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Stella Brentwood is such a loveable character, she has led an exciting life in exotic locations, living in mud huts and observing human life through her academic anthropological lens. She skipped marriage, mortgage and kids, filling her life with the simple richness of her global roaming. Finally, in Leggi tutto

Another winner from Penelope Lively. Similar themes and features with other beloved novels from her: Shifting time, memories, ourselves in the current time passing by our remembered self from decades ago. In one scene, two friends are recalling the same incident. "It is moth-eaten, this fabric of the Leggi tutto

This is the first Penelope Lively book I read having bought it at a sale recently. To me the book spoke personally. Being an older woman myself, as one who has retired from a lifelong much-loved job a couple of years ago, I was deeply moved by the fact that, inspite of living in another country, in

Rating: 3.5 Stella is a very real character, living a very credible life. I enjoyed watching this story unfold and wondering where it was going.

I usually love Lively's books but this one was a slight disappointment. https://piningforthewest.co.uk/2018/0...

Spiderweb is the very well done story of Stella, a newly-retired cultural anthropologist. She buys a small cottage in a small village in Somerset, England. Stella shows the reason for studying small communities and kinships all over the world. Possibly because she already knew she "never had much ta Leggi tutto

The insatiable need to flee, to not stay in any single place for very long, is not an uncommon theme to me as it has been my own life. Moving every five years and never growing too attached to people lest I leave, without a doubt the premise of this novel struck deep. However, the intrigue of this n Leggi tutto

I love Penelope Lively's stories. I realized, as I began to write this review, that she doesn't typically write about families. Many (Most?) of her books are about women who not involved in marriage or family life. This one is about a woman who knows the work she wants to pursue, is brilliant, and i Leggi tutto

A sixty five year old retired social anthropologist buys a cottage in the West Country where she begins to put down some roots for the first time in her peripatetic life. Ironically she singularly fails to read the runes and a horrifying act of cruelty arises. In this novel Lively once more contempl Leggi tutto

Retired anthropologist goes to live in the Quantock hills in West Somerset. An interesting study in part of village life but also of her past experiences in more exotic places. Her personal life and that of her best friend are also examined which are fascinating examples of the time. They seamlessly Leggi tutto