I’m joining in the Six Degrees of Separation monthly meme from Books Are My Favorite And Best – each month, everyone starts with the same book. And then each bloggers heads off in different directions with their own subjective or objective associations. I’ve been waiting for one that started with a book I’ve read – and I recently read Sanditon, so we’re good to go!
While Sanditon starts in the countryside, the town of the title is very much by the sea – and the Parkers are hoping it will become THE place to go for sea-lovers. Who knows whether or not it would have been, if she had finished the novel. But it got me thinking about other novels set by the sea – and you couldn’t find a nicer one that The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sherriff. It’s been republished by Persephone, and it’s a simple tale of a family going to their usual holiday destination – though getting older, and wondering if they have changed too much to still enjoy it.
Months in book titles is my next link, and which will get us away from the sea – and to Silence in October by Jens Christian Grøndahl, translated by Anne Born. It’s about the breakdown of a marriage, and the middle-aged male narrator isn’t the most sympathetic character – though whether or not he’s meant to be, I’m unsure. What gets it into this list is Grøndahl’s beautiful writing. When I was in the right mood, I adored it.
The narrator of Silence in October isn’t given a name. There are lots of novels with unnamed narrators, and I always wonder if the conceit is worth the frustration it must cause to the writer. Anyway, I could have chosen any number of them – but I’m going with The Pumpkin Eater by Penelope Mortimer. The narrator has a large number of children – we are never told exactly how many – and is an eccentric with a matter-of-fact voice. Her husband is building a large glass tower in the middle of nowhere, for some reason. It’s bizarre and brilliant.
I spent a long time getting Penelope Mortimer, Penelope Lively, and Penelope Fitzgerald confused. Now that I’ve read at least one book by each of them, they are easy to distinguish – with not much in common besides their names. But At Freddie’s, perhaps my favourite Fitzgerald novel, does have a central female character of equal eccentricity, albeit manifested differently. Freddie is the doyenne of a children’s acting school. The novel is witty and odd and very like Muriel Spark, which can only be a good thing.
I love novels connected with theatrical acting, and so my next choice is the only Ngaio Marsh novel I’ve read: Opening Night. It’s set in the rehearsals for a play, with a wonderfully realised and funny cast of characters. I did begin to wonder if the murder was ever going to come – but, fear not, it does…
Let’s finish with Marsh’s fellow New Zealander, the incomparable Katherine Mansfield. She’s my favourite short story writer and one of my favourite writers of any variety. She’s at her best in very brief pieces, and everything in the collection The Garden Party is extraordinary – particularly the title story.
That was fun! Let me know if you have a go yourself – or why not try your six degrees of separation in the comment section of this post?
What a lovely collections of books, The Fortnight in September is one of my favourite novels ever, his attention to detail and understanding is incredible.
He’s a total delight, isn’t he?
What a fun chain! (and with books I own and have read!) One day I will get myself together and join in with this meme….
I will definitely try to join in in future when I’ve read the starter books!
I don’t think I could write a post like this: I forget books so soon after I read them :(
This is the joy of blogging – helps me ‘remember’ all about the books I’ve read!
Welcome to the chain, what a fun set of connections you’ve made. I love my Penelopes too! And I really like the sound of The Fortnight in September.
Thanks Marina! And yes, Sherriff is such a delight of an author.
What a lovely chain. You’ve reminded me that I had the Pumpkin Eater, on my ‘wants’ list, years ago, and it slipped off.
Oo put it back on, put it back on!
Loved The Pumpkin Eater, and I’ve been meaning to read the Sheriff for so long. Glad to have you join in the tag with your lovely chain.
Thanks Annabel!
Isn’t this a great meme? I love it! So glad you’re joining in, and this chain… so very special. Now I have more books to look up, you naughty fellow!
thanks Davida!! It was really fun :)
I get the Penelope’s confused too! I prefer Lively to Fitzgerald though to be fair that’s a reaction based on only one of Fitzerald’s novels.
She is definitely an acquired taste, but is my favourite Penelope :)
So nice! I arrived here thanks to “Notas para lectores curiosos”. Such a discovery!
Alberto Mrteh (El zoco del escriba)