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Jane Gardam

Author of Old Filth

37+ Works 7,983 Members 361 Reviews 33 Favorited

About the Author

Jane Gardam was born in North Yorkshire, England in 1928. She is the author of many children's novels that include "A Long Way from Verona" (1971). She has also written novels and collections of stories for adults that include "God on the Rocks" (1978), "Bilgewater and the Pangs of Love and Other show more Stories" (1983) and "The Summer After the Funeral." Her book "Groundlings" was taken from "Showing the Flag and Other Stories" (1989). Gardam's novels and stories have received many literary prizes. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: Jane Gardan, Jane Gardam, Jane Gardham

Series

Works by Jane Gardam

Old Filth (2004) 2,307 copies
The Man in the Wooden Hat (2009) 1,000 copies
The Queen of the Tambourine (1991) 631 copies
Last Friends (2013) 582 copies
God on the Rocks (1978) 416 copies
Crusoe's Daughter (1985) 395 copies
A Long Way from Verona (1971) 386 copies
The Flight of the Maidens (2000) 364 copies
Bilgewater (1976) 350 copies
Faith Fox (1996) 287 copies
The People on Privilege Hill (2007) 239 copies
The Hollow Land (1981) 188 copies
The Stories of Jane Gardam (2014) 154 copies
The Sidmouth Letters (1980) 109 copies
Missing the Midnight (1997) 79 copies
Black Faces, White Faces (1975) 66 copies
Going Into a Dark House (1994) 50 copies
Showing the Flag (1989) 44 copies
A Few Fair Days (1971) 41 copies
Bridget and William (1981) 19 copies
Kit in Boots (1986) 15 copies
The Old Filth Trilogy (1950) 15 copies
The Green Man (1998) 12 copies
Swan (1987) 6 copies
Tufty Bear (Read Aloud) (1996) 4 copies
Hetty (2016) 2 copies
Facing the Music (2013) 1 copy

Associated Works

Little Women (1868) — Preface, some editions — 26,256 copies
A Little Princess (1905) — Introduction, some editions — 15,667 copies
The Vet's Daughter (1959) — Introduction, some editions — 580 copies
Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre (2016) — Contributor — 297 copies
The Pleasure of Reading (1992) — Contributor — 188 copies
The Mammoth Book of Modern Ghost Stories (2007) — Contributor — 133 copies
The Penguin Book of Modern Women's Short Stories (1990) — Contributor — 100 copies
The English Landscape: Its Character and Diversity (1700) — Contributor — 76 copies
The Oxford Book of Travel Stories (1996) — Contributor — 74 copies
The Ecco Book of Christmas Stories (2005) — Contributor — 73 copies
The Oxford Book of Twentieth-Century Ghost Stories (1996) — Contributor — 70 copies
The Young Oxford Book of Ghost Stories (1994) — Contributor — 37 copies
The Secret Self: A Century of Short Stories by Women (1995) — Contributor — 33 copies
Is Anyone There? (1978) — Contributor — 27 copies
Slightly Foxed 3: Sharks, Otters and Fast Cars (2004) — Contributor — 26 copies
The Thorny Paradise: Writers on Writing for Children (1975) — Contributor — 15 copies
The Puffin Book of Ghosts and Ghouls (1992) — Contributor — 11 copies
Growing Up Stories (1995) — Contributor — 10 copies
Top Teen Stories (2004) — Contributor — 6 copies
Beware! Beware!: Chilling Tales (1989) — Contributor — 6 copies
Young Winter's Tales 6 (1975) — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

19th century (512) 20th century (166) American (190) American literature (352) boarding school (203) British (328) British literature (151) children (443) children's (933) children's classics (160) children's fiction (238) children's literature (515) Civil War (298) classic (1,596) classic literature (160) classics (1,670) coming of age (239) ebook (230) England (550) English literature (143) family (449) favorites (158) fiction (4,768) historical fiction (492) Hong Kong (167) juvenile (163) Kindle (230) literature (539) New England (170) novel (625) orphans (196) own (222) read (540) romance (160) short stories (340) sisters (325) to-read (1,730) women (182) YA (191) young adult (380)

Common Knowledge

Members

Discussions

Group Read: Last Friends by Jane Gardam in 75 Books Challenge for 2019 (February 2019)
BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MAY - GARDAM & GODDARD in 75 Books Challenge for 2016 (September 2016)
Old Filth (by Jane Gardam) Group Read - April in 75 Books Challenge for 2013 (April 2013)
What about Jane Gardam? in Loitering with Intent (March 2012)

Reviews

A great follow on from Old Filth. Full of wit and surprises. Enthralling.
 
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simonpockley | 45 other reviews | Feb 25, 2024 |
Having thoroughly enjoyed [b:Old Filth|50284873|Old Filth|Jane Gardam|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578255525l/50284873._SY75_.jpg|36965] and The Man with the Wooden Hat, I was disappointed in this last of the trilogy. This as because I wanted to know much more about Ross and had very little interest in Fiscal-Smith. Last Friends had its moments, but I soon tired of Dulcie's scatterbrain in the beginning and for some strange reason, the weak ending went the same way. Maybe Jane Gardam lost interest? I say this as a challenge to Jane Gardam but was she out of her depth with Ross? Someone not English. Surely not. Please bring on a 4th in the series. One that deals with Ross's background.… (more)
 
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simonpockley | 43 other reviews | Feb 25, 2024 |
My dear friend Jim sent me [b:Old Filth|50284873|Old Filth|Jane Gardam|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578255525l/50284873._SY75_.jpg|36965]. What a treat! As a privileged but neglected child I lived with other families and often found myself described in this beautifully constructed tale. That Old Filth is such a clean man was not lost on me nor were many of the reversals of name that were woven into the text.

Half-way through, I realised the book had plunged me into a sombre, solitary mood which almost overwhelmed me. As an old man I felt even older and pretty much done for. I kept thinking of my friend Jim reading it in hospital. He had written to me
...suspended sick room time, still can’t stand up, reach for the book I’ve been reading, I’m near the end of my novel which is about memory, I’m at the bit when the old guy is lying in bed dying, delirious, remembering his early life and I’m lying in bed wondering about dying and confusing his memory with mine, did I marry someone named Betty and live Malaya? I don’t think so…. note to self, don’t read about old men dying when you’re an old man thinking about dying

Trying to explain the book to others I found myself saying it was part Somerset Maugham, part Conrad. Jane Gardam concludes with an acknowledgement to Kipling's autobiography. So maybe it's also part Kipling. I'm aware that Old Filth is the first of a triolgy. While I'll definitely be seeking out book #2 [b:The Man in the Wooden Hat|6570431|The Man in the Wooden Hat (Old Filth, #2)|Jane Gardam|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347802021l/6570431._SY75_.jpg|6763489] . Old Filth is a cleverly constructed tale by a gifted writer.
… (more)
 
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simonpockley | 139 other reviews | Feb 25, 2024 |
 
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librarian_peg | 43 other reviews | Jan 24, 2024 |

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Statistics

Works
37
Also by
24
Members
7,983
Popularity
#3,037
Rating
4.0
Reviews
361
ISBNs
311
Languages
11
Favorited
33

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