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Loading... Pigeon Pie (1940)by Nancy Mitford
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This may be the most facetious book I have ever read. Written early in WWII, when England was not actively engaged in fighting and rumors of German spies abounded, the book recounts the adventures of Lady Sophia Garfield, who wakes up one day to the realization that there are German spies in her home. The ensuing goofiness, involving her cross-dressing lover, her opera singer godfather, a French bulldog and a hospital museum, is spritely and fun. Not great literature, but full of charm. Read during Fall 2001 I'll confess to missing some of the more subtle satrirical detail but loved all the bits I did get. Lady Sophia at the outbreak of WWII volunteers in a First Aid post and goes on her merry social life, blissfully unaware of various nefarious ongoings in her own house. All good, all funny. This is a satire written by Nancy Mitford during the first uneventful months of World War II. It uses the backdrop of the phoney war to mock the expectations and motivations of members of the English upper class, and particularly the pro-Hitler and pro-Left tendencies that some of them harboured. This makes the early chapters of the book fascinating, because her sisters Diana and Unity were pro-Germany, and she must have had a box seat in observing their fervour and their reasoning. Continued no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher SeriesPenguin Books (1532)
British high society, spy stories and goofy religious cults are all gently mocked in this inventive, stylish satire. Lady Sophia Garfield works at a first-aid post during the so-called 'phoney war' while cherishing an ambition to become a glamorous female spy. Fate ordains that she shall have her chance.When the highly imaginative Sophia discovers a nest of very real German spies in her home, nobody believes her. With her maid murdered and her beloved bulldog held hostage, she sets out alone to gain proof and, with time out for tea at the Ritz, save Britain. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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This bright and crazy story, read at a remove now of seventy-five years, reveals how prevalent pro-Nazi sentiment or, at least, appeasement, was among many of the British establishment before the bombing started.
The story is populated with upper-class oddities; the multi-wigged King of Song, cross-dressing Rudolph, Ned and Fred the inept parliamentarians and Lady Sophia herself, once a Bright Young Thing, now the bright young wife of an all-purpose bore.
It can be read well within the limits of a rainy Sunday afternoon. ( )