britishfiction

pick

Lent to me by a friend. Delightful. A well written , eloquent love story. Actually a few love stories or maybe better , stories of love. Set in France and England. Took me a while to read but I did enjoy it.

17 likes

Amiable

Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster

#Tagyoureit @rubyslippersreads ! You posted a book with an image of trees on it, which fits this week‘s theme for the scavenger hunt! If you spot another Litten posting a book with a tree on it anytime this week, tag them to keep the game going!

Chrissyreadit

TheBookHippie 🌳🌳🌳🌳 2mo

Chrissyreadit 🎉🎉🎉🎉 2mo

44 likes2 comments

rubyslippersreads

Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster

What an unpleasant family! Although living cheek by jowl with all of your in-laws would probably make most people cranky. 😏 And I did want to find out what happened, in spite of the unlikeable characters.

#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

Tamra Yes! It would drive me batty to live with them if I didn‘t work outside the home to get away. The son who was the market grower had it best. 😜 2mo

Ruthiella Agree, everyone was pretty terrible and yet I did want to know what would happen. 😂 Their social sphere was way too small. No wonder Mrs. Rockaby was dying to move back to London. 2mo

Ruthiella P.S. Nice call back to Mr. George‘s hobby/book in your picture! 👍 2mo

LeahBergen I was thinking the exact thing about living all together like that!!! 😬 2mo

CarolynM It might not have been so bad if any of the other villagers had been people you could be friends with! 2mo

45 likes5 comments

Jess

The Echoes: A novel | Evie Wyld

I do not believe in ghosts, which, since my death, has become something of a problem.

#firstlinefridays @shybookowl

Itchyfeetreader Well this pulls me in ! 2mo

18 likes1 stack add1 comment

CarolynM

Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster

pick

What a charmless lot these characters were! I had trouble feeling sympathy for any of them, except maybe Lavinia who seemed to be doing her best. #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Jess_Read_This, Kimzey, erzascarletbookgasm, catebutler, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, Lizpixie, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, batsy, Tamra, bookandbedandtea, Teresereading, Sace, kwmg40, Cathythoughts, Ruthiella, Sparklemn, julieclair, willaful, MrsK

Ruthiella Lavinia and Mrs. Monsoon seemed OK. But the bar is very low! 😆 2mo

LeahBergen ‘Charmless lot‘ is exactly right! 😂 2mo

Tamra @LeahBergen 😂 great review & description! 2mo

Centique Lovely flowers! 2mo

rubyslippersreads I felt sympathy for the poor cat! 😾 2mo

67 likes1 stack add5 comments

Ruthiella

Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster

pick

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

The middle and upper class of a small English village rub along together awkwardly in this novel. The eccentric Mr. Monsoon, the pretentious Mrs. Rockaby, the loony Lady Tyce, etc. There‘s no real plot nor any character to root for really, but I enjoyed it on the whole. It‘s often funny and has maybe a subtle feminist edge to it at times, but as @Tamra noted, much longer would have been too long.

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Jess_Read_This, Kimzey, erzascarletbookgasm, catebutler, CarolynM, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, Lizpixie, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, batsy, bookandbedandtea, Teresereading, Sace, kwmg40, Sparklemn, julieclair, willaful, MrsK

LeahBergen That ditch! 😂 2mo

Tamra 😷😂 2mo

Tamra I really expected more about Mrs. Tyce and her poison pen! That could have been a really fun storyline. (edited) 2mo

See All 10 Comments

Ruthiella @LeahBergen The ditch is the only character that has a transformative arc! 😂 2mo

Ruthiella @Tamra For sure! 2mo

Tamra @Ruthiella 🤣 2mo

CarolynM Perfect picture! 🤣 @LeahBergen 2mo

Ruthiella @CarolynM You can almost smell it! 😷 2mo

rubyslippersreads I‘m surprised someone didn‘t get thrown into that ditch! 🤣 2mo

Ruthiella @rubyslippersreads Oh! That would have been quite something! I guess Mr. Monsoon winging his daughter-in-law was enough excitement. 😂 2mo

76 likes10 comments

Tamra

Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster

pick

“Yes”, Mr. Swan says to himself, “the human family. Yes.”

This is an observational study about how family members can love & drive one another crazy in equal measure. 😜

I really enjoyed it, but I‘m also glad it wrapped up when it did because family bickering doesn‘t provide much in the way of narrative drive.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Tamra In the end I sort of pitied Swan, despite being so rigid & insensitive to others. But, I suspect he‘s happier alone. (edited) 2mo

Tamra Also, Amy???? On the one hand yay for her getting out of an unhappy situation, on the other I can‘t applaud her abandoning her children. (Maybe she still sees them.) But that was bold for a 1950‘s plotpoint - women taking control of their destiny. 2mo

franciscopoppie Hi Tamra
I don‘t usually comment like this, but I must say, I‘m truly impressed by your profile and your personality. Your sense of humor really stands out too it's refreshing and inspiring 🌺❣. You can send me a message in my gmail: franciscopoppie@gmail.com

2mo

LeahBergen Swan is definitely cut out to be a “confirmed bachelor”. 😆 And I couldn‘t believe that Amy just up and left like that. I thought at first that her husband was just using fighting words when he accused her of not caring about the children. I guess he was right! 2mo

56 likes1 stack add4 comments

LeahBergen

Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster

pick

A novel about the “impoverished semi-gentry of a country village, consisting of cantankerous parents and frustrated adult children… Each family quarrels with itself in the same laconic and polite way”. That quote from an early review sums up the plot perfectly. It seems to have a more wry feel to it than many of our other #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub reads (and one of the best descriptions of an awkward tea party ever 😆).

I enjoyed it!