Quartet in Autumn (1977) by Barbara Pym #20BooksofSummer2025

🍁 Letty, Marcia, Norman, and Edwin are four early-sixties co-workers who work on the same office. It's not very clear what office that is. I think it's more of a social organization. What kind of work the quartet is doing, I also have no idea. One thing is for sure, they are on the brink of retirement. I believe Pym made their jobs vague on purpose; to emphasize the meaninglessness late middle-aged people might feel in these circumstances. They were there, having their own desk, etc., but with no particular job to do. Like an outcast whom everyone just wait rather impatiently to formally get rid of them. 

🍁 They (and their jobs) are so insignificant, that even the organization won't hire replacements when they're retired. Yet, they are the same as everyone else; they have hopes and fears, searching for happiness, and with a little apprehension about the new life they're about to embark. From the quartet, Letty and Norman are never married. Letty is a kind and caring person, and embraces her independent existence. She was promised to share a country house with her bosom friend, but the friend decided to marry the vicar at the last moment, which threw away Letty's hope. But does she really want that kind of life? Norman is living alone at his bedsitter. He's rather a cranky, eccentric old man, maybe a bit jealous of his friend Edwin, a pious widower, who lives comfortably at his own house. 

🍁 Marcia is the most eccentric of all. She, too, a widower who lives comfortably at her own house - a quite big house with garden. But she's an eccentric miser, who hoards tinned foods and places them neatly on her kitchen cupboards, and keeps her expensive clothes but wears worn ones instead. She and Letty were first to go into retirement, while the two men were still working. The quartet had had a forced intimation during their working together, but strangely, they were closer together right after Marcia and Letty retired. This fact just highlighted the notes of loneliness they all feel - alone, helpless, and insignificant - a feeling that people in sixties and beyond always feel; deeper and deeper until the end.

🍁 In a way, this is not a very cheerful story to read, especially when you are in mid thirties or younger. But for middle-agers like me, it served as a warning, or a glimpse of what to come. It is a little scary, but as it's inevitable, it's better to prepare early, is it not? Back to the story, don't worry, it's not as bleak as it sounds. It's actually rather funny and entertaining, and a happy little twist awaits you on the last corner!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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20 Books of Summer 2025

hosted by Annabel and Emma

Excellent Women (1952) by Barbara Pym #SpinsterSeptember

❤ Spinsters and clergymen seem to always be center in most of Barbara Pym's novels. My first Pym was Some Tame Gazelle, which I found suited my taste. Excellent Women, my last pick of this year's #SpinterSeptember (hosted by @pearjelly_) is no different.

❤ Mildred Lathbury is in her thirties, a spinster, and a clergyman's daughter. She rents a furnished room in a respectable household, and is counted as one of the excellent women of the parish. Excellent women here means the kind of women who perform small but meaningful duties in the service of churches and voluntary organization and are usually taken for granted (especially by men).

❤ The narrow and peaceful existence of Miss Lathbury is about to be thoroughly stirred by the arrival of three strangers: Rockingham (Rocky) and Helena Napier, and the young widow Mrs. Allegra Gray The Napiers live in the downstairs room of the same house where Mildred lives. Rocky is a charming man to whom women used to be drawn to, while Helena is a anthropologist - an interesting career of a woman in the field usually dominated by men, at least in 1950s. Mildred notices from the first that Helena is much more excited to discuss things with her colleague Everard Bone, than to converse with her husband. Her work seems to alienates her husband, who would usually visit Mildred where he expects to be offered a cup of tea or coffee.

❤ Unwittingly, Mildred becomes more involved in others' lives. The Napiers, Everard Bone - whom she disliked at first, but changed her mind when she met him at the church. More so, after he confided to Mildred that he doesn't really care for Helena. Gradually and very subtly Everard Bone attracted Mildred's attention - an awkward meeting at first, then tea, then lunch. I was relieved that Mildred could see Everard's deeper qualities and was immune to Rocky's charm and his casual teasing - not at first, but also not too late. Many inexperienced spinster would fall to Rocky's charm and the seemingly cold Everard.

❤ Other than Rocky and Everard, many people around her have thought she would eventually marry their unmarried vicar, Julian Malory, who lives with his also unmarried sister Winifred at the vicarage. The siblings are Mildred's close friend, and she often visits the vicarage. But then, enter Mrs. Gray - a young beautiful widow - who rent the attic room of the vicarage. It's not a surprise to anyone, perhaps, when Julian announced his engagement to Allegra Gray.

❤ Those two implications, so to speak, disturbed the two spinsters: Mildred and Winifred, rather severely. What will happen next? Will everything come to normal again, or will there be huge changes to their world? Whatever the end will be, it was a witty and gentle read, which is surprisingly quite relevant to our modern time. How many people unjustly suppose that unmarried women always lead an idle and trouble-free life, and thus the perfect end receiving of other married people's burdens?

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym: A Review

"Who would change a comfortable life of spinsterhood in a country parish, which always had its pale curate to be cherished, for the unknown trials of matrimony?"

🔶️ Who, indeed? At least Harriet Bede, a spinster in her fifties, won't. Neither will her older sister, Belinda, also a spinster. They both live peacefully together in a small town in English countryside.

🔶️ Belinda is the quiet, submissive, unassuming one; while, of course, Harriet is her opposite - bold, loud, impulsive. In the usual fashion of a little parish, their existence revolve around the clerical world.

🔶️ Belinda has loved the Archdeacon Hoccleve since their student lives, but the pompous Henry Hoccleve married Agatha, a bishop's daughter, instead. While Harriet.. well, Harriet is always fond of young curates. She seems to never love any man, though regularly receives marriage proposal from Count Ricardo Bianco.

🔶️ There are three important events that set this story. First is the newly arrived curate, a Mr. Donne. As Harriet begins to dote upon him, rumors is circulating that he's to be engaged with Agatha Hoccleve's niece. Another one is when Agatha goes to a German spa. A librarian Doctor Farnell is staying with the Archdeacon, along with his friend, a Mr. Mold. The latter proposes to Harriet, but gets rejected.

🔶️ Then when Agatha returns, she brings a guest, a former acquaintance of the Bedes sisters, now a Bishop of Mbawawa. He, too, seems to pay attention to Harriet - or so Belinda thinks, otherwise why does he always find reason to come to their house?

🔶️ All these times Belinda is always worried lest Harriet accepts one of the proposals, then get married, and she would be left alone. Her own peaceful mind has been already a bit disturbed by Agatha's absent, and when dear Henry (the archdeacon) invites her for supper.

🔶️ All these harmless little incidents had quite stirred Belinda and Harriet's peaceful lives. After all, when one is fifty, one needs stability. A little excitement every now and then is welcomed - a new young curate for instance - but not more complicated than that, thank you!

🔶️ All in all, it is a heartwarming story, sometimes funny (not LOL funny, but enough to make you chuckling); and overall enjoyable, relaxing, and satisfying. Since getting to the age fifty, I started to feel the need of stability myself. Too much excitement is mentally tiring for me, and it tends to lead to depression. And so, I could relate very well to Belinda's feelings.

🔶️ I guess this charming book would be on my perpetual re-read list. Plus it is a perfect remedy for depression!

Rating: 4,5 / 5