Nightingale Wood

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I loved Cold Comfort Farm, Gibbons' debut novel (the film is also wonderful, if you haven't seen it), so I was excited to hear about this book - I never thought to look into it but Gibbons wrote quite a few novels in her day; this is her ninth. And, written and set prior to the outbreak of WWII, it was perfect for the currently-running 1930s Mini-Challenge (hosted by things mean a lot). Rich, T.C.G.; Houston, L. (2006). "Sorbus whiteana (Rosaceae), a new endemic tree from Britain" (PDF). Watsonia. 26: 1–7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Gibbons also displays a tender side. There is real sadness in some of her characters, instead of deliberately heightened rural dolour – and it winds up as a love story that would please Jane Austen. We asked local stand up comedian and BS4 aficionado Mark Olver for his recommendations on where to go in this leafy suburb of south east Bristol...

Leigh Woods Activities". National Trust. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015 . Retrieved 18 May 2015. Gibbons doesn't shy away from the emptiness of money- and society-driven existence; each character feels it, in their own way. My favorite part of the story was, once again, to do with Saxon - the windfall with Mr. Spurrey is handled in such a complicated and interesting way, and I never expected to feel so sad about such a seemingly dreadful character. But there you go - that's Gibbons's skill. Es curioso cómo hasta una sociedad tan pequeña (qué son veintiuna personas a fin de cuentas) después de un tiempo acaba tomando la estructura de una mucho más grande. En la gente debe haber algo como un gen social que les lleva a aceptar ciertos roles y, en coordinación con los demás, a modelar una sociedad de estructura estadística similar.”And because this is a novel of the twentieth century, and of a nation breaking old habits, not all of the awakenings lead to happiness or satisfaction. They can result in disillusion and diminishment, both figurative and literal. Some happy endings are unearned and therefore fragile. Many of the characters live in a secure context of middle-class comfort, but they are still buffeted by bitter winds (to use one of Gibbons’s recurrent images)—financial upheavals, political cross-currents, newer ideas like the psychology that disturbs Tina’s peace and makes all things possible (or threateningly unstable, depending on your perspective). The novel very much captures a moment in time, and because we know what happened a few years later, it is bittersweet.

Like many others (judging from the introduction), my only familiarity with Stella Gibbons is from her first novel, Cold Comfort Farm, which I haven't actually read; I've just seen the movie a few times. I liked this cover, though, and the summary sounded interesting enough, so I snagged it from a library book sale despite its slightly ratty condition, and proceeded to cheerfully not read it for many years. Cold Comfort Farm has been an excellent choice for this month's Reading Group. It's provided - forgive me - fertile ground for discussion about the art of parody, transcending parody and race and class in the 1930s. Less seriously, but probably more importantly, it's also been highly entertaining and extremely funny: just the book to see us through the darkest month. I'm glad it came out of the hat – and I'm grateful to the readers who nominated it.

Publicar lo más valioso de la literatura clásica y moderna es nuestra más firme intención, en ediciones que nos satisfagan a nosotros en tanto lectores exigentes. Obras inspiradas por el ideal de calidad que queremos que sea nuestro inconfundible distintivo como editorial. El primero de ellos se trata, como no podía ser de otra manera del título que ha supuesto el número 100, y no podía ser otra la elegida que su bandera y una de las artífices de su éxito: Stella Gibbons. El libro en cuestión es “La segunda vida de Viola Wither” y reúne una de esas tramas tan características suyas en la que Viola Wither, la protagonista, se casa con alguien a quien no ama y al enviudar va a vivir con su familia política teniendo a partir de ese momento la posibilidad de conocer a un magnate soltero que se parece a Gatsby y que se caracteriza por su superficialidad. Esta trama le sirve como pretexto para montar todo tipo de situaciones cómicas, con una sátira que siempre se mete con el orden y costumbres imperantes y te lleva en volandas con su prosa elegante sin olvidar momentos entrañables. Nada nuevo a lo que ya nos tenía acostumbrados en sus otras novelas, bien hecho, sin deslumbrar, pero siempre de manera interesante. Es una buena recomendación, sobre todo para el verano. Why I liked the book: I liked the book because I wanted to reed on and I wanted to know what would happen .The beginning was most interesting because it was all a mystery ,the little girl (Henrietta also known as henry) did not know why her dad was acting funny but it was because he was working abroad . The widowed (& nearly penniless)Viola feels she has no choice but to accept her starchy in-laws offer of a home. The Wither family (great choice of surname!) are frozen in their tyrannical father's idea of time. The rest of them are miserable! Viola, young, spendthrift and none too bright, is wondering if she made a terrible mistake leaving her friend's home in London. But then comes the Charity Ball...

Tina, and her slow, sweet romance with Saxon the astonishingly beautiful chauffeur, ended up being my favorite part of the book - and an entirely unexpected one. All of their scenes are lovely, but not overly saccharine - there's a realism to how their relationship builds, and I absolutely loved how mutual it ultimately was. Saxon attempts to be mercenary at the beginning, but kind, thoughtful, interesting Tina entirely wins him over. Gibbons declared she wanted Nightingale Wood to be Cinderella brought "right up to date" – but now it's fascinating as a period piece. Gibbons is superb on middle class life in the years immediately before the second world war, on the erosions of class division and ongoing snobbery. There's something stupid and sad and lost about her quiet genteel characters trying to pretend that life can go quietly on as ominous noises from Europe grow ever louder. There's plenty that's enraging about the stifling judgements that this society heaps on women. There are a few hilarious moments and a funny comic character in the form of a hermit who lives in the woods near the suburban Essex setting, but generally there aren't so many of the big belly laughs of Cold Comfort Farm. This satire is far subtler, relying on icicle wit and sharp observation to lambast conventional morality. lapromesakamilY es sorpresa porque nos encontramos con una novela donde se mezclan mucho mejor de lo esperado la culpa y el castigo, ficción y realidad, una venganza cargada de humor negro: la venganza del arquitecto Modracek por la muerte de su hermana en un interrogatorio y su alter ego investigador el peculiar Dan Kocí alias Stanley Pinkerton, cuya única arma era el flash: “Para cuando usaba el flash la pareja adúltera ya sabía que la diversión se había acabado.” With many people working from home, it's important to look after our mental health in these uncertain times - and a great way to get some headspace is go get some fresh air.La hija de Robert Poste” de Stella Gibbons supuso un bombazo, un espaldarazo a su labor; no en vano, el número de ediciones de esta obra ha crecido gracias a la recomendación casi unánime de sus lectores. Era el éxito que necesitaban para poder llegar a más lectores de lo habitual en estos casos. Why I didn’t like it: I didn’t like the book because it took a long time to find out who caused the fire in the woods. Y para acabar con una de esas sorpresas que a veces te encuentras: “La promesa de Kamil Modracek” del checo Jiri Kratochvil con traducción de Elena Buixaderas, de la que voy a poner los textos que vienen a continuación.