As we draw closer to the end of our week of reading books from 1947, I thought I would share some older reviews of books I’ve read from that year. It certainly was a bumper year for publishing and there are some great titles – so here are a few I’ve read in the past!
One Fine Day by Mollie Panter-Downes
Oddly enough, I picked up my copy of this wonderful novel in the Bloomsbury Oxfam shop during a LibraryThing Virago group get-together – and it was Simon who pointed it out! It’s a wonderfully written book that captures post-War England quite brilliantly and I absolutely loved it, coming to the conclusion that I couldn’t praise it enough. You can read my full review here.
Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau
This rather clever and interesting book was written by a master of word games and member of the OuLiPo group. Basically it tells the same story in a huge number of styles and it’s very entertaining. Read what I thought about it here!
The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
A lovely Persephone and a fabulous thriller which I read in a borrowed copy from the library. Set in America in the middle of the war, it tells of an ordinary housewife who falls into the grip of blackmailers and thugs and it’s a fabulous, unputdownable read – highly recommend, and read my review here!
Of Love and Hunger by Julian Maclaren-Ross
A great read, this, looking at life on the eve of WW2 from the point of view of a man trying to make a living by selling vacuum cleaners. Shades, perhaps, of Orwell, and a vivid picture of a seedy seaside setting. JMR was a wonderful writer, and this is an essential read from 1947 – my review here!
So there are a few of the books I’ve read in the past from this bumper year in publishing. Don’t forget to leave links to your posts so I can add them to the 1947 Club page, and let’s see how many more books we can get in before the end of the week! 🙂
Oct 14, 2016 @ 07:48:08
I’m hoping the week ends on Sunday, otherwise I’m sunk, only a third of the way through my first book and with LOTS of work in!
Oct 14, 2016 @ 09:25:19
Yes, Sunday is the last day – racing to get through my final reads!
Oct 14, 2016 @ 08:13:22
Did i initially suggest THE BLANK WALL -let me believe i am useful.
Oct 14, 2016 @ 09:25:06
🙂 I think that’s been a popular title this week!
Oct 14, 2016 @ 11:45:54
This has proved to be an excellent year! I’m running behind, because life has been busier than I expected and because I chose to read a thick, historical novel, but I should be able to pull some thoughts together before the week is over.
Oct 14, 2016 @ 14:34:59
It’s a good one, isn’t it? Look forward to hearing about what you’ve been reading!
Oct 14, 2016 @ 15:39:46
Am deep within Maclaren Ross – and, yes, hovering always in my mind is Orwell’s Aspidistra and my deeply admired Patrick Hamilton.
Oct 14, 2016 @ 15:45:23
It’s a wonderful read – look forward to your thoughts!
Oct 15, 2016 @ 09:21:00
I have OF LOVE AND HUNGER and KEEP THE ASPISDISTRA FLYING to re — read “back to back” as they say.
Oct 15, 2016 @ 09:37:32
Good choices – such wonderful books!
Oct 15, 2016 @ 10:17:07
Am intending a re-read of Aspidistra too, as, though I am enjoying this, Aspidistra was a far more powerful read for me, back in the day
Oct 15, 2016 @ 15:40:07
Now I want to re-read it too……
Oct 15, 2016 @ 16:15:09
Let’s hear it for Eric Blair. He was one of my heroes in my late teens/early 20s.
I caught the tail end of a programme recently talking about him and Animal Farm, and Catalonia was also mentioned. I think I have just about everything he ever wrote – including the 4 volume essays, letters and journalism, on my shelves. I lost one volume of the 4 in a move (an entire box of books vanished somewhere) but managed to track down a battered copy fairly recently of the one which had gone awol.
Oct 15, 2016 @ 19:27:00
Me too. In fact, he still is one of my heroes. I have shelves of his stuff and it’s probably about time I picked up one of his books again. Maybe I should share photos of my collection too….
Oct 15, 2016 @ 20:53:49
He still is for me too, Karen.A man of principle
Oct 15, 2016 @ 21:02:05
Absolutely – and so few of them left…
Oct 15, 2016 @ 09:13:40
THE RECKLESS MOMENT(BASED ON THE BOOK “THE BLANK WALL”)
is on FILMFOUR Monday 17th October at 11am.
Ser the “V.C.R.”
Oct 15, 2016 @ 09:37:46
Thanks for the heads-up Tina!
Oct 15, 2016 @ 16:50:58
I love old films and love them better when on the “telly” .
James Mason is lovely.
Oct 15, 2016 @ 19:26:01
Yes, he was pretty stunning, wasn’t he?
Oct 16, 2016 @ 22:40:51
Oh my goodness, I’d love to read the Maclaren-Ross-a vacuum cleaner salesman and a seedy seaside -can’t go wrong. D. J. Taylor did mention him in his book on 20th c. lit, The Prose Factory. Am not sure he’s known by Americans!
I have read Mollie Panter-Downes and loved this one. The power of, well, was it Viragos or Persephones? One or the other!
Oct 17, 2016 @ 17:26:35
I suspect that Maclaren-Ross is not so well known in the USA which is a shame. One Fine Day *was* a Virago and it’s a great book, yes!