📚The Mumsnet 'Rather Dated' Book Group - All welcome to join📚

Should we think about choosing our next book @MotherofPearl @StellaOlivetti @Terpsichore @ChessieFL (and everyone who would like to join in)?

All suggestions welcome. There was a recommendation for 'The Lark' by E. Nesbit on the 50 Bookers thread before Christmas that I thought could be an interesting read for our group.

You're very welcome! I'm very sad she's gone, I love her writing.

Very interesting. Thank you for the article. I actually grew up in an Arab country so some of the themes are familiar, but it seems Saudi Arabia took ( takes?) it to a whole other level.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/sep/11/featuresreviews.guardianreview23

This was an interesting article by the late Hilary Mantel

Yes I found it ambiguous, and you could interpret it any which way- motoring accident/ assassination, flat being used for an extra marital affair/ to sequester someone. Flat bring refurbished by landlord/ very dodgy goings on. I guess it’s the narrators state of mind, being in a country where everything is done to keep things opaque.

I think it's meant to be ambiguous. The feeling of claustrophobia and menace is so well done.

I loved Edna O Brien too, such a brave woman. I remember reading the Love Object. Quite sad. I seem to remember it was written from the POV of the mistress. A lot of her books re tread the terrain of women’s experiences, discrepancies in love and desire within relationships, disappointment. Towards the end of her life she wrote Girl, about the kidnapping of schoolgirls in Nigeria, have not read that yet.
Finished 8 months on Gazzah street which I really enjoyed. But was thinking of starting “beware spoilers” thread as I m not sure I understood the ending. Is it deliberately ambiguous? Is it all her imagination? I’m still not sure.

I loved Eight Months on Ghazzah Street. It was the first time I'd read a non historical fiction book by Hilary Mantel. She was an incredible writer.
Not one I'd have considered if it hasn't been recommended on the Off Air with Jane and Fi podcast.

I read the whole Country Girls Trilogy by Edna O'Brien over Christmas. First time I'd read anything by her. Really enjoyed it and would like to read more by her if anybody has any recommendations? I really couldn't warm to the character of Baba though.

I first read The Card when I was a teenager, it's really funny, different tone to Anna. There's a black and white film of it with Alec Guinness, Glynis Johns and a very young Petula Clark which is also lovely!

8 Months on Ghazza Street is also good.

Thank you, Anna is my first Arnold Bennett, I will seek out The Card. Gave got a Hilary Mantell lined up next ( 8 months on Ghazza street) on the basis of another mumsnet thread.

Have you read The Card by Arnold Bennett? If not I highly recommend. Anna is very good, hope you're enjoying it.

Happy Christmas all ( currently reading Anna of the Five Towns).

Placemarking to try and join next year.

Happy Christmas to all you ‘rather dated books’ lovers

The same to you, @FuzzyCaoraDhubh! glad you’re back reading again. And yes, it would be great to start up the Rather Dated club again in the New Year.

Happy Christmas one and all 🎅🎄🎁 🎉

Hello all! I've just finished Dusty Answer (much later than expected).
I hope we can take up our Rather Dated Reading again next year. I've missed this thread very much.
Merry Christmas 🎄

@Terpsichore I just bought Rural Hours - looking forward to it now.

Thank you @Terpsichore
It's going well and it's very interesting, but I miss reading and chatting with my bookish friends.

For once I’ve actually read the book instead of scrambling to catch up with everyone else! 😂 I think I might find my copy of the Selina Hastings biography (thanks for the reminder @TonTonMacoute) as I enjoyed reading about Lehmann's middle years living in the country in Harriet Baker's Rural Hours recently (spoiler: she was having an affair with Cecil Day-Lewis; he was married to someone else and she was desperate for him to leave his wife and commit to her. After 9 years (!) he did leave his wife….but only to marry Jill Balcon, about whom neither his wife nor Lehmann had had the slightest clue).

PS @FuzzyCaoraDhubh great news about your course - hope it’s going well even if it’s depriving you of reading time…

I've just ordered Dusty Answer. I'm a bit overstretched with book groups and readalongs at the moment but this looks right up my street. Hope to join you.

Oh that sounds good, @TonTonMacoute , I’ll have to track it down. I like reading author biographies. I’ve not quite finished either, I’ve had a v busy summer (moved house) and need to carve out time to read. I’m enjoying it though and should be finished in the next day or so.

I first read Dusty Answer as an earnest and bookish teenager, and decided to reread it this summer.

I seem to remember thinking that Judith was a bit hopeless first time around, but this time I thought she handled herself really well.

I read Selina Hastings's biography of RL, she was a real character!