Margery Sharp: Something Light.
This is very similar to my review on the Rather Dated Book Club thread, but I've removed some spoilerish details.
Published in 1960, this book is set in 1950s London and concerns Louisa Mary Datchett, Professional Photographer of Dogs, and her particular predicament. Louisa, we are told in the first line, is 'very fond of men', but she has had enough of being a doormat and is turning her life around. She has decided to find a man, not to rescue or to mind, but to marry. With admirable dedication, she sets out on her quest, but this turns out to be more difficult than expected.
This is a very entertaining story, written in a warm and witty style and I loved reading it. Louisa is a fabulously funny person and I liked her from the outset. She is a thoroughly good sort, whether is it making sure that No.10 gets his yoghurt, bringing the poorly Hugo a spot of cream, dispatching the Admiral to Bournemouth to live with F. Pennon, washing the woolly undergarments of miserable Mr. Clark; she takes on every task with gusto.
There is so much to like about this book! I took note of some lines that I found particularly good. 'I suppose you weren't ever in a harem?' she says to Enid, who has managed to go from one husband to the next without any bother at all. I loved her banter with the milkman, her confidant, who turns up offering dairy products as well as someone to moan at. The wealthy chap who looked like a sealyham, F, Pennon, was a real character. I loved how much he loved Louisa with complete fidelity. He really cared for her. The description of the champagne party at Boyden Court and the advertisement on commercial television were so funny.
Underlying the fun and frivolity, there was the serious matter of how Louisa was managing to keep body and soul together. She was struggling by the end of the book and was down to her last slices of bread and margarine. Sharp didn't dwell too much on her background and upbringing. On page eighty-eight it is mentioned how her parents died in the war and that her aunt had her apprenticed to a photographer so that she could contribute to her board. She didn't have an easy time of it with her aunt and it wasn't easy living as a modern independent woman or a 'femme sole' as Louisa said. ('Is this what the Suffragettes died for'). This book isn't a serious one and was written with a light touch (to mirror the title). One would wonder what might have happened to Louisa if the right man hadn't turned up.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable book and a good light-hearted read. I have 'The Foolish Gentlewoman' to look forward to next.