Diary of A Profincial Lady (1930) by E.M. Delafield #20BOS26

 

✍🏼 When life is too much for you, this comical book is a perfect getaway for you. It is set in 1930 and is written as a diary of a housewife from an upper middle-class household in Devon village in England. It is an autobiographical account of Delafield's own view of the English upper-classes' eccentricity. The unknown woman writes about everyday's life concerning her household. It consists of her husband Robert, a land agent and a typical husband of the time with his indifferent manner towards the household; their daughter Vicky (6 years old) who's brought up by a French nanny; the older son Robin, who at the start of the novel was sent to a prep school, and would spend holidays at home, creating havocs to the household. There are also a cook and a parlour maid to complete the household.  

✍🏼 The narrator writes about everything she encounters day in day out. From the (trying) visits of two prominent ladies, the snobbish Lady Boxe, and 'our Vicar's wife' who always talk too long - whom the narrator actually is not glad to welcome, but she complies anyway; to the difficulties of parenting (and facing the nanny's whining); the financial struggles of meeting the expenditure with the income (pawnbroker and letters to bank managers and creditors involved); not mentioning the narrator's effort to grow 'the bulbs' (which is more often dissatisfactory). All these the narrator put in diary entries with witty, often sarcastic, and humorous way, especially in her NBs, Queries, and 'Mems' - which is intended to remind her of something important to do. ✍🏼 Besides recording the eccentricity of her peer, the narrator sometimes jotted down her reflection of getting into middle age. She is about thirty-something, and often feels out of fashion, though she tries hard not to. In a way, though separated by a century, the narrator's struggle does not differ very far from our own. Aren't housewives often juggling between childcare, financial management, and social obligation? Of course, social calls become less and less often, but instant messaging and other digital communication have been replacing it, maybe even double in persistency and frequency. Reading this diary reminded me of the bygone era of the 20th century, when human interaction was still the center of our civilization. It is light, witty, and funny, and the voice of Georgina Sutton who narrates the audiobook is perfectly soothing. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel