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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
A pretty nice reading, not pretentiuos at funny in many points. What impressed me most is that the book is really modern, despite being written in 1930! This writers was really ahead in times!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
This os a bit of a blend of Keeping up Appearances, To the Manor Born, and a touch of Wodehouse style social commentary. Quite entertaining.
I was expecting to find this book more entertaining than I did. I loved the blurb and the concept sounded great, but the writing style didn't appeal to me. The short sentences in the style of "Went to the kitchen. Saw cook preparing cold lunch" made the book sound very impersonal and it was difficult to really grasp the personality of Provincial Lady.
I did enjoy the detailed depictions of upper middle class life in 1930 and the everyday woes of a woman representing this part of society. There were some laugh-out-loud moments and the Provincial Lady's honest descriptions of the need to keep up appearances and beating about the bush in conversation in a stereotypical English manner were amusing. There is no real plot in the book though. There isn't a beginning, middle and end of a story to cling on to and perhaps it was for this reason that I was bored once I got about two-thirds through the book.
I did enjoy the detailed depictions of upper middle class life in 1930 and the everyday woes of a woman representing this part of society. There were some laugh-out-loud moments and the Provincial Lady's honest descriptions of the need to keep up appearances and beating about the bush in conversation in a stereotypical English manner were amusing. There is no real plot in the book though. There isn't a beginning, middle and end of a story to cling on to and perhaps it was for this reason that I was bored once I got about two-thirds through the book.
I can't remember if this is interwar or Edwardian, so I've tagged it as both. It wasn't very interesting. I thought it might be sort of a satire, the kind where they don't say what they mean but you know what they mean and it is a delicate critique or whatever, but it's actually half Bridget Jones (only old-school and married with kids) and half boring bitching about other people. Meh.
Una auténtica delicia de lectura, solo apta para amantes del humor inglés.
A través de las anotaciones en un diario vamos descubriendo la vida de esta dama de provincias, de manera ligera, irónica y llena de chispa. Vamos a asistir a pequeños viajes, insoportables compromisos, lectura y redacción de cartas, estrambóticos desayunos, y la compañía de vecinas entrometidas, snobs insufribles y amigas adorables.
Divertido, rapidísimo de leer, cargado de sarcasmo y de multitud de referencias literarias, cuenta con una protagonista sencillamente inolvidable, y no puedo dejar de recomendarlo.
Mención especial a la traducción de Patricia Antón, que me ha parecido de 10, consiguiendo reproducir el estilo de la autora, clásico y al mismo tiempo contemporáneo tan cómico que podría haber sido totalmente destrozado en otras manos.
A través de las anotaciones en un diario vamos descubriendo la vida de esta dama de provincias, de manera ligera, irónica y llena de chispa. Vamos a asistir a pequeños viajes, insoportables compromisos, lectura y redacción de cartas, estrambóticos desayunos, y la compañía de vecinas entrometidas, snobs insufribles y amigas adorables.
Divertido, rapidísimo de leer, cargado de sarcasmo y de multitud de referencias literarias, cuenta con una protagonista sencillamente inolvidable, y no puedo dejar de recomendarlo.
Mención especial a la traducción de Patricia Antón, que me ha parecido de 10, consiguiendo reproducir el estilo de la autora, clásico y al mismo tiempo contemporáneo tan cómico que podría haber sido totalmente destrozado en otras manos.
Funny, diary style story of the trials and tribulations of a year in the life of an English country wife and mother. Besides the wit and charm on display, there is a surprising amount of social commentary, too, about the state of marriage, motherhood, and culture at the time. The narrator's relationship with her husband (or lack thereof) is particularly interesting.
I bought all 5 books in this series for my new Kindle, so will likely continue reading them at some point in future.
I bought all 5 books in this series for my new Kindle, so will likely continue reading them at some point in future.
Charming, fun, fast read. I kept thinking she could have been Bridget Jones' grandmother, as they have similar money problems, fashion issues, bad hair days and snarky sense of humor! I listened to this on audio and will add it to my audio-books-to listen-to-again list.
"(Query here becomes unavoidable: Does not a misplaced optimism exist, common to all mankind, leading on to false conviction that social engagements, if dated sufficiently far ahead, will never really materialise?)"
I've been wanting to read Delafield for a while, and thankfully my dissertation offered me the perfect opportunity to buy myself a copy of this and dig into it. I have to say that this was one of the funniest and most engrossing books I've read in a while, and definitely now ranks among my favorite Persephones. The narrator's voice is witty and ironic, the characters vivid caricatures with a great deal of heart, and the sentiments inside equally self-important and self-depricating.
The novel moves quickly, the diary form ushering you along through a year of the PL's daily life. It's not that anything much ever happens, but it's the tone, the quips, and the amusing anecdotes that make this book such a fun and easy read.
I really loved this one, and I know I now need to read even more Delafield once my dissertation is over and I have the time. This was such a treat and is sure to become a well-revisited favorite.