Persephone Secret Santa - 2010

This was my second year joining in the Persephone Secret Santa fun organised by Claire.

I have heard that some people are still waiting for their books to arrive due to the rather extreme weather the UK is experiencing at the moment but my secret santa must have been very, very organised as I received my package quite a while ago now and of course I was so excited that I opened it straight away!

A very big Persephone thank you to my santa, Natalie from Coffee and a Book Chick - I feel very spoilt as Natalie was extremely generous and sent me two books, The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski and The Far Cry by Emma Smith. Both of these books sound wonderful and I am going to enjoy reading them over my Christmas break - thank you so much Natalie!

On a superficial note - I also adore the endpapers, and therefore the bookmarks, of each of these books too - right up my alley!!

The Shuttle - Frances Hodgson Burnett

I have finally made my way to the end of The Shuttle which I had started as part of Persephone Reading Week way back at the start of the month.

I had ordered my copy of The Shuttle last year after reading, and absolutely loving, The Making Of A Marchioness by the same author. I had wanted to read The Shuttle as soon as it arrived at my house but I very patiently waited until Persephone Reading Week this year!

The Shuttle broadly tells the story of English gentleman from the country's upper classes heading across the seas to America to marry the wealthy daughters of that emerging country in order to attempt to bring the wealth and value back across to England and their failing estates and communities.

The Shuttle focuses specifically on one of these English men, Sir Nigel Anstruthers (possibly one of the most vile, evil and horrible characters I have encountered in literature) who marries sweet, innocent Rosalie Vanderpoel whose father is at the time one of the most wealthy American industrialists. Once Nigel and Rosalie are married they return to England to live on the Anstruther's dilapidated estate, Stornham Court. It is clear to the reader from the very beginning that Nigel has no love for Rosalie - he simply wants her money:

'I am supposed to be moonstruck over a simpering American chit - moonstruck! Damn!' But when he returned to his hotel he had made up his mind and was beginning to look over the situation in evil cold blood. Matters must be settled without delay and he was shrewd enough to realise that with his temper and its varied resources a timid girl would not be difficult to manage.

The Shuttle turned out to be a very difficult reading experience for me. I was still totally entranced by Hodgson Burnett's writing and her way of creating a world and characters for the reader to dive right into - the character of Betty Vanderpoel, Rosalie's younger sister, was my favourite by far;

'There are a good many girls who can be trusted to do things in these days', she said. 'Women have found out so much. Perhaps it is because the heroines of novels have informed them. Heroines and heroes always bring in the new fashions in character. I believe it is years since a heroine "burst into a flood of tears". It has been discovered, really, that nothing is to be gained by it'.

But overall I just felt frustrated and bogged down in the sadness of the novel and Rosalie's situation - being trapped in a loveless and hopeless situation. I am glad I stuck it out with the book though - the second half certainly offers more hope!

Persephone Reading Week Comes To An End...

Well, officially Persephone Reading Week - so wonderfully hosted by Verity and Claire - has come to an end but I am still pushing on with my sole Persephone book for the week, The Shuttle.

I was really looking forward to the week - and I had been saving my long savoured copy of The Shuttle for so long so I jumped in with much excitement. But then I got a bit bogged in the story - the writing is wonderful and descriptive (something that would normally annoy me) but I am finding that the content of the story line is quite confronting and depressing - not something I am excited about jumping back into!

I have reached the half way mark in the book now and I sense a change is coming (I hope a change is coming!) so hopefully I will be able to push on and finish it soon.

Persephone Reading Week

A big thank you to Claire and Verity for co-hosting the Persephone Reading Week which kicks off today.

I have been looking forward to this reading week for a while now - to be exact since very early this year when my copy of The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett arrived in the mail from Persephone Books. How good (and restrained!) have I been by putting that book aside until now??

I'm not sure that time will allow me to read any more Persephone Books than this one but I will be happy if I can just spend the week enjoying this book and joining in all of the Persephone fun that Claire and Verity have planned.

The Making of a Marchioness - Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Making of a Marchioness was given to me by the very insightful Sarah as part of the Persephone Secret Santa gift swap this year.

Just reading the description of the book on the Persephone site was enough to let me know I would most likely be enjoying this one greatly;

Part I, the original Marchioness, is in the Cinderella (and Miss Pettigrew) tradition, while Part II, called The Methods of Lady Walderhurst, is an absorbing melodrama; most novels end 'and they lived happily ever after' but this one develops into a realistic commentary on late-Victorian marriage. 'Delightful... A sparky sense of humour combined with lively social commentary make this a joy to read' wrote the Bookseller. Kate Saunders told Open Book listeners that she was up until two in the morning finishing this 'wildly romantic tale whose hero and heroine are totally unromantic' (Daily Telegraph); the Guardian referred to 'a touch of Edith Wharton's stern unsentimentality'; the Spectator wrote about the novel's 'singular charm'; and the Daily Mail stressed the 'sharp observations in this charming tale.'

I have not as yet read The Secret Garden (sad I know!) so this was my first experience of Hodgson Burnett's writing - and I loved it. The storyline, the writing style, the detailed descriptions of fashions and scenes and the characters themselves (in particularly Emily) all enchanted me - there is no other way to describe my reaction to this book - I was completely enchanted and charmed by the whole thing!

My only problem now is that I don't know what to read next to follow such an amazing book! Can anyone offer any suggestions? Also, what Persephone do you think I should order next?

Thank you so much Sarah - an excellent choice!

Persephone Secret Santa

The discovery of Persephone Books has been a new delight to my reading and book collecting this year so I was very excited to join in Stacy's Persephone Secret Santa to help share the joy and add to my own small but ever growing collection.

I was very excited to receive my Persephone package in the mail a little while ago and I did manage to hold out a couple of days before tearing open the gorgeous pink wrapping to unveil The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett from the very thoughtful Sarah at What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate.

Sarah wrote in her card accompanying the book that after reading over my blog she thought this book would be one that I would enjoy. I haven't actually read it yet but I think you have made the perfect choice for me Sarah - just by reading the extract from the book in its front cover and from the description on the Persephone web site (which likens it to Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day in tone) tells me I am going to love it. Thank you for taking so much care and thought with your selection - I love my new Persephone!

Happy "grey" Christmas everyone!

Holiday Books - Belated!

I have been very slack in sharing with you the books I picked up while we were travelling in September. So, not including Her Fearful Symmetry and Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day which I have already blogged about, from the bottom of the pile to the top these are the books I bought while away:

The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte - Syrie James, I really enjoyed her first book - The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen so I thought I would give this one a go (I have to admit that I have started it already but just couldn't get into it at this stage unfortunately).

Good Evening Mrs Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes - my other Persephone selection - I could have come home with so many more of these!

The Brontes Went To Woolworths - Rachel Ferguson, I just love this title and I have heard so many of you say great things about this one.

Dubliners - James Joyce, I have not read any of Joyce before but I heard a lot about him when we were in Ireland so I really wanted to give one of his books a go.

Chic Shopping Paris - Rebecca Perry Magniant, Just too cute to leave on the shelf really!

Persephone Secret Santa

I am only newly introduced to the world of Persephone Books but I am already wishing I lived much closer to London so that I could visit the shop on a regular basis. So, when I saw the post over at Book Psmith about the Persephone Secret Santa I was keen to jump on board - even more so when I saw that people in all parts of the world can be involved!

You have until November 10th to join in so head on over to Book Psmith if you would like to put your name down for the Christmas fun.

MIss Pettigrew Lives For A Day - Winifred Watson

When I wrote about buying this book so many of you told me that I would love it - and you were right! Admittedly I had already seen, and loved, the movie version of the book so I was pretty sure I would enjoy the book but as it turns out they are both quite different (as is often the way).

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day is set in London at the beginning of WW2 and tells the story of a middle aged English Governess, Guinevere Pettigrew, who, after a long period of struggling to find a position she can stay in, is thrown into the path of an aspiring actress and starlet, Delysia LaFosse. Miss Pettigrew believes she is applying for yet another governess position - but Miss LaFosse has other plans for her:

Miss LaFosse's eyes swivelled round to Miss Pettigrew. Her expression became imploring, beseeching.

'Can you cook?'

Miss Pettigrew stood up.

'When I was a girl,' said Miss Pettigrew 'my father said that after my dear mother I was the best plain cook he knew'.

Miss LaFosse's face became illuminated with joy.

'I knew it. The minute I laid eyes on you I knew you were the kind of person to be relied on. I'm not. I'm no use at all. The kitchen's through that door. You'll find everything there. But hurry. Please hurry'.

Flattered, bewildered, excited, Miss Pettigrew made for the door. She knew she was not a person to be relied upon. But perhaps that was because hitherto every one had perpetually taken her inadequacy for granted. How do we know what latent possibilities for achievement we possess? Chin up, eyes shining, pulse beating, Miss Pettigrew went into the kitchen.

And so begins Miss Pettigrew's day with Miss Lafosse - a day where she is introduced to people and situations she never thought possible in any life - let alone her own - and as the day begins we see Miss Pettigrew's confidence and belief in herself grow as she deals with difficult and sensitive problem after another - with nothing but success. This book is light and yet serious at the same time, funny and yet quite grim in places - the content and narrative of the story is as opposed as the characters of Miss Pettigrew and Miss LaFosse - but it works oh so well!

Apparently the author of Miss Pettigrew had to fight for its publication - publishers were not sure it would be a hit with her readers who were used to her strong dramatic storylines - the publishers were wrong however.

The picture below is of the endpaper in the classic Persephone edition of the book and is described as 'elegant and light-hearted' - a little like the way I saw Miss Pettigrew at the end of the book...

A Visit To Persephone

One of the highlights of my recent trip to London was a trip to the Persephone Bookshop. So many of you have been telling me to make the trip - and I am so glad I did. I only wish I had more room to bring even more books home with me! Ahh - the joys of mail order!

I did manage to whittle my selection down to two books to bring home with me:
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson and Good Evening, Mrs Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes.

I chose Miss Pettigrew because I have seen, and loved, the movie with Frances McDormand and Amy Adams and I have read some other bloggers talking positively about Mollie Panter-Downes. It was so hard to only walk out of that shop with two books though!! I'm going to be putting in a mail order very soon I think - can you let me know what Persephone books I should collect next? What is your favourite?