1st Impression on The Stone of Chastity by Margery Sharp

This would be my first book from Furrowed Middlebrow, the imprint of Dean Street Press; one of many more to come! The book I picked is...

The Stone of Chastity by Margery Sharp

Summary:

Entertainingly ridiculous story of an English village turned upside down when a visiting Professor who studies folklore discovers the legend of the Stone of Chastity - a stepping stone in the local stream reputed, according to legend, to trip up impure women.

My first impression:

It's indeed ridiculous! But more of a witty-sarcastic one. No doubt, it would be a criticism against  puritanical society.


About the author, Margery Sharp, who had a pretty name: Clara Margery Melita Sharp, was an English writer, born in 1925. From several books I've found of hers, I noticed that her titles are always intriguing. Like this one: The Stone of Chastity. Or the next book I'm going to read, maybe later this year, The Foolish Gentlewoman. They instantly attract your attention, don't they? There's something charming about them (the titles) that makes you instinctively want to read them.

Well, I am now 60-ish pages through, but, unfortunately, I don't feel absorbed into the book, like I usually do when reading a good book. I haven't met a pleasant character to like yet. Perhaps the Professor is the most interesting one so far, yet I don't really like him. Maybe it's still too early to tell, and I truly hope the story will improve from here.

I decided to keep on reading, because I'm curious of what might happen next. Right now the Professor is distributing surveys about stone of chastity: what do you know about it, where it was located, etc. And I'm curious how this little village Gillenham people will think and react about it. Hilarious things are prone to take place!