Crampton Hodnet (1985)

good characters. good stories. ( )

An amusing but rarely laugh-out-loud funny story about romantic dalliances between upper class English people in a college town in the 1930's. I found the relationship between the Oxford Don and his graduate student to be a lot less amusing than the one between the curate and the lady's companion who works for his landlady. In the latter case, the very sensible woman in question responds to the curate's romantic overtures with thoughtful consideration and, when he shows that he doesn't really respect her, sarcastic wit. ( )

A total hoot from beginning to end. I need ALL the Barbara Pym in my life. ( )

Classic British village spinsters alert!

In the vein of Excellent Women and Some Tame Gazelle, we have shrewd discerning internal monologues from our main spinster/s, and a gossipy Greek chorus of villagers who keep the three parallel love affairs running.

Near the end, one of our protagonists notes the cyclical nature of village life, how things change (people leave our lives) and yet remain the same (new people enter our lives but follow the same pattern of action). And that's exactly how I like my favourite Pym stories: hilarious situations and snippy prose, small churchy village, many potential love affairs, doddering men contemptuous and foolish of love, one wise spinster amongst younger spinsters or malicious spinsters or married women with differing marriage situations.

Someone make an AI read through these books so I can have infinite takes on this one story please. ( )

This was one of the lighter, more humorous ones. Miss Morrow was the wry detached voice here, and I particularly enjoyed Francis and Barbara's 'relationship'. Very entertaining. ( )