The Pym book you mention sounds like one I would enjoy, I've read a couple of her novels.
I've never read any Pym books and must confess I hadn't heard of her until you brought her up. It worked out well for you to read it again. I don't like it when I read a book and I'm not sure what's going on so I have to go back to re-read and sometimes even then don't know what's happening.
Love,
Janie
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