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Original poster

Penelope Lively : is anyone else a fan of her novels and short stories?

38 replies

FolioQuarto · 30/01/2026 21:34

I am currently reading my third Lively book since the beginning of the year. All rereads, I find them easy to read but not at all lightweight. I love how she explores perceptions of time, and the links between history and now.

I'll read something else next, probably something I haven't read before, then read a few more Lively novels.

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Philandbill · 08/02/2026 20:44

FolioQuarto · 08/02/2026 19:27

Philandbill I haven't read A House Unlocked yet but I picked up a copy in a charity shop recently. It's in my to be read soon pile.

Parts of it are quite moving, especially the bits about the evacuees and the kindertransport.

Original poster
FolioQuarto · 08/02/2026 19:27

Philandbill I haven't read A House Unlocked yet but I picked up a copy in a charity shop recently. It's in my to be read soon pile.

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Philandbill · 08/02/2026 18:28

I'm a big fan and have read a lot of her books. My favourite is Moon Tiger but I also particularly loved Cleopatra's Sister and City of the Mind.
I think my favourite non fiction of hers is A House Unlocked which is superb and I've re-read it several times over the years.

thesandwich · 08/02/2026 11:57

i have just finished moon tiger which I loved. Thank you for the lists! More to read😜

Latenightreader · 08/02/2026 11:29

I met Penelope Lively at a book festival a few years ago. I had a first edition of A Stitch in Time which she signed a bit automatically but when I produced my really battered childhood copy with loose pages and a couple of drawings inside she really lit up and said "oh you must let me sign that". I managed to stutter out that The House in Norham Gardens was the reason I took a couple of anthropology modules at university and The Ghost of Thomas Kempe made me really understand archaeology was about people and she was very pleased. I still glow a bit remembering!

Paaseitjes · 06/02/2026 11:41

I've been rereading them. I love Moontiger and her children's books, but am starting to find a lot of her other work rather snide. A lot of them are about class, but they rely on 90s class makers which feel lazy and she comes across as rather a snob. They're not as clever and insightful as I used to find them.

SusanOldknow · 06/02/2026 08:01

What a lovely thread, this has prompted me to get my Penelope Lively off the shelves....
As a child, I loved Astercote and Thomas Kempe. Later I began reading her novels and then also found a couple of autobiographies - Oleander, Jacaranda and later Ammonites and Leaping Fish. (I would have been attracted to them for the titles alone...)

Santasbigredbobblehat · 04/02/2026 21:30

I also love A Traveller in Time!

Santasbigredbobblehat · 04/02/2026 21:29

Definitely Folio, going to have a look on eBay now!

Original poster
FolioQuarto · 04/02/2026 13:49

Santasbigredbobblehat That's a great list. I would also recommend City of the Mind, According to Mark and How It All Began.

If you are interested in her short stories The Purple Swamp Hen is my favourite collection.

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AnnaQuayInTheUk · 04/02/2026 10:31

Thanks @SydneyCarton . I got them muddled up! I didn't know Charlotte Sometimes was part of a sequence of books.

Santasbigredbobblehat · 04/02/2026 07:48

Moon Tiger
The Photograph
Family Album
Heatwave
The Road to Lichfield
Passing On
Spiderweb
Judgement Day
Perfect Happiness

A Stitch in Time
Norham Gardens
Astercote

This is my Penelope list. I enjoyed all of these and found them to be both comforting and insightful in their own ways. Such a good writer.

SydneyCarton · 04/02/2026 07:25

Charlotte Sometimes was by Penelope Farmer. I hadn’t realised it was actually a sequel and there are two earlier books featuring Charlotte and her sister Emma in which other supernatural things happen to them.

AlwaysSometimesNever · 04/02/2026 07:04

BigKissByeBye · 30/01/2026 23:17

The Wild Hunt of Hagworthy is brilliant.

I loved this. I can still see the front cover with the antlers.

AnnaQuayInTheUk · 04/02/2026 06:55

I've read a few of her books and enjoyed them, especially Moon Tiger.
.
Didn't she write the children's novel "Charlotte Sometimes"? That was one of my favorites as a child.

Dolamroth · 04/02/2026 06:50

FolioQuarto · 02/02/2026 07:45

I haven't read A Traveller in Time but it sounds as if I will enjoy it. I will order it from the lovely indie bookshop near me.

Oh it's brilliant! My childhood copy fell to bits because I read it so many times. I treated myself to a new one last year and it was as good as I remembered.

Original poster
FolioQuarto · 02/02/2026 07:45

I haven't read A Traveller in Time but it sounds as if I will enjoy it. I will order it from the lovely indie bookshop near me.

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Original poster
FolioQuarto · 02/02/2026 07:43

Username65 I agree, Going Back is a lovely read.

I started Perfect Happiness yesterday, it is years since I read it, so much so that the pages are starting to fall out. I'm going to replace it if it is still in print.

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Username65 · 01/02/2026 17:45

I have read a number of PL’s adult books and loved them. Last year I found one of her young adult titles at a charity shop - Going Back. It’s one of the best things I read last year. Beautifully written and deeply moving. Thanks for this thread, I will follow up on some of suggestions here!

FortuitousFlannel · 01/02/2026 14:10

Ukholidaysaregreat · 31/01/2026 21:55

Did Penelope Lively write a traveller in time? That is a great story. Haven't read it since the 80s but remember it being really good.

That's Alison Uttley. Love that and read it to my now teens a few years ago.

Whenever we drive past a large farm/rural hamlet I assess whether it could be Thackers.....

IsItWickedNotToCare · 31/01/2026 22:09

Traveller in time was Alison Uttley, one of my favourite books, but I've also read quite a few by Penelope Lively and loved them ♥️

Ukholidaysaregreat · 31/01/2026 21:55

Did Penelope Lively write a traveller in time? That is a great story. Haven't read it since the 80s but remember it being really good.

Dolamroth · 31/01/2026 21:52

I'm a fan, especially MoonTiger and The Road to Lichfield.

TonTonMacoute · 31/01/2026 19:53

I love her books. Her writing style is right up my street, it's so clean and concise - no extra unnecessary verbiage. Moon Tiger is a masterpiece, but I have really enjoyed others, most notably The Photograph and The Road to Lichfield.

Dont think I've read The House in Norham Gardens, I'll have to look out for it.

Original poster
FolioQuarto · 31/01/2026 08:18

TheBookShelf I read The House in Norham Gardens about once a year.

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