Love at All Ages: A Novel (Angela Thirkell Barsetshire Series) [Paperback]

Angela Thirkell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2001

The last novel in Angela Thirkell's beloved series of modern Barsetshire chronicle is a happy concoction indeed, returning readers - in stylish and comic comfort - to pleasant haunts in the company of a large and familiar cast of gentry and clergy. The teas and tete-a-tetes come fast and furious, beginning with the gathering Mrs. Morland (author of the wildly popular Madame Koska mysteries) convenes at her home in High Rising. Soon the attention of the entire community is drawn to the christening of the first child of Lady William Harcourt (readers of previous Thirkell novels will remember her as Edith Graham), and a new life sets the stage for new love - at all ages, just as the title promises.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Angela Thirkell was born in London in 1890. Mrs. Thirkell did not begin writing novels until her return to Britain in 1930; then, for the rest of her life, she produced a new book almost every year until her death in 1961.

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Moyer Bell and its subsidiaries; Soft Cover edition (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559212977
• ISBN-13: 978-1559212977
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,027,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not up to her previous works, but a must for fans., August 27, 2008

By 

Michael Strangeways "sideshow entrepeneur" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love at All Ages: A Novel (Angela Thirkell Barsetshire Series) (Paperback)

Judging an author's body of work by only reading one novel, and her last novel written at the very end of her long life, is infantile, the equivalent of watching Steven Spielberg's "1941" and judging him to be a mediocre talent and not worthy of further viewing.

This is Mrs Thirkell's final completed novel and like the majority of her later works, not up to the standards of her finest work of the Thirties and Forties, but it's a must read for fans of the Barsetshire series. For newcomers to her books, I would recommend any of the Barsetshire novels of the Thirties, but particularly "Summer Half", "Wild Strawberries", "Pomfret Towers", "The Brandons" or "High Rising". These early novels can be read as stand alones that introduce the characters featured throughout the series and are witty, dry, well-written comedies of manners.

2.0 out of 5 stars amazingly boring, September 10, 2010

By 

Sarah C. (Hyattsville, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love at All Ages (Hardcover)

I agree that this book is one of the most boring ever written. I also read "Coronation Summer", by the same author, and that book was much better. The book did exert a strange fascination; I kept reading, wondering if the author would finally break down and make something happen. At one or two points she almost did, but somehow restrained herself. The book is also partially saved by the author's strong command of the English language. Her words have a vague poetry that makes complete and utter boredom almost enjoyable.

4 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly tedious, April 28, 2003

By 

J. M. Bowen-Shauver "redpram" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love at All Ages: A Novel (Angela Thirkell Barsetshire Series) (Paperback)

This may be the most boring book I have ever read. I was prepared to make certain allowances, knowing that it was the last book of a long series I have not read. However, that does not excuse the lack of any interest/conflict/plot line, the long digressions on the part of the author, the overwhelming number of in-jokes among the characters, and the sheer tediousness of the entire story. At least 3 characters are famous largely for their inability to carry on a coherent conversation, which is incredibly annoying to the reader. I would recommend that the anglophile reader instead concentrate on Barbara Pym, PG Wodehouse, Nancy Mitford, or Rosamund Pilcher.