My Interest
Epistolary novels are a thing with me. I love reading real or fictional diaries, books of letter, tweets, emails–anything similar. Love it. I think it started when 84 Charing Cross Road came out while I was in high school. Since then I have loved such books. (My posts on them are linked at the bottom of this post, too.)
A while back I read The Diary of A Provincial Lady and just knew I’d read any others if it was a series. Today’s review is of the second book in the series.
The Story
Note: This is one book where it would be a little easier to enjoy the story if you’ve read the first book, but it can the “who’s who” of the story can also be figured out pretty quickly if you have not.
The Provincial lady is married to Robert an agent or “man of business” of similar on a large landed estate in Shire. The children, son Robin, daughter Vicky, are both off to boarding school this year. Cat Hellen Willis is still with them. And, The Lady herself has enjoyed literary success, so for a very brief time the family excheuquer is in good shape. Good enough to by herself a dear little London flat. So, off she goes to London to write. Except she stiill can’t say “no” to requests and gets entangled with outrageous peoplegoes to their outrageous parties and dinners and gets nothing done. Robert is left home with the new cook and occasionally writes to suggest it is time to come home. The children thrive at school.
My Thoughts
This was the perfect, mindless, little escape back to a time when maids and cooks (not to mention boarding schools) could still be afforded by many quite normal, decently-educated people. It was just plain fun. I look forward, eventually, to getting through the entire series.
I discovered, while getting the link to this book on Amazon, that the copy I bought may have been pirated and could also be The Provincial Lady Goes to London [which could be an alternate title for US/UK]. How interesting!
The Provincial Lady Goes Further by E.M. Delafield. [Note, I’m linking to a different version than the one I bought]
I adore epistolary!!!
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This looks like a great escape. I love the cover!
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The first one is the one to read–so fun. This one, is also fun, but the first is best so far.
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I love these books – I have the omnibus edition from Virago so read it all the way through when I read it. I don’t think I’ve ever read them individually!
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I believe I got the first one from the library so that may be why I got started the way I did. I usually like big versions like that–it’s how I started Anne Perry’s Monk series, for instance.
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Epistolary novels aren’t easy to write, and of course, 84 Charing Cross Road wasn’t a novel, but non-fiction, so… but I’ve read a few that are really good. For example, Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole. I read it when it came out and loved it.
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I liked Skye but the idea of her keeping all that secret from the post office busy-bodies on Skye, lol…………. But she writes so beautifully that I overlooked that part!
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Never thought of that, to be honest. Not sure why I haven’t read more of her work. I have one of them on my kindle…
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