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

[Antarcticant]

Welcome to the Mumsnet 'Rather Dated' Book Group, where we will be reading and discussing fiction from the 1930s to the 1990s that would have been described as 'contemporary' in its day.

The best introduction to the 'rather dated' concept would be to read the wonderful thread which inspired this group:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/what_were_reading/4596284-rather-dated?reply=119670989

To summarise, a number of posters expressed disappointment that literature of the 20th Century is often dismissed as 'rather dated' because society has moved on from many of the values and lifestyles described.

We decided to create a reading group where the literary merits of such fiction can be appreciated, with any 'rather dated' elements being a point of interest rather than a reason to dismiss a novel.

We will be reading one book a month. Our first book, for September, will be the book that inspired the original thread:

The Road to Lichfield by Penelope Lively

Please do join the thread whether you want to take part in the discussion or just place mark to follow it.

Fellow Rather Dated people, please add anything important I might have missed!

(With huge thanks to ImJustMadAboutSaffron for the original thread and idea )

Is it Terpsichore? I'll look again, thanks!
How much am I willing to splurge 😄

Oh yes! So it is! Yes. I was probably trying to save on buying it when I saw it was in the library. That tactic is not working out too well right now!

I’ve finished it and I adored it. Thank you to whoever suggested it.

I'm a couple of chapters in. Absolutely love the domestic detail. ❤️

I absolutely love the detail of the union meeting. Such interesting social history! Is it just me who is comparing her writing style to that of her Great Grandfather all the way through?

I loved that too - and I think she definitely had that same touch @mynameisnotmichaelcaine.

Are we any nearer having a separate thread for this, or should we get Christmas out of the way and discuss in late Jan? That way there’s time for everyone to have finished it, maybe.

I would like to read it over Christmas and discuss it in January, but if others want to do it sooner, that's fine by me!

January works for me 🙂

Fine by me. I will try and finish Shuggie Bain by Christmas (I’m frankly struggling a bit) and revisit The Fancy to refresh my thoughts before we discuss.

I'm glad that there is still a core reading along and wanting a discussion thread. I finished The Fancy this morning and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'll make a discussion thread in early January and we can take it from there. If anyone has suggestions for s next book, do go ahead. My enthusiasm for Rather Dated Fiction remains undimmed, even though I've been a bit slow to keep up these last couple of months.

Christmas is coming……we're all a bit distracted, I think!🎅

I'm going to give up on the library reservation and buy it on Kindle. I can't be bothered waiting any longer!
Looking forward to the discussion in January and to another marvellous year of rather dated books :)

I meant to say I ended up reading it on my Kindle. The WoB paperback I bought had loads of pages missing!

Ah! How annoying @MotherofPearl !

I got my library reservation and they've brought a copy out of storage for me - a 1960s copy with one of the worst covers I've ever seen.

Oooh can you show us? I wonder if it’s the same as my copy which was quite strange.

I've finally started reading 'The Fancy' and I'm three chapters in. It's good so far, but I feel as befuddled as Edward when he was starting his new job getting to know all the girls and everyone else. It's busy!

I finished both Mary Poppins & The Buccaneers this past week.
As I mentioned on my previous post, MP was not what I was expecting & I didn't particularly like her as a character. Not really enthusiastic to read any of the others in the series tbh.
The Buccaneers was a huge disappointment. I think I read it as a teen & it obviously didn't make much of an impression. Started watching the recent adaptation on Apple+ & enjoyed that so decided to try the book again, but again apart from the characters' names & basic gist, it was a completely different story. & hadn't realised it wasn't finished either. Was quite pleased to get to the end.
Might try Swallows & Amazon's next.

HNY fellow fans of rather dated fiction!

I've started our discussion thread of The Fancy:

📚 'Rather Dated' and belated December: Monica Dickens's 'The Fancy' 📚 http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/whatweree_reading/4974757-rather-dated-and-belated-december-monica-dickenss-the-fancy

Have we decided on what we might like to read next? I'm about halfway through Lettice Cooper's National Provincial, which is pretty mammoth, so may take me some time, but I'd be happy to line up something else too.

Happy New Year MotherofPearl and everyone on this thread! Here's to reading more lovely dated fiction in 2024!

Thank you for the new thread for The Fancy. I'm only on chapter seven and will need a couple more days to read it. I'll be along after that :)

Happy New Year, everyone

Has any decision been made about the next book?

I have Elizabeth Taylor’s Angel on by TBR pile, if anyone else fancies that as well?

I was browsing in Waterstones Piccadilly the other day and came across their Persephone section. I liked the sound of Greengates by R C Sherriff and Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey.

Not yet Chessie. I like the sound of the books you're suggesting. In order of interest, Taylor, Strachey and Sherriff.

I think that Angel sounds intriguing and like nothing* we have read to date. We haven't read anything by Strachey yet and Sherriff *was excellent last time round ('A Fortnight in September'). They all sound good!

I looked these up on Kindle. I can only find 'Cheerful Weather for the Wedding' (Strachey) in German or Italian. And it's on wob in English at an awfully high price.

They do sound intriguing- from a purely selfish point of view, I’d prefer to read the RCSheriff or Julia Strachey, because I’ve read Angel. Although I love Elizabeth Taylor so would be perfectly happy to reread if people prefer it. And it would probably be easier to find a library/reasonably priced copy of Angel.

This is probably my favourite unofficial genre so I'd love to join you all!

I've enjoyed several Monica Dickens novels and non-fiction previously (favourites Kate and Emma and My Turn to Make the Tea) but had never even heard ofThe Fancy, which is now on its way from abebooks.

If it's not too presumptuous, could I suggest a few possibilities for this year's future reads? All first published in 1924 (part of another reading project rejected by my IRL book group 😅):
The Crowded Street, Winifred Holtby
The Rector's Daughter, F. M Mayor
The Matriarch, G. B. Stern
Messalina of the Suburbs, E.M. Delafield
The Unlit Lamp, Radclyffe Hall