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lelia_t's review against another edition
5.0
I love spending time with Barbara Pym’s protagonists, and Dulcie Mainwaring is one of my favorites. Like most of Pym’s protagonists, Dulcie is past the wide-eyed optimism of early womanhood. She’s had some sobering experiences, nursing her mother through the decline of old age and, as the book opens, she’s recovering from the unexpected end of her engagement. But she gathers her resources - kindness, curiosity and a practical approach to solving problems - and they lead her to new friends, romantic possibilities, jumble sales and vacation destinations.
All the female characters in this book are trying to find their place in the world and their options seem limited to marriage or the thankless jobs - such as making indexes - that are available to them. While that may sound dreary, Pym always has such a humorous perspective on the mishaps we get ourselves into, the self-doubt that plagues us and the dangers of taking ourselves too seriously.
All the female characters in this book are trying to find their place in the world and their options seem limited to marriage or the thankless jobs - such as making indexes - that are available to them. While that may sound dreary, Pym always has such a humorous perspective on the mishaps we get ourselves into, the self-doubt that plagues us and the dangers of taking ourselves too seriously.
tibigarcia's review against another edition
2.0
Almost DNF. Resistí el impulso de dejarlo y continúe leyendo pensando que tal vez la historia mejoraría, pero desgraciadamente no creo que este haya sido un libro para mí. Para empezar la novela está llena de escenas bastante cotidianas de lo que sería la clase media inglesa de la época, pero en lugar de resultar interesantes o aportar algo a la historia como suele suceder en este tipo de libros, leerlas resultaba terriblemente tedioso. Había leído ya 100 páginas y todavía no lograba entender a dónde iba la historia, ni por qué una mujer adulta se embarcaba en una investigación que ríete CSI sobre la vida privada de personas que le son totalmente ajenas. Se supone que tiene que tener cierto “encanto” y que Dulcei debe parecerte “adorable”, pero solo conseguía resultarme odiosa a cada cosa en la que se entrometía y a cada cosa que juzgaba sobre la vida de los demás. Los personajes secundarios me resultaron muchísimo más interesantes.
Está muy bien escrito y muchísima gente lo disfruta enormemente, so maybe it just wasn’t for me
Está muy bien escrito y muchísima gente lo disfruta enormemente, so maybe it just wasn’t for me
mschrock8's review against another edition
3.0
This book seemed to have a bit more drama than others I've read by this author. Still very sweet.
Borrowed on Hoopla through JCPL.
Listening length eight hr
Borrowed on Hoopla through JCPL.
Listening length eight hr
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
Barbara Pym wrote six novels between 1950 and 1961, ending with No Fond Return of Love. Then reading trends changed and publishers stopped being interested in her. She had a resurgence in the late 1970s when the Times Literary Supplement named her as one of the most underrated novelists of the century. She wrote three further novels before her death in 1980. Subsequently four other unpublished novels were also published. I had never heard of her until a couple of years ago but this is now the fourth book of hers that I have read. I adore her books. They are witty and observant social comedies set around village or suburban life. You know the characters will drink lots of tea, you know there will be a jumble sale, you know there will be vicars and at least one anthropologist. She includes in-jokes that only her fans will get: for example at one stage in this novel, one of the characters sees a tattered book called "Some Tame Gazelle" - which was Pym's debut novel.
No Fond Return of Love centres on 31 year old Dulcie Mainwaring whose engagement ended a year ago and who has accepted that she will probably remain a spinster. She meets and is immensely taken with an older, handsome writer (Alywin Forbes) who unfortunately has a taste for much younger women (including Dulcie's 18 year old niece). In fact, the novel is full of people who suffer unrequited love - some of whom will find it over the course of the book, and some of whom will not.
Dulcie is a delightful character. She is immensely curious (even nosy) about the people around her and she loves pondering philosophical dilemmas. She reminded me of Alexander McCall Smith's character Isabel Dalhousie, but she's more interesting. She is of course far too good for Aylwin, but you hope for her to get her happy ending nonetheless.
The edition that I read was published in 1961 and includes a racist slur that is referred to as being a dog's name. I hope/assume that has been changed in more recent editions.
No Fond Return of Love centres on 31 year old Dulcie Mainwaring whose engagement ended a year ago and who has accepted that she will probably remain a spinster. She meets and is immensely taken with an older, handsome writer (Alywin Forbes) who unfortunately has a taste for much younger women (including Dulcie's 18 year old niece). In fact, the novel is full of people who suffer unrequited love - some of whom will find it over the course of the book, and some of whom will not.
Dulcie is a delightful character. She is immensely curious (even nosy) about the people around her and she loves pondering philosophical dilemmas. She reminded me of Alexander McCall Smith's character Isabel Dalhousie, but she's more interesting. She is of course far too good for Aylwin, but you hope for her to get her happy ending nonetheless.
The edition that I read was published in 1961 and includes a racist slur that is referred to as being a dog's name. I hope/assume that has been changed in more recent editions.
littletaiko's review against another edition
4.0
Nothing like a lovely Pym book to get you out of a reading funk. Dulcie is at loose ends having recently broken up with her fiancee and ends up at a conference for indexers (not really sure what that is) and other people in the literary world. Soon enough she has made a new friend and is assessing her life. Full of the usual Pym characters and humor, Pym's ability to cut right through to the reality of people is always enjoyable.
kategci's review against another edition
3.0
This is a quiet English novel about a single woman working a quiet job. Her fiancé broke off their engagement and she now lives alone in her deceased parents' house. By all descriptions in the story, she is dowdy and boring, but she slowly insinuates herself into other people's lives and in doing so, creates a new more interesting life for herself. I almost gave up halfway through as it is not a page turner, but the ending was worth the reading. While I usually like more action in my reading, there is a place for quieter stories and I will give Barbara Pym another try. Thanks to Thomas of The Readers for the recommendation.
magratajostiernos's review against another edition
4.0
Uno de esos raros libros que te hacen feliz mientras los lees, a los que solo les pides que no se terminen..
Me ha gustado más que 'Mujeres excelentes', no sé si es que he conectado más con los personajes, con la autora o simplemente ha sido el momento perfecto para leerlo pero he adorado a Dulcie, y su obsesión cotilla por investigar la vida de los demás.
Es un libro sencillo pero con un humor fino muy british, cargado de ironía.
A mi dame cien libros más de la Pym por favor. Pero rapidito
Me ha gustado más que 'Mujeres excelentes', no sé si es que he conectado más con los personajes, con la autora o simplemente ha sido el momento perfecto para leerlo pero he adorado a Dulcie, y su obsesión cotilla por investigar la vida de los demás.
Es un libro sencillo pero con un humor fino muy british, cargado de ironía.
A mi dame cien libros más de la Pym por favor. Pero rapidito