After a bit of a hiatus, we’re back with an episode about Marghanita Laski and whether we read one book at a time or many books at once. And because that’s a bit of a mouthful, I’m calling it monogamous vs polygamous. Sorry if you’ve come to this podcast hoping for something else – but stay! We have books.
We’ve really missed doing the podcast, so it’s great to be back! Do get in touch to let us know which you’d pick in each category, and any topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes. Our iTunes page is here, and we love reviews from those willing to go through the hoops required to leave them!
Here are the books and authors we mention in this episode (fewer than usual, which either means I forgot to write them down while editing the podcast, or we’ve lost our touch!):
Reading the Rocks by Brenda Maddox
Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley
Contested Will by James Shapiro
The Village by Marghanita Laski
The Osbornes by E.F. Benson
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Henry James
The Road to Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
Three Fevers by Leo Walmsley
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
The Boat by L.P. Hartley
Marching With April by Hugh Charteris
And Even Now by Max Beerbohm
Secrets of a Woman’s Heart: Later Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett by Hilary Spurling
The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books by Martin Edwards
Vanity Fair by W.M. Thackeray
To Bed With Grand Music by Marghanita Laski
The Village by Marghanita Laski
The Provincial Lady in Wartime by E.M. Delafield
Put Out More Flags by Evelyn Waugh
The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski
Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski
Love on the Supertax by Marghanita Laski
Richmal Crompton
One Fine Day by Mollie Panter-Downes
Dorothy Whipple
Mrs Miniver by Jan Struther
The Heir by Vita Sackville-West
All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West
I like some of the programmes Worsley’s done, but I do agree that she be a teeny bit irritating… As for Marghanita Laski, I had such an indifferent experience with “The Victorian Chaise Longue” that I’ve never wanted to read another. Congrats on the move, though – must be so wonderful to have your books all in one place! :)
Thanks Karen! And I think you might enjoy some Laskis if you persevere – they’re all so completely different that I can totally see people only liking some of them.
Interesting post! I too was not moved with Laski. Delafield is still my top favourite.
Can’t beat Delafield!
I’m desperately monogamous, though I try to cure myself by reading the odd short story, or the first chapter of another book, hoping it’s going to work, but basically, I’m afraid of getting plots and characters mixed up. I haven’t read anything by Laski yet but I read One Fine Day over a few sultry days in July and it was pure bliss. I’ve read or heard somewhere that Lucy Worsley’s book was packed with exclamation marks. Too much enthusiasm :-). But I must confess that I did enjoy quite a few of her documentaries.
Oh, isn’t One Fine Day just sublime? I’ll never get enough of telling people how much I love it, and I’m so glad that I re-read after feeling a bit lukewarm the first time.
And, oh, exclamation marks in a biography! Oh dear, oh dear…
Rachel….I totally agree with you! One book at a time, one story at a time, one set of characters at a time. I also like to immerse myself in that particular world, and couldn’t jump around like Simon. Would rattle my old brain too much!
The most passionate people in this debate are definitely on Rachel’s side! I admire anybody with such a good attention span.
I can see the point of reading more than one book if one is fiction, the other non fiction, and as a commuter, I understand a home book and a book for on the move. On the whole though, if a book really engages me, I really want to read that book and no other. So I suppose it depends on the book.
I read Laski for the first time for this podcast, specially rushing out to buy both Persephone volumes new. And having virtuously done my homework, I waited, smugly, for the podcast. Then I waited some more, and then waited still longer. Till your Ross/Rachel blog appeared! That’ll teach me to be smug. Now must dig out some Vita SW and get cracking.
Hahaha! I’m very sorry for making you wait so long, but also so excited that we’ve got people reading along! I hope you enjoy the VSWs as well – let us know your thoughts in advance if you like.
Interesting comparison. Promiscuous Deborah seduces her husband’s friend yet feels no remorse; it is his contempt which corrects the perspective. Both she and her husband are morally bankrupt and use wartime laissez faire as an excuse.
The Trevors are trying to remain gentry with neither land nor capital to sustain them. They sacrifice Margaret for her sister’s prospects. The Wilsons are resentful that their son should have to emigrate to Australia to quiet Mrs Trevor’s scruples, but I think Laski sees this as a clean slate, an egalitarian society where earning your living is not despised. The Trevors are equally pressed by the nouveau riches who cynically gouge them in a land sale. It seems the upper classes are just as morally bankrupt in this novel as in Grand Music.
Oo really interesting reading – thanks for sharing it. She is such an intriguing writer!
I’ve definitely become a polyreader, especially the last few years. I think it started when I began online book groups, which were sometimes spread out over several months (typically long Victorian novels). I usually tried not to read too far ahead, but then would break it up with other shorter books in between. Nowadays I often have one print book, one audio book, and one book on my phone (I usually can’t get the same book in all three formats, and even if I did, it would be too hard to keep finding my place.)
All my books are usually all so different that I don’t mix them up — I rarely read two long Victorians, for example. I’ve never had any trouble keeping the plots and characters separate — to me it’s no different than watching multiple TV series at the same time. However, sometimes I end up with four or five or even more books, and it gets to be too much. At that point I usually buckle down and finish them one at a time until the entire list is complete.
I have read both the Laskis and much preferred The Village, one of my favorite Persephones. It reminds me very much of a Whipple, which is probably why I like it so much!
I can’t imagine anybody would be able to just read a zillion page Victorian novel and nothing else for weeks on end! And The Village is so Persephone – well written, enjoyable, transports you to a time and place.
Your argument for reading polygamy has just about convinced me to try it. I so resonate with Rachel possibly as a retired English teacher myself, needing my full concentration on one book. Living in retirement with ME /CFS is another factor which limits my energy and cognitive stamina, but I loved that you read more and avoided slumps that can happen when only one book was in focus. Won’t divulge my age but I it is considerable, so this kind of change to habit of a lifetime is very significant !! Love the podcast.
Ana, this is quite exciting! I feel quite an advocate for polygamous reading, and I’d love to hear how you get along with it, if you do try.
Am still dizzy with excitement at hearing my comment referred to on the next podcast tonight. This may be all the encouragement I need to give reading polygamy a truly serious attempt.
My following of the podcast and your blog is very faithful but my commenting is rare. Should mention while I am on a roll that I read Our Spoons Came from Woolworths very recently and thought it was fascinating. Her three chapters on childbirth were unforgettable and a few aspects very resonant. I have researched all your posts on Comyns and am debating where to go next with this new passion. Any recommendations welcome.