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A review by we_are_all_mad_here26
Good Evening, Mrs Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes by Mollie Panter-Downes
5.0
If you really hate short stories... you should read this anyway.
I myself am not a terrific fan of short stories - I read Flannery O'Connor's [b:The Complete Stories|284996|The Complete Stories|Flannery O'Connor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557999886l/284996._SY75_.jpg|886814] last year and figured that would do me until 2025 or so. Then I got this surprise in the mail (a gift from my husband, chosen by the lovely people at Persephone Books based on my previous purchases), and now I want to immediately read [b:Minnie's Room: The Peacetime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes|1683769|Minnie's Room The Peacetime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes|Mollie Panter-Downes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348318119l/1683769._SX50_.jpg|1680371].
These stories were just so good. In each of them is a picture of the effects of WWII on the English who were at least a few, and in some cases, quite a few steps removed from the actual fighting. For example, the "Mrs. Craven" of the title, who is not a Mrs. at all but a mistress, and who worries that she'd never hear of it, should Mr. Craven be injured or worse, killed. As with nearly every Persephone I've read so far, I'm amazed that this book and its author are not more widely known.
This is the 8th book that Persephone published, and, coincidentally, the 8th that I've read.
I myself am not a terrific fan of short stories - I read Flannery O'Connor's [b:The Complete Stories|284996|The Complete Stories|Flannery O'Connor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557999886l/284996._SY75_.jpg|886814] last year and figured that would do me until 2025 or so. Then I got this surprise in the mail (a gift from my husband, chosen by the lovely people at Persephone Books based on my previous purchases), and now I want to immediately read [b:Minnie's Room: The Peacetime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes|1683769|Minnie's Room The Peacetime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes|Mollie Panter-Downes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348318119l/1683769._SX50_.jpg|1680371].
These stories were just so good. In each of them is a picture of the effects of WWII on the English who were at least a few, and in some cases, quite a few steps removed from the actual fighting. For example, the "Mrs. Craven" of the title, who is not a Mrs. at all but a mistress, and who worries that she'd never hear of it, should Mr. Craven be injured or worse, killed. As with nearly every Persephone I've read so far, I'm amazed that this book and its author are not more widely known.
This is the 8th book that Persephone published, and, coincidentally, the 8th that I've read.