High Wages

I finished this beautiful Persephone book early last month as part of Persephone Reading Week and have been meaning to share my verdict for quite a while.  The plot and my initial thoughts on the novel are chronicled here.  This novel has been a perfect introduction to Dorothy Whipple and this is now one of my favourite Persephones.

It is a charming, heart-warming read with enough daily ruptures and minor occurrences to keep things interesting.  The main protagonist, Jane, is a worthy heroine - head-strong, independent, hungry for knowledge and graced with a kind heart.  The novel started off very cosily with Jane fortuitously securing a position at a draper's and we learn of her ambition to own her own clothing store.  The characters surrounding Jane are all realistically and skilfully drawn so that you feel as though you are right there with Jane.

 

Source

The book progresses through Jane's friendships and her ultimate independence but then it takes an unusual turn with an unexpected and complicated romance.  I wasn't too sure about Jane's choice (I can't say more or I'll ruin the surprise element) and I found myself feeling quite anxious for her and hoping that she would come to her senses.  There is also one character who appears a little creepy in the beginning but he improves as the novel progresses, although I think that Whipple was a bit harsh with him by inflicting quite an injury.  Whipple certainly manipulated my emotions towards the end, which just goes to show what a superb writer she is.

I find myself wanting to read more Whipple but I am without any other of her novels... I must try to remedy that.  I have a copy of Someone at a Distance in the UK (the beautiful Persephone Classics edition) but I fear that I shall be in for constant heart tugging with that one.  Any suggestions on what should be my next Whipple fix?



Dorothy Whipple



The Aesthetics of Persephone (Persephone Reading Weekend)

I must confess: I'm a little shallow when it comes to certain books, especially Persephone Books.  I pass judgement on appearances and texture, colour and font and I covet the book for its looks.  The content is sometimes secondary to considerations but I find that a beautiful Persephone boosts the reading experience and cements a memory of a happy reading session.

I felt this when I held Miss Buncle's Book in my hands for my first ever Persephone reading event.  It was smooth, it was substantial... the pages were clean and white and crisp.  It had a pleasant 'new book' smell inside - a signature scent particular to Persephone books - and it seemed to add to the pleasure of reading the text.

It was a tactile experience and a feast for the senses when I opened the smooth dove-grey covers to reveal a symphony of colour and pattern within.  It was a cosy read, thanks to
D. E. Stevenson, and Persephone made it even cosier by its exquisite taste in printers.

So thanks to that first experience, which is being repeated as I hold my first Whipple, I long to engage as many senses as often as I can.  A little shallow but I think I am among friends who understand...

Happy Persephone Reading!

Pop over to the Persephone Reading Weekend host blogs for interesting posts and fabulous competitions.  Hosted by Claire and Verity.

Preparing for Persephone



Narcissus (1912) - John William Waterhouse

Persephone Reading Weekend is fast approaching and I have gathered the only unread Persephone Books that I have with me and thought that I'd share them with you.  I hope to make a start on the first book tomorrow so that a review will be ready by Friday.

My first selection is Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey.  This is a short novel (novella?) and should hopefully be a quick read to help jump-start the reading weekend.  It is described as a domestic comedy and revolves around a couple's wedding day.  I absolutely love these end-papers with the butterflies and subtle tones. 

Next, I hope to read Dorothy Whipple's High Wages and, being my first Whipple, I am really psyched about it.  I have heard such good things about this title from fellow bloggers so I look forward to following in the protagonist's footsteps in setting up her own gown shop.

And if there's still time, I might finally crack open my 1950 copy of Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski, which I was lucky to spot last year in a second-hand book shop.  It's a Persephone title that people have raved about and that deals with a man's search for his son who was lost in France during WWII.  It sounds like quite an emotional ride but I'm sure it'll be worthwhile... as long as I don't start blubbing.

So those are my selections and I hope I will get through most of them this week.  I look forward to seeing you all over at Claire and Verity's blogs to exchange thoughts, opinions and recommendations.

For those of you new to Persephone Reading Weekend, please do visit these blogs for more information and to participate... it's always so much fun and there are 10 Persephone books to be had as prizes as well as a special prize for Persephone first-timers.

What will you be reading?

Persephone in Spring: The Biannually has Arrived!

The postman has just delivered the latest Persephone Biannually on this beautiful, sunny Spring day and the cover is fitting.  Included was a charming bookmark to match the book Dimanche and Other Stories by Irène Némirovsky.

As you may already know, the two books for Spring/Summer 2010 are that mentioned above as well as Still Missing by Beth Gutcheon.  Being a knitting enthusiast, I also adore the bookmark for Still Missing which is a closeup of a sophisticated-looking ribbed knit.  The Persephone Books website reveals that they will be publishing another Monica Dickens novel in Autumn/Winter as well as the very first Persephone diary!   Entitled The Persephone Ninety, it will feature the ninety endpapers along with details of each and the first line of each book.  I'm tempted, very tempted...

A quick perusal of the Biannually reveals a number of interesting articles and tidbits such as information and reviews of the two Spring/Summer books and the short story Dimanche. There is also an article about the Blitz and a piece about a Norwegian island.  As usual, the magazine is punctuated by gorgeous and colourful pictures from the period and plenty of reviews including blog reviews from my favourite bloggers. 

Of particular interest is the news that the Persephone Forum will be launched on the 1st June and the first book up for discussion will be William - an Englishman, followed by Mariana in July.  The forum sounds like a wonderful opportunity to interact with other like-minded readers and to exchange views and opinions on each book in the Persephone line.

I'm looking forward to Persephone Week, although I may only be able to contribute for part of the week as it falls upon my birthday.  I'm off to enjoy the sunshine and sip a cup of freshly-picked mint tea with my Persephone...  I hope you have received yours (or will do soon) and will enjoy it too.

Miss Pettigrew: Puttin' on the Savoy

Just a quick post about my thoughts on the film Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.  It was a light, short film which does nicely to pass the time and the locations and interiors were dazzling.  I especially loved the jazz and big band music.  However, don't expect a faithful adaptation of the novel as plots and characters are quite altered.

I stated before that I didn't warm instantly to the character of Miss Lafosse in the novel but I'm afraid that I didn't like her at all in the film.   She was even ditzier and her instant warmth and protectiveness towards Miss Pettigrew in the novel is not to be found in the film.  Miss Dubarry - my favourite supporting character - is greatly changed and is indeed an adversary of sorts rather than being the woman who teaches Miss Pettigrew about the art of 'self-improvement' (in the looks department, that is).  The bond between the two was completely lacking.

The men in the story are also greatly changed, for example, Michael is near penniless and in Nick's employ and he comes across as less feisty and headstrong than his original incarnation.  Still, it was entertaining to see Lee Pace (of Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies fame) playing the role of Michael with an English accent (of sorts).  Joe was played by the great Ciarán Hinds but was alas also not as robust and hearty as the book's depiction.

My favourite character of the film was, of course, Miss Pettigrew as portrayed by Frances McDormand.  Her acting was excellent but it was that of a more downtrodden and penniless (indeed starving) Miss Pettigrew.  I think that the film underplayed her gumption and also muted her physical transformation while at the same time removing her naiveté concerning matters of the heart.  The film exaggerated the frivolity in each character but then contrasted it sharply with the threat of World War II, which seemed to hang over all the characters and served as an impetus for them to live a more purposeful life.

It was an entertaining film but I felt that the novel had more charm and they could have included more of it.  I believe that all of the characters would have translated quite well to the screen without the need for personality transplants.  I was surprised to learn that Winifred Watson sold the film rights as long ago as 1939 and that it was to be filmed as a musical but WWII intervened.  I am therefore grateful that it was produced after such a long time and that it helped the sale of Persephone Books and created greater awareness for them and Winifred Watson.  Enjoy it as a movie that bears some resemblance to the book and you shouldn't be disappointed.