In August Folly, the village of Worsted is staging Hippolytus. Inevitably, the most absurd romances bloom. Boorish young Richard Tebben, just down from Oxford, falls in love with Mrs. Dean, mother of nine, whose oldest son loves Richard s sister, who in turn loves another. And round and round it goes. Amidst a series of comic catastrophes, everyone manages to redeem themselves. Witty, snobbish, sweet, and evocative, Mrs. Thirkell s Barsetshire novels provide a bemused scrutiny of British manners in the most delightfully entertaining doses.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
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It is the essence of her humor that her people mean well even when they are exposed at their most insufferable. --Times Literary Supplement
About the Author
ANGELA THIRKELL (1890 1961) granddaughter of Sir Edward Burne-Jones, was born in London. At age twenty-eight, she moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she became involved in broadcasting and was a frequent contributor to British periodicals. She began writing novels after her return to Britain in 1930 and from then on produced a new book almost every year. Her stylish prose and deft portrayal of the human comedy in the imaginary county of Barsetshire have amused readers for decades.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Affectionate Send Up Of English Country Life In The '30's,
This review is from: August Folly (Paperback)
August Folly, one of Angela Thirkell's early titles in her Barsetshire series, is an engaging and affectionately satiric look at English "County" life in the 1930's. Thirkell's strength lies in her acutely observed characters, and amusing plotting. The fictitious locale of the novel is taken from the series of novels by Anthony Trollope known as the Barsetshire novels or chronicles, starting with The Warden and Barchester Towers, two classics of English literature of the 19th century. Although Thirkell's writing and depth of characterization don't compare with Trollope's, her novels are witty and amusing in their own right, a sort of minor 20th century Jane Austen. This is the countryside of P.G. Wodehouse and of Agatha Christie from a different perspective. One of the great pleasures of reading Thirkell's novels, however, lies not just in the work at hand, but in encountering characters one met in prior novels and following their changing lives, in seeing a character with whom one became acquainted in a novel from a different perspective, and in seeing the characters of her novels face the real challenges of life in England as it went through World War II, and in the years following. To some degree, the Thirkell novels about Barsetshire life in the 20th century are addictive, and one is always on the look out for further titles in the series, which are currently being published in the U.S. by a small New England press, Moyer Bell. I highly recommend this novel, and the entire series.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best of a Delightful Series,
By Mae (Ohio) - See all my reviews
This review is from: August Folly (Paperback)
It was through this delightful book that I discovered Angela Thirkell. Since then, I have gone through several Barsetshire periods, during which I read nothing else. Thirkell's Barsetshire books are addictive both because of their delightful humor and because the reader meets the same characters again and again.Much as I enjoy Thirkell's work, however, few of her other novels measure up to the standard set by August Folly. (The Brandons is my other favorite, and Wild Strawberries and Before Lunch come close.) I have found that August Folly is excellent for reading aloud as well, with no overly long passages to obscure the wit and light-hearted plot.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Typical Thirkell,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: August Folly (Paperback)
A great example of her enduring stories. Loveable and a cheerful read. Got me through whooping cough!
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