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A review by maccymacd
To Bed With Grand Music by Marghanita Laski
5.0
Oh I just LOVE Persephone books. Out of the handful I have read, only a couple have been less than 5 star reads. This was no exception. There is something so "readable" about these books and they are such a comfort. Escaping into their worlds is one of my favourite things.
Deborah lives a comfortable life in Winchester with her son. Her husband, Graham has to go off to war and makes a promise that he will not be unfaithful to her in any way that means anything. Deborah tells him she will stay faithful regardless.
But life in the country tending to a young child isn't quite as fantastic as Deborah had hoped. More than anything, she feels bored and unfulfilled, and matters are made worse when her infuriating mother hints on a trip to visit that maybe she's not the "mother" type and that it might be best of Deborah lets her look after the child instead. (It's hard not to be offended in the current age by these antiquated statements, but it just goes with the time period so suspending your disbelief is for the best..)
Deborah decides pretty quickly afterwards that she is going to get a job in London to help with the war effort. She will live in London during the week and return to her cottage in country at the weekend. She finds work easily, and stays with her flamboyant and diva-like friend Madeleine. Initially she is dedicated to simply working and going home and doesn't even entertain the thought of stepping out with another man. But before long, she meets a charming man who she thinks she can make an exception for, then another and then another. Being faithful to Graham is no longer an option. I just loved this book for its honest and refreshing descriptions of sex and fidelity during wartime; it's reassuring whilst also surprising to see how similar women's actions then are to the current time.
Deborah lives a comfortable life in Winchester with her son. Her husband, Graham has to go off to war and makes a promise that he will not be unfaithful to her in any way that means anything. Deborah tells him she will stay faithful regardless.
But life in the country tending to a young child isn't quite as fantastic as Deborah had hoped. More than anything, she feels bored and unfulfilled, and matters are made worse when her infuriating mother hints on a trip to visit that maybe she's not the "mother" type and that it might be best of Deborah lets her look after the child instead. (It's hard not to be offended in the current age by these antiquated statements, but it just goes with the time period so suspending your disbelief is for the best..)
Deborah decides pretty quickly afterwards that she is going to get a job in London to help with the war effort. She will live in London during the week and return to her cottage in country at the weekend. She finds work easily, and stays with her flamboyant and diva-like friend Madeleine. Initially she is dedicated to simply working and going home and doesn't even entertain the thought of stepping out with another man. But before long, she meets a charming man who she thinks she can make an exception for, then another and then another. Being faithful to Graham is no longer an option. I just loved this book for its honest and refreshing descriptions of sex and fidelity during wartime; it's reassuring whilst also surprising to see how similar women's actions then are to the current time.