For some reason I was under the impression that August Folly was the first in Thirkell’s Barsetshire series, but it isn’t. I should have read High Rising first but I don’t have that one yet. This one was first published in 1936.
It’s set in the fictional Barsetshire village of Worsted, it’s sixty miles west of London and to get there you have to change trains at the village of Winter Overcotes.
As you would expect from a Thirkell book this is a light hearted romance and it mainly concerns the planning and rehearsals for a village play, an annual event. The book is full of characters who say things like: ‘Oh golly, that’s good, I’m frightfully, terribly, ghastly pleased.’
An enjoyable read but definitely not one of Thirkells best. I don’t think she really hit her stride until the outbreak of World War II. The whole thing gave her so much to write about with the big upheaval in society, especially all the red tape and rationing and the influx of foreigners and evacuees.
It’s still worth reading though and I hope to work my way through them all eventually. You can see a list of all of her books here if you’re interested.
I agree, not my favorite. I generally find the books with the Deans and the Tebbens less interesting – except for Jessica Dean, of course. But I think High Rising is very good, so I hope you find a copy!
Lisa,
I’m going to buy High Rising from Alibris I think. It was interesting to read about the young Jessica Dean, she has always been quite famous in the other books I’ve read.
Winter Overcotes? Good grief!
Evee,
The other village is called Winter Underclose!