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krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2022/12/26/review-2090-a-pin-to-see-a-peepshow/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2022/12/26/review-2090-a-pin-to-see-a-peepshow/
swanjovi's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
4.0
The story opens when Julia Almond is fifteen, and at a small girls' school, where she learns French, drawing, and some English literature. She lives in a small lower-middle class area of London, with two ineffectual, but upwardly aspiring, parents. Her main love is her dog, Bobby. She dreams of romance, great adventure, and glamour, and secures a job in a high-class fashion shop, where she quickly makes herself indispensable. But after her father's death, Julia and her mother are forced to live with her uncle's family, and she rushes into an ill-advised marriage with an older man, Herbert. Distressed and bored, Julia begins an affair which ends in disaster.
This intelligent and carefully constructed novel is a study of Julia's social class, and how the rigid society around her becomes her ultimate undoing. F. Tennyson Jesse was from a wealthy and illustrious background, and at times her study of Julia's world can feel patronising or detached, but she remains sympathetic to Julia throughout, and the reader can feel her ire towards the hypocrisies facing women. It's also a tightly woven and very gripping narrative, although the final quarter can become a little too maudlin.
This intelligent and carefully constructed novel is a study of Julia's social class, and how the rigid society around her becomes her ultimate undoing. F. Tennyson Jesse was from a wealthy and illustrious background, and at times her study of Julia's world can feel patronising or detached, but she remains sympathetic to Julia throughout, and the reader can feel her ire towards the hypocrisies facing women. It's also a tightly woven and very gripping narrative, although the final quarter can become a little too maudlin.
bmip666's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
andrew61's review
5.0
I had heard this book reviewed on the terrific 'Tea or Books' podcast so when I saw this lovely old Virago edition in a charity shop I was looking forward to the opportunity to pick it up.
Based on a notorious crime in the 1920's the writer allows us to become invested in the life of one of the main players through a fictionalised character Julia Almond. We meet Julia initially in a prologue setting a day in her life pre WW1 as a senior girl in a private city school who lives in a dream world, obsessed with her female teacher and her own self belief in her beauty and intelligence, who gets the bus back home to what appears a mundane home life where she feels put upon by her parents and has little knowledge of the intricacies of life and more particularly love. Julia is a great character and we follow her early life as war arrives and she finds a passion for a young conscript and the author brilliantly describes her naivety and passion emerging sexuality without any knowledge of the sexual act . As she also gains a job in a clothes shop and go outs with her actress friend we find ourselves immersed in what will happen to Julia.
I would not want to spoil this book for any potential reader but the second half of the book takes us into a much darker world and I found the writer then changing gears and creating a narrative that looks at the life of women in between the wars so whilst Julia happily has dismissed the sufferage movement earlier on the issues we visit are harrowing and as relevant today as they were 90 years ago including sexual autonomy, abortion and women's treatment in the justice system.
It is a long book and whilst at times I felt it could have lost 50 to 100 pages I quickly got into the rhythm of the writing which did sometimes feel dated but did not spoil my enjoyment.
All I will conclude with is that if you can come to this book without much prior knowledge the final chapters make for incredible reading and I put it down with a heavy heart.
Based on a notorious crime in the 1920's the writer allows us to become invested in the life of one of the main players through a fictionalised character Julia Almond. We meet Julia initially in a prologue setting a day in her life pre WW1 as a senior girl in a private city school who lives in a dream world, obsessed with her female teacher and her own self belief in her beauty and intelligence, who gets the bus back home to what appears a mundane home life where she feels put upon by her parents and has little knowledge of the intricacies of life and more particularly love. Julia is a great character and we follow her early life as war arrives and she finds a passion for a young conscript and the author brilliantly describes her naivety and passion emerging sexuality without any knowledge of the sexual act . As she also gains a job in a clothes shop and go outs with her actress friend we find ourselves immersed in what will happen to Julia.
I would not want to spoil this book for any potential reader but the second half of the book takes us into a much darker world and I found the writer then changing gears and creating a narrative that looks at the life of women in between the wars so whilst Julia happily has dismissed the sufferage movement earlier on the issues we visit are harrowing and as relevant today as they were 90 years ago including sexual autonomy, abortion and women's treatment in the justice system.
It is a long book and whilst at times I felt it could have lost 50 to 100 pages I quickly got into the rhythm of the writing which did sometimes feel dated but did not spoil my enjoyment.
All I will conclude with is that if you can come to this book without much prior knowledge the final chapters make for incredible reading and I put it down with a heavy heart.
wendoxford's review
4.0
Loved this 1934 novel. Completely riveting tale of class, marriage, society and legal system in early twentieth century Britain. Loosely based on Thompson/Bywaters story, of which I had no knowledge, so the way the plot unfolded was new to me.
I was struck, throughout my reading, how wordy it was, my feeling is that a modern editor might cut vast swathes. However, the devil is in the detail and there is vivid detail galore. It is a really slow burner and all the more powerful as such. We see the whole rich story through one set of eyes, Julia's, which encourages empathy and understanding with the protagonist.
I was struck, throughout my reading, how wordy it was, my feeling is that a modern editor might cut vast swathes. However, the devil is in the detail and there is vivid detail galore. It is a really slow burner and all the more powerful as such. We see the whole rich story through one set of eyes, Julia's, which encourages empathy and understanding with the protagonist.
amaliajane's review
4.0
This was so unexpected - if you read this, don't read the blurb or anything about it, just start.
The length of the book really gave justice to the protagonist, Julia, and allowed her to be so much more than the ending. I really don't want to give even a slither of a spoiler, so I will just say that Tennyson Jesse has created an admirable female character who is relatable in her selfishness and her downfalls, unloveable at times but respectfully fiercely independent. Julia Almond was ahead of her time in so many ways!
The length of the book really gave justice to the protagonist, Julia, and allowed her to be so much more than the ending. I really don't want to give even a slither of a spoiler, so I will just say that Tennyson Jesse has created an admirable female character who is relatable in her selfishness and her downfalls, unloveable at times but respectfully fiercely independent. Julia Almond was ahead of her time in so many ways!
jessreadthis's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
librarylucy's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
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