Begin Again

This is a novel about 4 young women embarking on life in 1930's England. Jane and Florence are Oxford graduates (unusual for the time), and of course, despite their education and intelligence are only able to find work as clericals and typists. They share a flat in London, and Florence is working on a novel based on her school experiences. Jane is engaged to a fellow Oxford graduate, but not entirely sure they are compatible.
The two other young women are friends of Jane and Florence who did not go to university and who each live at home in the country with their parents. Leslie is dying to move to London on her own and go to art school. She has invited Jane and Florence to a weekend party to help convince her mother of how wonderful it show more would be to live on her own in London. Sylvia, the other friend, has adopted all the modern ideas about free love and the independence of women, but she and her boyfriend, who are getting serious, mostly just talk about these matters, rather than acting. When she sees her younger sister acting on some of these new ideas, Sylvia begins to rethink her position.
At first I thought the book was a bit dated, but it really grew on me. In the end I enjoyed it as a witty diversion and a visit back to a simpler more innocent time. It was a charming read.

3 1/2 stars show less