SueK Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 One of my favourite ever books is Angel Pavement by J P Priestley. It deals with the lives of a group of office workers in a small office in London around the 1930s. It is beautifully written and although it doesn't set the world alight plot-wise the descriptions of the characters and their lives are just magic. I found similar stories in Norman Collin's books, London Belongs to Me and Bond Street Story. Now I'm after more of a similar genre. It doesn't have to be thick with plot, I just love reading the minutiae of people's lives and their stories during the period in question - but well written. I'm looking at novels, not necessarily war time stories, just something to really get into and savour. Tall order, I know, but I'm sure you wonderful bibliophiles will have something up your sleeves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 I'd highly recommend The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber. It's set in Victorian-era London and the characters are beautifully drawn. A lot of people here have loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueK Posted December 16, 2010 Author Share Posted December 16, 2010 Thanks Kylie. I actually have this on TBR pile (to be started in the New Year I was after something a little later than Victorian but thanks for the recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 It's not a novel but a collection of short stories, but I loved Good Evening, Mrs Craven by Mollie Panter-Downes. It's published by Persephone Books who are a small publishing house who are republishing (mostly women) writers who have been largely forgotten. They have a catalogue of about 90 books, but a lot are early 20th century books, and their website (www.persephonebooks.co.uk) has notes about each book including a brief synopsis and some of the history of the book/author. I've read about half a dozen of their books, and I've yet to be disappointed, and I intend to read them all at some point. The other books that spring to mind are the E.M. Delafield Provincial Lady books. Although set mostly in Devon, she does also spend time in London and America, and although it's been about 10 years since I read them, I still have immense fondness for them, and would love to re-read them some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 The only one I can think of is Nightwatch by Sarah Waters , it is set in wartime but is more about the characters lives than the war Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 The Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy L Sayers make terrific reading, and date from the 1920's. Definitely worth a read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Books do furnish a room Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 You could try anything by Julian Maclaren-Ross; a number of his short stories are set in London. His best known novel, "Of Love and Hunger" is set on the south coast, but captures the period before the war perfectly. Also some of the novels in Anthony Powell's Dance to the Music of Time series are set in the London of this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 The first thing I thought when I saw the title of this thread was London Belongs to Me (I've been trying to get a copy of that for a while but every time I see it there is something wrong with it - creased cover, rumpled pages etc - and at £9.99 I want an A1 perfect copy!). You might like to try Call for the Dead, by John le Carré. Yes, it is a spy thriller, but it's set in and around London in the early fifties and has the kind of feel I think you may be after. Also, both The Day of the Triffids and The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham have large segments set in and around London and although Triffids is slightly timeless in it’s setting, they both have a distinct 50s flavour to them. Lastly, although this doesn't have much set in London, it does do the drab wartime pitch down to a tee, I would recommend Enigma by Robert Harris. Another spy thriller, but brilliantly written and a very good story to boot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 You might like RH Delderfield's books The Dreaming Suburb and The Avenue Goes to War. These books are about ordinary people, although I'm not sure where they were set in England. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueK Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share Posted December 17, 2010 Thanks so much for all your replies. There are some great books for me to look out for - some authors I haven't come across so look forward to learning more about them. The first thing I thought when I saw the title of this thread was London Belongs to Me (I've been trying to get a copy of that for a while but every time I see it there is something wrong with it - creased cover, rumpled pages etc - and at £9.99 I want an A1 perfect copy!). Raven, I mentioned this in my post as being typical of the book I'm looking for. I have a copy of it. Believe me - it was so difficult to find a good copy and mine is OK-ish, quite readable but the dust jacket is faded. However, the story itself is just great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 ^ I should have quoted you, as I was commenting on your post there! There is a new Penguin Modern Classics version in print (I say new, I think it's been around for a year or more now!). That's the one I'm having trouble finding a decent copy of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueK Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share Posted December 17, 2010 ^ I should have quoted you, as I was commenting on your post there! There is a new Penguin Modern Classics version in print (I say new, I think it's been around for a year or more now!). That's the one I'm having trouble finding a decent copy of. It's available on Amazon for £6.55 (Penguin Edition). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 ^ I know, but Amazon takes all the fun out of book buying, you don't get to fondle the books or roll your ey... Oh dear God, I appear to be channelling Kylie . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 The first thing that came to my mind when I read the title of the topic, was Jean Marsh's The House of Elliot. I love the TV series and bought the book when I happened to find it and was really pleased to read it. It wasn't as good as the TV series though, but if you don't mind that kind of thing, it's out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 ^ you don't get to fondle the books or roll your ey... Oh dear God, I appear to be channelling Kylie . . . I snorted and coughed when I read this! I think there are many on the forum who feel the same way about their buying of special books though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 ^ I know, but Amazon takes all the fun out of book buying, you don't get to fondle the books or roll your ey... Oh dear God, I appear to be channelling Kylie . . . I have that affect on people... I think there are many on the forum who feel the same way about their buying of special books though. I agree. Can you name some names so Raven can start picking on those people instead of (or as well as) me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 ^ I know, but Amazon takes all the fun out of book buying, you don't get to fondle the books or roll your ey... Oh dear God, I appear to be channelling Kylie . . . I snorted and coughed when I read this! I think there are many on the forum who feel the same way about their buying of special books though. I don't fondle them but I do like to stroke them as I'm browsing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToniLianne Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 call The Midwife by Jennifer Worth is based on a true story about the lives of midwives in the east end of London in the 1950's I haven't personally read it, but my mum has and she loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 (edited) Not to everyone's taste but I thought West End Girls was a decent enough read and is right in your time period. I know its not a novel but worth looking into you. Edited December 21, 2010 by beef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Readwine Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice. 1950's London and the coming of age of young girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 (edited) One that immediately jumps to mind as one of the best books I've ever read based on mid-twentieth century London (alongside London Belongs To Me) is Mother London by Michael Moorcock. Mrs Dalloway also has a very strong streak of London running through it, as does The Years (although the latter starts in the late 1890s). Excellent Women by Barbara Pym is set in London in 1952, and has a strong whiff of the city of that time. I've yet to read them, but Connie Willis's new books Blackout and All Clear are, fairly obviously, set in wartime London, although the time travel element won't appeal to every one (It does to me though - her two previous books on the same theme (but not in London), Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog are favourites). Two books that I tried this year, and didn't enjoy (but others did!!) that might be worth investigating are: Bleeding Heart Square by Andrew Taylor, which is set in early 1930s London Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissie Evans, which is set in wartime London. Edited January 10, 2011 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueK Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 Many thanks for your great suggestions Willoyd. I will check out some of the titles you mention. Mother London sounds interesting. Their Finest Hour and a Half is on my TBR pile. For some reason, I keep putting it back for later on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 You could also try the Jennifer Worth books - she was a midwife in the EastEnd during the 1950's and her books print a pretty vivid picture of how things were for women in particular at that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 The other books that spring to mind are the E.M. Delafield Provincial Lady books. Although set mostly in Devon, she does also spend time in London and America, and although it's been about 10 years since I read them, I still have immense fondness for them, and would love to re-read them some time. Reading Delafield's The Provincial Lady in Wartime at the moment and enjoying it very much. She's a very funny lady. Am slowly working my way through the whole series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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