First of all, apologies for the delayed Persephone Secret Santa reveal and thank you to my co-host Verity for holding down the fort and providing a full list of this year’s recipients.  I have had a crazy week month year and have been feeling a little under-the-weather.  However, it is often in times of manic working when the perfect reminder comes along of how special Christmas is to me and injects me with some long-overdue festiveness.

Two Sundays ago (yes, Royal Mail actually deliver parcels on a Sunday in the lead-up to Christmas) I received the above parcel from my lovely Persephone Secret Santa and the abundance of beautifully-presented gifts had me squealing like a small child on Christmas morning; they were almost too lovely to open and it was all I could do to put off off that pleasure to take photographs.  Helen, whom I know from the Virago Modern Classics group on LibraryThing and her participation in Persephone blogging events, thoroughly spoiled me.  In my packages were Persephone book #14, Farewell Leicester Square by Betty Miller; a green Virago Modern Classic also by Betty Miller, On the Side of Angels; a Gisela Graham Christmas tree decoration; a tin of Amattler amattlons; a notebook and a bar of Jasmine-scented soap plus the wooden gift-tag above that is also hanging on my tree.  A huge thank you to Helen for being so very generous and for introducing me to the wonder of amattlons (cocoa-dusted almonds from Catalonia), of which I now want to own a vat.  Helen was incredibly thoughtful and chose a Persephone book for me that I have desperate to read and including a Virago by the same writer was a wonderful surprise.  Moreover, Helen managed to happen across a Gisela Graham glass tree decoration that I have been coveting; I had bought one of the three Victorian-inspired ornaments in Liberty on my first visit to the Christmas shop this winter and had intended to buy the other two.  Regrettably I can’t find them online to show you (and can only post one photograph in my posts) but trust me when I tell you that they are divine and are hanging in pride of place on my Christmas tree.

Rather dull in comparison is my own Persephone gift received by my Santa this year, Emily of Seriously Reading, who serendipitously played Santa to my co-host Verity.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Persephone Secret Santa, who exhibited such generosity and creativity of spirit and here is to curling up with a Persephone book these holidays.

It has been said often but bears repeating: one of the most surprising but wonderful by-products of blogging are the friendships that have been forged through a shared passion for books.  I consider myself blessed to have met (in real life and virtually) so many people who I have an affinity with, “kindred spirits” as one literary heroine would refer to them.  One such person is Cardigan Girl Verity who I have grown considerably close to over the last two plus years, conversing -through various technological means- daily.  Through a love of Persephone Books and our mutual collections of Virago Modern Classics, Verity and I have come to know each other in a way that extends beyond our mutual love of reading and hosting our Persephone Reading events.

Those of you who follow her blog will know that Verity is off to get married and that happy event takes place today in Austria.  The wedding lunch in Oxford takes place on the 13th and I am lucky enough to be attending and celebrating with Verity and Ken.  In the meantime, please join me in wishing Verity and Ken good luck for the day(s) and a lifetime of happiness together.  *Throws confetti*

*The inspired idea for this blogging reception of well-wishers was all down to the lovely Rachel/Joan Hunter Dunn of Flowers and Stripes.  Verity has text to say that she is incredibly touched and is reading even though she shouldn’t be as internet use on her mobile is so expensive in Austria! She couldn’t sleep before her big day and went online to be greeted by such a warm outpouring of congratulations.  She cannot comment from her phone but sends many thanks to all who have participated.

**The photograph above was my virtual participation in Verity’s Hen Party.  I was unable to be there in person as that was the day I flew out on holiday but Verity sent me a Hen’s kit (minus the Philip Treacy fascinator-design challenge, sniff) and I partied in advance.

Hello.  Apologies for the unscheduled -and lengthy- blogging break and thank you for all of the concerned and thoughtful messages I have received. I have missed you but have been missing-in-action because I started a new, long-term job at DK, which has been both exhilarating and exhausting.  However, I am striving to find a balance between my new working life and my blogging one and normal regular service will now resume.

What better way to dip my toes back into post-writing by participating in the meme that Simon of Stuck in A Book created.  Regrettably my offer will not be as visually stunning as 1) my blog theme -which I love in every other way- only allows one photograph per post 2) I cannot take a drool-worthy photograph of the entire stack because two of the books are, shock horror, digital editions (more about that -and a continuation of my Thirty for Thirty series- in upcoming posts).,

1.) The book I’m currently reading:

The Pumpkin Eater by Penelope Mortimer, recently reissued by NYRB Classics.  I excitedly waited for its publication as I was itching to read this “surreal black comedy about the wages of adulthood and the pitfalls of parenthood”; so far it is living up to my expectations. I am tempted to follow it up by Mortimer’s Daddy’s Gone A-Hunting, published by Persephone Books.

2.) The last book I finished:

I finally read The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King, the first in the highly popular Mary Russell (featuring Sherlock Holmes).  To those of you who brought this series to my attention: thank you.  It did not disappoint.  I knew it was a wise decision to buy the books for my boyfriend (he has similarly loved the first four books he has read in the series).

3.) The next book I want to read:

There are several books vying for my attention at present but I am enjoying choosing my next book, and the one after that, on a whim. Saying that, I have to read my book group choice for the beginning of next month, one I have been desperately wanting to read for while (hence choosing it, to give me a persistent nudge to read it).  Hayley recommended Butterfield 8 by John O’Hara to me when I was going through a Jazz-Age literature phase earlier this year and suggested it provoked discussion, making it ideal for a book group setting.

4.) The last book I bought:

Embassytown by China Miéville. After discovering -thanks to a Christmas gift from Sakura- The City and the City and being blown away by it, I then read the absorbing, Kraken, last month; I now want to read Miéville’s backlist and his latest, Embassytown.  Last week Sakura and I attended a China Miéville reading and signing at Foyles and it was incredibly entertaining and enlightening.  I was impressed by how articulate and engaging Miéville is;  rarely have I come across a writer as intelligent and interesting in person as they are in prose.

5.) The last book I was given:

The Sack of Bath by Adam Ferguson is one of this Spring/Summer’s offerings from Persephone Books.  I have to say that this polemic did not strike me as a Persephone that I particularly wanted to read but when Verity very kindly gave me a spare copy she managed to acquire, I was not one to look a gift-friend in the mouth.  The book is incredibly short -a mere 80 pages- so I may pick this long pamphlet up earlier than expected.

It seems apt that many of these answers featured recommendations or gifts from bloggers! Thank you to Simon for the final push to resume blogging.

The weekend has drawn to a close but the Persephone adulation is still going strong.  Verity kindly posted our last round-up this morning and it was our largest yet!  A quick peek at my Google Reader confirms that there have even been a few more posts that have filtered through since.  We rounded up 100+ posts this weekend and those were only the ones we caught, not including our own.  We are delighted by such an overwhelming response to our little weekend; we shortened the duration from a week to a weekend to make it more manageable for ourselves but you still came in droves and haven’t disappointed.  Our most successful Persephone Reading event yet!

I would like to extend my thanks to the indomitable Verity, my co-host.  With RSI-like symptoms in her fingers, Verity was unable to comment on all of your posts as she had to keep her typing to a minimum but she read them all and managed things behind the scenes wonderfully.  Special mention has to be made to her fantastically creative and fun Persephone picture competition, which has already inspired me to suggest that we challenge you to create one picture of your own next Persephone weekend!

Thanks also has to go to Nicola Beauman of Persephone Books for her unrelenting support of our event and exceptional generosity in providing us with remainders as prizes.  Without Nicola, her vision and her passion for the titles she publishes, none of us would have spent this weekend in each others’ company, connecting over a common love.

Lastly, thank you to everyone who participating this weekend and contributed to making the event so enjoyable and especial thanks to those bloggers kind enough to host their own giveaways.  I have a list as long as my self of Persephone books that I now want to read this month and have made so many new blogging friends, whilst growing closer to those of you I know already.  Your kind and appreciative words buoyed me over the weekend when I may have been flagging a little and your ardent enthusiasm for the books we were all reading excited and engaged me.  Here’s to lots more grey reading in our futures!

Copied from Verity’s wrap-up post as it comes from both of us and bears repeating:

There have been two comments which particularly stood out among all of those which we have recieved over the past weekend and to which we would like to give honourable mention. This one from Bellezza, on Claire’s blog, sums up so well the fantastic sense of community that this event seems to foster:

What I love most about the Persephone Reading Weekend which you cohost is the sense of community it affords as we visit one another and share our love of such outstanding literature. I had not heard of Persephone books until I connected with you, and I can’t tell you the joy they have brought me from the Persephone Secret Santa, to adding to my own collection, to finding new books to order from this lovely shop I hope someday to visit in real life.

We were also in fits over Darlene’s comment on Claire’s Temporarily Missing Competition. In response to the first line:
‘I heard today that Cynthia died, last Friday afternoon at the Ipswich County Hospital, just after a cup of tea.’
Darlene said:
Dying after a cup of tea sounds just about perfect. Imagine the disappointment of dying just as the kettle came to a boil! I’ve given myself the giggles now….

Now to the Oscars prizes as we know you all want to get to the after-parties.

1. The copy of William, randomly drawn from everyone who left links on our blogs is: Tracey at Book Sanctuary.
2. The first copy of Family Roundabout, randomly drawn from everyone commenting on Verity’s welcome post is: Helen from She Reads Novels
3. The second copy of Family Roundabout, randomly drawn from everyone commenting on my welcome post is: Simon T from Stuck in a Book
4. The two copies of Still Missing for the winners of my Temporarily Missing competition are: Heather (from LibraryThing) and Cristina from Rochester Reader (I will post the answers to that shortly).
5. The copy of Mariana for the winner of Verity’s photo competition is: Clare Wiggins
6. The winner of the classic edition of Miss Pettigrew lives for a day drawn from anyone who as yet does not own a Persephone book is: Christine
7. The winner of the classic edition of Little Boy Lost drawn from anyone who was reading their first Persephone book this weekend is: Jo from Jo’s Book Journey.

And…the winner of the best post of the weekend (the Colin Firth and Natalie Portman of the weekend) and receiving the gold statuette copies of Winds of Heaven and There Were No Windows is … Rebecca, from Rebecca Reads, for her incredibly thoughtful post about Round About A Pound A Week.  Rebecca tried desperately to find copies of Persephone titles to read this weekend and had to resort to reading an e-book of her choice on the public domain and her dedication and wonderful post are more than deserving of the title of our favourite post from the weekend.

To claim your prizes, please email me at claireDOTboyleATgmailDOTcom

In the meantime, I closed my blog birthday prize draw for a Persephone book of choice earlier today and used a true random number generator to draw the winner a few moments ago.

The lucky winner is…

DARLENE!

Congratulations, Darlene, and please contact me with your prize request when you have decided.  Didn’t you win my last Persephone book of choice competition?!

Bad luck to those who did not win this time but remember there is still an opportunity to win some lovely Persephone prizes by commenting on our welcome posts, posting and entering our competitions before the weekend ends.

Tea with Mr Rochester by Frances Towers is a Persephone book I purchased during the last Persephone Reading event after reading an exquisite and  tempting review by Fleur Fisher.  I was pre-warned in said review to savour the stories so I read them slowly in preparation for Persephone Reading Weekend.  Savouring them is the best advice to receive as the stories are fragile and delicate, like the beautiful violet-hued flowers of the endpapers, and deserving of quietude.

The issue with a number of Persephone titles -especially the short story volumes- is that they are overshadowed by the Dorothy Whipples and the Marghanita Laskis, the Miss Pettigrews and Miss Buncles. Whether it be  in the catalogue or during Persephone Reading Week, the quieter texts sit patiently on the bookshelves, languishing and waiting to be read; even the Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield Persephones seem to be subject to this Whipple, Laski and cosy heroine mania.  Don’t get me wrong: I am an enthusiastic cheerleader for both Team Whipple and Team Laski and the quintessentially charming and delightful Persephone titles but won’t somebody think of the children novelists who have been rescued from obscurity only to be overlooked instead for their more popular counterparts?!

The ten short stories collected in Tea With Mr Rochester are beautiful; they are also quirky and have very much an ethereal quality to them.  Some of them have occult undertones to and there is a fairy-tale like feel to the collection, as if they are all magical.  The opening story, “Violet”, is one I have read before in the Angela Carter edited anthology, Wayward Girls and Wicked Women, published by Virago; I appreciated and enjoyed the story more this time around, when it was apart from its brash and more vibrant neighbours. “Violet” shines more brightly in a collection with similar stories; stories that could be considered gentle but that have at times a disconcerting undertone.

By far my favourite stories were the title one, about the schoolgirl Prissy who reads Jane Eyre for the first time and is full of dreams and romance.

Perhaps Miss Hornblower felt about Shakespeare as one felt about Jane Eyre, which one had extracted surreptitiously from the VIth Form library and read in secret under the flap of the desk.  What agony when the tea-bell clanged rudely and woke up out of that dream!  Gone were the vases of purple spar, the pale Parian mantelpiece.  The master of Thornfield Hall had vanished, like the Devil through a trap-door.  But, stumbling down the corridor, one still saw the flash of his dark eyes, heard his deep sardonic tones of his voice.

Prissy reminds me of when I first read Jane Eyre and was immersed in its romance, until I grew up, studied it ad nauseum and began to see it as less romantic and idealistic than it was through innocent eyes.  Prissy is something of an Anne Shirley character with her vivid imagination and her Aunt Athene a less dear version of Marilla Cuthbert; Prissy says and thinks things not entirely fitting for tea with Mr Rochester but all is not lost and an infatuation is born.

Another of my favourites was the poignant, “The Little Willow”.  Simon Byrne attends a party at the home of the three Avery sisters during the war and makes a powerful impression on the younger sister, Lisby, who is overshadowed by her older sisters, Charlotte and Brenda.  He promises to write and never does and when the war ends Lisby waits for news.  This story tugs at the heart-strings and is so touching that it will be reread often.

Like any short story collection, there are stronger stories and there are weaker ones. All are subtle and beautiful, some leave a fleeting impression and others are to be cherished like pressed flowers.

Another lengthy round-up post for you! It is so encouraging to see how popular the event is and a more concentrated weekend means a flurry of posts.

Iris reviews her very first Persephone, High Wages, that compelled her “to hold on tight and hug it all the time”

Carol reviews the “quirky, charming” Mariana.

Karen reviews A Woman’s Place: 1910-1975 and is very generously hosting another giveaway.

Bellezza reviews Little Boy Lost and “loved it with all [her] heart”.

Helen also reviews Little Boy Lost and -like me two years ago- writes that she can’t believe she “let this book sit on [her] shelf unopened for more than six months”.  If she had realised how much she would love it she would have read it immediately, which is something you should all pay heed to if you haven’t read it yet yourselves!

Kristin reviews The Village, which she describes as “both a heartwarming love story and an insightful social commentary [with] … charming endpapers.”

Sasha reviews her first Persephone, Cheerful Weather for the Wedding. An eloquent review and a heartwarming post about the beginnings of one reader’s love affair with Persephone Books.

Jane enticingly reviews one of the Persephone novels in verse, Lettice Delmer.  A lovely, eye-opening post.

Rachel reviews To Bed With Grand Music and compassionately and insightfully examines the complex anti-heroine Deborah.  A riveting review of a riveting novel.

Simon intriguingly reviews Saplings, which to begin with “felt very much like Streatfeild hadn’t taken off her children’s-writer hat, and was merely giving adult novel writing a go” but that later improved and made the transition from children’s to adult fiction.

Hayley reviews The Mystery of Mrs Blencarrow (as have I) and does it so eloquently.  Hayley loved the novellas even though they made her “inner feminist roar”.

Sakura reviews Minnie’s Room, the much overlooked sister volume to Mollie Panter-Downes’ wartime stories, commenting on “her tight focus on the everyday, and what some may call the mundane things in life, which take on a greater significance” in peace-time.

Harriet reviews Gardener’s Nightcap in a stunningly compelling way even to somebody with no interest in gardening.  She describing Muriel Stuart as “articulate, witty, knowledgeable and, occasionally, a classic gardening snob.”

Charlie pre-reviews The Victorian Chaise-Longue, writing down her instant thoughts before gathering her thoughts and reviewing it.

Lyn posts her amazingly beautiful complete collection of Persephone Books.  It is wrong to place Persephone Books and p0rn in the same sentence but surely photographs of such a stunning library constitutes as Persephone p0rn.

It is precisely the aesthetics of Persephone Books that Cristina discusses in her post.

Frances adds a conversation and a contest to today’s Persephone proceedings.  Have you read any of the male-authored titles the imprint publishes?

Donna posts about a favourite Persephone, The Blank Wall, with enticing clips of the film adaptations of the novel.

Audrey introduces the Persephone she is reading, The Carlyles at Home.

Col updates us on her reading progress this weekend and her first impressions of Good Evening, Mrs Craven.

Allie provides the context to her first Persephone book, Mariana.

Kate shares an amusing tidbit from Few Eggs and No Oranges.

Sarah shares with us her plans for the weekend.

As do Buried in Print and Marie.

Katherine updates us on her progress with A Very Great Profession.

Lastly, a reminder of my and Verity’s competitions and a final call for entries to my blog birthday giveaway.

Endpapers taken from a printed velveteen designed by LF Day for Thomas Wardle & Co, sold by
Liberty’s in 1888 © Victoria and Albert Museum

The Mystery of Mrs Blencarrow by Mrs Oliphant is one of the more recent additions to the Persephone Books catalogue, published last Autumn.  The Mystery of Mrs Blencarrow comprises of two novellas, the title story and Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamond, both of which were published in the late Nineteenth Century (the late 1880s, just like the endpapers).  Mrs Oilphant was of Scottish descent and a prolific writer, writing more than 120 works and was  ‘in her time as well-known as Dickens, George Eliot and Mrs Gaskell’ [from the Persephone Books website].  The novelist Penelope Fitzgerald considered Mrs Oliphant to be ‘at her very best in novellas and short stories’  and suggested these two to be reprinted together.

Rather an obscure writer now, Oliphant was regarded as an un-Victorian writer in her time and the seeming modernity of these novellas reflect that. Both seemed ahead of their time in certain respects and not so old-fashioned or irrelevant now, or, certainly in the case of Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamond. Thematically similar, each concern women trapped by convention, by the laws of society and reputation.  Mrs Blencarrow and Mrs Lycett-Landon (Queen Eleanor) are middle-aged women restricted by their respectability, in fear of a specific scandal affecting their reputation and the reputations and future prospects of their children.  Mrs Blencarrow is loosely modelled on Queen Victoria and the whispered scandal of she and her groom, John Brown (some of you may know the film Mrs Brown with Dame Judi Dench and Billy Connolly) and the title Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamond is an allusion to a famous 12th Century legend of Henry II.  The mystery surrounding Mrs Blencarrow also reminded me of a subplot of one of the more widely-read Jane Austen novels, which had me immediately rereading another Austen.

The notion of a woman’s respectability is, of course, infuriating.  I found it frustrating to read about women who were subject to decisions of their husbands or their brothers (and their fathers, in the case of Milly Lycett-Landon); moreover, the condescending way that loving son Horace Lycett-Landon spoke to his mother enraged me.  I wrote above that The Mystery of Blencarrow was in some ways modern and it did possess a timeless quality as well as being as relevant in some cultures today as it was then.  Now, most women -widowed or otherwise- can choose to marry whomever they wish and when a marriage breaks down they are not held solely accountable; other women, less fortunate, however, are still held to these out-dated societal conventions.

What I find interesting about Mrs Oliphant is her own story: surrounded by tragedy and widowed early, she was the sole breadwinner for her children and for her undependable siblings.  Much like the main women in these novellas, Mrs Oliphant provided for her children, who were her first concern.  It is fitting that she writes about women who are put in control of their family’s destiny while still being restricted by conventions; I find it fascinating to consider whether Mrs Oliphant felt helpless or whether the novellas are purely imagination.  Queen Victoria was the figurehead of an Empire and even she was subject to scandal, gossip and the trappings of respectability.

This was by no means by favourite Persephone but I did enjoy the novellas.  The fear of Mrs Blencarrow and Mrs Lycett-Landon that scandal would taint their children was convincing; sometimes motherhood can be as limiting as convention in that desperate need to prevent their offspring from harm.

Brazen it out! A woman so dignified, so proud, so self-possessed; a princess in her way, a queen-mother.  As the afternoon went on, her strength failed a little; she began to breathe more quickly, to change colour instantaneously from red to pale.  Anxiety crept into the clear, too clear eyes.  She looked about her by turns with a searching look, as if expecting someone to appear and change everything.  When the visitors’ carriages came to take them away, the sound of the wheels startled her.

‘I thought it might be your uncles coming back,’ she said to Emmy, who always watched her with wistful eyes.

It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.  They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.  But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.  A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.  He himself looked brighter when he went away.

]]> http://www.paperback-reader.co.uk/2011/02/26/the-mystery-of-mrs-blencarrow/feed/ 9 http://www.paperback-reader.co.uk/2011/02/26/persephone-round-up-2/ http://www.paperback-reader.co.uk/2011/02/26/persephone-round-up-2/#comments Sat, 26 Feb 2011 13:45:53 +0000 Paperback Reader http://www.paperback-reader.co.uk/?p=2985

Persephone Reading Week is in full swing with some great posts and encouraging enthusiasm.  My lovely co-host posted the first round-up yesterday evening and below are the posts that have appeared since.

Speaking of Verity, today she has posted a useful resource for newbies to Persephone Books and Persephone Reading Week, which also provides a reminder of the prize draw especially for newcomers.

Another resource that I should have shared yesterday is a list that another blogger compiled (and that I found through the Persephone Books fortnightly letter) of Persephone titles that are available as (free) e-books.  The majority of these seem to be available in the US due to lapsed copyright but worth checking if they are available to view from wherever you are.  If you have been unable to participate this weekend due to lack of access to Persephone Books then this may be of invaluable use to you.

We have some more reviews from very prepared participants:

Katherine reviews Every Eye, the “slim novella” that has her wanting to “book a flight to Ibiza right now!”

Virginia reviews Family Roundabout, which she “highly recommends”. Remember that you can enter to win one of two copies by commenting on our welcome posts to the weekend.

Cristina reviews Cheerful Weather for the Wedding, which certainly seems to be the Persephone that most divides people;  she thinks is “sunny on the surface but bitterly cold beneath”, just like the “cheerful weather” of the title.

Lyn has reviewed Still Missing and, like me, was amazed by how emotionally absorbing it is.  To win one of two copies, please put your thinking caps on and enter my temporarily missing competition; yes, I’m not just giving them away, but with some perseverance all of the answers can be found on the Persephone website and one or two stabs in the dark.  Trust me, you need to read Still Missing and it is worth the effort to win.

Aarti reviews her first Persephone, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (which she won during a previous Persephone event!)  Read during a difficult month, she found it “refreshing to read about Guinevere Pettigrew and her fresh approach to life”.

Jo reviews The Home-Maker,  also her first Persephone. Despite disliking the characters of Eva and Lester, Jo found the book both excellent and thought-provoking.

Audrey reviews Kitchen Essays, a book of cooking writing and vintage recipes, which is very apt for her blog title: books as food!

We also have some progress reports from people’s reading:

Claire is reading A Fortnight in September this last weekend in February and has opened with a beautifully evocative description of the calming influence of Persephone Books.

Darlene has provided a run down of the first four stories in Dorothy Whipple’s The Closed Door and has me “halfway to the bookcase to find out” what is in the letter Mrs West reads in “The Handbag”!

Plus unique posts:

The wonderful mother and daughter combination, Donna and Miranda, have each written posts about their love for Persephone Books and where it sometimes leads them (both in reading and in afternoons spent doing the housework).

Joan Hunter Dunn asks who your most likable Persephone character is, which is a question that has me both stumped and immediately thinking of Guinivere Pettigrew.

We also have some introductory posts to the weekend from Jodie, Adrienne, Col, Bellezza, Illiana, Charlie and Tracey (phew! is this event popular?!)

Lastly, a generous international giveaway from Vivienne; if you haven’t read The Victorian Chaise-Longue then please pop over to a serendipitous contest and enter.  Don’t forget to enter Karen’s competition for a copy of Fidelity if you haven’t done so already plus the ones Verity and I are hosting.  Good luck!

If I’ve missed your post then please pop a link to it in comments so that we can keep track and include it in the next round-up.