Welcome to Litsy!

Friends, this book WRECKED me!! …as in tears streaming down my cheeks after a full day of youth soccer tournaments. One of the most human, touching books I‘ve read this year, if not ever. British teacher Ruth loves and misses her daughter who is lost to addiction. Ruth‘s life is never the same after her granddaughter comes into the picture. I‘m not doing this justice, and it took patience for me to really get into the book but my, my it paid off!

I really enjoyed this satirical look at a rural community at a time when social mores were changing significantly.

This was fascinating and frustrating. I closed the cover and thought how much the book reminded me of themes in I Capture the Castle. Which, well—of course. It was also written by Dodie Smith. But I Capture the Castle is a beloved favorite for me, so why did I resonate with its themes and find similar themes absolutely frustrating when played out in the characters of Families? ⤵️

Set in the midst of the pandemic,Jay,a once promising artist,now in his 40s&homeless runs into his first love,Alice&is confronted with the life&people he left behind.I gave this novel a pick bc I was intrigued but I feel it‘s more a so-so since the story& writing don‘t always work for me: overdone,pompous. BUT there‘s real depth, too. And the concept of life as art, some sort of modern philosophical Odyssey journey kept me engaged.The ending - hm.

This is one of my favorite kinds of books - where we are dropped smack-dab into the middle of village life as though we‘ve always lived there. Nothing of much real importance happens, so every little daily detail takes on importance. Julia Dunstan reminds me a bit of Jane Austen‘s Emma - believing she knows best, she tries to fix and improve everyone around her. A delightful, light, entertaining read.
#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

I read this in July, and while I enjoyed it while I was reading it, I must admit that now I can‘t remember a thing about it, except the townspeoples‘ fear of becoming a New Town. Delightful, in the ephemeral way these books sometimes are.

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My first Elizabeth Fair, but not my last!
1950s village England with gossipy busybodies, rivalries, romantic crushes, mixed in with urgent worries (based strictly on rumor!) of being overrun & turned into a smoggy New Town. Likable oddballs abound. My favorite: seeing their internal monologues directly contradict their outward words/actions. Enjoyable read with satisfying endings.
And the cover is 💯😉
Read with the #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

It surprised me how a story about interfering and gossipy people in a village could be so enjoyable and even page-turning at times. This was good escapist entertainment and I'm definitely interested in reading more by Elizabeth Fair.

#192025 #1954 @Librarybelle
#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

I enjoyed this #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub read quite a bit! The village gossip, intrigues, and purloined honeycomb entertained me. The Minnis‘ garden party reminded me of a scene from a Mapp and Lucia book. The boozy vicar drew a laugh out of me. My heart needed a happy ever after which I‘m choosing to believe happened here as Goatstock remained free becoming “New Town”. It lives as a secret hamlet in my mind full of Aged Animals and people.

I‘m glad to see that Julia is as fascinated with making her planner look nice as I am. 😊

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