A review by bellasandrarose
Uncle Paul by Celia Fremlin

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Very interesting book. Really enjoyed that it was written and set in the 50s. It’s really cool to look at all the language being used and the societal expectations of that time written by someone that was there.

It obv all came to a head at the end with Mildred and I think it all happened a bittttt slowly and then suddenly all at once and without much foreshadowing. This may be because I’m not a woman from the 50s/60s and I couldn’t imagine ever siding with my husband if I found out something terrible about him, let alone killing my sister??

I was really intrigued by this paranoia that the sisters all shared together but also really kept to themselves. Makes me very grateful that society has changed where we can talk about our feelings more. I can definitely recognise people I know as being similar to Isabel especially had they lived then. Loved the setting, I love how horribly depressing an English summer holiday sounds, it’s so foreign. Has made me want to read more books written in this time. I think I enjoyed it more for the novelty of its space in time than the actual mystery.