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A Long Way from Verona |
For all Gardam fans, here's another good one. The narrator, Jessica Vye, is destined to become a writer (according to a school lecturer) a prognostication that colours her life. This story of her post-war childhood growth into her 'vocation' is touching, true and funny. Lots of accurate memory-joggers for those of us of that generation - Viyella dresses for one - and an absolutely sure evocation of time and place. (The title makes me fear I've missed a point - help with Feedback please) . . .
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 63 Winter 2011) |
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Bilgewater |
"Not a wasted word", one comment made during discussion of this gem at my book group. Marigold Green is growing up in a boys' boarding school where her father is a house master. She is nicknamed Bilgewater by the boys ('Bill's daughter'). Perfectly captures the agonies suffered by an adolescent who feels she doesn't fit in. Originally written as children's fiction but now classified as adult. Captures the atmosphere of 1950's England. Poignant and very funny.
(Mary Standing - bwl 49 January 2009) |
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Crusoe's Daughter |
From the age of 6, Polly Flint spends her life in her elderly aunts' remote house on the edge of a marsh where she feels as marooned as Crusoe, her hero, on his island. Set against a backdrop of the 20th century with its two world wars, this is a tale of family secrets, hidden relationships, unrequited love and how the experiences of childhood so often determine our adult lives. Jane Gardam at her best.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 34 April 2006) |
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Faith Fox |
Golden girl, Holly Fox, dies in childbirth. No one can cope, so baby Faith is dumped on her strange family in the North which includes an uncle who runs a religious sanctuary for the homeless and her caring but slightly dotty grandparents. Although its themes are serious - bereavement, faith or its absence and people's different expectations and perceptions - it is written with life-affirming exuberance and is very amusing especially about growing old.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 11 October 2001) |
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God on the Rocks |
In one of her earliest novels Jane Gardam brings together an eclectic group of characters in a northern seaside town between the wars. Narrated by eight year old Margaret, daughter of a fanatically religious bank manager and subservient mother, she struggles to understand the adult world with its human frailties as she encounters new people and experiences. In a comedy of manners lives are deftly, if at times, improbably woven together, culminating with a dramatic flourish.
(Sue Pratt - bwl 69 Summer 2013) |
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Going into a Dark House |
A collection of short stories written in the 90's with many of the themes relating to end of life. Yet they are by no means depressing, often wickedly funny and richly descriptive. Gardam is able to tell a tale in a few well chosen words that might take another writer an entire novel. My favourite stories are Blue Poppies, Telegony - in three parts - and Bevis which has a final twist that had me saying 'Oh of course, why didn't I spot that'!
(Mary Standing - bwl 100 Spring 2021) |
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Last Friends |
In this final volume of Gardam's trilogy, we learn the secrets of Veneering's Russian heritage. Was his father a spy, who was his mother and where did he get his wealth? If you haven't yet read Old Filth (bwl 29) and The Man in the Wooden Hat (bwl 55), you have a treat in store. Funny and sad, the characters become as familiar and as elusive as real friends. A joy to read.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 71 Winter 2014) |
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Old Filth |
Long ago, Old Filth was a Raj Orphan sent 'Home' to be fostered and educated in England. Gradually his story unfolds, each incident slotting jig-saw fashion into place to finally reveal the unspeakable childhood event which determined the man he would become. One question runs throughout: can children, starved of affection, ever be capable of meaningful relationships, however much they try? I couldn't bear to let this book go, and found myself reading it twice.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 29 April 2005) |
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The Flight of the Maidens |
Hetty, Una and Lieselotte, three young women waiting to go to university in the post-war summer of 1946, stretch their wings and discover themselves and the wider world. As always with Gardam, the apparent simplicity disguises a host of rich veins of insight, in this case into rites of passage and how these relate with the past. A lovely, intelligent, humorous and extremely readable book.
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 38 February 2007) |
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The Flight of the Maidens |
You roll gently into the story, then come the jolts. There's pathos and much humour. It's Summer 1946, three diverse schoolgirl friends in an obscure northern seaside town, pass the time between a safe, familiar life and going off into the unknown world of distant universities. Joyous writing by this subtle novelist, nailing down time, place and the upsets that have dogged people throughout the ages.
(Joan Jackson - bwl 10 August 2001) |
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The Man in the Wooden Hat |
If you enjoyed Old Filth (bwl 29) then this is a must. In it we learn more about Filth's wife Betty and what actually happened between her and his old rival, Veneering. Gardam is a writer who subtly tells you much but leaves room for your own conclusions and I think I solved most of the puzzles, but can someone explain how Betty was raised in a Japanese internment camp during WW II yet also worked at Bletchley Park?
(Jenny Baker - bwl 55 Winter 2011) |
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The People on Privilege Hill |
A collection of 14 short stories - not everyone's cup of tea I know, but these are Gardam at her best exploring life, love and loneliness with her gently mocking humour. The first story features Edward Feathers from her novel 'Old Filth' who now nearly 90 is living out retirement in Dorset. The rest are varied, some very short, often surreal, and I particularly enjoyed the last three. Ideal bedtime or holiday reading!
(Mary Standing - bwl 112 Spring 2024) |
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The Queen of the Tambourine |
We learn all about Eliza Peabody from the unsolicited notes and letters she writes to her suburban neighbours. She just doesn't fit in and becomes increasingly isolated as people avoid her and she loses track between reality and fantasy. She's eccentric, funny and sad and initially rather irritating but as the narrative unfolds and she comes to an understanding of herself, I found myself warming to her more and more. A writer who never disappoints.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 54 November 2009) |
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The Stories |
Twenty eight surprisingly diverse short stories, many with a twist in the tail, told with her usual vivid and economic prose. The introduction describing how Jane Gardam became a writer is a fascinating tale in its own right. In two stories the characters from the Old Filth trilogy make a welcome return.
(Sue Pratt - bwl 81 Summer 2016) |
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The Summer After the Funeral |
I discovered this early work of Jane Gardam's in the library. I wasn't disappointed. An elderly clergyman dies whereupon his widow palms their children off onto various friends and acquaintances for the summer. It's a rites of passage book. Perceptive and funny. The characters are a delight, especially the mother who assumes that people exist to do whatever she asks and so constantly finds they fall rather short of her expectations.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 12 January 2002) |
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