📚 'Rather Dated' January: E. Nesbitt: 'The Lark' 📚

[FuzzyCaoraDhubh]

Welcome to the discussion for our January book, E. Nesbitt's 'The Lark'.

This is a story about two young girls, two cousins, Jane and Lucilla, who have just left school to discover that their guardian has swindled them out of nearly all their inheritance and decide to make the best of it, because as Jane says, 'When did two girls of our age have such a chance as we've got-to have a lark entirely on our own? No chaperone, no rules, no...'

We follow the girls as they begin various money-making schemes from selling flowers to taking in paying guests (PGs or PIGS!), sometimes with unexpected consequences. As the girls hurl themselves into new ventures, the reader cannot help but cheer them along, as they are a genuinely funny and likeable pair.

I loved the humour in the book; the banter between the girls, the situations in which they find themselves, the authorial voice that interjects and makes gentle fun of them. Also, the charming young men that are drawn to the girls are ever-so-charming, even if they should be kept at arm's length, because the girls want to be independent and stand on their own feet.

The writing in 'The Lark' is excellent. The book is rich in period detail with references to furnishings, fabrics and flowers aplenty. It also evokes the years immediately following WW1, especially with the character of Dix, who was completely down on his luck until he meets Jane and Lucilla.

Altogether, this is a thoroughly captivating book that I would recommend to anyone who wishes to be transported to another time and place. Spending time with Jane and Lucinda, is, in my opinion 'an admirable brain tonic'.

I have to say I'm not loving The Lark. I've been rereading quite a lot of authors from this period recently - Rosamund Lehmann, Elizabeth Bowen, Margaret Kennedy, Jean Rhys, Rumer Godden - but it just isn't doing it for me, and I'm on the verge of abandoning it.

Its not the period language or style, it just has no real depth, and the dialogue is beginning to grate. It seems very childishly written, and the book it most reminds me of is Daisy Ashford's The Young Visiters, but without the naive charm.

Mr Bronte Rochester has just dressed up as a fortune teller and apparently fooled all the house party ladies although not Jane.
I think E Nesbitt did a lot of retelling with this one.

Is it trying to upend the Gothic Romance of Jane Eyre in the way Cold Comfort Farm took Rural tropes? Perhaps that's what makes it a tad painful at times when it's story rather than period detail.

I liked the rant about 1930s modern furniture being flimsy and throw away.

I think Jane Eyre has joined The Young Visiters in books I will never both reading again in my lifetime.
Jane would be constantly on the Relationship boards despite everyone saying this is an Ofsted matter or this is totally inappropriate in the workplace and you are only 18!!!

I probably wouldn't reread The Lark although I do like to imagine the greenhouse where they set up shop. I'm picturing a Country Living magazine article with some wafting woman, trader husband in the background and a fledgling artisan craft business.

Is it trying to upend the Gothic Romance of Jane Eyre in the way Cold Comfort Farm took Rural tropes?

Thats an interesting point, could be - just not so well executed. I have read both CCF and the original Mary Webb book it satirised (The House in the Forest), the latter is so absurd it didn't take much in the way of change to take the piss out of it. CCF is quite biting though, rather in the vein of Waugh. I'm finding The Lark saccharine and drippy. Set in the time of economic depression, when many people were suffering real deprivation, I even find it a bit disrespectful, but maybe I'm taking it too seriously.

Finally finished it!
I enjoyed it, partly because I do like E Nesbit’s writing; very light, quite dry and witty and rather painterly in her description of houses and gardens. My mind’s eye was full of Country Life type pictures of flower filled gardens and shabby chic rooms. In terms of the story, I liked the Jane and Lucy making their way in the world plot, although it had a comic flavour lacking in, for example, Dorothy Whipple. You never really worried that there wouldn’t be a happy ending. I saw a lot of Jane Eyre parallels, all that dressing up, the names of Jane and Rochester, the young women alone and having to be self reliant, even the repetition of the word ‘aunt’! The First World War was ever present, even though it was only ever referred to quite obliquely.
Miss Antrobus was my favourite character. I liked the way she had no more interest in marrying John Rochester than he had in marrying her. And her war experience was impressive (although to be fair, there wasn’t much opportunity for Jane and Lucy to go to France since they were, as Jane reminded us, at school).
This is the first time I’ve read E Nesbit apart from the excellent children’s books (The Treasure Hunters is my favourite), in fact I’d forgotten she wrote for adults. I’ve ordered the Eleanor Fitzsimmins biography from the library, and looking forward to reading that.

I think it's clear E Nesbit was stronger as a children's author, although I've not read any for years, not sure I'm ready to puncture another tween classic.

Noel Streatfield, Ballet shoes etc, wrote an incredible adult book Saplings, with a big age range of characters with very adult, complex decisions and emotions. I must try and find more of her adult stuff.

Aside from Edith's personal life, fiction and biography, can anyone recommend another of hers or if the children's books deserve a revisit?

We read Saplings for this very book club, @BookEngine …..

Yes! I liked Saplings.

I hadn't heard of The Lark and am grateful to this thread for the recommendation!

It is very frothy and I laughed at the poor heroines facing the need to earn their living with only a delightful 3 bedroom house in outer London and £500 in the bank (a fair wodge of money at that time) to sustain them. Like others I appreciated the way it dealt with the aftermath of the War and some of the plot twists, like Hilda Antrobus turning out to be independent and a good egg, and the fun lodgers being criminals.

Thought the opening chapter was VERY silly and set up an unnecessarily irritating dynamic between Jane and John.

I love Noel S, but I’ve failed in every attempt at reading Saplings, the opening of which just feels too irritatingly middle class and I hate the character of the mother. I gave my copy to charity, after DNF’g about eight times.

You certainly tried Remus!
One thing I like about books written during or straight after the wars is the under lying sense that everyone had their own war - good or bad. I thought The Lark showed the delicate tip toeing, not assuming, waiting for volunteered information very well.

Anyone fancy a day in Bath for the Persephone book day? It's a bit thin this year but I booked a couple of things and will sack Bath interiors shops.

I mostly enjoy being surrounded by people like yourselves and the random friendly conversations.

yes, I liked Saplings too. But weirdly I haven’t read any of Noel S’s children’s books.
I would have really liked a day out in Bath at the Persephone day. I wanted to go last year too, but both times I’m out of the country. Bah. I’ll try and arrange my life a bit better next year.

I can’t do Bath, but really, really hope to brave a meet up at some point, if somebody will promise me a hand hold!

I’d love to be able to attend the Persephone Day in April but unfortunately the logistics aren’t going to work. I did attend a few events at the Persephone Festival a couple of years ago and enjoyed that very much.

We’re all very nice really, Remus! 😂

I believe you - it’s me I’m worried about, not you!

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie was the film The Holdover? I watched it at Christmas too - really liked it.

This looks like a lovely discussion…

Ooh yes, I think it was. I really liked liked it.