Barbara Pym ----Anyone?

M0nica

I loved her books forst time round. Second time around I found her mannered and rather old fashioned and di not enjoy the reread, which really surprised me because I rarely change my view and enjoyment of a writer on second reading.

I wonder if in 2025 there are still spinsters who have to find some other outlet than husbands, for their need to give affection and services to others.

I watched on bbc4 catch up a program about this lady and the brilliant Patricia Routledge was in it.....sorry I can't remember what it was called. It was very interesting and I was able to get an audio book of some of her stories from my library service. I love these kind of writers. I also have read many of the Miss Read books and listened to audio versions. Such a different world.😊

I read them and loved them lot long ago. I must try them again. Who is reading on the audio edition? I can in my head hear the voice that would suit it. I find I am often disappointed with audio readers just because I .hear the story differently.

travelsafar that's the programme I mentioned in my post. It was very good

I'm also a fan of Pym, two authors I also would recommend who write in a similar style would be Anita Brookner ( I love Hotel du Lac) and Elizabeth Strout. Brookner is British and Strout is American who writes about small town American life. Both write beautifully, with humour and insight into the internal lives of "ordinary" people.

Will give Strout a go. Should I order Olive Kitteridge or Barton?

I have always enjoyed Barbara Pym……the subtle irony is a delight. So perceptive and gently satirical.

Elizabeth Strout is similar but a bit same old same old i.m.o. She keeps ploughing the same furrow from different points of view.

Boz

Will give Strout a go. Should I order Olive Kitteridge or Barton?

The first of her books that I read was "Olive Kitteridge" which won her the Pulizer prize and is the first of her interlinked series. If you don't enjoy that, then go no further. I have gone on to read most of her books and enjoyed them all, My daughter has just given me a signed copy of "Tell me everything" which is my treat for January 2026.

Another small town bt perfect writer is Anne Tyler. Love her books.

I spotted a Barbara Pym book in a charity shop the other day. Looking forward to reading her for the first time.

Apropos of this thread, I wandered into my local library, and picked up what will be my first Barbara Pym, "Some Tame Gazelle", they did have others. One will do for now, I'll see how I get on with this one.

I kept reading about all the famous people who love her ..so I picked up a couple of her books .....OMG ..they are so slow , dull, and boring ,, and all about the Vicar , and seemed set in 1930;s to 1950... sorry ...

It's the minutiae that I like. Subtle.

Love Barbara Pym.
I always think I would be perfectly happy living in one of her novels

After working my way through the Barbara Pym books I was pleased to discover Elizabeth Fair. Her books are vaguely reminiscent of Pym but are more overtly humorous. She's a very good writer.