The same thing happens with books. A mention of something in one book can lead onto reading of the same thing again very soon after.
This month Persephone Books are republishing "Long Live Great Bardfield; The autobiography of Tirzah Garwood". The title jumped out at me because Great Bardfield is a village in Essex and we've been there for their Garage Sale Day with our friends who live in the neighbouring village of Finchingfield. Hadn't a clue who Tirzah Garwood was but turns out she was the wife of Eric Ravilious,.............. hadn't a clue who Eric Ravilious was either but apparently he was an artist. Anyway I put the book on my wish list just out of curiosity. Then Dean Street Press sent me a copy of "Bewildering Cares" by Winifred Peck which they are republishing, also this month, and who is the painting on the cover by? Yep, you guessed.......Eric Ravilious.
Weird.
Cover illustration detail from "Village Street" (1936) by Eric Ravilious
I've now read Bewildering Cares and enjoyed it, although not as much as House-Bound or maybe I'm just mis-remembering.
As the grandaughter of bishops - on both sides of the family, and daughter of a vicar, Winifred Peck is able to write with some knowledge about the life of a vicars wife in 1940.
It starts with a letter from a old acquaintance asking what she does as the wife of a vicar "and as I am trying to do without a library subscription in Lent", Camilla Lacely tells her husband Arthur "and there are no evening meetings owing to the blessed blackout, I shall write down for her what the life of a parsons wife is like. Just one week to show her everything happens and nothing happens"
Most of the happenings during the week are the effect of the curate's sermon " I wish I'd been there instead of at the Mission" Arthur says when told of the upset Mr Strangs sermon has caused "What did he say?". Camilla casts her mind back and realizes she can remember nothing and must have nodded off!
There are quite a lot of small happenings during Camilla's week " It's a storm in a teacup of course,but then we live in a teacup". Two romances, an illness, a "Quiet Day", a death, anxieties about their son in the RAF ,an inheritance and of course Camillas attendance on many committees, which, as all the young parishioners have joined the services, are mainly attended by the same elderly spinsters.
Some of the sentences in this book are a bit long which necessitates going back to read them again but there are many humourous and witty lines. "It was an opening for Mrs Pratt, of course, but she would find an opening in a steel wall anyhow"...............made me smile
And this observation struck a chord with me "As with so many girls who have lived in shops and offices, her values are all wrong. She looks on so many things for show as necessities which seem to me merely luxuries."
Overall a good read ( Many thanks to Dean Street Press for sending me a copy of this book, books and magazines are the only things I will receive and review on this blog!!) and now I've ordered House-Bound from the library to re-read, thought I had a copy but haven't.
Thank you to someone for the mention on their blog of Ziffit.com. As you know we moved here with well over 1000 books, most of which are still boxed under the bed and
The time has come the old woman said
to sell some books from under the bed.
Ziffit.com buy books, not all books - they are quite particular on what they want - and two of mine have been sold to them for just over £6 each! I boxed up 7 books and await a cheque for £23!
Still waiting for the Amazon voucher from the survey thing .......within 2 days the email said. It's now 5 days. Thought it was too easy to be true.
Welcome to Mandy, taking followers to 387 and thank you for Halloween comments, what a grumpy lot we all are!!
Back Shortly .............why can we say shortly but not longly?
Sue
