The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals by Wendy Jones

[chesilbeach]

I won The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals by Wendy Jones in a competition here on the forum, and am delighted to say it was a charming story. The description in the title sums up perfectly what the book is about, following undertaker Wilfred Price in a small Welsh town in the 1920s, and the tangled mess he gets himself into while taking his first steps into the world of love and marriage, and the weight of expectation and duty.

 

This was a charmingly told story from debut novelist Jones, deceptively gentle in its style, but with serious undertones about the secrets and lies told to conform to the expected morals of period. I loved the character of Wilfred, a young man, trying to live up to the expectations and standards set by his mentor Mr Auden during his apprenticeship, who loves his father who has single-handedly brought him up, and finds himself unexpectedly proposing to local doctor's daughter, Grace. After believing he has extricated himself from the engagement, he falls in love with the enigmatic Flora.

 

I think the author develops the story well and felt that the resolutions seemed authentic for the characters, but there is a plot line about Grace I don't want to spoil, but I have to say, I did figure out what was happening about a third of the way through, so I wasn't as shocked as I think the author wanted the reader to be.

 

I definitely enjoyed reading it, and will be interested to read more by the author.

[Michelle]

I only posted my review in my thread, so I'll add it here:

This book is set in 1924, in rural Wales. Wilfred Price is a young undertaker, living with his father. On a picnic, he proposes to a girl he hardly knows. Instantly regretting it, he’s nonetheless caught up in a series of events.

 

I don’t want to go into the story or the characters, as they are best left to unfold naturally throughout the story. The importance is in how the book is written. It’s written in a rather gentle way, which to me completely reflected the behaviours and feelings of the characters. This is a quiet village, where people are very careful of the way they act and speak, and emotions and secrets are kept very much to themselves.

 

There are emotions and secrets which are explored throughout the book – there are difficult issues involved, but they are handled delicately.

 

For me, the first half of the book felt slow, but there was something about the characters which kept me reading. It was definitely worth continuing, and it became one of those books which I picked up whenever I could, just to read a bit more.

 

If you allow it to, this is a book which will charm you, and surprise you.

[vodkafan]

On my wishlist

[bobblybear]

^ Mine too. Love the title of it!