Crampton Hodnet

"... she, who had at one time helped and encouraged her husband with his work, had now left him to do it alone, because she feared that with HER help it might quite easily be finished before one of them died, and then where would they be?...This book meant that he spent long hours in his study, pres Leggi tutto

Barbara Pym is an author that I will be devouring, hungrily and to the fullest extent whenever I can. Her prose is utterly hilarious, with a slight PG Wodehouse of the Oxford academic world thrown in as well as that sharp humour of Nancy Mitford and I adore her satirical wit which makes a mockery of Leggi tutto

Yes, I know! I'm back in England again ; this time up at Oxford for a comic romp through a particularly eventful Trinity term and long vac. "There is something very disturbing about the spring in Oxford." Indeed there is, and it is enough to give all sorts of normally staid souls some very odd notion Leggi tutto

This was my first introduction to Barbara Pym. I had decided that I should read some of her books when I found out that she was said to be "the most underrated writer of the century". I was not dissapointed, I found her writing to be very witty, intelligent, and just all around hilarous. As someone

“There are no sick people in North Oxford. They are either dead or alive. It’s sometimes difficult to tell the difference, that’s all,’ explained Miss Morrow.” Witty and intelligent writing if a little hard to get into initially. A nice way to while away a cold Saturday afternoon. two stars Leggi tutto

Sickeningly, this is my third attempt to write a review of this book. I just have to tell myself that I get more and more computer literate every time I persevere. So here I go again: The other day I was casting about for strong openings to books and I looked at Crampton Hodnet, which I had read age Leggi tutto

The quiet village of North Oxford is populated by widows and spinsters and is close to the University where there are dons and co-eds a plenty to give the old gossips something to talk about. Miss Doggett, the aunt of one such don, is the village's moral police. She keeps strict tabs on her companio Leggi tutto

This is a delight. 1930s middle-England where strict social codes abound revolving around university, church and ladies who do flowers, fetes and funerals. The characters are funny, staid and drawn well. Barbara Pym has a high eye for the absurd as well as the things that matter to people...or should Leggi tutto

I need more stars for a few of my other VERY favourite books. But how can I not give this one all of the available stars? I think I had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading. Delightful characters, dialogue, and plot.

'Crampton Hodnet' is another of Barbara Pym's gems. It chronicles the quiet, dull and uneventful lives of academics, students and a range of other - mostly unmarried - adults in North Oxford. Pym began to write it in the late 1930s. She set it aside after finishing it in 1940. It was published - pos Leggi tutto