Angela ThirkellReviews

Like most of Angela Thirkell’s Barsetshire novels, Never Too Late shows a subset of the Barsetshire community living fairly ordinary (albeit privileged) lives, with a couple significant developments driving the plot. In this case, Edith Graham has returned from spending several months in America and is trying to find her footing as a young adult. At the same time, an older woman and her adult son are dealing with their husband/father’s decline. In these novels, young adults usually find romantic bliss, but Edith is a bit too young for marriage; perhaps that will happen in the next book. I found the other storyline more interesting. This is the second book in which Thirkell has written about the end of a life well lived; she expertly handles the gradual but inevitable failure of mind and body, the impact on their loved ones, and the feelings of guilty relief afterwards. These scenes were quite moving and I couldn’t help wondering if, at this point in her career, Thirkell was writing from personal experience. And then she surprised me by setting up a new relationship that I look forward to reading about in the next novel.½

Ugh. I guess I'm too American for this. Class snobbery, and cultural references unfamiliar to me. I agree it would have been lovely to hear Kipling read [b:Just So Stories|34053|Just So Stories|Rudyard Kipling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546075870l/34053._SY75_.jpg|2475078] aloud, but even those, Best Beloved, have become too dated to recommend.

LFL find. September 2024

Well, make a big pot, or better yet, two pots of tea, and keep a good few packets of tea biscuits at hand that you can nibble on like a hamster, or else make sure your mug of tea is big enough to dunk your tea biscuit in because to survive this book you will need it.

People who have ever been stuck in a lift with someone who panics can imagine a little bit what it feels like to read this book, but of course I say that with a wink. In any case, Angela Thirkell proves that we do not have a monopoly on the Jan Steen Family and that ADHD is an invention and a concoction to be able to satirize the chaos of fictional families in English literature. In short, Angela describes in her book the troubles of two families - one well-off, the other making ends meet - with a procession of children, who all have some kind of problem, to say the least, be it puberty, jealousy, being in love with a married woman, climbing on roofs and racing cars, everything conceivable and unthinkable comes along, and that at a high pace, as if your least favorite aunt is sitting next to you and keeps on chattering.

In the meantime, almost all of them, with will or with reluctance, are roped in for a Greek play, and so the chaos is complete.

The complications are described with dry English humor, and with the arrival of Mr. Fanshawe, the tent becomes somewhat calmer and everyone is neatly put back on earth with both feet.

The persevering are treated to a piece of English satire, which by the way regularly brings a smile to your face.

Gradually the pieces of the puzzle fall into place and the right people come together. The Greek piece will be performed outside the pages of the book, we are allowed to watch the fatal dress rehearsal just in time.
But the reader who eventually reads the book in its entirety and then understands why half the English-speaking world is still charmed by Angea Thirkell will also understand why I have now ordered a next book by this author.

High Rising is rather a delightful nothing. I perhaps should like Thirkell more than I do, seeing as how she sits somewhere between my favourite novelist Barbara Pym and one of my more obscure pleasures, E.F. Benson, author of the Mapp and Lucia series. Thirkell is much kinder to her characters than Benson is (although not without a sense of cosmic justice), and her character examinations are less sharp than Pym's - not lacking in sharpness, mind you.

High Rising is the first in a series of almost 30 novels, which Thirkell wrote over the course of her lifetime, chronicling the same county (a century removed) from Trollope's more famous 19th century novels. So perhaps later in life, when I have run out of material, I will return here. Lengthy series in which little happens beyond character analysis are hard to find, and right up my alley. For now, though I will leave it to more interested parties.

This is the third book (or second depending on which list you use) in a series by Angela Thirkell set in the fictional county of Barsetshire created by Anthony Trollope. The books were written between 1933 and 1961 (this one in 1934). They are generally a light and delightful blend of social satire, comedy and romance.

The story revolves around the Leslie family and their family home Rushwater. The cast is confusing at first but I soon had them all sorted out. Lady Emily is the absentminded matriarch. Her daughter Agnes is equally silly. Emily’s sons John (a young widower) and David (much more interested in fun than work) don’t live at home but visit often. The Leslie’s eldest son died in the Great War and his 16 year old son. Martin is the heir and visiting the family for the summer. Also visiting is Mary Preston who is the niece of Agnes’s husband.

Romance is In the air as Mary falls for the imminently unsuitable David when everyone knows that John is the better match for her. Visitors in the neighborhood from France add more fun and a bit of fervor to restore the French Monarchy that fails to disrupt Martin’s birthday party near the end of the summer.

It’s light with more fun than substance but all in all entertaining. This is the first I’ve listened to instead of reading. Hilary Neville is a good narrator. I will likely get the next book on audio even though it has a different narrator.½

This little demon did remind me of Just William. I do wonder if Angela Thirkell was familiar with Richmal Crompton. I have to admit I found Tony to be quite annoying. I felt for Dora and Rose. Three cheers for the doctor and Sylvia who knew how to put him in his place. Not much change or growth in the characters. Perhaps in one of the later Barsetshire books. I'll have to look them out. Some good laughs here.

Angela Thirkell’s Barsetshire novels are set in the English countryside in the early- to mid-20th century. In each installment she draws on her huge cast of characters, and develops at least two plot threads centered around typical “country” pursuits (church, farming, household management, etc.). The community usually pulls together around some kind of major event, like an agricultural fair. And there is always romance with one or more couples finally pairing off at the end.

This installment had none of these things. The main characters were largely lesser-known players, which would have been fine if they were given a substantial plot. But there was only one plot thread, which mostly involved a few people visiting one family, and that family returning the visit. So much dialogue, and all of it fairly pointless. There is a tiny flicker of romantic interest which is left to be resolved in a later novel. Towards the end, Thirkell brings her alter-ego character into the story in a way that fills a few more pages with incessant conversation, but in no way contributes to the already unsubstantial plot.

Were it not for my irrational desire to “complete” this series, I would not have finished this book.½

Jutland Cottage is set in 1952, and begins with the death of King George VI in February*. Barsetshire is understandably in a somber mood, but soon normal country life resumes. Margot Phelps is spending her middle-aged years caring for aging parents which she does gladly, but this leaves little time for herself. The community takes note and quietly organizes a “Friends of the Phelpses” effort. Some spend afternoons with Margot’s parents so that she can have some free time. Others take advantage of that free time to take Margot shopping for new clothes, or to have her hair done. This is community at its best, and Margot is much the better for it. But there is still a looming concern about her financial livelihood, as her parents will have little to pass on. The solution to this problem is, sadly, much the same as it was centuries earlier: marriage. But to whom? Margot herself doesn’t appear to be giving this much thought but you can bet everyone else is.

Meanwhile, some of the usual devices are in play: garden parties, Sunday lunches, and gently poking fun at certain character types. The inevitable second romantic storyline occurs quite late in the novel and seemed rather hastily put together. Margot’s storyline has a happy ending (as always), although in my opinion Thirkell made the wrong choice for Margot. But what do I know? And in any case, this was an enjoyable installment in a long-running series.

* I enjoyed reading the Barsetshire community’s thoughts about the new Queen, speculation about how long she would reign, and whether she had any suitable heirs.½

Not sure why, since I did somewhat enjoy a Thirkell book in the past, but I found this unreadable.

This entry in Thirkell's Barsetshire series is more bittersweet than the previous ones...

This entry in the Barsetshire series reminded me of some of the earlier books in its style and wit - much more light-hearted than the previous few. A charming tale of the lives, particularly the love lives, of the county and not quite county. Thirkell makes all the nuances of the different classes of English society come to life for me (an American) in a way that few other authors have. Austen, for example, wrote almost exclusively of the gentry. Thirkell's books focus on the gentry but also included the "foreigners" who moved into the county in the 1920s and 30s, and who are very nice but not county, as well as the "self-made" men and their families.

3½ stars.

More melancholy than the typical Barshetshire book from Thirkell, this 27th entry in the series returns to Margot Phelps Macfayden. However, we do learn almost in passing that Edith Graham has finally become engaged (and not to her cousin Ludo)...

Sept. 2018 reread via Hoopla audiobook narrated by Nadia May:
4.5* for the audiobook edition. Nadia May did a terrific job narrating this novel & I enjoyed it even more this time around. Mrs. Brandon annoyed me a bit when I first read this book but this time around I just found her amusing.

I found that The Brandons reminded me of Jane Austen quite a bit more than the other Thirkell novels I've read... I think it was the romantic sub-plot between the old lady's companion Miss Morris and the reverend Mr. Miller -- Mrs. Brandon tries to fix her up with several other gentlemen, which reminded me of Emma, and the dislike Miss Morris professes for Mr. Miller reminded me of Elizabeth Bennett & Mr. Darcy.

4.5*

Wanda McCaddon does a marvelous narration.

This is Angela Thirkell's first book in the Barsetshire series. Quite enjoyable, but not as humorous as [b:Northbridge Rectory|835444|Northbridge Rectory|Angela Thirkell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178768577s/835444.jpg|821058].

High Rising is a delightful novel. It’s the first of a 30-book series known as the Barsetshire chronicles. These books are social comedy, focussed on matrimony and generally lighthearted and humorous. High Rising’s witty style, its clearly developed and mostly sympathetic characters, its plot surprises, and gentle satire of the conventions of social comedy made it a pleasure to read.

The story is set in the early part of the 20th century in the fictitious rural county of Barset, where main character Laura Morland has a summer cottage in the village of High Rising. Laura is a successful “good bad writer” of mysteries, who is “happily widowed” with no wish to change her station. Laura lives with the youngest of her four sons, Tony, whose all consuming interest in trains and incessant talking make him obnoxious and boring to everyone but himself. He is a great source of humor in the novel. Another writer lives in the adjoining village of Low Rising. George Knox, also widowed, writes successful historical biographies. With George lives Sybil, his twenty-year old daughter, and lots of dogs, puppies, and horses, which Tony loves almost as much as trains. And also part of the Knox household is George’s brand new secretary, Una.

The plot is set in motion when George’s longtime secretary leaves to care for a sister in ill health, and George has to hire someone new. He selects Una Grey from a list of applicants, an attractive young woman very competent in all she sets out to do, be it typing, running the household, nursing the sick, or general management of everyone. It soon becomes clear to all except George that Una plans to marry him, and in general dismay, the servants, his daughter, and his closest friends, Laura among them, set out to prevent such an undesirable match.

Scenes and evolving relationships are developed carefully, characters are well established, and the novel moves at a good pace to its somewhat surprising conclusion. Thirkell’s writing is witty and clear, making for a well-crafted and satisfying story that I can recommend without reservation.

It took me a very long time to read this and that is quite inexcusable because it was a delightful romp that should have taken an afternoon but reading life can be an adventure. I really enjoyed this, Thirkell makes characters fun and quirky and very real with just a few strokes and the dialouge and writing is witty and acerbic and then often so thoughtful. I picked this one up from a Little Free Library and will release it back again so someone else can enjoy it.

Mr. Middleton's sister Lilian Stonor and her stepchildren Daphne and Denis are coming to live next door for the summer.
Daphne soon finds herself the object of attentions from two men. C.W. Bond is a neighbor, a young man with extremely suitable prospects in life and good family. Alister Cameron is a much older man who nonetheless finds himself completely taken by Daphne. Stepmother Lilian frets over the situation, certain that Alister is going to get his heart broken. The fact that he is actually closer to her own age and that they are very sympathetic friends has nothing to do with it.
Then there is Denis, a sickly young man with musical talent and a dream of writing a new ballet, but no money to produce it. His kindness to Lord Bond, a slightly henpecked gentleman with a fondness for Gilbert & Sullivan, may just open up some new possibilities for Denis' future. Denis also develops a friendship with Mrs. Middleton, the weary but sympathetic wife of his stepmother's brother. This friendship is a vaguely unsettling vibe in the book, but it is allowed to drop at the end.

Angela Thirkell: I think I've said it before. She falls somewhere in between the traditional and the modern, and her books vary in how recommendable they are to people who love the traditional, old-fashioned stuff.
Also she seems to have some stock characters that kind of get moved from one book to another. The vapid-but-ultimately-intelligent middle-aged woman is one. Also the young, idealistic man who respectfully worships from afar an older, unattainable woman. Also the boisterous, capable young woman who is enthusiastically interested in either A) cows, B) pigs, or C) severe injury and sickness.
Weird stock characters, no?
There are some real laugh-worthy lines in this one, though.

I sometimes read book reviews that call someone a modern Jane Austen, and I never really agree with it. But... when Angela Thirkell is good, she is really, REALLY good, and in the midst of reading one of her best works (so far) I'd almost be inclined to heap the Jane-Austen encomium on her.
I love reading Angela Thirkell's books when I am by myself, to allow me the freedom of chuckling and hooting aloud whenever I take a notion. She can be gloriously funny. And just a few pages later, so pensive and gentle that you feel a little misty.

Anyway, in this book we are placed firmly in the middle of World War II. Lydia and her husband Noel (already introduced in previous books; Lydia is deservedly a favorite character of other reviewers) come to stay with the Warings while Noel is posted on some type of military duty.

The Warings' niece Leslie is also at the house, recovering from a string of nerve-wracking incidents related to her own war work.
Then Philip Winter, a colonel in the army and a previously known friend of Lydia and Noel, shows up. Readers may already be familiar with him as a schoolmaster who is now slightly older and wiser. He carries Leslie's suitcase from the train station one evening, and this begins their acquaintance. It continues, with many stops and starts, and doubts and fears, over the rest of the novel.
Since several of the characters were introduced in earlier books, the title of this one is appropriately "Growing Up." Lydia reflects a few times over the course of the book on how her friends from her teen years are maturing, and one of the pleasant surprises is how much she herself has grown up and yet somehow remained the same. She is still decisive, straightforward, and about as subtle as a hurricane, but she has somehow also acquired dignity and some self-control. This adjustment is credited at least partially to her husband Noel, who's a bit older than she is, and whom she loves madly.

The funny bits are mostly in the last half. Love it when Mrs. Morland, the extremely self-doubting and fairly incoherent author, comes to give an edifying lecture to the convalescing soldiers.

I think I have reached the point in Thirkell novels where, since so many of her characters are recurring, or at least related by marriage to other characters, I no longer feel like there are too many people. It's becoming easier to fix their roles in mind... although my handy dandy Angela Thirkell encyclopedia does help.
It's fun, though, realizing that you already know a character who has just popped in for a few pages, and you react to them before they even open their mouth. "Oh, NO, not Mrs. Spender!!!!!!" and you feel like telling the other characters, "Just try not to make eye contact. She's a loony."

A not quite middle-aged woman, Lavinia Brandon, has two more or less grown up children named Francis and Delia. Episodes in their life include a visit to an elderly aunt who may or may not leave Francis her estate (he doesn't want it), the arrival of a hitherto-unknown sort-of relative who also may or may not inherit (and also doesn't want it), the mysterious history of said aunt's companion and the local vicar, etc. There were, as usual for Angela Thirkell, some hilarious bits of dialogue and characterization, but I wonder if I've already found my favorite Thirkell novel and the others can't compare? So far, anyway, Wild Strawberries was the best.

Re-read was enjoyable. Original review follows...


This was delightful.
*Possible spoilers? I don't know, I'll try not to give endings away, at least.*
It took me about two chapters to get into it. Evidently one of Angela Thirkell's trademarks is to throw A WHOLE BUNCH of characters at you and then hope that you get them all sorted out pretty quick. This may even be one of her easier ones, but it still took me a little while to settle everyone's role in my mind. The more you read, the easier it gets though, because everyone is quite well defined as a character.
So, this novel focuses on the Leslies, a well-to-do family with lots of characters. The mother cheerfully and lovingly rearranges any and all plans for those around her, however small, until they become an ineffective mess. Fortunately the servants and the family know to just "carry on" while letting her have her say. She's a lovable character. She and her husband had three sons and a daughter. Their oldest son was killed in war, so they are basically raising their teenage grandson. Their second son, John, is a remarkably kind and intelligent man in his mid-30's, whose wife died after just one year of marriage. Their youngest son, David, is a flirt and a man-about-town, with dozens of ideas for a brilliant career, none of which seem to ever pan out.
Agnes, their daughter, married with several small children of her own, somehow manages to be a bit simple-minded in conversation, yet fairly observant and able to occasionally rise to the situation and save the day.
The catalyst for change is when Agnes' niece by marriage, Mary Preston, comes to stay for the summer. She falls in love with David, the flirtatious son, but also strikes a sympathetic chord in the heart of John, who happens to be in the right time and place to provide a shoulder to lean on when she is going through a little crisis.
Most of the characters have their own story arc going on as the narrative drives forward to the climax, the 17th birthday party of the Leslie grandson.
I laughed quite a lot while reading. This book is extremely cleverly written, and there were times when I just had to pause in delighted surprise at some funny and unexpected moment. I also love how Thirkell gives her readers different shades of some of the characters. Mrs. Leslie could have been nothing but a caricature, with all her ridiculous plans and interference. But the author occasionally dwells on the way that she thinks about her son who was killed in war. Things like that make it hard to pigeonhole these characters with just one word. You have to end up saying, "They're this, but they're also that."
Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Deliciously delightful. Angela Thirkell does it again. Lots of characters as usual, but I've now reached the point where I don't have to refer to my Thirkell encyclopedia, so well do I know most of them.
Book opens with the contemplation of a marriage between two people of a "certain age" who, in the last book, arranged it as a matter of practicality but very soon find out that they both love each other very much. Other characters are at loose ends, like Isabel Dale, whose fiance died in the war and who now offers herself as a sort of extra daughter to the Marlings, or Lavinia Brandon, whose son and daughter-in-law simply won't find their own house and prefer living in hers. Life marches on for this lot of sensitive yet stiff-upper-lip people, and it's somehow very comforting to read. Always tinged with bits of irony that can be terribly funny but are never too harsh.

Sorry, Angela Thirkell, didn't finish this one. Couldn't get into it, flipped ahead and it seemed not to get better.

THIS!
This is why I kept reading Angela Thirkell. I knew that there would be more books of the same caliber as Wild Strawberries.
This book is about the Marlings, but particularly the widowed daughter Lettice, who has two young daughters and is a bit susceptible to thoughts of a second marriage.
On her mind are two men: David Leslie, a distant family connection, and Tom Barclay, an officer stationed nearby.
David Leslie made his first appearance in "Wild Strawberries" as an undependable but irresistible flirt. He's still that way here, only slightly more dependable. In most books this kind of character can be easily dismissed. You think, "This guy's worthless," and anxiously wait for the heroine to realize the value of the better man. Not so here. David Leslie really is fairly irresistible, regardless of his flaws. How did Angela Thirkell do it? I look forward to seeing him in more books. There is a sense that he may outgrow some of his flightiness, and that would be...amazing.
The other suitor, Tom Barclay, is delightful in his own way, but not nearly as complicated.
Lettice's younger sister, Lucy, is hilarious for her unconscious way of always "telling people what" and being the happiest bossy person ever.
Lots of other good characters, like the insane but shrewd landlady who keeps popping in and "borrowing" things from the house that she agreed to rent furnished.
Another book set in the middle of World War II. Angela Thirkell was able to publish her books in what seems like nearly real-time during the war, about one per year, so what the British went through and their feelings are very near to the reader, very intimate.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
By the way, my edition had the worst synopsis ever on the back cover and made it sound like some thriller romance with jealous rival sisters. That, it most definitely is not. Awful marketing by the publisher in this case.