There are only four Mrs Harris books, but I’ve been gradually working my way through the series since 2012. Mrs Harris Goes to Moscow – known as Mrs ‘Arris Goes to Moscow in the US – is the final one of these, published in 1974, an impressive sixteen years after the first in the series.
Mrs Harris is a London char lady whose exploits started (in Flowers for Mrs Harris, or Mrs ‘Arris Goes to Paris, or indeed Mrs Harris Goes to Paris) with saving up money to buy a Dior dress in France. After that, she went to America and became an MP (in separate books, naturally). And, finally, she’s off to Moscow to reunite one of her employers with his long-lost Russian love. That’s when things start to get ridiculous.
By a series of miscommunications, mistaken identities, and misunderstandings of what ‘char lady’ could possibly mean, Mrs Harris and her friend Violet Butterfield (the wonderful Vi, who wants none of the adventures that Mrs H seems to thrive on) are believed to be spies by the KGB and believed to be aristocracy by others high up in Russia. What they actually are is two lucky women who won some sort of raffle.
I was feeling in the mood for something silly and light, and Gallico’s series is entirely reliable for that. If you liked the others, you’ll certainly like this – if you can face reading about Russian collusion in the current environment (it did feel oddly topical). I continue to be fascinated by the extraordinary range that Gallico has in his writing, from dark to frothy, poignant to funny, and (indeed) very good to not at all good. This one sits in the thoroughly-enjoyable category – completely ridiculous, but also entirely fitted the mood I was in when I picked it up.
I loved reading this – gives me an idea of my own future reading.
A wonderful Paul Gallico novella is ‘The Lonely’ about a US pilot stationed in the UK during WW2 and surprisingly modern in its description of the relationships between the sexes and the consequences you have to face for the decisions you make.
Oh I had no idea there were FOUR! I think I’ve got the second one nestling in the TBR …
I’ve read the first two I think and did enjoy Mrs. Harris’s exploits – though I might find this one a bridge too far… !
I do love these books. Have you read The Provincial Lady in Russia? A little less frivolous but also great.
I have – under its original title Straw Without Bricks. I get a bit cross that they remarketed it as a Provincial Lady book when it is not!
I didn’t realise it had a different title, though I remember thinking it was a piece of journalism by EM Delafield rather than the usual Provincial Lady diary. Nancy Mitford wrote a short diary of her time in Russia, it’s in The Water beetle if you fancy another look at Russia.
I love that edition’s cover! Apart from the first one, I haven’t reread the Mrs. Harris books in probably ten years? I reread Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris periodically, but the other ones I’ve almost completely forgotten. It’s because I always do think of Paul Gallico as being mostly a melancholy author! I forget that he can be goofy also!
I’ve just seen an advert for Chichester Festival’s musical of Flowers for Mrs Harris, and thought of your blog immediately! It’s on for the rest of this month.
https://www.cft.org.uk/whats-on/event/flowers-for-mrs-harris
Oh, intriguing, thanks Zoe!