First published in 1930, Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield is a semi-autobiographical novel that is chockful of droll British humor. The diarist is an upper-middle-class woman living in Devonshire. She is the wife of a land agent (Robert) and mother of two young children (Robin and Vicki). Robin is mostly away at school and Vicki is under the care of an emotional French governess. They have a forbidding cook and a succession of housemaids. So what does this provincial lady do all day long? The protagonist’s time is taken up with paying calls, failing at growing bulbs, shopping for things she can’t afford, taking occasional vacations with her single friend, Rose, attempting to manage her children, and clubbing (in the old-fashioned sense of the word.) She views it all with a jaundiced eye and relates it in an irony-laced tone that had me, at several points, laughing out loud.
This is one of those books that no
description of plot can do justice to. The voice of the heroine is what makes
this story sing. It’s a very quick read. Highly recommended!
No comments:
Post a Comment