Dear Reading 1900-1950 Blog followers, On the 19th July we are celebrating ten years of reading mainly popular fiction from the first half of the twentieth century by launching a book of reviews showcasing the work of the group. The reviews have mainly been specially written by current members of the reading group, though we … Continue reading
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Phyllis Bentley in Batley
From Sue Roe: Recently I have been helping my husband out with his research on the former players for Batley Rugby League Club. This has involved checking through the Batley News for details of games. In course of this research I came across two articles on Phyllis Bentley, describing her involvement with the Dewsbury and … Continue reading
Blue Danube (1943) by Eunice Buckley
Book review by George S: Blue Danube is the third novel to appear under the name of Eunice Buckley, but its author had written other books and plays before, under the names of R. Allatini, A.T. Fitzroy, R. l. Scott, Mrs Cyril Scott and Lucian Wainwright. As A.T. Fitzroy she had written Despised and Rejected … Continue reading
Event on Famous British Authors of 1937 Wills Cigarette Cards Series
Four Bestsellers Lost and Found images On the afternoon of Saturday 18th November 2017, we will be holding an event at Sheffield Hallam University to explore why some books and their authors are remembered and why some are forgotten by looking at some of the writers featured in this 1937 set of attractive cigarette cards. … Continue reading
The Vanity Girl (1920) by Compton Mackenzie
Book review by Sylvia D: When Compton Mackenzie’s The Vanity Girl (the copy I read being the Remploy reprint of 1973) was first published in 1920 by Macdonald, it was dedicated to Mackenzie’s sister, Fay Compton, the actress. When it was republished in 1954, Mackenzie (1883-1972) re-wrote the original dedication, with the words ‘Dearest Fay, … Continue reading
Mr Norris Changes Trains (1935) by Christopher Isherwood – a second review
By ARP. Isherwood’s story Mr Norris Changes Trains is set in pre-war Berlin between 1935 and 1939. The story is filled with mystery from the beginning due to the illusive protagonist ‘Herr Norris’ and a rather young and naïve narrator, William Bradshaw, who takes everything and everyone at face value. The two characters meet, by … Continue reading
The Heat of the Day ( 1948) by Elizabeth Bowen
By LA It is war time in the blazing city of London and the beginning of this novel introduces the protagonist Stella and her two male interests. Stella battles between the man she loves, Robert but also the man who seems to feel affection for her, Harrison. Harrison is a spy following Robert as he … Continue reading
The Death of the Heart (1938) by Elizabeth Bowen
By LMC Written by Elizabeth Bowen, The Death of the Heart (written in 1938), is one of her best known novels. The novel focuses on the main protagonist, Portia, who goes to stay with her half-brother, Thomas and his wife, Anna, due to her being orphaned. However, Portia is considered to be unusual by Anna, … Continue reading
Coming Up for Air (1939) by George Orwell
By JF The author of this novel, George Orwell, most famously known for his satires on society in Animal Farm and 1984, here composes what can be interpreted as the preliminary text in a trilogy which serves as a worthy political antecedent to these two great, significant literary pieces. Often overlooked by many, Coming Up … Continue reading
Brideshead Revisited (1945) by Evelyn Waugh
By AW Written between December 1943 and June 1944 following a parachuting accident, Evelyn Waugh’s “operation of divine grace on a group of diverse but closely connected characters” (so described in the novel’s preface) has received significant acclaim: Time magazine in 2005 heralded it as one of the hundred best post-1923 novels of the English … Continue reading
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