📚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 )

I would love to read Messalina of the Suburbs @HenryTilneyBestBoy IIRC, isn’t it based on the Edith Thompson case?And coincidentally, it’s exactly 101 years ago today that she was hanged, in my view wrongly convicted even going by the law of the time. And I’ve read other works by Winifred Holtby and Radclyffe Hall, but not those, so basically anything on your list would be ok by me.

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding is great fun but it’s very short - a novella really. Very happy to read it, though. Ditto Angel or anything by the sublime Elizabeth Taylor.

Aplogies for chucking another idea into the mix but F. Tennyson Jesse's A Pin to See the Peepshow is also a famous fictionalised telling of the Thompson-Bywaters case and is excellent.

@StellaOlivetti Yes Messalina is based on Edith Thompson. I've been curious to try since reading Laura Williams' nonfiction book on the case I expect many here will be familiar with EMD's Provincial Lady books but perhaps not her darker work (Consequences traumatised me!)
@Terpsichore 's suggestion sounds excellent too.

Forgot to mention I've read all 3 proposed for next month but happy to reread (Angel may be my favourite Taylor, so deliciously nasty.)

Thanks to everyone for all these brilliant suggestions.

I've read both Greengates (which I loved) and Angel (also very good) fairly recently.

I'm happy with any of the other suggestions (selfishly I'd rather not reread the ones I've already read). Looks like we have a long list:

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding, Julia Strachey
A Pin to See the Peepshow, F. Tennyson Jesse
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

It sounds like there's some enthusiasm for Messalina in particular, but I'm happy with any of them. Whatever we don't read now we can line up for future months.

I wonder if, given it’s already the 9th January, we should have a short book this month? So maybe Cheerful Weather?

While I would like Cheerful Weather as it was one of my suggestions, it appears it’s not available on kindle which might make it tricky for some people to get hold of. Perhaps therefore we should choose one that is on kindle? I don’t know much about any of the other suggestions so happy to go with a majority opinion! The Messalina of the Suburbs is available on kindle so maybe that as others seem keen on it?* *

I’d be happy to do that, Chessie - coincidentally I bought Messalina of the Suburbs a while ago and it’s been sitting on my kindle unread ever since. What does everyone else think?

Yes! I think Messalina sounds good. * *

If Stella is happy too, then let's go for Messalina. I'm keen to get cracking, as soon as I've finished Lettice Cooper's National Provincial - nearly there!

Oh yes I’d love to read it!

I’m happy with Messalina of the Suburbs. I know nothing about it but it sounds interesting.

Great. Decided. <bangs gavel>

Let's save the rest of the books on the list for future months.

I finished Messalina last night. I thought it was an absorbing read but not a completely satisfactory one. It had a few flaws. I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts at the end of the month.

Ooh just catching up on this thread and pleased to see Messalina of the Suburbs to be next book! My dm is fascinated by the Edith Thompson case and so we often talk of it. I love EM Delafield's Provincial Lady books and feel so sad when I think of the juxtaposition with the ending of her life.

I've made a good start on Messalina and enjoying it so far.

I’m planning to start tonight.

Finished Messalina. What an interesting book.

Persephone Books has released the programme for its festival in April and there are some sessions about books that have been mentioned on this thread

https://persephonebooks.co.uk/collections/the-persephone-festival?syclid=cmp6560klmts73b6cqq0&utm_campaign=emailmarketing_134928072771&utm_medium=email&utm_source=shopify_email

Can I join please? I’ve been lurking for a while. Just finished Messalina- really enjoyed it but would like to chat about how Edith’s experiences with men were seen then compared to now.

I have the details of the Persephone festivals- is anyone thinking of going? Look to meet up.

I don’t think I’ll be going - while some of the sessions sound really interesting it’s £20 per event so would end up really expensive with travel etc.

I'm likely to go, I'm only 10 miles from Bath but I'll only be going to a couple of events

I’d love to go, but it’s such a long way from me.

Welcome to the thread @Bethechange2024 !
I signed up to the Persephone newsletter but attending the festival would mean buying an plane ticket, too far away.
It's good to see how many titles I recognised there in the line-up :)

I'm looking forward to the Persephone weekend, going to be hard narrowing down what to do.

Thanks for posting that @ChessieFL The heritage publishing event sounds most appealing, but it's scheduled for Friday afternoon, alas.

As for Messalina, I fairly loathed it! 😅 But plenty to discuss.