Tag Archives: 20 Books of Summer 2022

The Market Square by Miss Read – 20 Books of Summer 2022

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The Market Square by Miss Read (Dora Saint) was first published in 1966, I’ve read a few books by the author in the past and enjoyed them, but no matter who had written this book I think I would have bought it, just for the charming cover. It’s the first in a two book series called The Caxley Chronicles.

This one is a lovely old-fashioned nostalgic read which revolves around the Market Square of the town of Caxley and two families who live there, the Howards and the Norths. They both have their businesses and homes on the Market Square and are friends, with Mr Howard helping Mr North financially to begin with, and everything is hunky dory. But there are ups and downs for them all over the years. However, as their children grow up and romance seems to be in the air Mr Howard is less than happy about it, unlike the Norths.

The story begins with the inhabitants of Caxley thrilled to be organising the celebrations for the Coronation of King Edward the Seventh and continues on to the First World War and then on into the 1930s.

The book’s endpapers are lovely too.

The Market Square Endpapers

I’ll have to resort to the internet to get the next Caxley book as I’m not hopeful of finding it in a second-hand bookshop, as I did this one.

This was one of my 20 Books of Summer.

Cheerfulness Breaks In by Angela Thirkell – 20 Books of Summer 2022

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Cheerfulness Breaks In by Angela Thirkell was first published in 1940.

The Birketts are overjoyed to be getting rid of their daughter Rose as she’s getting married to Fairweather who is in the navy and is immediately sent abroad with Rose. Rose had tried the patience of everyone she came into contact with, she got engaged at the drop of a hat, and un-engaged just as fast – and caused mayhem amongst males in general but particularly with the teachers at the school her father headed. Fairweather though has her measure it seems and is able to curb the worst aspects of her behaviour. But the Birketts feel somewhat sorry for Fairweather having their daughter as his wife, especially as he’s an ‘Old Boy’ a former boarder at the school.

Soon World War 2 begins so it’s a time of upheaval for the inhabitants of Barsetshire with child evacuees being boarded out with local families, it’s a culture shock for all concerned. An entire school and its masters is transferred from London, they include socialists and even a conscientious objector!

For the very middle-class people of Barsetshire it’s all a bit much, but they have lots to be getting on with including having to deal with disdainful refugees who are not in the least bit grateful for the safe harbour they have found after having to flee the Nazis.

I really loved being in Barsetshire again, there’s a lot of silliness, humour and snobbery, but it’s all such fun! I read this one for 20 Books of Summer 2022.

Gemma Alone by Noel Streatfeild – 20 Books of Summer 2022

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Gemma Alone by Noel Streatfeild was first published in 1969 and it’s the first in a series of four.

Gemma has gone to live with her cousins as her mother is an actress and is working in America. Gemma has done quite a lot of work as a child actress herself in the past, but she’s determined to make the transition to adult acting, something that doesn’t often happen.

She’s at a drama school, along with some of her cousins who want to be dancers, singers or composers. When Gemma is offered a part in a pantomime she’s thrilled to bits, but her mother isn’t so happy about it, it’s a come-down as far as she is concerned. Gemma is furious and refuses to speak to anyone when she is told that she can’t take the part, she thinks that any stage work is better than nothing.

This was quite an enjoyable read but I can imagine that it would be very popular with youngsters who are star-struck or stage-struck. I don’t think I will go out of my way to get any more of the series though.

This does let young people know that they should be able to follow their own dreams rather than do things to please their parents who might have a very different future mapped out for their offspring.

Scarweather by Anthony Rolls – 20 Books of Summer 2022

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Scarweather by Anthony Rolls (Colwyn Edward Vulliamy) was first published in 1934 but it has been reprinted by British Library. This is the book which I took with me on holiday to Orkney recently, not knowing anything about it so it felt a wee bit spooky when it turned out that archaeology and an ancient burial mound featured in the plot, as I was visiting neolithic burial sites in Orkney. It’s amazing how often I inadvertently take books with me on holiday that relate to my destination in some way.

Unusually the story takes place over 15 years or so, beginning just before the First World War. John Farringdale accompanied by his cousin Eric Foster goes to visit Tolgen Reisby, a famous archaeologist at his remote home Scarweather in the north of England. Reisby’s wife is years younger than him and they seem rather mismatched. Eric is obviously attracted to her, she’s described as having ‘a magnificent figure and stately carriage’ and that description is part of the problem for me with this book. I just didn’t enjoy the author’s writing style which seemed very stilted to me, perhaps it was supposed to be. I also found the whole thing to be very predictable. I don’t think I will bother reading any others by this author.

Luckily my holiday in Orkney was much mmore enjoyable!

The Monarch of the Glen by Compton Mackenzie – 20 Books of Summer 2022

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The Monarch of the Glen by Compton Mackenzie was first published in 1941. I think the first thing I have to say about this one is that if you were a fan of the TV programmme then you will probably be disappointed with this book. I only saw a few bits on TV which was obviously updated to comtemporary times. It looks like they just took the character of the laird with his eccentricity, his lady wife is certainly nothing like the sophisticated and beautiful Susan Hampshire.

The laird, Donald MacDonald of Glenbogle Castle, otherwise known as ‘Ben Nevis’ is hopeful that his eldest son will persuade a rich female American guest to marry him and so solve any money problems the estate has. Kilwillie, his neighbour (in the next estate) is hopeful that he will be able to offload a very remote castle that he owns onto some other guests that Ben Nevis has staying with him.

Meantime a large group of hikers, both male and female has decided to camp out on Glenbogle land – right beside a NO CAMPING sign. The only thing that Ben Nevis hates more than campers and hikers is people wanting independence for Scotland! He’s furious and takes the law into his own hands by rounding them all up and sticking them in his dungeon!

There’s a lot of silliness, some laughing at the choice of outrageous tartans by Americans and Scots and of course some romance. The setting is the 1930s or even earlier, and although this book was published in 1941 there’s no mention of war, I suspect it was actually written in the late 30s. It’s mildly amusing but not nearly as funny as Keep the Home Guard Turning, Rockets Galore or even Whisky Galore.

This was one of my 20 Books of Summer

The Diary of a Farmer’s Wife 1796-1797 by Anne Hughes – 20 Books of Summer 2022

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Diary of a Farmer's Wife 1796-1797 cover

The Diary of a Farmer’s Wife is a bit of a conundrum, as strictly speaking it’s not what most of us would think a diary would be. Supposedly it was written in 1796-1797 by Anne Hughes who lived in a remote country farmhouse near Chepstow, Monmouthshire. However the existence of the diary seems only to have come about because a young girl who was born in 1884 and was called Jeanne Keyte met an elderly woman who told her about her mother – Anne Hughes who had kept a diary. The old lady read to Jeanne from a thin book containing spidery writing, and also told her lots of stories about her mother Anne Hughes, and Jeanne wrote them all down so that she could put them in a book eventually. Michael Croucher who wrote the Foreword says, Certainly it should not stand as a historical text in the conventional sense, he views the diary as being more like a folk song.

However, it’s a really entertaining read. Anne Hughes led a very busy life as a farmer’s wife and if there was anyone in the neighbourhood in need, she took it upon herself to send them food and blankets, whatever she thought would make them more comfortable. She had to do it under cover though as her husband wasn’t so open-handed. There’s a lot of humour involved as her husband had a hot temper, but she was always able to defuse it by feeding him his favourite food or drink. She described him as being like a great baby – which he was.

There are a lot of hatches, matches and dispatches, scandals and cooking, including recipes if you’re that way inclined. Anne comes across as being a really lovely woman, even hoping that men who might have stolen some sheep won’t be caught as they would be hanged.

In the end it doesn’t really matter if a lot of the book is the result of embroidery by Jeanne, it’s an interesting and comfortable read, one of those books that you could dip into at any time and find something to amuse you.

I read this one for 20 Books of Summer 2022.