Barbara Pym ----Anyone?

I have read most of Barbara Pyms books several times over the years and enjoyed them. She has the knack of putting you in the scene and there are no jarring bits, she knows her places well. Of course I love Alan Bennett as you can here in your head the exact sounds of the conversations. For more humour , have you tried some of Deric Longdens books ? If you are owned by a cat you will recognise some of his situations, and his mother is quite a card. They did make a film on tv of one of the books and Thora Hird played his mother and cannot remember if it was an actress or his actual second wife in it too, Something to enjoy and cheer a miserable weather day. I think I shall go to my copy of Tame Gazelle tonight to enjoy Pyms writing again. Happy reading

Read the lot more than once. I have them all on my kindle.

I picked up 'Jane and Prudence' from the library yesterday. I have read some of hers work before, but cannot remember just now..

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.

Lovely, gentle novels, I used to love them and could happily read them again now I think.

Try 'Some Tame Gazelle' first.

I have been meaning to try some Barbara Pym. I love reading stuff from that era. The comments on here have encouraged me to seek her out.

She is wonderful at highlighting, with delicious irony, the dependency men have on worthy women in an age of male supremacy. But very gently done in the tradition of Austen.

"The burden of keeping three people in toilet paper seemed to me rather a heavy one."

"... eating the baked beans in ten minutes or less, quite without dignity."

Who could not admire the author of these gems?

I enjoyed Barbara Pyms books. They are more sensitive than Angela Thirkell's. The humour is more subtle and pathos more marked.

Came late to Pym but have listened to her books released through Audible. She is good.
Incidentally, her finest work "Quartet in Autumn" is only available in Kindle or book form.

I've never read any of her books, but I'm making a note to for 2026.

Oh yes! Love Barbara Pym. A great pity that people around her so discouraged her that she didn’t write more than she did.

And I have just - for the second time- chortled my way through Angela Thirkell’s Pomfret Towers. 😀

I’m trying Ursula Bloom but she doesn’t have quite the same touch for me.

Ooh yes! Love her writing.