📚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.

Would 'The L-Shaped Room' by Lynne Reid Banks be worth reading? (If The Diary isn't going to work out?)

Oh, good shout @FuzzyCaoraDhubh

Really 😊

Thanks Terpsichore.

Eek.

Hello rather dated friends.

For some reason I'd got it into my head that we were now reading Noel Streatfield's Saplings.

However, I'm very happy to put that to one side (especially as I've not made a start!) and read LRB's The L-Shaped Room. it sounds intriguing, so thanks for suggesting it @FuzzyCaoraDhubh.

Love that book
Read it a long time ago

Sorry @MotherofPearl - I missed that! Happy with anything anyone decides.

Yes, MotherofPearl. Same here! I don't mind whichever* *one we read.

My vote would be Saplings as I’ve already got it and I’m trying not to buy more books! Happy with The L Shaped Room though if that’s what the majority want as it looks good and we could always read Saplings another month.

Happy with either. Probably vote for Saplings as I’ve not read it but if we do both eventually I don’t mind in what order.

I thought Saplings was up next too.

Have never read the LRB or Kaufman books but would prefer the latter - several reasonably cheap UK copies here (quite fancy it even if the group decides not to, so thanks @StellaOlivetti )

Shall we go for Saplings this month, and then have The L-Shaped Room next month? I have both downloaded to my Kindle.

Yes @MotherofPearl Perfect.
I'm looking forward to reading both.

I’ve ordered them both from the library. I’ve also reserved London Belongs To Me which someone recommended ages ago on this thread.
I read A Touch of Mistletoe by Barbara Comyns last week, which was excellent.
I love reading, and thanks to this thread I’m making time for it again in a way I hadn’t for ages.

London Belongs to Me is great, @StellaOlivetti - a real old-fashioned comforting saga of a book. I hope you enjoy it, please report back!

OK I am starting with Saplings, am I on the right track?

I have the L-shaped room trilogy at home, so I might go the whole hog. Did you know LRB died earlier this month? She was almost 95.

Hi @ImJustMadAboutSaffron that's right. Saplings first then the L-shaped room. I'm looking forward to both.

Edited to say we'll read 'Saplings' to discuss it in May and 'The L-Shaped Room' in June.

Thanks all. Glad we have a plan in place.

I hope I manage to get through Saplings by the end of the month. I've not started yet as I'm just finishing Elizabeth Cambridge's Hostages to Fortune, which I must confess I've found a little disappointing.

There's a link to the Persephone Festival talks on another thread, but I thought I'd repost it here for anyone who missed it and might be interested.

The recordings are available until 22 May and some popular Rather Dated books are discussed.

I didn't manage to get to all the events at the Festival but I can recommend You're Booked on Sunday morning and the Favourite Persephone Books panel discussions on Saturday and Sunday.

There was also a close reading of High Wages and two other books on Sunday morning which I found too much like a rather dry academic lecture, however I know some people enjoyed it.

I've just listened to the welcome talk while doing the ironing, and I'm going to work my way through the others in the next few weeks. I'm hoping the Wild about Whipple talk will be good.

https://persephonebooks.co.uk/pages/the-persephone-festival-podcasts

Thank you @highlandcoo That's brilliant!
I'm very interested in listening to the talk on Whipple and 'High Wages'.

Yes, thanks @highlandcoo. I was at You're Booked and enjoyed the discussion very much. I'm going to try to listen to a few of the recordings over the next few weeks.

Just about to listen to Wild about Whipple. Thank you so much for the links, @highlandcoo

@highlandcoo Amazing, thank you so much for the links! Glad to see the talk I most wanted to attend included - The Rise of Heritage Publishing.

I'm afraid I've rather fallen behind and only started 'Saplings' a few days ago. However, I have set up the discussion thread and will join you on there as soon as I've finished:

📚 'Rather Dated' April: Noel Streatfield’s ‘Saplings’ 📚 http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/whatweree_reading/5066021-rather-dated-april-noel-streatfields-saplings