This is part of an ongoing series where I write about a different author for each letter of the alphabet. You can see them all here.
There are going to be a handful of letters in this series that aren’t that easy. None of us are looking forward to X. But I didn’t have to think too hard to come up with my E – even if the author is really a B. Step forward Mary Essex, pseudonym of the extremely prolific author Ursula Bloom.
How many books do I have by Mary Essex?
I have five, as you can see – not up there with the Crompton and Delafield numbers. I do also have a couple under the name Ursula Bloom, but I haven’t read either of them. From the research I’ve done, Bloom seemed to write quite differently under different names – she had about five pseudonyms – so I’ll treat the Essex novels as a class unto themselves. It’s hard to find an exact number of books she wrote but it’s definitely in the hundreds – of which more than 50 are under the name Mary Essex.
How many of these have I read?
Four – from the above set, I haven’t read The Herring’s Nest.
How did I start reading Essex?
I think it was 2002 and I was in Oxford, a couple of years before I moved there. I mosied into a charity shop (that is now an HQ for a bus company) and was drawn to the title Tea Is So Intoxicating. As who would not be?
This was back in the days when I used to read books shortly after I bought them – hollow laugh – so I read it in late 2002. I remember that I read it immediately after Moby Dick, and for years I wondered if I only liked it because it wasn’t Moby Dick. But when I finally tried some more of her work, I really liked it.
General impressions…
Mary Essex certainly isn’t the most highbrow reading in the world, but nor is it anywhere near as trashy as you’d expect from an author who seemed to write a book every five minutes. Later in her career, the Mary Essex novels seem to be lean more towards romance, especially medical romance – but in the 40s and some of the 50s, they followed less of a predictable pattern.
Yes, she overuses exclamation marks – but the characters are thoughtfully drawn and the books are often very funny, especially The Amorous Bicycle. Yep, she had a way with a title.
I’m really pleased that Tea Is So Intoxicating is coming out from the British Library Women Writers series next month, so more people can enjoy her. It’s definitely towards the lighter end of what the series has published, but we can all do with some of that sometimes, can’t we?
I haven’t read anything by this author under either name but she does sound a fun light read – and she definitely has a way with titles!
‘Divorce? Of course!’ is another of her titles that I love, though haven’t read the book :D
I’m really looking forward to reading Tea Is So Intoxicating when it comes out – nothing wrong with a light read every now and then!
Agreed! Lovely :)
“…and for years I wondered if I only liked it because it wasn’t Moby Dick.” :)))
I love the title “Tea is so intoxicating” and I will buy it!
Hope you’ve got your health back!
Brilliant – hope you enjoy!
Health still up and down, I’m afraid. Thanks so much for asking.
I suspect I will buy Tea is So Intoxicating for the title alone. And I will not be sorry!
Absolutely!
I’m so looking forward to Tea is So Intoxicating and it looks like I’d have fun investigating her other books as well.
Excellent! Yes, I think you’ll enjoy :)
Ooh, I hope I am on their mailing list for “Tea” but will pick it up anyway if not – what a title.
I had to giggle at this: “This was back in the days when I used to read books shortly after I bought them – hollow laugh”. When transferring my reading journals onto my spreasheet, I realised that when I met Matthew was when the rot set in with my quick turnaround of buy-to-read. Oh well. I’m sure there have been consolations …
Isn’t the title great? And yes, I’m now happy if I read a book within five years…
Very much looking forward to Tea, and I hope it does fabulously well so that the followup might be Amorous Bicycle, which I have coveted ever since your original review of it! Congrats on the new titles!
Hurrah! Yes, I have no idea how the different books are doing, but would be interested to know which catch attention most when bookshops are fully running.
I don’t know her either. You always have such great books and authors. Thanks!
Thanks Davida!
5 pseudonyms and a different style for each. That must have been quite a challenge to keep track of which persona she was writing in for each book
Yes! Even weirder is that she has sometimes had books reprinted under a different pseudonym/name from the one she originally used.