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...

The Lady Elizabeth - Alison Weir

While I was waiting at Sydney airport at the beginning of Sept to head off on our trip I was browsing the book selections at the airport newsagency and discovered The Lady Elizabeth. I had just finished The Virgin's Lover and was keen to keep reading about Elizabeth I - even in fiction form. I had read some of Alison Weir's non-fiction before - The Six Wives of Henry VIII - and I thought her research and attention to detail was brilliant. Unfortunately I didn't love her fiction as much as her non-fiction.

The Lady Elizabeth covers the period of Elizabeth's life from her birth until the time she becomes Queen after the death of her sister, Mary. I really enjoyed the start and the end of this novel but I felt the middle section played out, and read, like a very bad soap opera. This middle section of the book fictionalises and imagines an intimate relationship between the young Elizabeth and a man who may or may not have played this part in her life. In the Author's Note at the end of the book Alison Weir talks about this section and why she wrote it in the way she did;

I make no apology for the fact that, for dramatic purposes, I have woven into my story a tale that goes against all my instincts as a historian! Indeed, I have argued many times in the past, in print, in lectures and on radio and television, why I firmly believe that Elizabeth I was the Virgin Queen she claimed to be, since the historical evidence would appear to support that.

I really think this tale for "dramatic purpose" actually detracts from the novel and makes it weaker than it otherwise needed to be. The narrative of this section feels forced and faked and it was where I lost track of where the story was heading. Weir does bring the story back to focus on Elizabeth and her strengths at the end but for me it felt like it was a little too late.

I am still looking for more books about Elizabeth I (fiction or non-fiction) - does anyone have any to suggest that they have really enjoyed??

Love At First Sight...

Unlike many others Paris has never been my dream destination - Italy did have that place taken - but since laying eyes on Paris for the first time in our recent trip I might have to do some re-thinking. As soon as we entered the city I fell in love - the history, the architecture, the streets, the people, the clothes, the patisseries! I was totally enchanted by everything I saw and experienced - can't wait to go back.
I am now really keen to read more about the city - both fiction and non-fiction - so if people have any recommendations please, please let me know!

The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown

Yep - I got sucked in by all the hype and bought (and actually read) this book. To be fair (to myself!) I am one of those people who really enjoyed The Da Vinci Code - while I don't think it was great literature by any stretch of the imagination I thought it was a great entertaining read. As I've mentioned before I am one of those readers who is pretty dense when it comes to guessing endings so The Da Vinci Code was a real treat for me - I never saw what was coming! Unfortunately I can't say the same for The Lost Symbol - I saw everything coming - and none of it was good! If I hadn't been on holidays while I was reading this book and in need of something VERY light to read I would have thrown this book out the nearest window - it really was that bad.

I read one of the reviews on Amazon where someone had written that they feel Dan Brown had written this book only with the future screenplay in mind - and I completely agree. The book did not read like a well constructed novel at all - it was clunky and descriptive - two of my pet hates in books. The characterisation, if you could even call it that, was basic and formulaic - not one person in the book was well rounded - I felt like I was watching a computer game being played out before my eyes.

I'm normally quite reserved when talking to other people about books I have not liked or enjoyed. I usually tell them the reasons I did not like it but they might see it differently. The Lost Symbol is another case altogether - I am openly telling my friends and family to not even bother reading this book - it is woefully terrible!!! Even though I paid good money (pounds none the less!) for this book I left it sitting on the table in a hotel room - maybe the person who picks it up next will enjoy it more than I did.

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?

The Virgin's Lover - Philippa Gregory

This was actually a book I finished quite a while ago now - just before we left for our trip. I had read another Philippa Gregory book, The Other Boleyn Girl, earlier in the year and while I wasn't exactly in love with it I did enjoy the light style and the ease with which I was able to read it. In the days leading up to going away my brain was finding it very hard to concentrate on anything too in depth and I did want to read books set in the areas in which we were travelling to which is why I picked up The Virgin's Lover.

Queen Elizabeth I is one of my favourite historical figures - not really sure why, she just always comes across as such a strong, independent woman at a time when that must have been extremely difficult to uphold. The Virgin's Lover tells the story of Elizabeth shortly after she becomes Queen and her friendship/relationship with Sir Robert Dudley develops. Historical writing and research seems divided on whether or not there was actually a sexual relationship between the two but literature and films of the modern age seem to jump to the idea that they could have and taken it for a spin.

The Virgin's Lover is no exception and the author in this case really brings home her interpretation of the relationship, in my mind to the detriment of the development of Elizabeth's strong character. I did enjoy reading the book but it certainly isn't a feminist portrayal of Elizabeth's story - something that is important to me in my reading of this woman, fiction or not.

In fact, women as a gender don't really do too well in this book, Sir Robert's neglected and poorly treated wife, Amy, doesn't end up well either and although her behaviour was probably typical and appropriate for married women of that era it really bothered me to read her story in this way.

Having said that I am still quite keen to read Gregory's new novel, The White Queen which focuses on the War of the Roses period of English history. Has anyone read this one yet? If so, how does it compare to Gregory's earlier novels?

Home Again

Back at home following our amazing 4 weeks away. Sometimes it feels like we have been gone for ages and at other times (like returning to work!) it feels like we have never left.

I think my body and mind are still trying to work out which time zone they are in but I am really looking forward to catching up on reading all of your blogging from my time away - I feel so out of the blogging loop right now but hopefully I will catch up soon. Please let me know if you think there is something in particular I should track down to read - and any great reading recommendations from your own reading over the past month - I can never have too many recommendations!

I'll also get around to letting you know what I have been reading while I was away - and the books I picked up on my trip (all I can say is that I am glad that Emirates had a 30kg allowance for checked in luggage!!).

I'm also looking forward to sharing some of my favourite moments and memories from my trip - when I get them all worked out in my own head! But for now I'll leave you with this photo at the top of my post - from the balcony of our hotel room in Paris. Ahh Paris!