📚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.

They both sound good. We could do one this month, the other the next?

Good idea. I’m sure I’ve got a copy of Dusty Answer somewhere. It’s a quotation, isn’t it?

It was my favourite book when I was 18 - some 50 years ago.
I'd totally forgotten about it & have just bought it (99p) and am off to bed to read it.
Many thanks @ChessieFL

Hope you enjoy it again magi

So hard to choose. I love Elizabeth Taylor’s novels, and I’m also keen to read another Margaret Kennedy.

I’ve not read any Rosamund Lehman though, and I’d be very happy to read Dusty Answer, so will download that onto my Kindle now.

Thanks for posting that Persephone review/essay of The New House on the other thread Fuzzy. I so enjoyed it.

I Think I've found my people! Just downloaded "Dusty Answer" so will be reading along with you.

I have just ordered Dusty Answer too. Never heard of it. 1927 doesn’t sound like it was nearly one hundred years ago!

I have a suggestion!
I haven’t read it myself but how about

The Lonely Londoners Samuel Selvon. Its publication was one of the first to focus on poor, working-class black people published in 1956.

That sounds like an interesting book @Glitterbiscuits. We can add it to our list for a future read. It sounds like the majority are going for Dusty Answer next? Hope that’s okay. We can then move through the list:

Another Elizabeth Taylor
Another Margaret Kennedy
The Lonely Londoners

I know there are a few others upthread we can refer back to.

Shall we aim to discuss Dusty Answer in October?

I have Dusty Answers ordered ready. The last rather dated book I joined in with was Lady Living Alone so I have to catch up!

I’d be interested to see if anyone else thinks The Lonely Londoners might be worth a try in the future.

I like the sound of The Lonely Londoners as well Glitterbiscuits. I would be interested in reading it.

That sounds great MotherofPearl.
Dusty Answer next then, to discuss in October.

Now to find my copy. One day, before I die, I will put all my books in alphabetical order.

Jumping on (again!) to say Lonely Londoners is a great read!

I’ve finished Dusty Answer and am ready to discuss when everyone else is.

I'm afraid I'm way behind. I've gone back to college for a ten-week course and I'm overloaded with coursework. I'm not finding any time to read. Please carry on without me and I'll join in again in a few weeks time! I really miss my books at the moment but it's for a short time only.

No problem Fuzzy and all the best with the course!

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!

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'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.

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…

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

I’m adding that RL biography to my list. I’ll try to start the Dusty Answer discussion thread in the next day or two. Rushing around with work!

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

I’ve started the discussion thread for Dusty Answer so do join when you can:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/what_were_reading/5420717-rather-dated-bookclub-dusty-answer?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

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 🎄