‘Five Farthings’ is a family story about a family of five – the Farthings – who uproot themselves from rural Sussex to the heart of London, just before World War 2. The reason for the upheaval is the poor health of Mr Farthing who requires prolonged hospital care for his medical condition. With no one to support the family of five, Mrs Farthing accepts a job at a London departmental store. It is left to the eldest child, seventeen year old Vivien to take care of the family and undertake the housekeeping but first of all thefamily must find a suitable place to stay.
One day, Vivien and her teenage brother John come across a suite of rooms in an old building in Central London, very close to St Paul’s Cathedral. The sitting room commands a most wonderful bird’s eye view over St Paul’s and the other rooms are adequate too, to suit the family’s needs. The downstairs neighbour’s are warm and welcoming and the family moves happily into their new rented quarters. A few chapters are devoted to domestic details of settling in to the new house and those readers like myself who appreciate this type of story, will really enjoy it. Vivien, being new to cooking undergoes a few trials and errors but gradually the family settles into a daily rhythm. The descriptions of her first culinary experiments are quite interesting.
” … roast meat with roast or boiled potatoes, and cabbage or carrots or some other vegetable which was not too hard to cook. For sweets she made jelly out of a packet,or bought some ice cream, or gave them stewed or fresh fruit with cream, or simply something out of a tin. It was all quite eatable, except perhaps for her gravies …”
When she has some spare time on her hands, Vivien visits many of the churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren. She is fascinated by their history and design and she spends many days happily finding the many Wren churches dotted about London. One day, whilst she is visiting one such church she befriends another fellow Wren enthusiast, a middle aged man called Walter Blueley who works at a publishing house that is right next door to their flat. Vivien, with her secret personal writing aspirations becomes closely involved with the publishing company and finds her first job there, reading through various manuscripts and providing her unvarnished opinion about them. The company has a young and an old partner and it is with the young partner, Tim Broadstreet, that Vivien forges a close relationship. There’s an aspect of mystery and intrigue in the novel too regarding leakage of publishing house secrets but to my mind this is not the strongest plot point and though this aspect adds interest to the novel, the book is more about family, London, architecture, book publishing, young love and finding one’ s feet in the midst of crisis.
I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the flat the family lived in and its view over St Paul’s. Sir Christopher Wren played a large part in the story – certainly his architecture and the buildings he designed are variously described and admired throughout the book.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why Monica Redlich’s ‘Five Farthings’ is so good. London is vividly described and domestic details of family life have a comforting appeal. I can picture an old fashioned black and white cinema being made from the story with the cinematic climax, a host of endearing characters and plenty of period detail. Monica Redlich hasn’t written many novels but I’m curious and eager to read more of her other elusive titles.
Readers who enjoy the domestic details of Gwendoline Courtney, and family stories like Noel Streatfeild’s ‘The Bell Family’ (also set in London about an impoverished family) will appreciate this book.
I spent the best part of the month of May reading Lorna Hill’s ‘Vicarage Children’ trilogy and it was the best way to spend my birthday month, enjoying the simple beauty of these books.
This trilogy was written towards the end of Lorna Hill’s writing career, and sadly never extended beyond the three books. From the way the children in the story, barely age throughout the course of the three books and the way that the story remains incomplete, to my mind at least, one feels that Hill, perhaps meant this to be a long-drawn saga, which never materialised. I’m a little sad. I wanted to stay with these characters for so much longer.
The order of reading the trilogy, reissued by Girls Gone By Publishers, is ‘The Vicarage Children’, ‘More About Mandy’ and ‘The Vicarage Children in Skye’. I’ve had my eye on this series, mostly due to the latter title. I love books that convey a strong sense of place and the book set in Skye, does indeed, read as a wonderful travelogue.
‘The Vicarage Children’ is about a family of six, the Kings, who live in an ancient, tumbledown Vicarage, Staneshaw Vicarage, in rural Northumberland, very near the remains of Hadrian’s Wall. The Vicarage is in fact made from old Roman stones that formed the ancient Roman fort of Agricolanium.
The four children in the story are sixteen year old Ally, Mandy – 13, 12 year old Michael and Christopher who is 1 and a half and nick-named Binny, due to his tendency to eat everything up, much like a dustbin.
“Proper little dust-bin, that baby!” said Mrs. Golightly.
The story is told from Mandy’s perspective and we learn of the straitened circumstances of the family living at the Vicarage, how they rely on church funding to sponsor the children’s education – especially Ally’s schooling at an elite boarding school. Mandy and Michael go to a day school in Newcastle – a school which supports children of poor clergy at reduced fees. Going to school involves a lengthy bus journey everyday. Sometimes, in winter, when it snows for days on end, the children are housebound and can’t attend school for long stretches. It is a down to earth and simple life, but there is the beauty of the surrounding countryside at the children’s doorstep and this beauty seeps through the pages.
According to Mandy, Ally is the beautiful one in the family, a ‘fairy-tale princess’, who resembles the childrens’ mother, Michael and Mandy take after their father. Mandy thinks of herself as plain and Binny is the adorable, chubby little baby with dimples and fair curls, lisping all the time. The children’s individual personalities form a key part of the books. We learn that Ally is rather self-centred and only cares about her looks and her clothes with little consideration for their family’s financial difficulties. Mandy is the considerate, caring one, who looks after her baby brother and wants to become a writer. Michael is mad about archaeology and often spends weekends digging away with fellow enthusiasts.
The first two books deal with the children’s life in the Vicarage, their school life and Ally’s struggles with growing up. There’s also Ben, the squire’s son, who is in love with Ally, although Ally has eyes only for another well-to-do rich boy, who is the brother of a school friend. Ben’s relationship with the two sisters is an interesting plot point. We see the transformation in Ben’s understanding about the personality of the two sisters – his slow appreciation for Mandy’s selflessness. Some of my favourite books deal with the topic of coming of age, and this trilogy is certainly a lovely example of this type of writing.
The first two books cover the course of two consecutive years in the life of the family and the first book has seasonal chapters devoted to the Easter Holidays, a Garden Fete, Christmas and Ally’s First Ball on Bonfire Night. The second book sees Ally studying at a Commercial School and finding her first job and then living on her own in Newcastle, with considerable hurdles due to her inexperience. Not an awful lot happens in the books, the characters are busy leading quite an ordinary life, just like normal people but Lorna Hill’s gift lies in her ability to make us care for her characters. I was never bored of reading about the children.
The third book, ‘The Vicarage Children in Skye’ is a departure from the previous two books in style, because it reads quite like a travelogue. I enjoyed this book immensely and especially the details of the car journey, winding it’s slow course from Newcastle to Glasgow via Gretna Green, and thereon through the Highlands and by ferry to Skye. I tracked all the places mentioned on Google Maps and often looked at picturesque locations described by Hill. It almost felt like taking a holiday! The stark beauty of the Cuillin Hills, the deep lochs and heady views, the simplicity and friendly nature of the locals, all contributed to what I thought was an endearing book. I’d definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy books with a strong sense of place.
The books abruptly finish with this particular instalment. One can’t help but wonder wistfully about Mandy’s future, because she is most certainly the heart and soul of these books. Why do book series with promise have to abruptly end? Nevertheless, have I tempted you to find the Vicarage Children trilogy?
‘Lark Rise’ is Flora Thompson’s personal account of growing up in a small rural community in Oxfordshire in the late Victorian period.
Flora is ‘Laura’ in the retelling and with a keen eye for observing nature and beauty, Flora Thompson renders an exacting yet not too sentimental picture of what life was like for the rural poor. Struggling to make ends meet, yet happy in enjoying the simple pleasures of life, ‘Lark Rise’ is an intimate and detailed social history of life in those times.
The exact time of the retelling is the 1880’s and most of the stories are related to that particular decade, coinciding with the first formative years of Laura and her younger brother Edmund’s life. Seen through child Laura’s keen lense, yet told with adult sensibilities ‘Lark Rise’ paints an astonishing plethora of pictures of village life, bridging the gap from childbirth to death, inclusive of high days and holidays, religion, schooling, social life, care of the elderly and so much more. There are even descriptions of the lavish care of the family pig – an exceedingly important figure in village life.
Historically, one of the most important aspects of this story is the fact that the story is told during a time which was going through immense change in the shape of industrial and technological development. This would not only affect the methods of farming but have a great impact on food production, favouring shop bought over home made and home grown. Railways had shrunk the size of the country. People from places a mere 5 miles away were no longer thought of as ‘furriners’. Despite the developments, there is almost a feeling of sadness as the storyteller closes the curtain on an era long gone and not to be recovered.
Two chapters of the book are dedicated to describing songs sung by the village folk and games favoured by their children. ‘Country Playtime’ describes time honoured games like ‘Oranges and Lemons’, ‘London Bridge’, ‘Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush’ and also lesser known ones that adopted a fair share of storytelling and role playing like ‘Here Come Three Tinkers’. There were supposedly so many known games and rhymes to be played, all passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation, that children could play for hours on end without fear of repetition.
As a bibliophile the fact that Laura takes so much pleasure from reading is very enjoyable. I took careful note of some of the books that graced Laura’s bookshelves. Apart from her Mother’s Bible and Pilgrim’s Progress they included Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Gulliver’s Travels, The Daisy Chain and Mrs Molesworth’s Cuckoo Clock and Carrots.
One of my favourite chapters was the one dedicated to May Day celebrations. Since I read this chapter at the beginning of May, the reading felt very seasonal and greatly added to my enjoyment. The chapter started out with the statement that the celebrations surrounding May Day were the most cherished by the village children. Curious to learn why May Day celebrations superseded Christmas in enjoyment, I read on … What followed was a description of a most beautiful and flower filled day of merriment, where a large May garland of flowers, prepared mostly by the children and encrusted with gathered violets, cowslips, wallflowers, oxlips, sweetbriar and more, was carried ceremoniously accompanied by a flower bedecked May Queen, replete with a regal daisy crown. The procession along with a whole bevy of beribboned and pinafored girls in light coloured frocks and boys in bright ribbons and sashes would travel from the Rectory, to the Squire’s house, and thereon to the farmhouses and cottages dotted across the local parish. There would be May songs rejoicing in the beauty of Spring and the tinkling of coins in the money box at the end of each recital was customary.
Another major celebration surrounded Harvest Time. After the last sheaf of corn was collected, the farm workers would be invited to a glorious harvest home dinner at the farmer’s house. Hams were boiled, plum puddings stacked, eighteen gallon casks were tapped, and plum loaves baked in a truly Dickensian feast. In retrospect, it seems fitting that the most celebrated festivals for Lark Rise villagers, were those related to that of the land and its bounty.
Of course I am just skimming the surface in this review. Flora Thompson’s ‘Lark Rise’ is wonderfully descriptive and one might say, illuminating. A carefully scripted paragraph inserted here and there amidst the pages can astonish the reader with nature descriptions of searing beauty.
“Against the billowing gold of the fields the hedges stood dark, solid and dew-sleeked; dewdrops beaded the gossamer webs, and the children’s feet left long, dark trails on the dewy turf. There were night scents of wheat-straw and flowers and moist earth on the air and the sky fleeced with pink clouds.”
If you have wondered what it must have been like to live a few centuries ago, then this is a good book to pick up. It is a beautiful place to be transported to and though the last page of the book brought tears to my eyes, I will leave it to you, to find out why.
I received a review copy of ‘Lark Rise’ by Flora Thompson from Slightly Foxed but all opinions are my own.
This book review of ‘Charlotte Fairlie’ by D E Stevenson is for the #1954Club hosted by Simon David Thomas from Stuck in a Book and Karen from Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings.
It was wonderful escaping into the romantic world of Charlotte Fairlie this week. Although some of the characters had quite noticeable flaws and the plot was somewhat predictable I couldn’t help just revelling in the cosy atmosphere of this novel. I’m glad the #1954Club gave me the perfect excuse to do so. Please check out Simon and Karen’s wonderful blogs for more book reviews by book bloggers who read a variety of books this week that were published in 1954.
Charlotte Fairlie is a young and lonely headmistress of a respected Girls’ Boarding School in rural England. Although the position is most coveted, young Charlotte finds herself quite distanced from friends and family. The other teachers view her from a position of respect and as an authoritative figure – although Charlotte certainly seems to navigate her administrative activities calmly and without being too overbearing. There is one particular teacher though, who bears a grudge upon Charlotte – and that is a senior mistress called Miss Pinkerton. Due to her seniority, Miss Pinkerton had hoped to secure the position of headmistress of Saint Elizabeth’s – but the members of the Board favoured the young, freshly graduated Charlotte Fairlie instead, an ex-student of Saint Elizabeth’s, an Oxford scholar and expert in modern languages.
As the story unfolds, we learn about Charlotte’s family history. Having lost her mother at an early age, Charlotte and her father shared a very close bond until her wicked stepmother arrived on the scene and sent her to boarding school, never to see her father again. Having no close family except an old aunt and a maternal uncle to look after her, Charlotte’s familial life and a lack of close connections – paints a rather lonely and bleak picture.
A new girl arrives at Saint Elizabeth – a Scottish girl called Tessa MacRynne. She is the daughter of a well known Scottish land owner – a man who in fact owns an entire Scottish island called Targ and lives in isolation with a whole group of people who revere him as the head of their clan. Tessa’s Mother, an American deposits her daughter with Charlotte and soon afterwards, Tessa receive news from her Mother, that she has left her husband and plans to sail back to the States to live with her own parents. Distraught with the news, Tessa tries to run away and go back to her Father in Targ. Charlotte discovers the child trying to escape and convinces her to come back to school and thus suppresses any kind of scandal. In doing so, Charlotte forms a close connection with the lonely Tessa MacRynne.
Tessa also makes friends with another motherless girl, Dione or Donny Eastwood, whose family lives in the town near school. Dione and her two brothers visit home on Sundays, where they meet their overbearing and verbally abusive Father – Professor Eastwood.
Donny and her two brothers and Charlotte are both invited to spend their summer holidays at Targ with Tessa and her Father – Rory MacRynne.
The part of the novel that is set on Targ is my favourite. The history and the people of Targ and the old house with modern conveniences where the guests stay with the MacRynnes is wonderfully described. There are some interesting old maiden aunts and people in the village who are also very interesting characters. Tessa’s Father and Charlotte immediately have a connection – but I won’t reveal anymore about that aspect of the story.
One of the underlying themes in the novel that frequently cropped up in the novel was the lack of a stable, loving and secure home environment and it’s detrimental effects on children. Several of the central characters in the novel grew up with the lack of a mother figure and in certain cases, a harsh or indifferent father figure. If I had to make a criticism about the novel, it would be that I don’t think that the unpleasant characters in the book seemed to be real life, fleshed out characters. In certain aspects they seemed to be too evil and malignant. I think DE Stevenson portrays likeable characters particularly wel though.
One of my favourite things about the novel, aside from the descriptions of home life in Targ, were the couple of chapters set during Christmas in a remote English village. Devoid of the usual merriment, it depicted a Christmas spent rather quietly and with a great deal of contemplation – and I enjoyed reading about this. There is also a brief interlude spent in Copenhagen. DE Stevenson writes about place particularly well.
A big thank you to Simon and Karen for prompting me to pick up this book. If you fancy a trip to a lovely Scottish isle with a handsome and rugged clan chieftain, then do pick up this book. I’ll definitely be re reading this book in future.
Thanks to Dean Street Press for sending me an e-book of ‘Charlotte Fairlie’ from the Furrowed Middlebrow Series for review purposes. All impressions are my own.
2021 was a year of fantastic reading for me and the following books bear testament to that fact. Favourite books came from Slightly Foxed, Persephone Books, Dean Street Press and the British Library among others. A special mention goes to O Douglas who is perhaps my favourite comfort author.
1)Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee (press copy from Slightly Foxed)
Laurie Lee’s wonderful evocation of his childhood, in a small Cotswold village in ‘Cider With Rosie’ was a memorable read.
The memoir is a heady and wholly immersive walk down memory lane. Each recapitulation is so vivid that it really set’s the reader’s imagination ablaze with imagery. The prose is packed with descriptors that really bring to life every sensory detail.
One by one the people, places and incidents of his childhood are recounted but in a way, that immerses us in the landscape- to witness the peculiar activities of the elderly old ladies who are their close neighbours (Granny Trill and Granny Wallon), to hear and feel the rush of rain, clap of thunder of a great storm that practically submerges their low lying cottage, and to breathe in and taste the heady flavour of cider from the bounty of apples from the valley.
I really enjoyed this fleeting glimpse into a time and way of life that has long since disappeared.
2)Penny Plain by O Douglas
A book that enveloped me in the tightest, sweetest, coziest hug in February was ‘Penny Plain’ by the Scottish author O Douglas.
I know, this book will become a lifelong favourite to return to when I’m in need of a little bit of comfort.
Penny Plain is about the life of the poor Jardine family. Jean, the eldest sister helps to bring up her two younger brothers and step brother on a paltry annual income. They live in a lovely rented cottage called The Rigs in the small town of Priorsford in the Scottish Borders. The lives of the Jardine family is set in a tumult when Lady Pamela, a woman seeking sanctuary from her frivolous life in London and a boring lover comes to take lodgings next door. An unlikely visit from an old man in London, also brings a tremendous sea-change in the Jardine’s life.
It’s all very interesting, particularly the details of everyday life, the lovely characters and the small town drama. I can’t tell you more – because that would be giving plot details away. Though it’s quite hard to find O Douglas books there are several of her e-books available at this time. They are well worth reading if you enjoy cozy, books with domestic detail.
3)My Antonia by Willa Cather
‘My Antonia’ dwells on the immigrant experience of a family from Bohemia, who settle in the bleak American Midwest. The focus is on the eldest girl of the family – Antonia, the muse and love of the storyteller.
Often, quite grim the novel lays bare the hardship and struggles of the family totally out of depth, farming the unruly, unyielding land. The hardship of the long, bleak and brutal winters take a toll on the family, particularly their first winter, when they are mentally and physically unprepared.
The novel then, goes on to charter Antonia’s development as a woman – on a path of self-learning where there are no safety-nets when mistakes are made. Often inspiring, this is a book that tugs on the heart strings. It is sometimes quite hard to read, but the prose is beautiful and the story, ultimately uplifting. Having lived and worked in America as an immigrant myself, I could identify with the feeling of isolation and unfamiliarity experienced by a ‘foreigner’ in a new environment. It is a brave and life-changing experience.
4)Apricot Sky by Ruby Ferguson (e book review copy from Dean Street Press)
One of the nicest, nicest books I’ve read in a while was ‘Apricot Sky’ by Ruby Ferguson. Long out of print, this sublime ode to Scotland has been reissued by Dean Street Press.
Fans of ‘Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary’ will delight in this book set on the west coast of Scotland over the course of a summer after the end of WW2. ‘Apricot Sky’ by Ruby Ferguson describes the family life of a multi-generational Scottish family, who live on the west coast of Scotland, just over the water from Skye. The story encompasses a beautiful summer, a summer that will culminate in the marriage of the second daughter of the family, a girl called Raine, who will marry a local Scotsman called Ian. More than having a strong overarching plot, this book is a collection of beautiful moments – moments that celebrate the beauty of Scotland and the Scottish way of life. If you enjoy character driven books and are looking for that perfect slow summer read – then please do pick this up.
5)Mamma by Diana Tutton (press copy from the British Library)
‘Mamma’ by Diana Tutton is the story of the relationship between a 41year old widow, Joanna Malling and a married man, six years her junior. The relationship is complicated by the fact that the young man is her son-in-law, the husband of her most beloved daughter.
‘Mamma’ deals with quite a taboo topic – a relationship between two people, who though not related by blood are related to one another by that of close affinity. The common link in this case is a most beloved daughter/ wife. This is quite an unusual and brave topic to deal with and I must say that Tutton navigates the difficult topic with great sensibility. This is not a premeditated story of lust and want. It is a story of the mutual attraction of two people who find they are on the same intellectual plane. From this, is derived a need for greater intimacy.
The relationship that develops between mother in law and son in law is not at all pre meditated. It very slowly and naturally develops as a result of living at close quarters and the genuine meeting of intelligent minds. In this way, the development of plot isn’t nauseating although it can make for quite uncomfortable reading at times. There is a strong degree of sexual tension in the novel as well.
Ultimately, it is a story about protracted loneliness, the loneliness that a widow might experience when she has been bereft of intimacy and companionship for the majority of her adult life. I thought it was a most thought provoking and brave novel.
6)The Swiss Summer by Stella Gibbons
‘The Swiss Summer’ is set in the Grindelwald-Interlaken region of the Swiss Oberland, famed for its proximity to the giant peaks of the ethereal Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger. The story begins in the aftermath of the Second World War. The story is told through the eyes of a forty year old married woman called Lucy Cottrell. Lucy is tired of her busy life in London as the wife of an insurance agent, with its rush of social events and people. So when, a chance encounter with Lady Dalgleish, a woman owning a Swiss Chalet opens up an opportunity to spend a few weeks in this idyllic spot, Lucy jumps at the opportunity. The main reason for her visit is to act as an assistant to Freda Blandish, Lady Dalgleish’s companion, to catalogue Lady Dalgleish’s husband’s vast library of books and artifacts. However, what starts off as a secluded blissful holiday is converted to an uproarious holiday lodge with a crew of weird and wonderful characters. Though the loss of complete peace and quiet is a loss for Lucy, the people who stay at the Chalet Alpenrose form close bonds and forge friendships that will last them a lifetime. The book discusses issues such as childlessness, parenting, the breaking up of class structure in Britain in the aftermath of WW2, class sensibility and the way the British tourist was viewed by native Europeans, first love and the ideal of marrying for love versus money. It’s a lovely book – but to my mind – the wonderful sense of place in ‘Swiss Summer’ was the highlight of the book.
7)Little Boy Lost by Marganita Laski
Another of my best books for 2021 is Marghanita Laski’s poignant and soul searching novel ‘Little Boy Lost’ published by Persephone Books.
Once in a while, there comes a book that is so much more than the series of events it retells. Some stories have the power to evoke major existential questions, deal with emotions so raw and that lie so heavy on the heart, that the novel becomes deeply psychological and grapples with the character’s inner conundrums and dilemmas, inviting the reader to take part in the discussion. ‘Little Boy Lost’ is just such a book.
Without giving too much of the plot away – the book is about Hilary’s quest to find his young son, lost in the chaos and confusion and mass destruction of the Second World War in Paris.
Set in post-war France, in Paris and an obscure provincial town blaster beyond recognition in northern France, ‘Little Boy Lost’ is also a depiction of the mass destruction that ravaged France and what it was like to live in France at such a time. The images that Laski evokes are haunting to say the least.
‘Little Boy Lost’ is a book about ideals, about personal freedom and the search for happiness. It also explores the instinctual ability to recognise oneself in one’s children. Fraught with many moral dilemmas, this is a masterful book that will have you entranced, from start to finish. Highly highly recommend.
8)The Rector’s Daughter by FM Mayor (press copy from Persephone Books)
I recently finished reading FM Mayor’s classic novel – ‘The Rector’s Daughter’, to be published by Persephone Books.
It was – poignant read that took me a few days to mentally recover from reading about poor Mary’s life. Recover from reading about the depths and constancy of her love, devotion and emotions. Her deep-rooted devotion to her Father and the man that she loved with her heart and soul.
‘The Rector’s Daughter’ is Mary’s story. The story of how she unexpectedly found love at the age of thirty-five, bringing hope and joy into her very quiet and uneventful existence. A love that she, unlike many single women of her acquaintance – longed for with her heart and soul.
To tell you more would provide you with spoilers. ‘The Rector’s Daughter’ moved me. I felt for Mary, just as much as I felt for Jane in Jane Eyre. Though Mary, as stated in the novel, didn’t want to be pitied, her story and the way life treated her – demanded for a great deal of pity.
Deemed a classic, and for good reason – I was completely moved by ‘The Rector’s Daughter’.
9)Strong Poison by Dorothy L Sayers
‘Strong Poison’ by Dorothy L Sayers is a fast paced crime novel that opens with us witnessing novelist Miss Harriet Vane standing on trial for the murder of her ex-lover, a man called Phillip Boyes. Phillip Boyes died from suspected arsenic poisoning and since Harriet Vane was found to have purchased quantities of arsenic on various occasions for supposed research purposes and given her turbulent relationship with the deceased, it seems probable that she will be found guilty. It remains for our dapper hero, war veteran Lord Peter Wimsey to try and save Harriet from impending doom. The excellent plot, the fast paced nature of the story telling but mostly the wonderful sparkling dialogue and chemistry between Vane and Wimsey – are what made this book a wonderful read in my opinion.
10)Last Waltz in Vienna by George Clare (press copy from Slightly Foxed)
I was completely immersed in George Clare’s memoir ‘Last Waltz in Vienna’ published by Slightly Foxed.
The book is a personal account of what it was like to be Jewish, living in Vienna during the Victorian age through to the Edwardian age and the First and Second World Wars. George Clare describes the history and life of his ancestors including the most quotidian detail, making this a most real and absorbing narrative. Through his eyes we witness some of the political details of living in the eye of the storm during such a turbulent time.
Why the attention to so much detail? As Clare explains towards the start of the narrative : “We cannot identify with millions, we can only identify with single human beings. That is one reason why this book is not about the defenceless millions who were murdered by Hitler’s holocaust and who, because of their numbers, must remain strange, shadowy, unreal, but tells the story of only a few men and women who were my ancestors.”
George Clare’s memoir is such a sad, poignant read but so important in trying to learn about the diabolical atrocities of the war.
‘The Fair Miss Fortune’ is a light and entertaining read involving a host of lively characters, who tell their story against the backdrop of a quaint English village.
The story starts with the arrival of young Miss Jane Fortune to the small, sleepy village of Dingleford, replete with village green, one village shop which sells anything and everything, a postmaster who knows exactly what’s going on in every household and the village Inn, the Cat and Fiddle, where the locals catch up on the latest happenings.
Captain Charles Weatherby has also returned to the village on leave from his service in India and in the first chapter, we see him attending a housewarming party hosted by Mrs Prescott and her son Harold. Harold is a childhood friend and the people at the party are all people Charles has known since he was a child. Nevertheless, Charles feels intimated at the prospect of meeting so many people again after a long time and hovers on the doorstep listening to the sounds coming from indoors.
“The sound grew louder as he approached until it resembled the din which emanates from the monkey house at the Zoo, but Charles was well aware that it was neither bees nor monkeys but merely the Prescotts’ house-warming sherry-party in full swing.”
Charles is welcomed into the house by his childhood friend Harold Prestcott and in no time at all becomes a part of the humming conversation.
The Prescotts have sold their old Elizabethan cottage, Dingleford Cottage and have moved to a much more modern home due to the building of ‘The Road’ – a major arterial road connecting two large towns and cutting through southern parts of the village of Dingleford. The new owner of Dingleford Cottage – the young Miss Jane Fortune, hopes to set up a tea shop at the back of Dingleford Cottage and thus profit from the influx of traffic plying through ‘the Road’.
As happens in a small village, a newcomer incites a great deal of curiosity and one by one, the inhabitants of the village visit Miss Fortune. They find a very pretty young girl with fair hair and pleasant personality and she finds herself the centre of attention of many of the village bachelors – including Charles Weatherby and Harold Prescott.
The situation becomes quite muddled though when Jane Fortune’s twin sister arrives on the scene, pursued by an angry Frenchman. The story is indeed a comedy of errors and the tangle of mistaken identity makes for a diverting read.
Some of my favourite scenes from the book involve the mending of a cistern, a brawl at the Inn and scenes from a dance at the Golf Club.
This is definitely one of Stevenson’s lighter books. I loved the setting of the book and the witty writing. ‘The Fair Miss Fortune’ is a good comfort read when you are in the mood for something light and funny.
I was sent an e-book of ‘The Fair Miss Fortune’ by DE Stevenson for review by the publisher Dean Street Press but all opinions about the book are my own.
oday’s Christmas Book Advent Calendar features ‘The Christmas Day Kitten’ by James Herriot – a story about love and loss around Christmastime.
James Herriot’s writing is a particular comfort read of mine and his heartwarming tales around his busy veterinary practice in Yorkshire are the perfect cozy books to read around Christmas.
Last year, a friend on Instagram recommended ‘The Christmas Day Kitten’ by James Herriot as a lovely festive picture book. The reason that I like it so much is because it doesn’t read as a child’s tale but as a simple story told by Herriot with a focus on a message that is meaningful during this time of year. Complemented with detailed and beautiful drawings by the illustrator Ruth Brown, ‘The Christmas Day Kitten’ is a lovely addition to our library of Christmas books.
‘The Christmas Day Kitten’ is a story about Mrs Pickering, who lived in a beautiful sprawling Yorkshire farmhouse. The owner of three beautiful Basset hounds, James Herriot was often called to Mrs Pickering’s house to attend to her beloved dogs. When he visited he couldn’t help but notice a scrawny cat who stayed a little while by the fireside and often disappeared, shortly afterwards. When asked about her disappearance, Mrs Pickering remarked that ‘Debbie’ was a stray who came and went – where she exactly lived, nobody knew.
One Christmas morning, James Herriot was called most urgently to Mrs Pickering’s home to attend to the not the Basset hounds – but Debbie. This is the story of what happened to Debbie and the heartwarming present she left for Mrs Pickering that Christmas Day.
As always, Herriot’s stories have that twist that makes our eyes well up and our hearts feel full of emotion.
This is a wonderful little tale and the beautiful illustrations and simply penned lines are a beautiful gift to the reader. My favourite illustration from the book is that of Herriot driving through the snow filled streets of the deserted market square on Christmas morning. The hills are clad in deep swathes of snow and though the shops are closed, merry lights are twinkling in the shop windows.
Are you a James Herriot fan? If so, can we ever forget ‘Uncle James’s fabulous annual Christmas hamper, stuffed with all sorts of goodies from Fortnum and Mason?
The theme for today’s bookish advent is that of Christmas in a village in the heart of rural Suffolk. It describes a much simpler time, a time for sharing and enjoying the fruits of the land and fields for this farming community. The writing is from the first book in Adrian Bell’s memorable and heartwarming rural trilogy described here in ‘Corduroy’ and published by the independent publisher Slightly Foxed.
‘Corduroy’ published in 1920, is the first of Adrian Bell’s trilogy of memoirs, describing his life, adapting to farming life in rural Suffolk, from the perspective of a lifelong city-dweller.
Bell, takes up residence on the large farmstead of a local family by name of Colville. The family live in the small farming village of Benfield and ‘Corduroy’ is a fascinating account of Bell’s year in the life, adapting to a completely new way of life.
The day before Christmas was heralded by the quite gruesome act of killing and plucking the hundred or so turkeys that Mrs Colville had painstakingly reared in order to be sold to a London buyer. Bell describes the painstaking labour and trouble of rearing the birds in the several months prior to Christmas. From March to December, Mrs Colville’s days would be kept busy with these ministrations and I imagine formed a large part of her income.
Though Bell went home to his own family that particular Christmas, he describes many memorable Christmases spent in Benfield and the descriptions contained in Bell’s latest book published by Slightly Foxed – ‘A Countryman’s Winter Notebook’ is a collection of his writings for a column I Suffolk and Norfolk’s long-serving local newspaper – the ‘Eastern Daily Press’.
Bell remembers Christmases of virgin snow with cottage and tower standing out from the pristine landscape. He remembers approaching the village over the pristine whiteness that had been briefly marked by the patterns of birds’ feet.
But mostly he remembers that hive of activity, that gathering place of village souls, only second in busyness to the highly favoured Cock Inn – the village Post Office.
Gifts flowed in and out – from Benfield to the world at large and it was not unusual to see rabbits and game tied, labelled and trussed up on the Post Office countertops. It seems to have been a simpler, less commercial time. A time of giving freely the fruits of land and labour, a time of being with neighbours, friends and family. On Boxing Day the bell ringers serenaded the village houses with chimes from hand bells and they were invited in for a drink to toast the New Year, favourable sun and shower.
Jill’s Gymkhana by Ruby Ferguson (illustration from Caney, A Stable for Jill).
The theme for today’s bookish advent is that of Christmas presents. What is Christmas Day without presents, especially for young children? I’m going to describe a few extracts from Ruby Ferguson’s marvellous children’s book – ‘Jill’s Gymkhana’ – the first in a long series of books about a horse mad heroine.
I think that we can agree, that for true bibliophiles, Christmas presents can be divided into the ones that have us jumping for joy (bookish presents) and presents that leave us a little less excited (non-bookish presents).
For horse-living Jill Crewe of Ruby Ferguson’s ‘Jill Books’, Christmas morning was filled with the anticipation of receiving ‘horsey gifts’.
Lying in bed on Christmas morning and lighting her bedside candle, Jill spied several interesting looking parcels on the table beside her bed.
The contained cards and Christmas money from her Godmother, a fountain pen from her Mother, a boring boarding school book from cousin Cecilia entitled ‘ The Madcap of the School’, a manicure set from one aunt, a set of handkerchiefs from another and a pair of yellow string gloves from her best friend Ann.
Jill immediately thought of a number of horsey things she could have bought instead of her Mother’s fountain pen but tried to quell these unworthy thoughts.
Later in the day Ann and a family friend called Martin come to visit and there is tea, iced buns and a proper Christmas cake. There’s a meaningful passage between Martin and Jill’s family over the exchange of expensive presents on Martin’s part. Martin argues that Jill and her Mother have done so much to make his Christmas time feel joyful with their company and he urges them to accept his gift in return.
But most of all I liked how Jill made her mum a big cup of tea in a favourite fluted green cup and saucer and presented her with the tea in bed on Christmas morning. I think that was extremely thoughtful!
At the end of the day, this is what Jill had to say about her first Christmas in Chatton,
“After getting all these wonderful presents, especially the horsy ones that I hadn’t expected, I think you will agree with me that it was a very nice Christmas.”
‘Penny Plain’ by O Douglas is one of my most favourite books by the Scottish writer O. Douglas or Anna Buchan, set in the lowland town of Priorsford, in the Scottish Borders. It tells the story of a poor and struggling young family- the Jardins – motherless and fatherless -looked after by their very young older sister Jean. There are two younger brothers, one at Oxford, one at school and an adopted brother of sorts, called the Mhor, and they all live in a delightfully quirky cottage called ’The Rigs’ whose slightly elevated front room resembles the prow of a ship that looks up to the hills.
A lively young socialite comes to live next door, befriends the family and creates quite a stir in the sleepy town of Priorsford. I adore the book because of its cozy descriptions of family life and home. Jean is an endearing heroine. There is a special chapter devoted to Christmas in Priorsford and I’m going to speak about it now.
The youngest member of the family, the Mhor, looked forward to Christmas as soon as Halloween was over. Jock the schoolgoing brother had drawn out a Christmas timetable, enlisting the main events of the day, spread out intentionally over the entirety of the day, in order to escape the disappointment and irritability of Christmas days of past, where present giving and enjoyment was over in the morning. The timetable consisted thus :-
7.30. stockings
8.30. Breakfast
9. Postman
10-12. Deliver small presents to various friends
1. Luncheon at the Jowetts
4. Tea at home and present giving
5-9. Devoted to supper and variety entertainment
The descriptions of the variety entertainments were my favourite consisting of a series of plays put up by the boys, with the disastrous result of nearly setting fire to the hastily put together stage, while lighting the funeral pyre during Anthony’s oratory over Caesar.
Most memorable is Mrs McCosh’s (the house help’s) exclamation over proceedings – “Ye wee devil, said Mrs McCosh, “ye micht hev had us a burned where we sat, and it Christmas too!”
Bag Full Of Books 