July 2011 Guest Editor Alexander McCall Smith on Excellent Women...
Barbara Pym has been described as the Jane Austen of our times, and I would concur with this view. She created a whole world of people living rather mousy lives, illuminated with poignant detail. She is extremely funny in an understated way.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
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INTRODUCED BY ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH
'I'm a huge fan of Barbara Pym' RICHARD OSMAN
Mildred Lathbury is one of those excellent women who are often taken for granted. She is a godsend, 'capable of dealing with most of the stock situations or even the great moments of life - birth, marriage, death, the successful jumble sale, the garden fête spoilt by bad weather'. Her glamorous new neighbours, the Napiers, seem to be facing a marital crisis. One cannot take sides in these matters, though it is tricky, especially as Mildred has a soft spot for dashing young Rockingham Napier. This is Barbara Pym's world at its funniest and most touching.
'One of the most endearingly amusing English novels of the twentieth century' ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH
'Barbara Pym is the rarest of treasures; she reminds us of the heartbreaking silliness of everyday life' ANNE TYLER
'Not only was Pym a comic genius but she was ever so wise' THE TIMES
Excellent Women features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Family Drama, eBooks of the Month, General Fiction, Fiction, Recommendations
Excellent Women is available in Paperback, Hardback, Ebook
Excellent Women was written by Barbara Pym and published by Virago an imprint of Little, Brown
Excellent Women has 304 pages
Yes it is part of Virago Modern Classics series
£9.89