I loved this collection of short stories. The opening one (or is it in fact a novella, as it has chapters?) is probably one of the strongest in the book. Deliciously absurd Adam Marsh-Gibbon, deliciously infatuated Stefan Tilos, deliciously frustrated Miss Gay and plain delicious Cassandra, I loved
... (continue)
I loved this collection of short stories. The opening one (or is it in fact a novella, as it has chapters?) is probably one of the strongest in the book. Deliciously absurd Adam Marsh-Gibbon, deliciously infatuated Stefan Tilos, deliciously frustrated Miss Gay and plain delicious Cassandra, I loved them all.
I wasn’t surprised that a quick google confirmed my quickly formed view that Barbara Pym was a re-incarnation of Jane Austen: plots focused on the every day, with no great excitement, nothing startling or out of the ordinary, a devastatingly penetrating and often very amusing analysis of people’s characters and foibles and some social commentary, especially concerning women’s role in society. The only exception to the everyday sort of action was in “Very Secret Story”, which is about spying, but I couldn't help feeling relieved when the heroine could put all that behind her and go back to flower arranging and pining in a vague sort of way for a love that never was.
I loved the general vagueness, the gentleness, even the silliness, that wafted up from the pages I was reading, because they were never depicted cruelly, just very clear sightedly.
Civil To Strangers And Other W
I loved this collection of short stories. The opening one (or is it in fact a novella, as it has chapters?) is probably one of the strongest in the book. Deliciously absurd Adam Marsh-Gibbon, deliciously infatuated Stefan Tilos, deliciously frustrated Miss Gay and plain delicious Cassandra, I loved ... (continue)
I loved this collection of short stories. The opening one (or is it in fact a novella, as it has chapters?) is probably one of the strongest in the book. Deliciously absurd Adam Marsh-Gibbon, deliciously infatuated Stefan Tilos, deliciously frustrated Miss Gay and plain delicious Cassandra, I loved them all.
I wasn’t surprised that a quick google confirmed my quickly formed view that Barbara Pym was a re-incarnation of Jane Austen: plots focused on the every day, with no great excitement, nothing startling or out of the ordinary, a devastatingly penetrating and often very amusing analysis of people’s characters and foibles and some social commentary, especially concerning women’s role in society. The only exception to the everyday sort of action was in “Very Secret Story”, which is about spying, but I couldn't help feeling relieved when the heroine could put all that behind her and go back to flower arranging and pining in a vague sort of way for a love that never was.
I loved the general vagueness, the gentleness, even the silliness, that wafted up from the pages I was reading, because they were never depicted cruelly, just very clear sightedly.