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At some point this week - I'm not sure when exactly because time is an illusion that all blurs together - I finished the #persephoneclub book from October. Very behind, but I felt compelled since it was my pick and I did want to read it. I'd say I liked it but didn't love it. When the only character you really like is the would-be blackmailer and murderer ... 🤷‍♀️ Some interesting food for thought though.

Finally finished last month‘s #PersephoneClub read. I‘m not usually put off by a book being dated, but this time I found it really hard to let go of my modern mindset. Bee & David annoyed me, the crooks were unbelievable for a lot of reasons and Lucia‘s overwrought internal monologue made me unpleasantly anxious rather than thrilled. I‘m ruining this book‘s 100% pick record. Sorry 🫣

The introduction highlights this book as inspiring many great noir writing + quotes chandler praising the author. I can see the comparison to highsmith + double indemnity, but somehow, the plot stretched my credulity. It was interesting to read as a lost classic, but I don't feel it dated well.
@quietjenn @Tamra @CarolynM @sisilia @Caryl @daena @elkeOriginal @Gissy @Aimeesue @Bookbuyingaddict @julieclair @willaful @LeahBergen #persephoneclub

1947

Wow, so I was thinking this only happened in my house! 😂 Everyone has something else to do other than eating when dinner is ready.

This was a morally ambiguous (fun!) read because Lucia finds herself in a cascade of consequences flowing from a single act of deception. While she is motivated out of a sense of familial duty, her conscience gives both her & readers all kinds of grief. #PersephoneClub

Aside from the mystery, Holding offers readers plenty to think about re: women‘s roles and their fulfillment.

Reposting for @leahBergen
It‘s now October so that means it‘s time for one of our #PersephoneClub reads!

@quietjenn ‘s pick for us this month is The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding. This is a casual buddy read; read and comment on each other‘s posts and reviews as you see them. We usually aim to finish by the middle of the month but that‘s not written in stone. 😉 And anyone is welcome to read along with us, of course!

It‘s now October so that means it‘s time for one of our #PersephoneClub reads!

@quietjenn ‘s pick for us this month is The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding. This is a casual buddy read; read and comment on each other‘s posts and reviews as you see them. We usually aim to finish by the middle of the month but that‘s not written in stone. 😉 And anyone is welcome to read along with us, of course!

The Blank Wall. I loved this one ( wish I had the Persephone edition hmmmm 🤔 I might treat myself ❤️) Lucia Holley is up against it, with serious family troubles.. She is amazing. I felt the whole book was like a dream , like it couldn‘t be real ( I‘d say that‘s how Lucia felt ). Would anyone recommend another by this author?!

Another good read from Persephone. A death, a family implicated, blackmail, and a mother trying to hold everything together as it spirals out of control.

Rebellious 17-year-old Bee has gotten caught up with a bad man, and when he is found dead, mom Lucia is afraid someone in her family will take the fall. Then, some of his associates start blackmailing her and threatening to release Bee‘s correspondence with this nefarious character and ruin her reputation. Things start to spiral deeply out of control in this Hitchcockian thriller from #persephone. Originally published in 1947.

Mansplaining…alive and well in 1947! 🤣🤣

This book is a gem @BarbaraBB 👍🏻😘

#persephone

My Christmas bookish haul!

Three Persephones: the tagged blame it on @BarbaraBB , the second short story collection, and Miss Buncle‘s Book

More bookmarks from FunUsualSuspects on Etsy

And a #booksleeve from RockPaperWords on Etsy

And a gift card to Amazon to pick out my own headlamp for reading at night. (And eventually for picking up New Dog‘s poop, coming Spring 2021!)

While her husband Tom serves overseas during WWII, Lucia Holley is doing her best to take care of her family in a time of rationing and shortages, while sending letters to Tom assuring him that everything is fine.
Suddenly she finds herself in a situation involving blackmail and murder. Things quickly start to spiral out of control and Lucia desperately tries to protect her family and avoid a scandal.

I loved this #Persephone and Lucia.

#WeeklyForecast 40/20

I am reading The Expats which is unexpectedly very entertaining and exactly what I‘m in the mood for on this drowsy Sunday. Next will be The Nickel Boys (my #doublespin) and also the tagged #Perspephone that got so many great reviews here on Litsy. The last one is a #1001books that I want to read for #Booked2020!

Both a domestic suspense and an in depth character study of a wife trying to hold her household together while her husband is away at war, this novel describes the lengths this woman will go to in order to protect her family, even as it gets her involved in murder, extortion, and the criminal underworld.

This is one of my favorite Persephone books because it‘s a suspenseful murder mystery. But this is not your modern thriller since it is really a character study of Lucia, a regular housewife trying to hold her family together while her husband is away at war. She gets tangled in a web of lies, murder, and deceit while making sure the beds are made and food is on the table. It feels like an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

#anglophileapril #wonderwall

Oh, this was a corker of a vintage thriller!

Lucia, a “middle-aged” wife and mother in WWII America, finds herself in over her head when her teenage daughter gets involved with a nasty piece of work. Lucia will do ANYTHING to protect her little family from the blackmailing that ensues. Anything.

I read the lovely Persephone edition of this book but what do you think of THIS cover, @Mdargusch @Reviewsbylola @emilyhaldi @Meredith3 ? 😂😂😂

@Mdargusch hit the nail on the head when she compared this one to James Cain. It definitely had a lot of noir qualities. This is a crime fiction published by #persephone wherein the MC‘s decisions constantly lead her further and further astray. This was our September book club pick and I‘m excited to discuss it, especially the moral implications and how the book ended.

#CurrentlyReading
#PersephoneBooks

Oops! I almost forgot we were reading this, @Mdargusch @emilyhaldi @Reviewsbylola @Meredith3 .

I‘m a few chapters into it and I can feel a binge-read coming on. 😮

I am a big fan of the old thrillers! This book is written in a similar style to James M. Cain telling you just what you need to know without the fluff. The action starts on the first page and doesn‘t stop until the end. Excellent book! The mother daughter relationship is reminiscent of the relationship in Mildred Pierce. Lucia is always ready to fix the problems her daughter has caused #thedayaftertomorrow
#septemberdanes

My first Persephone book with my chicken, Persephone! I really enjoyed this book, it reminded me a lot of Double Indemnity- there‘s something very simple and to the point with the older thrillers I‘ve read and it‘s a refreshing change!

“Nothing promised, no regrets.”

Elizabeth is a 38 year old mother of teenagers. It‘s England during WWII and her husband is off fighting in the war when Elizabeth is accused of killing her daughter‘s beau.

#voulezvous #abbainaugust #persephone

Really good! A crime story where the protagonist is a 38 year old mom of teens during WW2.

This book is giving me anxiety. It's stressful enough being a mom but add covering up an accidental murder takes it to a whole 'nother level. #readathon

First for #readathon is The Blank Wall. I've often had that thought myself, Lucia.