Private Enterprise
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3,0 • Оценок: 2
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- 14,99 $
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- 14,99 $
От издателя
Amid food shortages and grumbling, Barsetshire is unsettled by the arrival of a pretty war widow in this "delicately humorous [and] entertaining" novel (The New York Times).
World War II may be over, but its effects linger in the English countryside as the local ladies trade ration coupons for a paltry selection of provisions. It's feeling like a bleak summer—but it won't be a boring one, now that flirtatious young widow Peggy Arbuthnot and her sister-in-law, Effie, are on the scene. Peggy has quite a few admirers—including Noel Merton, which is rather unfortunate for his wife. Suspense reigns over who might win Peggy's hand—and whether the Merton marriage will survive . . .
"Where Trollope would have been content to arouse a chuckle, [Thirkell] is constantly provoking us to hilarious laughter. . . . To read her is to get the feeling of knowing Barsetshire folk as well as if one had been born and bred in the county." —Kirkus Reviews
Отзывы покупателей
So disappointing
Oh dear. I was so excited that more of Thirkell’s Barchester novels were being reissued, but this was a crashing disappointment. All of the wonderful, odd characters of her previous books are here, but only as caricatures who are really not needed. It’s as if they were paper dolls or chess pieces Thirkell just shoved around. In addition, Thirkell’s class prejudices are front and center; unlike the earlier novels, this snobbery is just mean-spirited and a little cruel. But the worst thing of all is what she did with that marvelous woman, Lydia. She’s become a bit of a prude, and no longer has any existence other than Noel Mertin’s wife. It’s as though everything that was so lovable about her, her opinions, her clumsy passion for literature, even her courage have been stripped from her, leaving only a limp, subservient housewife.
Save your money. This was truly dreadful.