A wonderful book! I too thought of Laski's The Village, which is very good, and tho they are not as fine, Angela Thirkell's often bitter postwar novels touch on the theme too.
After discovering Minnie's Room in my bookshelves (I think I picked it up off the side of the road with a load of other free books one day), and then seeing your photo of your MP-D book haul, I started reading it this week and I've been blown away by how good it is. Loads of beautiful short stories put together with such technical skill and humour that I end up having to get a pencil out to underline great chunks of text. I'm definitely going to read One Fine Day (although I'm not technically allowed to buy any more books so I'll have to find a workaround and Libby doesn't have it sadly.)
Similar but different, Ian Marchant (late of this parish) wrote a wonderful book called One Fine Day that must have been a nod to MP-D (and was also inspired by the weather reports his ancestor wrote in his diaries). I think you'd enjoy that too. It's a mix of memoir and history since it is inspired by Ian's ancestor who was a diarist, but also by Ian's diagnosis with terminal cancer.
Phew, she is good isn't she? And really funny in places. Going to look for this one, thanks Sarah.
Wonderful book - her writing is fabulous - and your writing brought it all back so vividly. Thank you!
You did justice to this wonderful writer, I'm going to buy this book. Happy New Year, Sarah!
A wonderful book! I too thought of Laski's The Village, which is very good, and tho they are not as fine, Angela Thirkell's often bitter postwar novels touch on the theme too.
A great review of a wonderful book. Thank you, Sarah. And Happy New Year!
Great review, Sarah. I had no idea rationing went on for so long after the war?
Indeed. It made the Labour Government very unpopular 🤔 😕
Oh, I remember Laski on TV, on the Brains Trust, with eminent men. But I liked her fiction.
I'm so looking forward to reading this!
After discovering Minnie's Room in my bookshelves (I think I picked it up off the side of the road with a load of other free books one day), and then seeing your photo of your MP-D book haul, I started reading it this week and I've been blown away by how good it is. Loads of beautiful short stories put together with such technical skill and humour that I end up having to get a pencil out to underline great chunks of text. I'm definitely going to read One Fine Day (although I'm not technically allowed to buy any more books so I'll have to find a workaround and Libby doesn't have it sadly.)
Similar but different, Ian Marchant (late of this parish) wrote a wonderful book called One Fine Day that must have been a nod to MP-D (and was also inspired by the weather reports his ancestor wrote in his diaries). I think you'd enjoy that too. It's a mix of memoir and history since it is inspired by Ian's ancestor who was a diarist, but also by Ian's diagnosis with terminal cancer.
It is a novel I will never forget and I read it many years ago. I am glad you have discovered it too!