Erica

LATEST ARTICLES ( 397 )

• They Were Defeated (1932) by Rose Macaulay

  

  Book Review by Mary Grover: They were Defeated was said to be Rose Macaulay’s favorite novel. Published in 1932, this historical novel about intellectual life... Read more

  Posted on 16 September 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Crewe Train (1926) by Rose Macaulay

  

  Book review by Frances S: ‘We have some very bright evenings. There’s a nice reading circle, too.’‘A what?’ Denham was apprehensive.‘A reading circle. You all... Read more

  Posted on 13 September 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Madam, Will You Talk? (1955) by Mary Stewart (another Review)

  

  Will you accept of the key of my heart To bind us together and to never never part? Madam, will you walk? Madam, will you talk with me? No, I won’t accept of th... Read more

  Posted on 03 September 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Living Alone (1919) by Stella Benson

  

  Stella Benson Book review by Sophie H: Stella Benson’s 1919 novel Living Alone opens with an eccentric young woman (who is later revealed to have magical powers... Read more

  Posted on 01 September 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• The Flight of the Heron (1925) by D.K. Broster

  

  Book Review by Frances S: The Flight of the Heron is an adventure set in Scotland during the Jacobite rising of 1745-46 when Charles Edward Stuart tried to... Read more

  Posted on 24 August 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• “Mr Rowl” (1924) by D.K. Broster

  

  Cover of the first edition, 1924. Book review by Mary G: Ever since I was a young teenager I have had a horror of the Hulks, decommissioned ships which were use... Read more

  Posted on 22 August 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Ships in the Bay! (1931) by D.K. Broster

  

  Book review by George S. Ships in the Bay! is a historical romance set during the French revolutionary wars. In 1796 there was an abortive French attempt to... Read more

  Posted on 19 August 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1953) by John Harris

  

  Cartoon by John Harris (click the picture to see it bigger) Book Review By Frances S: Some years ago, browsing in a local charity shop, I bought a framed strip... Read more

  Posted on 10 August 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• The Headmistress (1944) by Angela Thirkell

  Book Review by Hilary Temple Anyone who has read Thirkell’s early Barsetshire novels will probably remember with what horrified enthusiasm she throws herself... Read more

  Posted on 06 August 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Anthony Thorne, I’m a Stranger Here Myself (1943)

  Book Review by Chris Hopkins. Anthony Thorne was a novelist before the war with two successful novels to his name: Delay in the Sun, 1935, and Fruit in Season,... Read more

  Posted on 28 July 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Family Roundabout (1948) by Richmal Crompton

  

  The fabric design featured on the endpapers of the Persephone edition of Family Roundabout. Book Review by Ros W: Richmal Crompton is better known for her... Read more

  Posted on 16 July 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• The Cruel Sea (1951) by Nicholas Montserrat

  

  Book Review by Mary P: Our theme for the month was naval fiction, and I decided to read The Cruel Sea which when I looked for a copy of the book was said to be ... Read more

  Posted on 12 July 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Family Roundabout (1948) by Richmal Crompton

  

  Book Review by Kathryn R: This novel was written by the author of the ‘Just William’ stories. It appears that Crompton was the author of around 40 novels for... Read more

  Posted on 06 July 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• William Does His Bit (1941) and Weatherley Parade (1943) by Richmal Crompton.

  

  Book Review by Chris Hopkins. I know we were meant to be reading a Richmal Crompton book for adult readers, but I couldn’t resist the treat of reading a Just... Read more

  Posted on 04 July 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• The Ship (1943) by C.S. Forester

  

  Book Review by George S: The Ship was first published in 1943, when the outcome of the war was still uncertain, and it bears the marks of a book composed for th... Read more

  Posted on 03 July 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Caroline (1936), by Richmal Crompton

  

  Funny how Caroline’s eyes betrayed her exasperation rather than her voice or manner. They were almost grey when she was pleased, but they turned a clear cold... Read more

  Posted on 13 June 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Millicent Dorrington (1927) by Richmal Crompton

  

  Cover of the first edition. Book Review by George S: I’ve always thought of Richmal Crompton as the quintessential Home Counties writer. Read more

  Posted on 11 June 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• The Charioteer (1953) by Mary Renault

  

  First edition jacket Book review by Alice C: The book has lain unread on my bookshelves for several years, so during lockdown I decided to shake it out and... Read more

  Posted on 09 June 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Merlin Bay (1930) by Richmal Crompton

  

  I first came upon William Brown in a 1950s edition of William Carries On from the family bookcase and subsequently enjoyed various television adaptations and th... Read more

  Posted on 08 June 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Frost at Morning(1950) by Richmal Crompton.

  

  Book Review by Mary P: This adult novel from an author now best known for her Just William children’s books was published in 1950. Children are the main... Read more

  Posted on 01 June 2020 BOOKS, CULTURE