Book review by Hilary Temple I had never come across Herbert Jenkins before I found this book on the shelves of my parents-in-law, who otherwise showed a marked predilection for Dornford Yates. The first edition proudly claims to have printed 40,000 copies, which sounds a very respectable number and followed the previous success of Bindle. … Continue reading
Tagged with comic novels …
Full Moon (1947) by P.G. Wodehouse
Book Review by George S: November is the Group’s comfort reading month, so instinctively I went for a P.G. Wodehouse. I thought Full Moon might be a Blandings I hadn’t read – but it wasn’t. In fact, it turned out to be one I had read only a few years ago. If anything, though, the … Continue reading
Love on the Dole by Walter Greenwood (1933)
Book review by Chris Hopkins. Having now posted blogs about most of Walter Greenwood’s fiction, I realise that these pretty much all refer back to his first novel, Love on the Dole (1933), so for the sake of completeness and to help the blog reader, I ought to add a blog for that first novel. … Continue reading
Mr Bunting Goes to War by Robert Greenwood (1941)
Greenwood’s irony-laden tale of the ‘little man’ in time of war (and successor to the well-received Mr Bunting (1940)) shows clear shades of the likes of Mr Pickwick and The Diary of a Nobody’s hapless protagonist, Charles Pooter. Here, however, the backdrop is altogether more ominous, as this distinguished literary-comic lineage is transposed to the … Continue reading
Westwood by Stella Gibbons
Most people only know Stella Gibbons for writing Cold Comfort Farm, her first novel. But she went on to write more than 20 novels and Westwood, published in 1946 was believed to be Gibbons’ own personal favourite. Set in wartime London, Westwood is a coming of age story. It is the story of Margaret Steggles, … Continue reading
Piccadilly Jim by P. G. Wodehouse (1917)
Review by Sylvia D: Piccadilly Jim (1917) was a suitable choice for Christmas reading – easy to read and very light-hearted. It does though have an extremely convoluted plot and involves several imposters and impersonations with Piccadilly Jim himself not only pretending to be someone else but then actually pretending to be himself. As he … Continue reading
Ukridge by P. G. Wodehouse (1924)
The aim of our collection at Sheffield Hallam University is to preserve, read and research popular novels that are in danger of being lost and forgotten. You certainly can’t say that Wodehouse is forgotten! So perhaps I ought not to have accept a donation of Wodehouse novels – but they were all lovely early Herbert … 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
Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Stratchey (1932)
When Simon at Stuck-in-a-book suggested a ‘readalong’ for Julia Strachey’s Cheerful Weather for the Wedding I was straight in there. I acquired a lovely Persephone edition as one of my Christmas reading treats for myself, and looked forward to it a great deal. But alas, with many apologies to Simon, I find I am a … Continue reading
Ian Hay and “The Right Stuff”
The difficulty with reading the wonderful collection of out of print fiction we hold at the university is Where to Start? So many dusty tomes, some with enticing book jackets, others quietly anonymous in their plain bindings… I have decided to select my reading on the basis that I have Never Heard of the novel. Preferably … Continue reading
Reading 1900-1950 