‘Portrait of a Marriage’ – A Semi-Autobiographical Glimpse of the Life and Loves of Vita Sackville-West

November 5, 2026November 5, 2026 / Bag Full of Books / Leave a comment

Published: 1973

Author: Nigel Nicolson

Publisher: Slightly Foxed Ltd

Genre: Memoir/Biography

Subjects: Vita Sackville-West (V S-W), Harold Nicolson (writer and diplomat), Violet Keppel, Rosamund Grosvener

Setting: Knole (large country house with 52 staircases, spread over 1000 acres)

Format: confessions of Vita about her love affair with Violet Keppel. Vita’s diaries are interspersed with notes and commentary from her son, Nigel Nicolson

Summary: ‘Portrait of a Marriage’ is a description of several years in the married life of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson, part autobiography by Vita, part biography by the couple’s younger son Nigel Nicolson. In particular the book describes those critical years when the couple’s marriage teetered on a dangerous precipice. It was threatened by Vita’s affair with Violet Keppel, climaxing when Vita and Violet eloped to France, only to be retrieved by their respective spouses. What shines through in the book is the extraordinary bond that Vita and Harold shared with one another. Their marriage is an example of a relationship that didn’t follow conventional norms, but still worked for them in private, defying societal judgement, gossip and speculation.

On reading the memoir in its entirety, a few lines from the foreword have struck me the most and stayed with me. Penned by Nigel Nicolson, they read thus:

“It is the story of two people who married for love and whose love deepened with every passing year, although each was constantly and by mutual consent unfaithful to the other. Both loved people of their own sex, but not exclusively. Their marriage not only survived infidelity, sexual incompatibility and long absences, but became stronger and finer as a result. Each came to give the other full liberty without enquiry or reproach. Honour was rooted in dishonour. Their marriage succeeded because each found permanent and undiluted happiness only in the company of the other.”

Part One of the book is Vita Sackville-West’s personal diary from 1920, which attempts to recount details of her affair with Violet Keppel and purge her mind of the love she had for this woman. One can gauge a certain level of frustration that the author had, how she could not reconcile herself to loving someone of her own sex. She speaks of a ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde personality’.

“That is the whole crux of the matter, and I see now that my whole curse has been a duality with which I was too weak and too self-indulgent to struggle.”

This personal narrative of Vita’s is interspersed with notes from her son, Nigel Nicolson. Though the later pages of the book do mention Vita’s relationship with Virginia Woolf, this book does focus more wholly on Vita’s relationship with Violet Keppel, the single incident, which threatened to break Vita’s marriage with Harold. After this, the couple developed an understanding that remained unbroken, despite their subsequent infidelities.

Part One and Part Two have a number of streams of narrative : Vita’s parental family history and her childhood at Knole and the inheritance dispute of the family estate of Knole. Vita first met Violet at the age of 12. They went to school together in London but their relationship didn’t develop romantically till much later, when Harold and Vita were married for five years in 1918.

Part One and Part Two of Vita’s narrative serve as the prelude to the development of the affair. It details Vita’s family history, her Gramdfather’s love and special attention to her at Knole, the 1000 acre family estate, over which there was a very public legal battle upon Vita’s grandfather’s death. Vita’s parents won the estate and it was Vita’s home till she married the diplomat, Harold Nicolson in 1913. The couple set up their own home at Long Barn in a tumbledown cottage, two miles from Knole, which was extensively restored and extended by Sir Edward Lutyens, companion to Vita’s mother.

It was in the Spring of 1918, that Vita and Violet’s affair started at Long Barn. Harold was away on foreign diplomatic work. Vita and Harold were separated a lot due to Harold’s work and they missed each other tremendously, writing to one another frequently to fill the void between them. Violet was to be engaged to Denys Trefusis the following year – a relationship that was one-sided, in that Violet was obsessed, devoted to Vita and wanted to leave everything and live with her.

The climax was reached in 1920, when Vita and Violet planned to elope together to Amien in France. Rather ironically, on Valentine’s Day of 1920, Harold and Denys both flew to Amiens in a two seater aeroplane, piloted by Denys Trefusis. They then retrieved their respective spouses and took them back separately to Paris.

In the next year or so, although Vita and Violet met and went away together, their relationship dwindled. Violet returned to Denys. Vita went on to have relationships with different people but she always came back to her anchor and support, her constant companion to the end – Harold Nicolson. I feel their son, Nigel summarises the pattern of their relationship perfectly in the lines –

If their marriage is seen as a harbour, their love affairs were mere ports of call. It was to the harbour that each returned; it was there that both were based.

If one steps back from all the dates, the isolated events, the places, the people, the history that reside in the book, one person in particular shines through the narrative – Vita Sackville-West. One can’t help but believe that she must have been a tremendous personality. To have the capacity to love so many people, to have so many people love her so fervently, to have a constant, steadfast companion like Harold Nicolson to the last – now that highlights no ordinary individual.

Many Thanks to the Folks at Slightly Foxed for sending me a review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Librocubicularism, Pink Sugar by O Douglas and Books Within Books

March 11, 2026April 29, 2026 / Bag Full of Books / Leave a comment

There is no greater comfort than reading in bed. Did you know that a person who reads in bed is called a librocubicularist? The word is an amalgamation of the Latin words for book and bedroom. Christopher Morley used this term in his book ‘ The Haunted Bookshop’. One of the books I’ve been reading in bed this month is O Douglas’ ‘Pink Sugar’. Isn’t it quite natural that one should read comfort books in bed or at least keep them by the bedside?

Here is a copy of my edition of ‘Pink Sugar’. Notice how Kirsty Gilmour beckons to us in her green dress. Wearing green emeralds around her neck, or is that jade?

I collect these pocket vintage Nelson editions of the O Douglas stories and am very fortunate to own a complete set. Here they are. Aren’t they stunning?

Let us return to Kirsty Gilmour and ‘Pink Sugar’. I’ve been hosting a super slow readalong of the book over on my Instagram channel. I’ve made copious chapter by chapter analysis and I’ve really enjoyed doing so. Apart from the bare backbones of the story, I’ve been simultaneously taking note of the books mentioned within ‘Pink Sugar’ – an epic example of how books live within books.

Books mentioned within books give us a fascinating insight into the personal library of the author. If it is a favourite author, then such insights are even more delightful. One would hope that such a reading list would provide even more reading material similar to our favourite author’s writing. Reading lists from old books (Pink Sugar was first published in 1924) give us an idea of what kind of books were being published at the time, a social history lesson of sorts. Here’s a list of some of the books mentioned by O Douglas.

Isn’t it a lovely list? Some of the books are ideal to curl up with on a rainy day while watching the rain pour outside.

Pink Sugar is just that kind of a book. It’s about young Kirsty Gilmour who is young, has a substantial legacy left to her by her Father, who decides to go back to her Scottish roots and rent a small house and garden in the Scottish Borders. The house is part of a larger estate owned by a retired Colonel. Little Phantasy as the small house is called is a charming house with a little stream trickling through the back garden. Kirsty’s heart is full but she only wants for the presence of people to fill her house with. An old Aunt, who has fallen on harder times is recruited along with three tiny children whose Mamma has passed away and whose Father wishes to travel to forget his grief. There are lots of well meaning neighbour’s, the beauty of the mountains as a backdrop to the story, ever present, majestic and looming. Each chapter of the story might be lifted from a charming stage production, so we’ll crafted are the situations, characters and dialogues. It is a quiet story about a young woman finding purpose in her life, of finding love and of giving love. It’s just the kind of story that I like. Nothing much happens but your inner world is enriched from reading it.

We will be reading The Proper Place by O Douglas on my Instagram channel in May. Do join.

Introduction to Sally by Elizabeth von Arnim

February 21, 2024 / Bag Full of Books / Leave a comment

‘Introduction to Sally’ by Elizabeth von Arnim is a novel about a young woman of exceptional beauty, who causes a flurry of excitement wherever she goes due to her great beauty. Rather than act as a boon, Sally’s exceptional looks bring her the wrong type of attention and this is a matter of concern to the people related to her. First her Father, then her protective husband and then people who get to know her well are flustered by the amount of attention Sally unwittingly receives.

Sally has one great disability, at least in the eyes of the upper middle class and upper classes of society that she finds herself in and that is her inability to enunciate well, particularly her ‘h’s’ at the beginning of words, in fact she is encouraged to quickly lose the Cockney accent that she has used and known her entire life.

This is an extremely funny novel and von Arnim’s knack for bringing out the ridiculous in social situations makes it a novel that will strike you at every twist and turn of plot, but at the same time – to me at least – it is a heartbreakingly painful novel. A novel where one has to look upon the plight of a naive innocent young girl who is worshipped superficially and is trained to behave in ways that completely delete her past. It highlights how much beauty is revered in society. There’s also a very uncomfortable line drawn between the social classes – there are the Pinners of the world spouting their Cockney accent and leading honest hardworking lives, the Dukes and Duchesses of the world with nothing much to do with their time except look towards the next form of personal amusement, and then the Lukes of the world – living in genteel poverty yet steeped in snobbery, studying at Cambridge and trying to win respect and admiration through their accomplishments.

This is an interesting novel with Sally at the centre of it all. In fact an ‘Introduction to Sally’ will have you feeling, and experiencing many things in the short course of meeting her. The crux of the matter is : is there anyone in her life who can see past Sally’s good looks and love her for who she is?

Sally’s parents are hardworking people living in London and running a grocery shop. Mrs Pinner however, attracts a lot of attention due to her good looks and has to be protected by her husband from all and sundry. The couple have a much awaited daughter after many years and the Pinners decide to call her Salvatia – a baby who brings about salvation of their souls and spirits – but Mr Pinner is not to know then, the trouble Salvatia or Sally as she is called, will bring him.

When Sally is a young girl, Mrs Pinner passes away and now it is Sally’s turn to command everyone’s attention due to her startling good looks. Mr Pinner retires to a quiet sleepy village in the vicinity of Cambridge and hopes that no one will discover Sally there. He doesn’t take into account however, the number of undergraduate students at Cambridge who pass through the sleepy village and call on his grocery store.

One day, a young brilliant undergraduate called Luke Jocelyn chances upon Mr Pinner’s shop and is awestruck with the vision of Sally. He forgets all his academic ambitions, his bright future, his family, his purpose – all he knows is that he is beguiled with Sally and must have her for his own. When he proposes to marry his daughter, Mr Pinner’s initial anger regarding Jocelyn’s attentions, turns to joy and within the fortnight, Sally is married off to Luke Jocelyn.

During the blissful first moments of the honeymoon in Cornwall, Luke’s initial state of besottedness succumbs to horror as he realises that much is to be desired regarding Sally’s delivery of speech. Dropping of h’s at the beginning of words, terms and phrases, in fact her Cockney dialect and all the little niggling details of her lack of education and total oblivion regarding social niceties – makes him realise that he has to introduce Sally to his Mother – a snobbish woman who is very proud of her son and his accomplishments and is very aware of her position in society.

When Mother meets Sally for the first time she makes gentrifying Sally a full-time project and Sally, much to her dismay is temporarily abandoned by her husband who goes back to Cambridge. There’s nothing left for Sally to do but abandon ship, leading to disastrous, weird and wonderful consequences. The book is quite a joy-ride of action and activity but through it all one can’t help feel sorry for Sally, who wants nothing more than two rooms to live in, a number of babies to take care of and ‘usband’ to come home to her at the end of the day.

Is it a satire against society? Perhaps it is. And one can only wonder about a society so chained to a love for superficial ideals, wealth and an awareness of class differences. We need more people who have Sally’s heart, her love for home, her innocence and the freshness of her voice. A thoroughly thought-provoking novel shedding light on the social sensibilities of the 1920’s.

’Introduction to Sally’ was sent to me as a review copy but as always, all thoughts about the novel are my own.

Stories for Winter and Nights by the Fire

February 3, 2024 / Bag Full of Books / 2 Comments

There’s something very haunting about the collection of stories entitled ‘Stories for Winter and Nights by the Fire’. They’re certainly those kind of tales that will make you want to sit closer to the fire, nestle into a blanket and truly absorb the spirit of winter. I’ve now read the stories and each one of them has a wonderful mood that will have you pausing and thinking about the feeling of being immersed in winter.

There’s an unusual story by Elizabeth Taylor of a young woman waiting for her lover in a house completely flooded by the icy waters of the overflowing Thames. She spends a night with two mystery neighbours, after wading out to their house in a boat, drinking and trying to overcome her sense of isolation.

‘A Cup of Tea’ by Katherine Mansfield is set around a cold winter afternoon. The story is about a rich, well-to-do woman called Rosemary who, on a whim, takes home a poor young woman who asks her, on the street, for the price of a warming cup of tea. Her pity takes a turn though, when the young girl’s beauty catches the eye of her husband.

‘The Snowstorm’ by Violet MacDonald is a peculiar story about a woman, Elizabeth and a man meeting at an inn and the man imploring her to spend the night with him. There is a description of the terrific snowstorm that they had to drive through to reach the country house in the depths of the country. There’s lots of atmosphere and even more snow and a feeling of foreboding in the story which keeps you on the edge of your seat. ‘November Fair’ by Kate Roberts is a small story that captures beautifully the hard life of the Welsh people with beautiful nuggets of quotidian detail. Here too the cosiness of the railway compartment contrasts sharply with the cold of the exterior Welsh landscape.

Apart from this there’s a spooky ghost story, a strange story from Elizabeth Bowen about searching for the perfect winter hat at a very quiet mysterious shop with a gracious and slightly condescending proprietress called Ann Lee. There’s a chance encounter with a sinister man whilst at the shop. There’s a story to make you smile called ‘The Cold’ from Sylvia Townsend Warner – which has that woeful wonder as its central character – the winter cold!

These are just a few of the stories that have caught my eye. I think this is the perfect book to pick up in January and February, when the excitement of Christmas is over and the winter nights draw in. Don’t expect Christmas cosy, but do expect lots of wintry atmosphere.

’Stories for Winter and Nights by the Fire’ was sent to me by the British Library as a review copy but as always all opinions are my own.

January 2020 – Month in Review

February 5, 2020February 27, 2020 / Bag Full of Books / 2 Comments

Milton Place - Elisabeth de Waal - Persephone Books

January Book Haul - Laura Ingalls Wilder- Enid Blyton

My January Diary

January was a month of new beginnings. On the work front I had new things to learn and new projects to embark on and they kept me very (pleasantly) busy. I was also craving good book discussions and participated in two readalongs on Instagram. One – was ‘A Winter Away’ by Elizabeth Fair. I read this with a close group of friends and the book was light and it was amusing to share excerpts and peculiarities of character, whilst reading.

The second book I read with the Elizabeth Goudge Book Club on Instagram – ‘A City of Bells’. I had this beautiful first edition sitting on my bookshelf – just crying out to be read. I enjoyed this book so much.

We had two birthdays in the family – my daughter’s and my Mum’s. I bought Amitava Ghosh’s ‘Gun Island’ for my mum because she is a huge fan.

Mid-January, the husband and I had four nights of attending Dover Lane Music Conference – an Indian classical musical soirée in Kolkata. Two nights, we stayed up all night and walked home as the sky was turning pink at dawn. There is nothing so uplifting as music and is so needed to lift one’s spirits. I’ll think of the good music I listened to and it will make me happy when I remember it throughout the remainder of the year.

The weather has been unseasonably cold in Kolkata. That, and perhaps the new flat is rather chilly! Whatever the reason – I finally caved and bought a space heater. We celebrated Republic Day with Subway Chicken Tikka sandwiches and Dutch chocolate ice-cream. There was a holiday deal. Sandwiches are the highpoint of our (Meli and my) fast-food life!

Meli spent most of January practicing for Sports Day at her school. She is reading aloud ‘Little House on the Prairie’ to her grandmother, who is visiting at the moment.

I hope you all had a good start to the New Year.

This is my month in review :

The Books I read in January

1) ‘A City of Bells’ by Elizabeth Goudge

I read ‘A City of Bells’ with the Elizabeth Goudge Book Club on Instagram. The lady who hosts the readalong accompanies the books with wonderful images taken from the scenes of the book… in this case the city of Wells, England. This definitely helps to make the book come alive.

’A City of Bells’ was such a charming book. Very well written, a nice plot that was engaging to the last and a host of very endearing characters. And the best of all! The story contained a quaint little bookshop. How can a bibliophile not love a book with a bookstore in it? More on the book later… as I hope to review it in depth.

2) ‘The Prime Minister’ by Anthony Trollope

I’ve been listening to Trollope’s ‘The Prime Minister’ on audible for a few months now. I finally managed to finish the book in January and enjoyed it overall. I think the fact that the central character had a very dislikeable personality deterred me from listening to the book. Sometimes, his vices and personality got too much for me. The book is the fourth in Trollope’s famous ‘Palliser Chronicles’. The most important themes in the book were politics and a greed to make easy money.

3) ‘A Winter Away’ by Elizabeth Fair

4) ‘The New Chalet School’ by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer

I read ‘The New Chalet School’ in an Armada paperback version and it is abruptly cut short at the end. I will have to search for the next Armada book ‘A United Chalet School’ where the story continues to satisfactorily resolve the story. Next month I will pick the most momentous book in the series – ‘The Chalet School in Exile’ and I have an unabridged Girls Gone By Publishing edition that contains the missing chapters of the Armada editions. As ‘Exile’ is my favourite book in the series, I am VERY excited to proceed.

Mixed Media in January

I didn’t watch much television at all in January but did manage to watch a few episodes of ‘The Crown’ on Netflix. Particularly haunting, was the tragedy that befalls a Welsh mining town. Meli and my Mum are re watching episodes of ‘Anne with an E’. I hope to catch up with the newly released third season soon.

I was ever so hopeful that the ‘Little Women’ movie would come to theatres in Kolkata but it hasn’t and I’m still hopeful and waiting!…

Meli and I have discovered Maroon Five’s ‘Memories’. Quite distressingly, Meli has also picked up the lyrics which might not be the most appropriate for an eight year old …

I listened to the Slightly Foxed podcast. Episodes that I enjoyed included Episode 13 (Nature and Story) and Episode 14 (The Vital Spark). The latter was a very engrossing discussion on what sparks a lifelong love of reading. This is a topic very much after my own heart as I take great efforts to encourage Meli to read.

The husband and I spent four very lovely evenings (and in two instances whole nights) at the 68th Dover Lane Music Conference in Kolkata. It’s an Indian classical music conference held every year in our city and I attended the event after many years. My favourites were a Double Violin recital by L Shenkar and a vocal recital from Ustad Rashid Khan.

What I Made in January

I made a delicious chocolate banana almond bread in January. Although we enjoyed it, I still found it on the dry side and will be tweaking the recipe further.

I also baked a chocolate layer cake with coffee chocolate icing for Meli’s birthday. It was delicious and not too heavy on the icing at all, which we like. Meli loves to have Cadbury Gems (or M&M’s/ Smarties) spell out the birthday number on the cake. I’ve been doing this since she was a small child and she loves the tradition.

I’ve been making and drinking a lot of cardamom milk tea this January. I find it very soothing to drink during the colder months. Simply boil pierced cardamom pods in water, add strong black tea and gently simmer for about 5 mins on the stove top. Add milk and sugar to taste and then serve.

What I Bought or Received in January

I purchased books for the 8 year old’s birthday, because as she says herself – books make the best presents. The books I gave her were Noel Streatfeild’s ‘Holiday Stories’. I was a bit naughty in that I wanted this beautiful book for myself but I managed to convince my daughter that she would enjoy it too when I mentioned that one of the stories was labeled ‘Chicken for Supper’. As my daughter loves to eat chicken and food in general, she didn’t need much convincing after that! The second book we gave her for her birthday was a Full Colour Edition of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s ‘By The Shores of Silver Lake’. There was also another old book find – to add to the Famous Five collection. She also received a splendid illustrated edition of ‘The Goblet of Fire’ by J.K. Rowling from a generous uncle.

Books I bought for myself included a second hand copy of E.H. Young’s ‘William’ and two Girls Gone By Publishing stories – ‘Highland Holiday’ by Jane Shaw and ‘Refuge for the Chalet School’ by Amy Fletcher.

Posts I Published in January

I regained my blogging mojo in January and published a few posts that I’ve listed below:

6 Tips to Overcome the Post-Christmas Blues

The Faded Glory of the Old English Country House: Milton Place by Elisabeth de Waal

Best Books of 2019

The Highpoint of the Month

I received a wondrous package from two dear Instagram friends – Kathy (kstarnes on Instagram) and Shelbi (the nobbylife on Instagram). I spent a whole afternoon opening the parcel and enjoying its contents while sipping on a cup of tea. The wrapping was so pretty that I had to take a flat-lay photograph to share. The books are highly coveted vintage editions of O. Douglas – out of print and hard to find. I love them so much. I feel very grateful to have such considerate friends.

Favourite Book Excerpt of the Month

“I think it will last,” said Grandfather. “In my experience when people once begin to read they go on. They begin because they think they ought to and they go on because they must. Yes. They find it widens life. We’re all greedy for life, you know, and our short span of existence can’t give us all that we hunger for, the time is too short and our capacity not large enough. But in books we experience all life vicariously.”

~ ‘A City of Bells’ by Elizabeth Goudge

Top 10 Books of 2018

January 7, 2019January 7, 2019 / Bag Full of Books / 6 Comments

Happy New Year to everyone reading the blog. Thank you for all your kind comments and feedback during the past year.

2018 on the whole, was a year of comfort reading. It has been three years since we moved back to India after spending many years abroad. Slowly but surely, we are easing in to a pattern of life here. Perhaps I will be ready for darker, more complex books next year? 🙂

A major highlight of my reading year has been reading all 12 books in Miss Read’s ‘Thrush Green’ series. Though none of the books made their way into my Top 10, they provided much needed comfort and reflected a way of life that I would at least love to emulate (although not remotely possible under the circumstances).

I ended up reading a total of 45 books during the year. Although not a large number, I enjoyed my reading year at large and can’t wait to jump in to a fresh new year of enhanced reading.

Here, in Order of Reading Chronology, are My Top 10 Books of 2019:

The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West

Return of the Soldier’ by Rebecca West is about a Great War veteran who has returned from the trenches suffering from shell-shock.

His amnesia prevents him from remembering his wife of ten years, with whom he has loved and lost a small child. His cousin Jenny, who lives with them, he can recollect, but only as a young woman, fifteen years younger.

To the dismay and disgust of his wife Kitty, the one person he can remember is his sweetheart from fifteen years ago- Margaret, with whom he has a very romantic history. She was then, a young, simple girl, a poor inn-keeper’s daughter, of little sophistication.

Christopher and Margaret meet again and rekindle their relationship at Christopher’s behest but Kitty is anxious for her husband to meet a doctor and be treated for his lapse of memory.

It is left to Margaret, with her superior understanding of Christopher’s mind (in-fact the perfect soul mate) to trigger an emotion that will bring about the return of the soldier in both the physical and emotional states. This is a story about love and sacrifice and is also an exploration of the relative strengths of different human relationships.

Can You Forgive Her by Anthony Trollope

Trollope’s entree novel in to his ‘Palliser series’ is a novel dealing heavily with political power and personal ambition.

Political ambition, certainly seems to be one of the main motivating factors behind male actions in this book.

However, the women in this novel show a great deal of indecision in the course of the novel.

Why is Alice- the lead female protagonist, such a dithering fool? Can we forgive Alice for her lack of decisiveness. And as Alice is not the only dithering lady in the book, are we more inclined to forgive the other ladies in question (Lady Glencora and Mrs Greenow)?

As with all Trollope novels, there is much food for thought about the cause and effect of human actions.

Young Anne by Dorothy Whipple

‘Young Anne’ is the eighth and final Dorothy Whipple novel to be published by Persephone Books but in the grand chronology of things, is Whipple’s first and most autobiographical novel.

It is set in the years leading up to the First World War and follows the life and growth of Anne Pritchard, youngest child of a middle-class, Lancastrian family. The ‘Young’ in ‘Young Anne’ not only refers to the tender age of the female protagonist, it also helps to emphasize the extreme naïveté of Anne Pritchard, the mistakes that youth often make and the consequences of immature decision making on adult life.

The Lark by Edith Nesbit

This is the first time that I’ve ever read any adult literature by Nesbit and I couldn’t be more in love with this little gem of a novel.

The writing is airy and light, full of childlike whimsy and delight and the plot is delightful.

Two young women, upon coming of age discover that their inheritance has been misspent. They have no relatives to call their own, they are alone in the world – all they have been left as an endowment is a small country cottage and a trunkful of vintage clothing in the attic. Rather than get upset with this unfortunate turn of events, the two young women try their hand at a number of money-making ventures. They treat the whole situation as a ‘Lark’ and their attitude is so positive and cheery that they win a lot of friends along the way.

It is also a remarkable example of female determination and independence, much in keeping with the decision to publish this novel as part of a series dedicated to celebrating Penguin Women Writers and the centenary of women getting the vote in 1918.

Guard Your Daughters by Diana Tutton

Guard Your Daughters deals with the unconventional upbringing of five daughters. Five daughters, who despite a lack of formal education, shine in different ways. This is the story of their unusual way of life, sequestered from mainstream society due to the neuroses of an over protective mother.

I must admit that ‘Guard Your Daughters’ was one of those books, where one paragraph in, I just knew that this was going to be one of my most favourite books.

One can’t but help draw a comparison between Dodie Smith’s voice in ‘I Capture the Castle’ and Diana Tutton’s in this particular novel. Highly recommend this coming of age novel that deals with important issues of mental health.

The Children Who Lived in a Barn by Eleanor Graham

This is the rather unlikely story of a small group of children, whose parents unexpectedly travel to Europe to attend to the needs of an ailing relative. The children are left unattended, without an adult to take care of them and when their parents don’t return or send word of their whereabouts – they are left in the strange

predicament of having to fend for themselves.

The landlord of the house where the family lived suddenly decides to evict them due to a sudden whim and the children have no recourse but to live in a nearby farmer’s barn.

The entire village is up in arms against the children and want them to separate and go to different homes. The children decide to fight all odds, stick together and eke out an existence in the barn.

Though the story is an unlikely one, the determination and initiative taken by the children is truly remarkable. I think it is a fascinating read for children and adults alike.

After all, how many of us as children have dreamt of being self sufficient and resourceful enough to have a small house/tree-house of our own- a private sanctuary where we act as independently and responsibly as grown ups?

The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith

This brilliant Victorian epistolary novel – ‘Diary of a Nobody’ comes highly recommended if in need of comic relief on topics related to the absurdities of daily life.

If you loved ‘Diary of a Provincial Lady’ you will certainly enjoy this novel.

The difference is that the tone of the provincial lady is self deprecating, whereas is this case Mr Pooter is bursting with self importance and a sad need of demanding respect from society.

The term ‘pooterish’ – is winsomely derived from the character of the lead protagonist in this book.

Fair Stood the Wind for France by HE Bates

Fair Stood the Wind for France’ by H E Bates is a war time work of fiction that deals with the story of a group of British airmen, who are compelled to make a forced landing in occupied France and have to take refuge in the home of a kind French family, who risk all they hold dear to help the men.

In particular it is the beautiful story of the love and trust that grows between the injured head flight pilot and the daughter of the French family.

Fair Stood the Wind for France was poignant, a World War Two story about love and trust and loss on an epic scale.

The Lark in the Morn by Elfrida Vipont

This lesser known but critically acclaimed children’s book author (winner of the Carnegie Medal in 1950) penned a series of books about the lives of a Quaker family living in England.

At times the mode of writing can seem a bit archaic but the beautiful plot of this, the first book, will have you grabbing the second book (Lark on the Wing) in no time at all.

A young, rather forlorn, motherless child realises her vocation in life – that of being a singer. Lark in the Morn charters her realisation of this process and Lark on the Wing – outlines her struggle to establish herself as a singer.

The storytelling in both books is very compelling. If you enjoy music and the arts, this is a particularly uplifting read.

Village Christmas by Miss Read

I spent the entire year reading all 12-13 books in Miss Read’s ‘Thrush Green’ series but ultimately it was Village Christmas, from the ‘Fairacre Series’ that stole my heart.

The book, in my opinion, can be read as a stand-alone.

It chronicles a day in the life of two elderly sisters, who are called upon quite suddenly, to help a needy neighbour on Christmas Day.

The story has all the wonderful light touches and beautiful details that make Miss Read’s books so endearing and comforting. I think I will be reading this book as part of an annual tradition.

Which was your favourite book of 2018? If I had to pick just one – I would say ‘Guard Your Daughters’.

Fair Stood the Wind for France by H.E. Bates

October 21, 2018October 21, 2018 / Bag Full of Books / 7 Comments

I am reviewing this book as part of the #1944club, initiated by Simon David Thomas of ‘Stuck in a Book’and Karen of ‘Kaggsy’s Bookish Rambling’.

To take a look at other books published in the same year, reviewed by other bloggers, please take a look at the round up posts that should be up on the previously mentioned blogs.

‘Fair Stood the Wind for France’ by H E Bates is a war time work of fiction that deals with the story of a group of British airmen, who are compelled to make a forced landing in occupied France and have to take refuge in the home of a kind French family, who risk all they hold dear to help the men. In particular it is the beautiful story of the love and trust that grows between the injured head flight pilot and the daughter of the French family.

HE Bates’ ‘Darling Buds’ series is one that I read in my early teens and it has always been very dear to me. Apart from the obvious humour in the stories of the inimitable Larkin family, there is a beauty in Bates’ writing that brings out the best in all natural things. Moreover his writing has a sensual quality. With a keen eye for observing small details, one gets the idea, that here is a writer who knows how to live life to the lees and appreciates the small things.

The beautiful nature writing, descriptions of food, sensuality in describing human interactions and emotions is rendered just as beautifully in ‘Fair Stood the Wind France’. To add to that you have a moving love story and an epic struggle where the protagonists strive to find freedom.

The story starts with the British plane hovering over the French Alps during the night. There are some wonderful descriptions of the snow glistening on the mountains beneath the aircraft.

Sometimes the Alps lying below in the moonlight had the appearance of crisp folds of crumpled cloth. The glacial valleys were alternately shadowy and white as starch in the blank glare of the full moon; and then in the distances, in all directions, as far as it was possible to see, the high snow peaks were fluid and glistening as crests of misty water.

The man in charge of the aircraft, one John Franklin, feels a deep sense of responsibility for his crew of four sergeants, a responsibility that has grown over the year that they have flown together. It is the third summer of the War, tempers are rising, impatience is growing, a sense of uncertainty prevails.

When the engine of the aircraft fails, Franklin is forced to make an abrupt landing, in the dead of the night, in marshy terrain, in what they hope is Occupied France. I’m still confused why landing in this part of France was preferable.

Franklin seriously injures his arm during the impact of an abrupt landing. The crew take recourse to the medical help provided by a local French family. The family, consisting of a mill owner, his beautiful French daughter and aged mother provide the airmen with shelter at the risk of being shot and discovered.

Moreover, papers are procured for the British airmen- false papers that will take them across the border to unoccupied France and further to England. The path to safety is a long one and one that holds considerable risk. Even when the airmen reach the relative safety of unoccupied France, there is the risk from the French people themselves, who are impoverished and in need of food and money themselves.

The world that Bates paints is fraught with much strife, pain, suffering and uncertainty.

In fact this sense of uncertainty and helplessness pervades the entirety of the novel. From a year of publication perspective, the fact that the novel was published in 1944, when the outcome of the war effort was still uncertain, surely contributes to set the tone of the novel. Moreover, there is an overwhelming sense of sorrow, a deep sense of grief for the war and everything that it stands for, and the monstrous face of what it has turned the world and it’s people into.

He felt she was crying for something that he could never have understood without her and now did understand because of her. Deep and complete within himself, all these things were part of the same thing, and he knew that what she was crying for was the agony of all that was happening in the world.

’Fair Stood the Wind for France’ may have become one of my most beloved wartime novels. The story is full of heartache and poignancy. I wonder how much of it was based on what Bates himself saw first hand, as a writer, commissioned by the RAF to write short stories?

Top 10 Books of 2017

December 30, 2017December 31, 2017 / Bag Full of Books / 26 Comments

Looking back on 2017, I see a wonderful list of books and honestly I can’t say that I regret reading a single one of them. In this particularly good year of reading (52 books in the year) a few stood out to me.

These are the ten books that left the most indelible impression on me in 2017:

1. Mariana by Monica Dickens

A coming of age novel dealing with a young girl’s quest to find the perfect love. Though the body of the novel is well written and engaging, it is the beginning and ending of the novel that elevate the quality of the story in my opinion, making it truly memorable. There are echoes of Tennyson’s poem ‘Mariana’ in this book.

2. Miss Buncle’s Book by D.E. Stevenson

What a delight of a novel. The characters are excellent, the plot immaculately constructed and the writing is very funny.

A young woman, Miss Barbara Buncle opts to become a novel writer when her annual dividends are not as lucrative as usual. As the young lady has no imagination whatsoever, she writes completely from experience, portraying the people and incidents occurring in her rural corner of England. When the village people read the book and discover themselves (in an unflattering light) in the pages of the story, they determinedly set out to uncover the identity of the perpetrator of the village crime.

3. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

This might be my new favourite du Maurier novel alongside Rebecca. It kept our book club continually guessing (we are still unsure to this day). Apart from the suspenseful aspect of the novel, I enjoyed the Cornish setting and the gothic feel of the story.

4. One Fine Day by Mollie Panter-Downes

This was such a quiet, wistful novel, spanning the events of one particular day. It deals with the struggles of the post-WW2 upper-middle class, coming to terms with the loss of their glorious past and changing domestic situations.

5. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

A suspenseful, fast-paced Victorian novel and a pre-decessor of the modern day thriller, although in my opinion, much better written than most of the modern-day bestsellers.

6. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Hard to describe Mrs Dalloway. Perhaps to me- it strikes as a poem of a novel talking about deep-seated issues – some of them related to mental health. The descriptions of London in the novel are glorious.

7. Earth and High Heaven by Gwethalyn Graham

Set in Toronto during World War 2, Earth and High Heaven deals with the then frowned upon love affair between a Canadian English woman and a Canadian Jewish man. The book is an elaborate social commentary on racial prejudice. It shows how people born into a fixed social pattern can overcome centuries of difference, in an overwhelming desire to embrace the most unifying emotion of all- love.

8. The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope

The last book in the Barsetshire Chronicles and Trollope’s most soul searching, heart-rending book about a man’s quest to preserve his integrity in the face of extreme adversity.

9. My Grandmothers and I by Diana Holman-Hunt

A memoir written by the grand daughter of the eminent pre-raphaelite painter William Holman-Hunt. It tells of her unusual upbringing, alternating in the homes of her paternal and maternal grandmothers. It is a wonderful chance to glimpse into the eccentric lifestyle of Holman-Hunt. It’s also a rather poignant memoir written in a cheerful way, from the viewpoint of a young girl, who was essentially an orphan and who never knew the comfort of a stable home.

10. Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell

The subject of this Victorian novel had quite a modern tone. It dealt with illegitimacy and the strictures of Victorian society and religion. However, what I appreciated the most about this novel was the fact that the pain and suffering, the vulnerability of a young orphan girl was highlighted, thus painting her plight in a very sympathetic way.

Please leave me a comment sharing your favourite book of the year.

Here’s to many more books in 2018.

The Story of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff

December 9, 2015December 9, 2015 / Bag Full of Books / 1 Comment

Title: The Story of Babar
Author and Illustrator: Jean de Brunhoff
Published: 1933
Main Characters: Babar (a little elephant),

Short Synopsis of the Story: A little elephant called Babar grew up under the care of his mother in a big forest. One day, some cruel hunters killed Babar’s mother before his very eyes. In a wild panic, Babar fled and ran and ran until he came upon a large town. Once in the town, he met an Old Lady who was kind enough to be Babar’s benefactress. Babar went to a large clothing store and bought himself fine clothes. With the help of a learned professor, Babar received a good education and together, he and the Old Lady spent a happy few years in polite, civilized, social circles in the big city. Despite the comfort and security in his town life, Babar missed his life in the forest. One day, Babar came upon two of his cousins, Celeste and Arthur, who had mischievously escaped from the forest. He spent a few happy days with his cousins, showing them about town and his way of life. When Celeste and Arthur’s mothers come from the forest and find their children it is time to go back. Babar decided that he would go back to the forest with his cousins. Despite feeling sad at leaving the Old Lady, Babar was ready to embrace his old life. When Babar, Celeste and Hector, arrived back in the forest they found that the King of the Elephants had suddenly died from eating a poisonous mushroom. All the elephants proposed that Babar should be their King. Babar accepted their proposal on the grounds that they accept Celeste as their queen. There was a grand marriage ceremony with much celebration and enjoyment and all the animals of the forest attended it. King Babar and Queen Celeste leave on their honeymoon on a big hot-air balloon, eager for new adventures.

Notes: This is a wonderful story with a subtle moral. Babar returns to his old life in the forest, thus relinquishing his life of comfort in the big town. His experiences in the city, placate him in the elephant society and he is deemed worthy of being their King. Babar and his Queen, seek further adventures. Adventure and experience, bring worldliness and hence wisdom.

Apart from having a lovely storyline that will capture the imagination of little children, the illustrations by de Brunhoff are exceptional. Particularly those of Babar dressed in his fine clothes, partaking of amusements that are popular in genteel society. This is deemed to be one of the first graphic novels of it’s kind and de Brunhoff is often referred to as being the father of the contemporary picture book.

I did find the references to Babar’s mother being killed a little shocking though and my three year old daughter was clearly affected by the incident and kept asking about it. Perhaps, death is a fact that needs to be dealt with, however, young we may be. It is a point that I am still pondering.

Martha in Paris by Margery Sharp

November 10, 2015November 10, 2015 / Bag Full of Books / 6 Comments

Martha in Paris is the second book in Margery Sharp’s trilogy based on the character of Martha. Find the review for the first book in the series, The Eye of Love here.

Title: Martha in Paris
Author: Margery Sharp
Published: 1962 by Little, Brown and Company Toronto
Location of the story: Paris
Main Characters: Martha (an art student), Eric Taylor (an English bank employee in Paris), Eric’s Mother, Madame Dubois(Martha’s guardian in Paris).

Martha in Paris picks up the story of Martha nearly a decade after where the The Eye of Love left us. At that juncture, Martha (an orphaned child living with her aunt Dolores) and her artistic talent had been discovered by a rich patron, Mr Joyce, a friend of the family. In the subsequent years Martha’s talent has been nurtured with special art training.

Martha in Paris recounts Martha’s student years in Paris. Here, for two years she studies art under the guidance of one of France’s most eminent art instructors. Her tuition and expenses are met by the kind aegis of Mr Joyce, Martha’s wealthy benefactor.

Mr Joyce aptly observes:

“These next two years will show,” thought Mr. Joyce. “Sink or swim!”

Whilst in Paris, Martha meets an Englishman by the name of Eric Taylor. They meet each other regularly under the tromp l’ oeil’ statue of Tragedy and Comedy in Tuileries Garden where Martha sits on the exact same bench everyday to enjoy her half-French loaf stuffed with delicious charcuterie. Eric, hungry for companionship with a fellow English person tries to engage Martha in lively discourse. He mistakes her lack of conversation for reticence, little knowing that Martha would rather shun any kind of interaction whatsoever.

After a week of one-sided discourse on Eric’s part, he invites her to dinner to meet his mother on Friday night. Nothing can persuade her to accept his invitation until she hears of the bathroom renovations the Taylor’s have installed in their apartment. Martha in desperate need of a comforting, hot bath quickly changes her mind and accepts Eric’s invitation with great alacrity.

“Is the bath vitreous?” asked Martha.

“If you mean is it a sort of china, yes,” said Eric.”Pale green.”

Her defences pierced at last-

“What time on Friday?” asked Martha.

Martha arrives at the Taylor’s apartment at the appointed time on Friday, with a mysterious paper packet. Eric mistakes the packet as a thoughtful hostess gift but notices that Martha fails to bestow the gift to Mrs Taylor. Promptly upon arrival Mrs Taylor shows Martha around, based upon the understanding that Martha has a keen interest in viewing the apartment.

As soon as they enter the bathroom and Martha has admired the facilities she laments that she has not had a proper hot bath in months! One thing leads to another and before very long, in fact the ten minutes remaining before dinner, Martha decides to take a hot bath much to Mrs Taylor’s astonishment.

“I’ll have it now,” said Martha, swiftly opening her packet, which in fact contained one clean vest and a pair of clean knickers.”

Despite Martha’s unconventional behaviour, Mrs Taylor tolerates and indeed welcomes Martha’s weekly visits. This is because Mrs Taylor does not find Martha’s appearance or personality intimidating.

The weekly Friday visits and baths become a ritual and Martha and Eric find themselves in a situation which is too close for Martha’s comfort. How Martha deals with the resultant circumstances of her relationship with Eric forms the theme of the remainder of this novel.

Sharp’s writing is at her wittiest best in this novel. The stolid, determined and somewhat selfish artistic temperament of Martha is fully manipulated to render moments of extreme comedic humour in the novel.

Quite disconcertingly, however, Martha’s ‘artistic temperament’ fills us with dismay as we notice a complete absence of love and compassion.

I enjoyed the quirky book and the unusual ending made me immediately put in a library requisition for the third book in the trilogy- Martha, Eric and George.