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

[MotherofPearl]

Welcome to the Mumsnet 'Rather Dated' Book Group, where we read and discuss 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.

Previous posters 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 read one book a month. Our first book, that inspired the original thread, was The Road to Lichfield by Penelope Lively. We have been going for about 18 months now, and each new book gets its own discussion thread, started on the first of the month.

Our March 2024 book is Penelope Fitzgerald's The Bookshop. We will begin the discussion of this on 1 April.

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 hope Antarcticant, who started the last thread, won’t mind that I’ve started this new one.

I got mine from the library, @FuzzyCaoraDhubh

My library has In A Lonely Place but not An Expendable Man Stella!

I'll save my review of LLA for our discussion thread on 1 March, but I very much enjoyed it.

Is The Expendable Man our next book? Sounds intriguing.

In a Lonely Place is great too. It was made into a film noir.

@MotherofPearl I don’t think The Expendable Man lends itself to being a book club-type book, sadly, because as soon as you discuss it, you have to give away the stonking great plot twist that constitutes its main coup de theatre. I guess it’s fine if everyone's read it but there’s always likely to be someone who wanders unsuspectingly into the thread and feels let down that they now know the twist.

I feel like a big SPOILERS warning in the title and the first post of the thread should be OK for the expendable man?

I'm just about to read The Expendable Man, very intrigued by the twist. So NO SPOILERS!
Currently on Little Boy Lost by Laski (Persephone , reprint 1947) contrasting the post WW2 rhetoric about rebuilding Europe with Trump's bluster trying to tear us apart again.

Sorry for the confusion - the Persephone Day page listed an event for The Expendable Man which is what brought it to mind! I agree with @Terpsichore that it might not be ideal for an online forum.

Does anyone else have suggestions for our next read though? For selfish reasons I'd prefer something post-1960.

Happy First of March! I'm a bit late and haven't started the book yet. I'll get started this weekend.

I had an excellent time at the Persephone bookshop during my city break in Bath. I bought (amongst other things) How to run Your home without Help by Kay Smallshaw.
i am buying my first house on my own (post divorce) so I thought it would come in handy.

Happy to hear you had a great time in Bath and at the Persephone Bookshop, Stella. Best of luck purchasing your new home!

I finished Lady Living Alone last night.
I enjoyed it. It took such an unexpected turn, it was quite a surprise. Thanks to whoever made the recommendation!

I'll start a thread to discuss LLA, unless someone already has? I'll take a look.

Rather Dated February: Norah Lofts' 'Lady Living Alone' http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/whatweree_reading/5287447-rather-dated-february-norah-lofts-lady-living-alone

I've started the discussion.

Thank you MotherofPearl! I will be along soon.* *

Me too. Almost finished!

@MotherofPearl I headed for your thread but weirdly it doesn’t seem to be there. The address in your link looks a bit odd in the formatting - could it be that it didn’t post? I definitely can’t see it there.

I can see it @Terpsichore - just need to scroll down a bit

Ah good, thanks @ChessieFL - when I clicked on the link I got a 'no thread exists' result, which was very strange. I’ll look again now.

Thanks @MotherofPearl ! It was I who recommended LLA so glad people have enjoyed it. I'm still midway through a reread so will join you a bit later (under my current username inaptonym)

Sorry that the link to the thread doesn't seem to work (though I see you found it Fuzzy). I'm not sure what's gone wrong but I'll try again:

Rather Dated February: Norah Lofts' 'Lady Living Alone' http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/whatweree_reading/5287447-rather-dated-february-norah-lofts-lady-living-alone

I found it on the main board MotherofPearl. It didn't work for me either* *though.

Oh no I can’t find it! What am I doing wrong? I’m IT illiterate so words of one syllable will be needed 😞

Click on 'what we're reading' (blue heading) to go to the main board, Stella. It's about seventeen places down, picture below!

Would anyone like to make a suggestion for our next book?

I’d really love to suggest Penelope Mortimer's Daddy's Gone A-Hunting, but it’s yet another Persephone and I slightly hesitate to try and make people shell out for a copy, if they have to buy one.

What about a Stella Gibbons? She wrote many, many books other than Cold Comfort Farm and most are really good - rather dated! - reads (and on Kindle now). Or a Rumer Godden? The Greengage Summer is great. Also on Kindle.

Tbh I’d love the Mortimer as it’s a 1960s novel and has that tougher edge even though it’s apparently 'domestic'. But those are just some suggestions to get the ball rolling anyway.

I'll look them up Terpsichore! I don't mind buying the occasional* *book :)