So Darlene and I created our own virtual book group. Our first selection was Consequences by E.M. Delafield: very different from The Diary of a Provincial Lady, but utterly gripping.
Our second book was No Fond Return of Love by Barbara Pym. Since reading Jane and Prudence last year, I've fallen completely in love with Barbara Pym.
This is the new Virago edition, worth seeking out both for its cover and the lovely introduction by Paul Binding:
Barbara Pym chronicles English, middle-class women's lives with such subtle wit, I was giggling, sometimes rather embarrassingly out loud, from beginning to end...and both Darlene and I were quite surprised by the end!
The book groups my friends are part of tend to favour harrowing novels, so I steer clear in my wimpy all-too-easily-harrowed way. But I love your book list, and find it so useful when I can't face browsing Borders with its weird cluttered layout and loud pop music. Lazy but rewarding!
ReplyDeleteI loooooove Barbara Pym! She is delightful!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE our book group!
ReplyDeleteWhat a find your blog is. Someone else who is a fan of Miss Pym. Excellen Women is my all time favourite -I'd recommend it.
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