The Jealous One by Celia Fremlin (borrowed from the library)
I discovered this author in December and loved the first book I read by her. I read another one after that because I could get the ebook from BorrowBox. I had to wait until we were back home to request any physical books and I picked up this one in the first batch of requests I made once we were back. I really liked it--sat down and read it in an afternoon. It was a page-turner. I will say that it wasn't my favorite of the three I've read. The writing was just as good and the story was paced well. I didn't care for one of the main characters but that's fine. I don't think she was meant to be likeable. I think what dropped the book a bit in my estimation was the ending which was a bit abrupt.
The book opens with Rosamund waking up from a frightening dream in which she is pushing her neighbor, Lindy, over a cliff. She has a headache and feels like crap. Taking her temperature, she is relieved to find that she has a fever and tells herself that the flu is the reason for such a vivid dream. She isn't able to take comfort in this thought for long though, because her husband, Geoffrey, comes bursting in wanting to know if she knows anything about where Lindy is. She has disappeared. The narrative then goes back in time to describe Lindy's arrival in the suburban neighborhood and the manipulative way she insinuated herself into people's business--especially Rosamund and Geoffrey. About halfway through the book, the story arrives back at the day of Rosamund's dream and then carries on from there.
Fremlin is excellent at creating the oppressive atmosphere of domestic stress. That has been a feature of all three of her books that I've read so far and in each one, I was there, feeling the feelings. This book was published in 1965, I think, and it illustrates changes n gender roles happening at that time. I was too young to really observe 1965 suburbia and this book is set in the UK, but I recognize so many features of suburban housewifery and life in general from my time as a kid in US 1970s suburbia. So even though this wasn't my favorite Fremlin to date, it's still a very good book. I will continue to read this author and I expect more good things ahead.
The Female Quixote by Charlotte Lennox (personal copy)
I'd heard of Charlotte Lennox and knew a bit about her life before I read Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney last year, but hadn't read any of her work except for possibly a short story or two. After reading Romney's writing about Lennox and her impact on Jane Austen, I was quite intrigued. I finally got my hands on this book, which is probably her most well-known work. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I'd like it. I needn't have worried about that--I loved this book.
First published in 1752, it's the story of Arabella, who was raised by her widowed father in a remote country house. She has very little interaction with the outside world or the people in it. Once her father sends the governess away, she immerses herself in the books that belonged to her late mother. These consist mostly of French romances, which Arabella reads as history. Without any experience to the contrary, she believes that this is how the world has been and still is. She dresses in ways that are outside of current fashion. She speaks in an odd way. And she is completely clueless about how people interact with one another. When she does come across a stranger, she usually misconstrues their intentions. Because she's beautiful, she thinks men are falling in love with her when they get a glimpse of her from afar. If she speaks to a man and gives him her version of a brush-off, she's quite sure he has gone off to kill himself and will often write letters or send her maid to tell the man that she commands him to live. I laughed all the way through this book--laughed out loud to the point that Bill commented on the fact that the book must be funny. I thought so. For me, the humor was mostly in the use of language and the response of people to it-- that's my kind of thing. Also people's confused responses to Arabella and her strange ideas was often very funny indeed. Although the underlying scenario was different, it did make me think of the Britcom Keeping Up Appearances. It also reminded me of someone I used to know a few decades ago. We'd be walking along having a conversation when someone would pass us gong in the opposite direction and say hi. Once they were out of earshot, the conversation turned to an analysis of the 'hi' and how it clearly didn't just mean 'hello' but meant a whole host of other things when body language, eyebrow position, tone of voice, etc were taken into account. At the time I found this exhausting but I laugh about it now. Arabella's unfortunate ideas do cause problems for herself and those around her. Her cousin, Glanville, is the choice of her father to be her husband. In spite of himself, he wants this too. Arabella has issues with the idea. Complications ensue.
It's clear to see the influence of this book on Austen, especially with Northanger Abbey.
My one quibble with this book was that the ending was sudden and a bit too pat. In reading the introduction (always done after reading the book when the book is a classic, due to spoilers), I learned that Lennox felt the same way about the ending and wanted a third volume, but the publisher wanted only two so she had limited space in which to finish the story. In spite of that, this was an excellent read and one that I will probably pick up again.
Ensemble by Gail Varian (borrowed from the library)
This is a lovely collection of poetry and art, which I enjoyed quite a lot.
Grave of the Fireflies by Akiyuki Nosaka, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori (BorrowBox e-book)
Seita and Setchun, older brother and younger sister, survive the WWII bombing of Kobe, Japan. Their mother does not. Their father, in the navy and fighting in the war, may or may not be alive. After the death of their mother, Seita tries to care for his sister. The book opens with Seita dying under a bridge and then tells the story of how he got there. This is a short, devastating book. The translator's note says that it is semi-biographical, written as an apology to the author's sister, who did die in the war. He apparently always felt guilty about his own shortcomings in terms of her care.
The Priory By Dorothy Whipple (borrowed from library)
Dorothy Whipple has rapidly become one of my favorite authors. I've seen her compared to Barbara Pym and described as the twentieth century's Mrs. Gaskell. I can see both. In this book, the first character to be described is Saunby Priory itself. Then we're introduced to the inhabitants-- the widower Major Marwood, his artist sister, and his two grown, but young, daughters. Son Guy is older, has moved away, and doesn't have much to do with the family. There are also servants in the house, of course. The major inherited the Priory and surrounding farmlands, but has no head for business so has gradually lost money, selling off farms and always in debt nonetheless. His one interest in life is cricket and he hosts a big cricket gathering every year. This is expensive and puts him further into debt, but he never considers not hosting. He decides that what he needs is a wife to take care of things for him and he thinks he knows just the woman. She's younger than him, but considered a spinster (the book was published in 1939 and takes place during the years between the world wars). She is infatuated and accepts his proposal. They each have expectations about what the marriage will be like. They are both quite wrong. Meanwhile, the daughters are not educated well, nor are they trained for any sort of work so they're stuck. Once the new wife is introduced into the household, things begin to change for everyone. Life, as it does, goes off in unexpected directions and people find themselves surprised at where they find themselves. Eventually, the threat of war enters the picture. I loved this book as I have the other Whipple books I've read. It wasn't quite as funny as Greenbanks, but there were funny moments. The Persephone version I read includes an Afterword by someone who stayed at the big house that Saunby Priory was based on and who knew and interacted with the people the characters were (sometimes very loosely) based on. It was interesting to read about her inspiration in writing the book.
Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield (BorrowBox audiobook narrated by Georgina Sutton)
This was a re-read for me. I have a book with four of the Provincial Lady novels in one and read that a few years ago. I loved it. The other day I was scrolling through the new-to-library section of the BorrowBox site and saw this audiobook. I loved it just as much the second time. I was laughing at the sharp observations of the diarist all over again. As the title says, the book (published in 1930) is written in the form of a diary and is, I believe, semi-autobiographical. The diarist is the provincial lady, married to Robert and mother of son Robin, who is often away at boarding school, but comes home on holidays with friends in tow, and daughter Vicky, who is under the care of Mademoiselle. Herein lies my one quibble with the book--Mademoiselle sometimes exclaims/gushes/screams in French, which one would expect her to do. However, I am not a French speaker, thus these passages were lost to me. Thankfully, they are short. Anyway, the diarist lives in the country, has servant trouble, is heavily involved with the Women's Institute, has community commitments, and social responsibilities. Although they live in a large house and are clearly not struggling financially from a survival standpoint, the provincial lady is usually overdrawn. Her thoughts about all of these things and more are the stuff of the diary entries which make up this novel. The narrator of this audiobook is excellent and enhanced my listening experience.
Finally, I read a couple of books from my NetGalley shelf in the second half of February that will be published soon. They are:
The Friend of the Family or, The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, translated by Ignat Avsey (to be published on May 26, 2026 by Pushkin Classics)
A young man is furthering his education when he receives an urgent letter from the uncle who raised him, telling him he must return home at once to marry the governess. The young man, never having met the governess, is puzzled but sets off at once. Upon his arrival, he is dismayed to see the entire household in thrall to Foma Fomitch Opiskin, a bully and a charlatan. Mayhem, manipulation, madness, and misunderstandings ensue.
I was quite pleased to read this book as I'm becoming quite a Dostoyevsky fan and the description indicated that it was different from his other work. It was different and it was a good read. It wasn't as comical as I thought it would be based on the description. I never quite understood what it was about Foma Fomitch that made people fall under his spell, but all we have to do is look around at the world today and we can see how easily people are duped into cults of personality. In any case, I'm glad to have had the opportunity to read this book and I'd recommend it if you're interested in the author and/or Russian literature. The introduction placed the work in context in terms of where Dostoyevsky was in his life when he wrote it and what his influences were. I was quite intrigued to read that he was influenced by Pickwick Papers and other work by Chares Dickens. This information was very helpful and enhanced my reading experience.
Calling It Back to Me by Laurie D. Graham (to be published on March 24, 2026 by Penguin Random House Canada)
In this collection of beautiful and powerful poems, Laurie D. Graham is searching for what can be known and what is unknowable about the women from previous generations of her family. She also explores place and what it means to be in and from various places, whether one lives a life in the same place or multiple places. Each jewel of a poem was a little story and I particularly enjoyed, and was moved by, the poems about her great-grandmothers. I will seek out more of this gifted poet's work.
And that's another month of reading. So many excellent books! Long may it continue! Happy reading!
