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sarahkjs's review
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sarfow11's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
stagasaurus's review
4.0
Reading this during the pandemic, I found it hard at times, but it felt very relevant. Berridge is a skilled writer.
One star removed because I really didn't like the story
One star removed because I really didn't like the story
Spoiler
Chance Callers. I felt it was an easy cop out with the will and the suicide. It would be a horrific way to get a home, and the story didn't really address that.pixieauthoress's review
5.0
Read for EN4413: Reading the 1940s, 2011-2012.
Elizabeth Berridge is one of those forgotten gems of English literature, and, quite frankly, it's a real shame that more people haven't heard of her. She has an amazing way of writing that makes you feel such incredibly real emotions without needing to use overly lavish descriptions. In fact, compared to other writers in the 1940s, such as Elizabeth Bowen, her writing is surprisingly sparse. Each of the stories in this collection touched me in a different way, and one even quite horrified me. I'll definitely be trying to get hold of more books from Berridge, as hard as it may be! 9/10
Loved:
Firstborn - I loved the way this ended, wasn't what I expected and I think it took the protagonist and myself both by surprise! Perfectly echoed the thoughts of a young mother in the 1940s, I thought.
Tell it to a Stranger - This was the first one I read and it was so striking and poignant, despite how short it was.
Subject for a Sermon - I'm writing an essay on this one, it seemed to really express the differences in class and generation that were confused and muddled by the war.
Snowstorm - This is the first in the collection and really struck me, yet I'm not entirely sure what about it was so striking. I've thought over it for quite a while now and it still perplexes me in some ways. I had a chat with my tutor about this and we both agreed that the female doctor seems to take on very masculine characteristics in her job, which is definitely something to consider if I decide to write about gender in the 1940s for my project essay.
To Tea with the Colonel - I may have just been PMSing when reading this one, but I myself nearly cried at the end of this story. So much to be said about class relations. This story just seemed like a snippet of the life of a regular, working class woman, but that's what made this story so wonderful.
Enjoyed:
The Bare Tree - Maybe not so enlightening in its depiction of class and generational differences as "Subject for a Sermon", but definitely makes you think about how the WWI generation were affected and reacted to WWII.
The Notebooks - This story had a lot of intriguing statements in it and while I did really enjoy it, it seemed to fall flat towards the end, and made me wonder what Berridge was trying to say about moving on after the death of a loved one, and whether she agreed with the protagonist's actions.
Chance Callers - I got distracted a few times while reading this in the university library, which maybe accounts for me not being truly engaged by this story. But while the characters were very vivid and interesting, this just didn't grab me like the others in the collection.
The Prisoner - An intriguing look at German POWs after the war had ended, and how citizens reacted to them. Very humanising, but still not entirely sure of the message. A good one for the collection to end on.
Wasn't particularly fond of:
Woman about the House - This just didn't engage me, and I was quite glad when the story finished. It had a nothingy feel to it, and I didn't feel like I got anything out of it. A bit of a disappointment after so many enjoyable stories.
Lullaby - This disturbed me, as it did many of Berridge's readers when she first read it. It almost seemed like the young couple were being punished for daring to leave their child alone for one night and enjoy themselves. Not sure if this is the message Berridge intended to give, but I was just downright horrified by this story. Really jerked me out of my reading by how different it was from the others. Maybe this deserves to be put higher up in my list because of my reaction, but I can't say that I liked this story!
Elizabeth Berridge is one of those forgotten gems of English literature, and, quite frankly, it's a real shame that more people haven't heard of her. She has an amazing way of writing that makes you feel such incredibly real emotions without needing to use overly lavish descriptions. In fact, compared to other writers in the 1940s, such as Elizabeth Bowen, her writing is surprisingly sparse. Each of the stories in this collection touched me in a different way, and one even quite horrified me. I'll definitely be trying to get hold of more books from Berridge, as hard as it may be! 9/10
Loved:
Firstborn - I loved the way this ended, wasn't what I expected and I think it took the protagonist and myself both by surprise! Perfectly echoed the thoughts of a young mother in the 1940s, I thought.
Tell it to a Stranger - This was the first one I read and it was so striking and poignant, despite how short it was.
Subject for a Sermon - I'm writing an essay on this one, it seemed to really express the differences in class and generation that were confused and muddled by the war.
Snowstorm - This is the first in the collection and really struck me, yet I'm not entirely sure what about it was so striking. I've thought over it for quite a while now and it still perplexes me in some ways. I had a chat with my tutor about this and we both agreed that the female doctor seems to take on very masculine characteristics in her job, which is definitely something to consider if I decide to write about gender in the 1940s for my project essay.
To Tea with the Colonel - I may have just been PMSing when reading this one, but I myself nearly cried at the end of this story. So much to be said about class relations. This story just seemed like a snippet of the life of a regular, working class woman, but that's what made this story so wonderful.
Enjoyed:
The Bare Tree - Maybe not so enlightening in its depiction of class and generational differences as "Subject for a Sermon", but definitely makes you think about how the WWI generation were affected and reacted to WWII.
The Notebooks - This story had a lot of intriguing statements in it and while I did really enjoy it, it seemed to fall flat towards the end, and made me wonder what Berridge was trying to say about moving on after the death of a loved one, and whether she agreed with the protagonist's actions.
Chance Callers - I got distracted a few times while reading this in the university library, which maybe accounts for me not being truly engaged by this story. But while the characters were very vivid and interesting, this just didn't grab me like the others in the collection.
The Prisoner - An intriguing look at German POWs after the war had ended, and how citizens reacted to them. Very humanising, but still not entirely sure of the message. A good one for the collection to end on.
Wasn't particularly fond of:
Woman about the House - This just didn't engage me, and I was quite glad when the story finished. It had a nothingy feel to it, and I didn't feel like I got anything out of it. A bit of a disappointment after so many enjoyable stories.
Lullaby - This disturbed me, as it did many of Berridge's readers when she first read it. It almost seemed like the young couple were being punished for daring to leave their child alone for one night and enjoy themselves. Not sure if this is the message Berridge intended to give, but I was just downright horrified by this story. Really jerked me out of my reading by how different it was from the others. Maybe this deserves to be put higher up in my list because of my reaction, but I can't say that I liked this story!
maccymacd's review
4.0
Written rather in the style of Mollie Panter-Downes, these were in general interesting and well written stories about war time domesticity. Some didn't grab me completely, whilst others I found very daring for the time and was thrilled that I writer could be so bold! Really worth reading however.
hayleysreads's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Absolutely loved these short stories! Such a range of characters and lives captured brilliantly - happy, sad, emotional, heart breaking, shocking, all of. A full spectrum of complex human emotions and experiences. Would absolutely recommend.
Also the edition from Persephone Books is just so beautiful !
Also the edition from Persephone Books is just so beautiful !
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