Pretty, impecunious
Mary Preston, newly arrived as a guest of her Aunt Agnes at the
magnificent wooded estate of Rushwater, falls head over heels for
handsome playboy David Leslie. Meanwhile, Agnes and her mother, the
eccentric matriarch Lady Emily, have hopes of a different, more suitable
match for Mary. At the lavish Rushwater dance party, her future
happiness hangs in the balance.
I was in need of a light, fluffy and funny story this week-end and this fit the bill perfectly. It's not the novel of the century, but a sort of romantic comedy filled with deliciously eccentric characters. Next time I need a relaxing read, I'll think of this author !
How did I come to read this ? I happened upon this short novel at the bookshop, the cover was lovely, the blurb mentionned a big house in the English countryside between the two world wars, which was all good. Reading about the author, that I'd never heard of before, I learned that her mother was the daughter of Edward Byrne-Jones (the preraphaelite painter), Angela was also Rudyard Kipling's cousin and J.M. Barrie's goddaughter. She was really famous in her time but not many people know her nowadays.
It was a wonderfully delightful read that made me smile and laugh from the beginning, with a light touch of emotion here and there. Even if I heard that all her novels aren't great, I intend to find out more about Angela Thirkell.
I read her books just as I could get my hands on them, but I am now reading them again in the correct order. Thirkell can be slightly annoying as she's so snobbish at times, but she is so funny and has some great characters. I especially enjoy her wartime books.
ReplyDeleteI might just end up doing that. Authors from these periods are annoying sometimes, but I'll have to look up her other books - thanks for the wartime tips ;) (PS : Where is your blog, I can't find it on my list ?...)
DeleteI've not heard of her before so thanks for putting me onto her writing. The light country house romcom sounds delightful.
ReplyDeleteAnd it is ! And it's absolutely perfect in these Covid times ^^
DeleteI've read a few Thirkell's now & they are indeed the perfect thing for light, fluffy and funny. I read one at the beginning of lockdown last year. It was just right.
ReplyDeleteI believe that she married an Aussie or he got a job in Australia for a while. Anyway she lived here for a while and wrote one story set in Australia as well.
I saw that, yes, and I thought about you ;) And yes, it's a perfect read for dark and difficult times.
DeleteI'm in the mood for a light romance like this one.
ReplyDeleteIt felt like a breath of fresh air, or a walk in the sunny countryside :)
DeleteHmm. I haven't heard of the author either. But the plot sounds good & of course that cover is quite fetching.
ReplyDeleteI confess it's the cover that drew me in... The plot is practically nonexistent but the characters are engaging, even the irritating ones :)
DeleteAn author I am unfamiliar with, too. This is exactly the sort of book that keeps me going these days.
ReplyDeleteTry it, you won't regret it, it's good for the morale :)
Delete