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Harlequin House
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
15 posts | 9 read | 1 to read
Lisbeth Campion was engaged, as usual, in resisting advances. Arthur Alfred Partridge, a middle-aged widower with a drab job and a frustrated sense of adventure, gets more than he bargained for when he encounters the irresistible Lisbeth Campion, whose troubles go well beyond her plethora of suitors. She's particularly concerned about her wastrel brother Ronny, fresh from six months in prison for peddling cocaine (he thought it was baking powder, really he did!), with whom her stern, upright Army fianc, expected back from India soon, has forbidden her further contact. In a gloriously implausible but deliciously entertaining sequence of events, Mr Partridge gets swept up in Lisbeth's unusual efforts to get Ronny safely squared. In the meantime, these three eccentric souls set up makeshift housekeeping in London and work at odd jobs (some very odd indeed) to make ends meet. Harlequin House, first published in 1939 and out of print for more than 60 years, has all the glitter and wit readers expect from the incomparable Margery Sharp. This new edition features an introduction by twentieth-century women's historian Elizabeth Crawford.
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review
elkeOriginal
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Pickpick

Finally finished this #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub read 🤦🏼‍♀️ Margery Sharp delights with her witty turn of phrase. The quirky characters living together in 1930s London piecing together work and skating by on charm was fun. Mr Partridge actually turned out to be the oddest & most annoying one - he clearly saw the least as our young characters found their way to a hopeful future. All‘s well that ends well for charming grifters & old men in red socks.

Ruthiella Yes, Mr. Partridge nearly messed everything up with his misunderstanding! But all‘s well that ends well. 6d
LeahBergen “Charming grifters and old men in red socks” 😆😆 Love it! (edited) 6d
See All 7 Comments
Tamra Oh that‘s funny! I liked Mr. P. 😂 6d
elkeOriginal @Tamra He was a bit whackadoodle! 6d
Tamra @elkeOriginal probably why I liked him. 🤪 6d
julieclair Mr. Partridge - a memorable character for sure! 5d
34 likes7 comments
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kwmg40
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Pickpick

I enjoyed reading this novel with the #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub. It was a light and fun read. The characters were quirky, though I occasionally found them tedious and annoying.

A few passages made me laugh out loud, like the description of Hugh recovering at his club at the end of the book, and Sharp describing his state-on-mind along with the fact that “there was a bison skull on each wall.“

Ruthiella Light and fun are perfect words to describe this one. I like how Mr. Partridge is set up at the end with a place to live, a job he enjoys and his club. 3w
38 likes1 comment
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Tamra
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Pickpick

Another charming selection courtesy #FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

Shenanigans & colorful characters that were worthy of a few dope slaps. 🤦🏽‍♀️

My favorite is Mr. Partridge, who has a good heart even if a bit of a clueless bumble. The photo above is how I imagine the lending library he was sacked from might have been. (1944)

Anyone else wonder how on earth you‘d tolerate those close living quarters? 😬

Cathythoughts Awwwww lovely pic ♥️ 3w
Ruthiella I did thinking about the close quarters of the apartment! 😬 Sleeping in the kitchen? 3w
LeahBergen I want to go to this lending library 😆 3w
willaful As a kid, I once spent a winter in San Francisco with my mom in a sleeping porch that had just enough room for our two sleeping bags. 😁 It's actually a very fond memory for us both. 3w
Tamra @willaful as a family we‘ve spent weeks together in a camper and it is both fun & stressful. But with family you can tell someone they are driving you crazy, or their socks are at any rate. 🤣 3w
53 likes5 comments
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Tamra
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Loving Mr. Partridge 💙

I laughed when he took up “Ronny‘s” postcard job drawing ladies underthings! 😂 Who knew that was a paying gig??? #Furrowedmiddlebrowclub

Ruthiella I know! The things you learn reading older books. 😅 4w
LeahBergen It was such a bizarre little tidbit! 4w
49 likes2 comments
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rubyslippersreads
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Not my favorite Margery Sharp, but fun nonetheless.

#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

willaful Yeah, It was mid Sharp for me as well... which is still better than no Sharp at all! 4w
See All 9 Comments
LeahBergen What @willaful ⬆️ said! 😄 4w
Ruthiella Ooh! What is your favorite? (Asking for a friend 😜) 4w
rubyslippersreads @Ruthiella I love Four Gardens, and I also love Brittania Mews. even though it‘s not as light as some of her others. 4w
quietjenn Same! 4w
willaful I've been meaning to reread Brittania Mews, it didn't really appeal to me when I was a teen. 4w
elkeOriginal This cover is 😘 6d
53 likes9 comments
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Tamra
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Mr. Partridge on view of Dormouth Bay, “It had the lowest death-rate in Great Britain, and no illegitimate births. It was a beauty-spot and moral all in one.

Sulkily, Mr. Partridge descended.”

😂😂🤣🤣 Poor bored Mr. Partridge. #Furrowedmiddlebrowclub

Ruthiella He‘ll get plenty of excitement soon! 4w
Tamra @Ruthiella I suspect so! 4w
LeahBergen 😆😆 4w
Cathythoughts Stop !!! 😂 4w
42 likes4 comments
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julieclair
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Mehso-so

Well, this one was a bit of a disappointment for me. The hijinks were amusing, but Lizbeth and Ronnie got on my nerves. And Mr. Partridge, although adorable, was a bit odd in the way he just pushed himself into their lives. I surprised myself with my reaction, as I usually adore our #FurrowedMiddleBrowClub picks. 😕

Tamra I‘m only about 30% in and I can tell it‘s going to be full of shenanigans with Ronny. 4w
Ruthiella Hot take! 😆 I did find Ronnie completely annoying! 4w
quietjenn I can definitely see all of that. 4w
See All 8 Comments
julieclair @Ruthiella Yes! I‘m usually much more mainstream, lol!😆 4w
julieclair @quietjenn 💛🧡🤎 4w
julieclair @Tamra Absolutely! Keep reading! 😝 4w
LeahBergen What @Ruthiella said! I was able to cut Lizbeth a bit of slack but Ronnie got on my last nerve. 😆 4w
43 likes1 stack add8 comments
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Ruthiella
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Pickpick

This was a delightful romp with a little bit of romance.

Middle aged Mr. Partridge takes a chance and hitches his star to young Lizbeth Campion, who is trying to reform her rather useless brother Ronnie. The trio moves to London and finds an assortment of odd jobs, but will Ronnie stick with anything? And will Lizbeth marry her rather strait laced fiancé, Captain Brocard, who very much disapproves of Ronnie?

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

LeahBergen Great review! I must confess… I kind of wanted to give that Ronnie a slap a few times. 😂 1mo
Ruthiella @LeahBergen Totally! Like Fred Vincy in Middlemarch, he doesn‘t deserve his luck! 1mo
LeahBergen Yes! 😆 1mo
See All 8 Comments
quietjenn Nice! I do enjoy a good romp. 1mo
Ruthiella @quietjenn They do occasionally hit the spot! 1mo
tpixie Sounds fun! Cute cover 1mo
Ruthiella @tpixie It was a fun read! 1mo
73 likes8 comments
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quietjenn
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Pickpick

We'll then, this was completely delightful. And exactly what I needed. #furrowedmiddlebrowclub

Ruthiella Wonderful! I‘m also hoping to finish this weekend. 🤞 1mo
LeahBergen It was a fun one! 1mo
64 likes2 comments
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CarolynM
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Pickpick

I had a jolly good time with this book. What a hoot! I hope Mr Partridge finds his new flat mates as worthy of his stewardship as Lisbeth and Ronny🤣

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Ruthiella Awesome. I‘m looking forward to finishing. I could do with a little gentle comedy. 1mo
LeahBergen I think I might need another book about his time with the pastry chef family. 😆 1mo
CarolynM @Ruthiella You‘ll certainly get that with this one😊 1mo
See All 6 Comments
CarolynM @LeahBergen Maybe they‘ll turn their hands to Dundee cake😆 1mo
Kimzey Thanks for the review. And the cake looks delicious! 😋 1mo
Jeg Is she the same person who wrote the Rescuers? 1mo
73 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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LeahBergen
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Okay, #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub , with our November book we come to the end of our year of reading!

Are we in for another round? Here‘s our next group of selectors (according to our records):

January: @rubyslippersreads
March: @quietjenn
May: @LeahBergen
July: @CarolynM
September: @Cathythoughts
November: @Ruthiella

If we‘re all in, let‘s start with our January and March “pickers” posting their two choices for us to vote on. 😃

kwmg40 I‘d love to do another round! 1mo
Ruthiella Oooh! I get to vote next year! I‘ll put my thinking cap on. 1mo
See All 35 Comments
jlhammar It‘s been wonderful reading with you all, but I‘m going to sit this next year out (trying for less screen time in 2025, but may check-in now and again). Have fun voting! 1mo
rubyslippersreads I‘m in! I‘ll have to come up with my two choices. 🤔 1mo
CarolynM Yes please! I love our FMB reads and chats. I‘m going to go choose my suggestions right away😊 1mo
Kimzey Yay! I‘m up for another round, in spite of being behind on this year‘s reading. 📖 ⌛️ 1mo
quietjenn I'm game! I ❤️FMB Club! I'll work on my suggestions and try to post them soon. 1mo
julieclair Yes, I‘d love to do another round. 😃 1mo
Tamra @Kimzey me too! 😅 I am up for it nonetheless. 😁 1mo
Kimzey @Tamra I‘m glad I‘m not the only one! 😊📚 1mo
LeahBergen @kwmg40 Yay! 👏👏 1mo
LeahBergen @Ruthiella It‘s fun to pick, isn‘t it? 😆 1mo
LeahBergen @jlhammar No worries! I hope you pop in and out when you feel like reading along with us! 😘 1mo
LeahBergen @rubyslippersreads Yay! 👏👏 1mo
LeahBergen @CarolynM I can hardly wait! 👏 1mo
LeahBergen @Kimzey Oh, behind doesn‘t matter at all! 😘 1mo
LeahBergen @quietjenn Yay! I‘m excited for your picks! 😘 1mo
LeahBergen @julieclair Awesome! 👏 1mo
LeahBergen @Tamra @Kimzey Oh, behind or not … it doesn‘t matter at all! Just pop in when you have the time. 😘 1mo
Cathythoughts Hi Leah , I wonder if someone would like to pick the September book. I havnt been great for participating this past year. I‘d still like to pop in and out … but I‘d love someone else to pick September… is that ok ? 1mo
Cathythoughts Hi Leah , I wonder if someone would like to pick the September book. I havnt been great for participating this past year. I‘d still like to pop in and out … but I‘d love someone else to pick September… is that ok ? 1mo
LeahBergen @Cathythoughts Sure, Cathy. No problem! I‘ll bump @Ruthiella up the list to do the September pick (is that okay with you, @Ruthiella ?) 1mo
LeahBergen Hi, @batsy ! I know you‘ve been taking some time off from Litsy and I hope you‘re doing well. You will have our November 2025 pick (if you like). No worries if you don‘t, of course! If you get back to me too late (and I get the next person on the list to take your place) we‘ll just slot you in somewhere when you‘re back. Miss you, my friend! 😘 1mo
Ruthiella Fine with me. 😃 @batsy I miss you too. Hope all is well. ❤️ (edited) 1mo
Cathythoughts Thanks for that Leah, I‘d love to stay on the Persephone list please. But I know I can‘t commit to both. 😘 1mo
LeahBergen @Cathythoughts That‘s great, Cathy! I was hoping you‘d still be in for #PersephoneClub! I‘ll probably wait until next month (when we‘re reading our final pick of the year) to start the voting choices. 1mo
elkeOriginal Looking forward to y‘all helping me work through the FMB books on my shelf! 1mo
LeahBergen @elkeOriginal Me, too! I have sooo many waiting. 😆 1mo
Cathythoughts Oh yes , of course, Thanks Leah , next month 👍🏻😘 1mo
LeahBergen @Ruthiella You can post your September picks now … or whenever you‘re ready! 😘 1mo
LeahBergen Hi, @Kimzey ! We‘ve had a bit of a shuffle in our picking order (see the chatter above ☝️) and you‘re now in charge of our November selection. You can post your two books for us to vote on now (or whenever you‘re ready). 😀 1mo
LeahBergen Hi, @Kimzey ! Just tagging you again here in case you missed my message (above). 1mo
Kimzey @LeahBergen Oh, sorry! I did miss the post. I‘ll give it some thought and make suggestions. I have my IRL book club tonight, so it might be tomorrow. Thanks for asking! 1mo
LeahBergen @Kimzey Oh, good! Tomorrow is fine. Have fun at book club tonight! 1mo
51 likes35 comments
review
LeahBergen
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Pickpick

Well, this was a charming little romp! It somehow reminded me of Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day but, in this case, it‘s more of a “Mr Partridge Lives For Six Months”. 😆 Look at him on the cover and spine of my edition!

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Ruthiella I‘m only about 25% done, but I‘m also getting Miss Pettigrew vibes! 1mo
Tamra 🤣 Fabulous cover art! 1mo
See All 10 Comments
kwmg40 I agree with @Tamra. That cover! 😍 1mo
LeahBergen @Ruthiella Glamorous young lady, down-at-the-heels middle agester, cocaine… 😆 1mo
LeahBergen @Tamra @kwmg40 It‘s quite something, isn‘t it? 😆 1mo
elkeOriginal As always you have an amazing edition! 1mo
CarolynM A perfect retitling! And I love that dust jacket😍 1mo
LeahBergen @elkeOriginal @CarolynM I wonder if the flat was painted in these “harlequin” colours? 😆 1mo
quietjenn Love the illustrations, especially on the spine! Thanks for sharing. 1mo
63 likes10 comments
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CarolynM
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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No wonder I wear reading glasses 🤣🤣🤣

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Tamra 🤣🤣 1mo
Jeg 😂 1mo
LeahBergen I just read this bit yesterday and laughed! 😆 1mo
See All 8 Comments
willaful Can't have women reading! They might start thinking, and getting ideas... 1mo
Ruthiella 😂😂😂 1mo
Kimzey Oh, well, so glad someone‘s protecting women‘s eyesight (whether they want it or not.) 🤷🏼‍♀️😆 (edited) 1mo
julieclair Haven‘t gotten to that bit yet, but so far this book is cracking me up! 😆 1mo
rubyslippersreads My mom always felt kind of bad about my poor eyesight; she worried it might have been caused by her letting me read too much. I pointed out that (a) she couldn‘t have stopped me, and (b) I learned the habit of reading constantly from her. 😂 1mo
56 likes8 comments
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LitsyEvents
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Repost for @Ruthiella

Happy Halloween #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub friends! 🎃 Next month is our last pick for 2024. We‘ve read Margery Sharp before (Four Gardens) and I quite liked it, so I have high hopes for this one.

As usual, read at your own pace and post your thoughts as you like. Be sure to copy everyone when you do, so we can comment.

All are welcome. If anyone wants to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know.

blurb
Ruthiella
Harlequin House | MARGERY. SHARP
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Happy Halloween #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub friends! 🎃 Next month is our last pick for 2024. We‘ve read Margery Sharp before (Four Gardens) and I quite liked it, so I have high hopes for this one.

As usual, read at your own pace and post your thoughts as you like. Be sure to copy everyone when you do, so we can comment.

All are welcome. If anyone wants to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know.

@LitsyEvents

Kimzey Thanks for the reminder. Already have my copy! 😊 2mo
quietjenn So curious about this one! 2mo
Deblovestoread Love the cover! 2mo
See All 9 Comments
Tamra Thank you for the reminder! 2mo
julieclair Looking forward to learning more about the flying woman (angel?) in the top right room. 😀 2mo
LeahBergen I‘m looking forward to it! 2mo
Ruthiella @Deblovestoread The DSP covers are often so colorful. I think they are usually a reprint of the original edition. 2mo
CarolynM Thanks Ruth. Looking forward to getting started🙂 2mo
kwmg40 I just picked up my copy! 2mo
54 likes9 comments