Tag Archives: Peresephone Books

The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sherriff

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The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sherriff was first published in 1931 but my copy is a Persephone reprint.

The Stevens family of London consisting of mum, dad, grown son Dick and daughter Mary and younger son Ernie, always have a fortnight in September at Bognor. They always stay at the same boarding house which over the years has got shabbier and shabbier but they stay loyal to Mrs Haykin the owner. As both their older children are now out working there had been talk of Dick and Mary going elsewhere for their holiday this year, but that idea had come to nothing so Mr and Mrs Stevens are extra happy to be going away as normal as a family, it might be the last time.

There’s not a lot going on in this tale, the family pack and arrange for the luggage to be taken to the railway station, buy train tickets, worry about getting seats on the train, eat their sandwiches and resent the other travellers. But arriving at ‘Seaview’ in Bognor is like slipping on an old pair of comfy shoes to them, it’s going to be a great holiday – and it is, with wonderful weather.

Money has always been a bit tight for the family and they’re thrilled when the father decides that they will just be able to afford to hire a beach hut this time, it’s such a luxury. Everything is carefully calculated including the ginger beer they drink with their meals, and the bottle of port as a medicine for Mrs Stevens which Dick carefully marks with fourteen lines so that she knows how much to pour out each evening.

This is a real comfort read about a very ordinary family who presumably live in Sydenham as their home has a view of the Crystal Palace which is half a mile away. They’re such a lovely set of people though and as families go they’re very close, possibly because they don’t live in each other’s pockets and have some time away from each other doing their own thing. It’s their kindness and loyalty to old Mrs Haykin that marks them out as decent people, standing above others who might presume to be their betters, it’s an unexpectedly entertaining read.

I did think though while I was reading this book that young Ernie should have been at school in September, and his elder siblings too when they were still of school age. Presumably that was because Mr Stevens was so budget conscious, and September boarding house prices were lower than July or August rates.

Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple

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Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple has been read and reviewed by a lot of my favourite bloggers and I’ve always just skimmed the reviews as I knew I wanted to read the book myself – eventually, so I had no idea what it was about really. I did like it, it’s well written and observed but it was the second book on the trot that I’d read about the break up of a long marriage in which the only mistake the wife seems to have made was that she trusted her husband too much.

The North family consists of Ellen and her husband Avery and two children, Hugh and Anne. They’re well off and live in the suburbs, not far from London. Their problems begin when old Mrs North, Avery’s widowed mother decides to advertise for a French companion. Mrs North feels that her son and his family don’t give her the time and consideration that she deserves, a paid companion who will pander to her every whim is exactly what she wants.

Ellen’s one flaw is that she doesn’t seem to realise that her husband is really a carbon copy of his mother. He’s selfish and immature and easy meat for an avaricious French woman. Louise might be younger than Ellen but she’s much more knowing where men are concerned and soon causes mayhem within the family.

This book was first published in 1953 at a time when divorce was beginning to be more common-place, but I found this to be a sad read and I did think to myself as I was reading it that I’d probably read a children’s Puffin book next, in an attempt to avoid the subject of divorce!