Tante by Anne Douglas Sedgwick (1911)

Reading this book made me reflect, again, on how reading a novel is a very different experience when you have been exposed to marketing, and when you haven’t. If I had read this book with a dust jacket the blurb would most likely have told me that this was a story of dangerous woman – … Continue reading →

The Island of Sheep by John Buchan (1936)

This is the last of the Richard Hannay novels. The series runs: The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915), Greenmantle (1916), Mr Standfast (1919), The Three Hostages (1924), The Courts of the Morning (1929), The Island of Sheep (1936). Review by David R: The Island of the title is situated somewhere North of Scotland. Probably based on an island … Continue reading →

Father by “the author of Elizabeth and her German Garden” (1931)

Review by Thecla W: Jennifer Dodge (Jen), 33, is the spinster daughter of a writer. She promised her dying mother that she would never leave father and for 12 years she has managed his household and acted as his secretary. One day, out of the blue, father comes home with a young second wife. Jen … Continue reading →

The Benefactress by the author of “Elizabeth and her German Garden” (1901)

This month one of our reading groups is reading Elizabeth von Arnim novels. I might as well lay my cards on the table and say that she is one of my favourite novelists! I was delighted when we received a donation of many first and early editions of her novels, giving me an excuse for … Continue reading →

Let the People Sing by J. B. Priestley (1939)

Phew! A positive review for Priestley. Review by Sue R: This book  was commissioned in 1939 by the BBC for serialisation before publication. Priestley did not normally allow this. However, he  felt that, with war looming, such a broadcast would be very valuable for the public, presumably to boost morale. Unsurprisingly, it is a feel-good … Continue reading →

They Walk in the City by J. B. Priestley (1936)

Oh dear! Another Bad Review. I do hope some of the readers who liked their book write up a review. Review by George Simmers. See his Great War Fiction blog. In his autobiography, Margin Released, J. B. Priestley is a dismissive of this book: made a hash of this novel, They Walk in the City. … Continue reading →

Daylight on Saturday by J. B. Priestley (1943)

Last night we got together to hear what our readers thought of the works of J. B. Priestley (1894-1984). It was a lively evening, with the novels and non-fiction read by the group reflecting some of the best and worst of Priestley’s output. Priestley, it was generally agreed, was an uneven writer. He was so … Continue reading →

The Three Hostages by John Buchan (1924)

Review by David R: This is the fourth of Buchan’s novels to feature Richard Hannay. The action is set around 1921. After The Great War, Hannay has married Mary Lamington, (Mr. Standfast) and settled into a manor house, where he is quite content to live the life of the country squire. However, one day he … Continue reading →