Customer Reviews

Northbridge Rectory

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I came to Amazon to buy a copy of Northbridge Rectory as a present and was astounded by the childish lack of acumen in the other reviews. Two stars because of "snobbery"!? If that is the level of sophistication Thirkell is facing in her American audience, she'll be out of print quite soon. Thirkell's books, Northbridge included, are comedies of manners. They represent types of people, and that includes snobs, cowards, eccentrics, people of little distincton, people of much distinction. Northbridge uses a biting humor that I, and many others, find extremely funny because it so deeply transgresses all of the Steven Spielberg-like instincts to be agreeable and popular that so plagues American writing today: find out what sells, do it to death, hope to get in on the Oprah Book Club Bonanza, and above all, be agreeable to as many people as possible. Blahh! Thirkell was a fantastic writer who represented a world that was on its way out, as her novels make quite clear, and she was obviously sorry to see it go. She was not, in the Oprah vein, writing novels meant to make insecure or troubled people "feel good about themselves," which is death to literature. Thirkell's humor is not just meant to make us laugh, but also a part of a scheme in her works -- to hold up the silliness of the world she inhabits for all to see, and to suggest that we've lost something in the passing of time, rather than gained. That's why they are such wonderful books: they they're funny, they are sharp, they're literary, and they're light, all at once. I agree that not all of her Barsetshire books are of equal value, but none of them ranks below four stars, for heaven's sake!

I have been working on reading all the Barsetshire novels in order on and off for several years. Whenever I have sufficient leisure time I start again, usually trying to pick up where I left off and always finding I want to start again at the beginning so that I don't miss any of the book to book references.

Obviously, I am one of the fans of Thirkell's Barsetshire novels, those somewhat predictable, but always witty and delightful, tales of a fictional England around the time of WWII.

But these books are not for everyone. Certainly anyone who thinks Thirkell the equal of Austen is mistaken. Equally certainly, those who deny an element of snobbery are allowing their fondness for the novels to blind them to its presence. Yes, Thirkell mocks the foibles of upper-class characters, but she is far more tolerant of them than of the flaws of the lower-middle classes. While the working classes are treated nearly as well as the upper (mocked but always fondly), the middle classes (whom she often treats as social climbers) are often treated with scorn and distaste for the mildest of faux pas.

I love these books and wouldn't want to discourage anyone from reading them, but because some of the positive reviews are misleading, I wanted to give a more balanced view than I think either the attackers or the defenders have given.

Of the dozen or so Barsetshire novels I have read so far, Northbridge Rectory is my least favorite. For the reviewer who liked Before Lunch and wanted to know which others were more like that, I recommend Wild Strawberries, The Brandons, and August Folly. Those who object to Thirkell's snobbery should avoid Miss Bunting (this is the title of a book, not a character or author).

Set in fictional Barsetshire, England, this book is simply a delight. Ms. Thirkell is most adept at portraying the interplay of quirky characters, from the scholarly, socially inept Mr. Downing and his brusque yet well-meaning housemate, Miss Pemberton; the social terror that is Mrs. Spender; the Frenchified Hopgoods; and the attractive Mrs. Turner, among others - centered around Mrs. Villars, the Rector's wife. The setting of the novel, a country town amidst the uncertainty and austerity of World War II, is practically a character itself. I loved reading this and look forward to more of Ms. Thirkell's books.

This is one of my favorite Barsetshire books, as it introduces the amusing Mrs. Villars. Further, the appearance of the delightfully cranky Miss Pemberton provides much amusement. Overall, the book not only introduces us to a host of Barsetshire characters who appear in later books, but also paints brilliant character sketches that are somewhat reminiscent of Jane Austen's highly colored depictions of characters like Mr. Woodhouse and Miss Bates in Emma.

In response to one reviewer's comment that Mrs. Thirkell's novels change over time - Indeed, they do. But it seems to me that her books change in synch with the British country psyche at the time. Britain underwent fairly significant changes in terms of class and financial structure during and after WWII. This change is reflected in her books, as they are primarily set at the time she is writing them.

Delightful! I am reading Angela Thirkell's books as I can get hold of them, and find them very enjoyable. I just finished Trollope's Barsetshire series, and the thing that drew me to Thirkell was her use of Trollope's fictional county as a setting for her books. In "Northbridge Rectory" Barsetshire's residents are settling into wartime with it's blackouts, evacuees, rationing, and constant fear of invasion. There is plenty of Thirkell's dry wit as she gently skewers the pomposities and conceits of some of her characters, and even several broad swipes of the bared claw at one truly obnoxious but hilarious character (the priceless Mrs. Spender, no pun intended!); but underlying the humor are characters braving all the discomforts, deprivations and fears without a thought, indeed with good cheer - the proverbial British stiff upper lip. In one of the insightful inner musings of one of the main characters, she wonders at how everyone accepts more and more easily the worsening shortages and demands of war as a new normal; as an American reading the book in 2011, I couldn't help wondering how we would hold up under such conditions, then OR now!

Although Thirkell is often compared to Trollope, Austen and even E.F. Benson for her dry wit and characters, some critics ultimately dismiss her as not in their league. I agree, however, with the contemporary critics who wrote on the ancient jacket cover of this edition from my library: "I am often impressed by Angela Thirkell's likeness to Jane Austen: both writers possess a superb command of rural atmosphere and of inducing inner laughter"; "Mrs. Thirkell is a voluptuary in gay malice"; and my favorite, "I would call her a female Trollope, if this were not rude and tautologous." All true, I think, and said with much better flair than I could ever muster!

I totally concur with the last review. Angela Thirkell makes fun of the foibles and follies of the upper crust and to even suggest that there is "snobbery" in her books is totally ludicrous! Rather, being an avid fan of her writing, I take great pleasure in reading of a time gone by and the eccentricities of small English villages! Her books are full of humor and she manages to portray it without being meanspirited; something which is not easily achieved.

I truly enjoyed Angela Thirkell's books, and sought them out, since happening upon "Summer Half," in a thrift shop 15 years ago. I too, however, found the snobbery grating in "Northbridge Rectory." It seems to get stronger as the series progresses. I'm not sure whether it's that Thirkell got more reactionary as she got older, or I've grown more sensitive to it, but it definitely detracted from the fun for me. And give us a break, please. An ability to ignore the blatant snobbery is not a sign of sophistication and our discomfort with the mean spirit in Thirkell's depiction of foreigners and the lower orders is not childish. She clung to her middle, wanna-be upper, class superiority and vented her spite on forces she saw changing society. From accounts I've read by her sons Graham and Colin, she was quite an appaling woman. I feel sorry for what she did to Trollope's county, he had a much larger view of the world.

Some Thirkell novels are delightful,but I also am under the impression that her writing changed over time. I found "Northbridge Rectory" and "Marling Hall" to have a mean spirited snobbery that I didn't like at all. Does anyone know which of her books are more like "Before Lunch" than "Northbridge Rectory"?

I enjoyed The Brandons and August Folly, but the class snobbery in this book isn't funny. I found it more grating.