Charming account of days gone by

Nothing of any note happens at all and that’s absolutely fine!
Couldn’t help but laugh at some of the outdated concepts and I wondered at times if it’s a parody? Is it?
But yes i so wish today was like these times where everyone had a place/a job to do and was happy with that.
Well worth a read will cheer you up. :)

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A classic Pym

I've always been a fan of Barbara Pym and that very gentle genre of writing. On this listen, however, I found I had tired a little of the old fashioned storyline. That being said, Pym's wit and humour are always enjoyable.

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Excellent novel- middling reader.

The novel itself is fine- but as an audio-book it doesn't really tick all the boxes.



Firstly it has to be pointed out that it is NOT (as described) narrated by Jonathan Keeble- he reads the introduction by Alexander Maccoll Smith- but from there on Geri Halligan (sp?) takes over.



She reads it much better than I could have done- but I'm afraid she's not really out of the top-drawer of narrators- she falls down badly on the male voices, which tend to be nasal, same-ish and lacking in the necessary charm.



I also felt that a posher, more clipped voice would have suited the middle-class post-war Pym world better- Another narrator (without turning it into a Brief Encounter parody) might have captured the 'feel' of the period better.

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17 people found this helpful

Observational humour at its best

I loved everything about this audio book. I found it extremely witty, clever, relevant and well narrated. A total delight .

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4 people found this helpful

A good social history

Excellent soothing listen about nothing in particular . A more gentle time with the same passion s heartbreaks and minutiae of everyday life. Very well observed central character. A hint perhaps vicar Julian was in the closet?

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2 people found this helpful

Subtle, wry comedy of manners

Both entertaining and melancholy, with fabulous cast of eccentric characters. Narration perfectly acceptable - female characters perhaps rendered more convincingly than the male.

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Delicious !

This was my first intro to BP and I am now addicted thanks to this wonderful , atmospheric performance. Who knew a world full of vicars, teapots and excellent women could be so intriguing. Thank you!

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2 people found this helpful

another world!

I enjoyed this book, though I had to listen on 1.25 speed as I prefer a more clipped tone, which I feel is more in keeping with the strange charm of Barbara Pym's books. They really depict another world! I find them very relaxing to listen to whilst sewing.

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A Brilliant, Subtle.Book

This is a wonderful novel, clever, subtle, and hunorous. This is a gem of a novel, and the narration is excellent.

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Enjoyable but ....

This is an enjoyable read with extremely good characterisations but I felt the narration lacked something. It was played straight and so lost the less obvious subtle levels of irony that are intrinsic in the writing. I also thought that a more clipped enunciation would have been more appropriate to the genteel 50s setting as successfully used by Patricia Hodge or Juliet Stevenson.

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