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Miss Hargreaves

3.28 of 5 stars 3.28 · rating details · 371 ratings · 108 reviews

When Norman Huntley and Henry Beddow, sheltering from the rain in a dismal Irish country church, placate the sexton by telling him that they knew of his beloved pastor (now departed), there is no reason to suppose that there is any harm in the invention. It is purely for their own amusement that they create a fictional mutual friend: an elderly lady, Miss Hargreaves...

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Paperback, 317 pages

Published December 22nd 2009 by Bloomsbury USA (first published 1940)

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May 10, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, british-classic

This book is right up my alley - a Bloomsbury reissue of a lost 1940's British gem. While on vacation in Ireland, friends Norman and Henry amuse themselves by going into a church and find themselves telling them sexton that they know someone who know's the old pastor. An 83 year old woman poet who was the niece of the Duke of Grosvenor with a cockatoo named Dr. Pepusch, a hip bath and a harp… It's all fun and games until she shows up on Norman's doorstep in Cornford England shortly after. Much c...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: england, humor, read-in-2012

"When, on the spur of a moment, Norman Huntley and his friend Henry invent an eighty-three-year-old woman called Miss Hargreaves, they are inspired to mail a letter to their new fictional friend. It is only meant to be a silly, harmless game -- until she arrives on their doorstep. She is, to Norman's utter disbelief, exactly as he had imagined her: eccentric and endlessly astounding. He hadn't imagined, however, how much havoc an imaginary octogenarian could wreak on his sleepy Buckinghamshire t...more

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Jan 16, 2012 John rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Two young men, Norman and Henry, lead fairly uneventful lives in the Thames Valley cathedral city of Cornford. As Miss Hargreaves was first published in 1940, the story presumably takes place not long before. But there is no sense of great and terrible events looming, and almost no sense of any world outside of the quiet town, where Norman works in his father’s bookshop, and sings in the choir of Cornford Cathedral. His friend Henry leads a scarcely more challenging existence, working as he does...more Two young men, Norman and Henry, lead fairly uneventful lives in the Thames Valley cathedral city of Cornford. As Miss Hargreaves was first published in 1940, the story presumably takes place not long before. But there is no sense of great and terrible events looming, and almost no sense of any world outside of the quiet town, where Norman works in his father’s bookshop, and sings in the choir of Cornford Cathedral. His friend Henry leads a scarcely more challenging existence, working as he does in his father’s garage. All in all, the two men lead quiet lives, enlivened by little more than a few pints in their local, a spot of fishing, and Norman’s rather desultory courtship of his girlfriend Marjorie. All seems peaceful and pleasant down there by the Thames.

But this is a novel subtitled “A Fantasy”. (Maybe the generally serene setting and the characters’ tranquil lives were fantastic enough by the time Miss Hargreaves was published -- and that may have also contributed to the book’s success.) Fantasy can mean dreaming, using the imagination, and whimsical speculation. And this novel is nothing if not all about the consequences of doing just that – of “making things up”.

Having the opportunity to take a break from their enjoyable but routine lives, Norman and Henry spend their holidays in Lusk, a village in Northern Ireland. On impulse, Henry drags Norman to the local church to have a look around what looks like a thoroughly undistinguished Victorian building. There they meet the sexton, who insists on giving them a guided tour.

Wanting to do anything to liven up what turns out to be an interminable catalogue of second-rate furnishings and third-rate art, Norman and Henry, on the spur of the moment, pretend that they had heard of the late Vicar, the Reverend Mr Archer. Starting from a narrow base in reality, and the sexton’s manifest enthusiasm, Mr Archer’s daughters and some of their friends are soon invoked. And from there, it all soon spirals out of control. Fiction has entered the young men’s souls. Eventually, Mr Archer’s childhood friend Miss Connie Hargreaves is created, complete with a fictional address in Rutland. Later, the two friends spend a boozy evening making up even more details about Miss Hargreaves, her life and times, her poetry and music, and even her odd assortment of pets. Finally, the next morning, to get the most out of the joke, Norman writes to Miss Hargreaves, telling her about their visit to Lusk church, and inviting her to stay with his family in Cornford whenever she wants to. All Miss Hargreaves has to do is to send a card to say when she is coming.

Back home again, Norman certainly never expected to get a reply.

At the beginning, when he is looking back at the start of it all, Norman remembers some childhood advice that his father had given him: “Always be careful, my boy, what you make up. Life’s more full of things made up on the Spur of the Moment than most people realise. Beware of the Spur of the Moment. It may turn and rend you.” Now with Miss Hargreaves’ impending visit, The “Spur of the Moment” has indeed turned on its prime creator. As the time of Miss Hargreaves’ appearance nears, it is as if she starts to cast shadows before her. A copy of her collection of verses, Wayside Bundle, is discovered in Norman’s father’s bookshop. Norman and Henry had decided that Miss Hargreaves played the harp; and shortly before she is due to turn up on the train a harp is delivered to Norman’s house.

As soon as she arrives, Norman’s visitor cuts a swathe through Cornford. For a few pages, Miss Hargreaves almost becomes a classic farce, with the dialogue sparking and glinting even more than it usually does throughout the entire novel. (It is so easy to imagine Margaret Rutherford in her role in the 1953 stage adaptation tantalisingly mentioned in the Introduction. And the likes of the late Joan Hickson, or the luckily still un-late Annette Crosbie or Patricia Routledge also come to mind as potential future Miss Hargreaveses. You get the idea.) Norman quickly becomes rather proud of his new friend, although for a moment, when “into her eyes fell a steely glint”, he does begin to be conscious of a feeling of fear...

Miss Hargreaves is a witty and comic novel, although it is not generally a comedy, despite its expert forays into it. (Also, for example, the poems quoted from Wayside Bundle are priceless.) There is a definite “edge” to the humour as well, a dark and unsettling undercurrent that contrasts with the calm and totally mundane setting. Norman and Miss Hargreaves soon develop a sort of affectionate respect for each other – but there is also mutual exasperation and the further consequences of the Spur of the Moment. As Miss Hargreaves becomes a part of Cornford society, tensions grow between her and Norman, and he is torn between wanting her to go, and yet being unable to exercise the power that he presumably has in order to get rid of her. For better or worse, Miss Hargreaves has become an unexpected ingredient of Norman’s life, and despite everything, a sad look from her can break his heart.

When Norman does eventually make Miss Hargreaves leave Cornford he immediately regrets it. And when she reappears, unbidden, her need for the society and approval of her creator is as pitiful and heart-rending as it sometimes seems almost parasitic to him. When, after many adventures with Miss Hargreaves, Norman sends her away a second time, it seems that their story has ended at last. Until, several weeks later, Cornford starts to buzz with the news that a Lady Hargreaves is buying and restoring a large house in the city...

The ambiguities in the relationship between Norman and Miss Hargreaves, of creator and creation, are the constant true theme of the novel. The main questions of who actually depends on who, and who is responsible for who, are explored, but rightly are never fully answered, for they are morally complex. Although the creator is theoretically in charge and responsible, he shows himself to be vulnerable, again and again -- both to his own abuse of his power, and to the character that he created. How much of a life Miss Hargreaves really has of her own when she is out of Norman’s presence cannot be determined, but their interdependence, even so, echoes the fruitful ambivalence of the best and most creative art. Those who write fiction can, if they are lucky, testify at least once to a time when a character almost seems to take over, and the author emerges from a writing story with little sense of how it came to be finished. It seems to have been that the characters have been doing the dictating, deciding their own motivations and actions, with the supposed creator only being there to take notes. Successful stories are often the ones that seem to have thus “written themselves” in this way. Yet that can also be a rather unsettling experience for an author, to say the least. The controller doesn’t seem to be in control after all. So imagine the sense of powerlessness and unease when it isn’t merely a character in a story taking on a life of its own, but an apparently real flesh-and-blood person, notwithstanding that it is one sprung from the half-shell of the mind!

Glen Cavaliero’s Introduction gives a valuable overview of Frank Baker’s life and work, and many insights, as well as putting Miss Hargreaves into its context. Cavaliero rightly says that Miss Hargreaves has taken on her share of immortality. And as ever, Tartarus Press puts out a top-quality product. The publishers have even reproduced Baker’s brief Note at the beginning of the novel, in which he insists, on doubtful grounds, that “Hargreaves” should be pronounced “Hargrayves”. On that basis, Miss Hargreaves is certainly a superb “rayd”! But the author’s decision is final – isn’t it?
(less)

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Apr 13, 2011 THE rated it 2 of 5 stars

Behold a work of relentless mediocrity. This novel is charmingly written with more than enough saccharine that while it may not be cloying, will certainly sate one's taste for such confections. MISS HARGREAVES is part of the Bloombury Group's set of reprinted "early" 20th-century British novels that have disappeared and been swept aside into the dustbin of history. This 1939 volume was a popular prewar novel displaying the dubious literary talents of organist, actor, BBC editor, and author Frank...more

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Feb 12, 2010 Nicola rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, own

Reason for Reading: I love British literature written during the first half of the 20th century and all the books reprinted in The Bloomsbury Group sound delightful.

Summary: Norman Huntley and his friend Henry are visiting an old church and while speaking to the keeper, on a lark, they invent an eighty-plus old woman, Miss Hargreaves, giving her quite an eccentric character, a cockatoo, and a bath she takes with her everywhere. Still having a good laugh they write a letter to this fictional char...more Reason for Reading: I love British literature written during the first half of the 20th century and all the books reprinted in The Bloomsbury Group sound delightful.

Summary: Norman Huntley and his friend Henry are visiting an old church and while speaking to the keeper, on a lark, they invent an eighty-plus old woman, Miss Hargreaves, giving her quite an eccentric character, a cockatoo, and a bath she takes with her everywhere. Still having a good laugh they write a letter to this fictional character at the hotel where they've got her staying on her travels. The lark takes a downward spiral when they receive a reply back and shortly afterwards Miss Hargreaves arrives in the village complete with cockatoo and bath. She latches onto Norman like a dear, long lost friend and Norman's once sedate life as choir member, organist and bookstore helper turns upside down with the havoc created by the imaginary but very real Miss Hargreaves.

Comments: This book is simply put, a pure delight! Though written in 1940, the story is set sometime prior WWII and with an offhand remark about WWI we can surmise the story takes place in the 1920s or early 30s. The wonderful British village life filled with a variety of characters is a joyful story. Miss Hargreaves is a most eccentric character and her appearance turns the conventions of the town topsy-turvy. She descends upon Norman and completely takes over his life with her devotion. Creating episode after episode within the village and church community Baker's novel starts off as a hilarious farce. But when Norman can't take it anymore, close to losing his girlfriend, he tells Miss Hargreaves he's done with her and she can do as she like. This causes Miss H. to disappear for some weeks and Norman realizes that he's become a bit fond of the old girl. When Hargreaves returns she's not the woman she was before, she snubs Norman, puts on airs and her former escapades are completely forgotten as she becomes the new centre of the village's society.

Norman and Miss Hargreaves's relationship is a wonderful story. I often felt it compared to that of a parent and a child, with Norman taking the parental role since he 'created' Miss Hargreaves. Miss H. starts off as the doting child thinking Norman is the centre of her universe then after an argument she turns into the defiant teenager who ignores Norman and does what she wants. At this point Norman realizes the feelings he has for Miss H. are genuine and he loves her as a parent; he tries to make her see reason and is forever turned away, banging his head against a wall, and yet he keeps returning for more as his love is coupled with responsibility. While the story is filled with whimsy, there are also to be found great moments of pathos and the ending will tug at your heart strings.

Both Norman and Miss Hargreaves are astounding characters. While they appear to be at odds for the majority of the book, there are profound moments that they share together sometimes through speech and other times simply through a shared look. They are very compelling characters not soon to be forgotten. The secondary characters are also full of life from Norman's little sister Jim, who taunts him frequently, to the church's righteous Dean, who is a bit too full of himself, to Norman's scatterbrained bookstore owner father, to Henry, the one who helped Norman create Miss Hargreaves yet can't quite believe it isn't all some trick.

A delightful book, highly recommended to fans of British cozies. The author wrote fifteen novels and I certainly wouldn't mind trying another.(less)

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Jun 03, 2011 Petra X rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Do you know this nursery rhyme? Almost certainly you know the first verse,

Yesterday upon the stair
I met a man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
Oh, how I wish he’d go away

But may not know the second,

When I came home last night at three
The man was waiting there for me
But when I looked around the hall
I couldn’t see him there at all!
Go away, go away, don’t you come back any more!
Go away, go away, and please don’t slam the door.

(Antigonish by William Hughes Mearns)

This book is exactly about...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Jessi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Summary: When Norman Huntley, and his friend, Henry, invent an 83 year old woman, called Mrs. Hargreaves, they are inspired to write to their fictional friend. The silly, harmless, game turns out not to be such, when she arrives on their doorstep, in Buckinghamshire, exactly as he imagined her.

Tone: Withdrawn, Sinister, Melancholy
Setting: England, Buckinghamshire, Ireland, Lusk, Clastrophobic, dark
Characters: Quirky, Eccentric, Conceited
Language: First Person, Out-dated, Antiquated

First Line: "...more

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Sep 17, 2010 Jodi rated it 1 of 5 stars

I actually bought this book because the premise sounded so cute. The protagonist and his buddy make up this old woman and out of general hilarity wrote a letter to her and send it. They are shocked when somehow their actions have actually created a real person, Miss Hargreaves. It is amazing with such an original plot device, Baker manages to create such a stinker. I ended up just skimming the last half of the book, it was so annoying. All the characters were obnoxious and not a single one was b...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

Don’t you just love it when a novel someone has recommended lives up to expectations? This is a wonderful novel. It's an absolute joy from beginning to end. Miss Hargreaves (pronounced Hargrayves) is one of the most incredible creations you are likely to meet in any novel – and I use the word creation quite deliberately. For the narrator, Norman Huntley, invents the elderly and eccentric Miss Connie Hargreaves, and no-one is more horrified than he when she turns up in his home town just as he im...more

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Apr 11, 2010 Catherine Siemann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While on vacation in Ireland, Norman Huntley and his friend Henry find themselves inventing a friend -- an eccentric but charming elderly lady called Miss Hargreaves. To keep the joke going, they post her a letter . . . and to Norman's great surprise, he gets a reply . . . and a visit . . . as his imaginary friend comes to life.

When I read the description of this book at the back of another of the Bloomsbury Group early 20th century reprint series, I was thoroughly taken by the idea, and indeed,...more

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Feb 08, 2011 Esther rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic

This is an odd one - hence the three stars - those are for refreshing oddness. I was expecting something different, so this came out of left field for me, and I liked that. This reprinting of old classics is a fabulous idea - when I think of all the great books that have gone extinct!! Ahhh!! It makes me haunt the second-hand bookshops, feverishly hoping I'll catch some old treasures before they slip through my fingers. (I've got more of the Bloomsbury Group in my sights.) In a little serendipit...more

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May 27, 2010 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative-fiction

Browsing at my local independent bookseller, I came across The Bloomsbury Group books and I bought 5 of the 6 they've published so far, including this book. Similar to the Virago books, these are republished out-of-print books, although not just by women. "A new library of books from the early twentieth century chosen by readers for readers."

Norman, a young man with a vivid imagination, is prone to making up wild stories "on the Spur of the Moment" whe he is in a tight spot. His father warns hi...more

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Oct 20, 2010 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars

A wonderful little gem by Frank Baker, who also wrote the original story, The Birds, which preceded DuMaurier's work by 30 years, and for which Mr. Baker sadly received no credit when the Hitchcock film was made.
Norman Huntley and his friend Henry Beddow are traveling in Ireland when they visit a country church and make up a story about a "dear friend" of a past clergy member there. They name her "Miss Hargreaves," and equip her with personality traits, pets, and a long history of friendship wi...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Lucy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a typical British "whimsy" from 1940. It has the charm of a Miss Marple in that it takes place in a small English village where the townspeople have idiosyncrasies that only the English seem to be so capable of creating. The narrator, Norman, has a vivid imagination. Perhaps too vivid for his own good. He "creates" Miss Hargreaves as a lark, only to have her turn up possessing all the attributes he fabricated for her. When she takes on a threatening tone, he wonders what he has wrought....more

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Dec 29, 2009 Christy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Delightful jeu d'esprit new from the Bloomsbury Group! Norman Huntley is an organist in a small cathedral town who finds that his imaginative response to the "spur of the moment" have taken a frightening turn when he and his friend Henry become the unwitting creators of a woman named Miss Hargreaves, first in jocular conversation, then in the flesh. But who is the haunter and who is the haunted? Miss Hargreaves is everywhere! and Norman realizes that he no longer has control of the situation.

A...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really thought that I was going to like this book. England post WWI, village setting, charming concept - two young men invent an old lady and tell someone about her. And she arrives in their village and proceeds to wreak havoc. The synopsis makes it sound funny and charming and mysterious. It is not funny or charming at ALL. It is stressful and unpleasant and every single character in the novel is unsympathetic. The beginning and the end of the book show a bit of promise, but the entire middle...more

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Feb 08, 2011 Bunnyhugger1 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, classics, reviews

Wonderful! I haven't enjoyed a novel this much in a long time. Published in 1940, (but clearly set some years before WWII), the story unfolds in a small cathedral town in Buckinghamshire, England. As a prank, Norman and his friend invent a fictional old lady, the titular Miss Hargreaves (correct pronunciation Hargrayves), only to discover that they have unwittingly brought her to life. The narrator is absolutely hilarious as he relates his attempts to deal with the situation (not to mention his...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Tiffany rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nancypearlsuggests

A charming, charming book.

While on vacation, Norman Huntley and his friend Henry Beddow make up a story about an 83-year-old woman Norman supposedly knows, named Miss Hargreaves. They *make up* the story. She doesn't exist. They have a good laugh at their joke, adding extravagant details, and even going so far as to write a letter to Miss Hargreaves. Then their vacation ends, and they think no more of it.

So imagine their surprise when Norman receives a letter *from Miss Hargreaves*. The woman w...more

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May 16, 2013 Dianne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

Miss Constance Hargreaves, poet, is a figment of the imaginations of Norman and Henry, two young Englishmen who are lifelong friends and who like to invent harmless histories to make themselves appear well connected and knowledgeable and help them gain admittance where they might otherwise be shut out. Completely caught up in the story they'd concocted about her Norman sent off a tongue-in-cheek note to Miss Hargreaves expressing their warm regards and inviting her to come for a visit.

The troubl...more Miss Constance Hargreaves, poet, is a figment of the imaginations of Norman and Henry, two young Englishmen who are lifelong friends and who like to invent harmless histories to make themselves appear well connected and knowledgeable and help them gain admittance where they might otherwise be shut out. Completely caught up in the story they'd concocted about her Norman sent off a tongue-in-cheek note to Miss Hargreaves expressing their warm regards and inviting her to come for a visit.

The trouble started when they received a reply. They decided someone was just messing with them, but then a book of Constance Hargreaves verses turned up in Norman's father's bookshop. It was an old, well-used volume, one that couldn't have been recently put together and planted there by a practical joker. All of this is impossible of course, and yet there she was arriving on a train, a living, breathing human being, an eccentric old woman greeting Norman as a dear friend and causing him to question his own grasp on reality.

The complications for Norman were endless. He had to find a way to explain her presence in his life - to his girlfriend, his family, his friends and his employers, all of whom were soon worrying about his mental state. Things got more and more difficult until his life was completely going off the rails and he knew he would have to do something desperate to get it back. I'll leave it to you to read how he solves his dilemma.

It is such a treat to find a book with a plot that is completely fresh and new, unlike anything you've ever read before. It's a rare thing - let's face it, most stories have been told over and over again - so when an unusual one comes along it's a nice surprise. This was a new one to me, this tale of an imaginary character coming to life. I would have enjoyed it for the novelty alone but happily it also had pretty good writing.

There were interesting characters too. Miss Hargreaves is as quirky a character as you'll ever find. You love her, then hate her, then feel sorry for her, then love her again; the one thing I don't think I'll ever do is forget her. Norman's father is annoying and adorable, fascinating and monotonous. Norman himself is basically a regular guy, a decent guy, but one whose overactive imagination is about to become his downfall. There were a couple of times when I wanted to shake him for doing obviously dumb things that would make things worse and I wondered why the authour put those things in, but in the end I think they made Norman more relatable. He's an intelligent guy, a talented classical musician who might have seemed out of reach if he hadn't shown those moments of poor judgement.

This is an older book, first published in 1940 and is one of several early twentieth century books republished for the modern reader by The Bloomsbury Group. Other titles include "Henrietta's War", "Love's Shadow", "Mrs. Tim of The Regiment", and "The Bronte's Went To Woolworths". I haven't read any of those, but this one is a satisfying story, worth your time and I do recommend it. (less)

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Mar 21, 2011 Mona rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 20th-century-lit, ireland, literature, fantasy, small-press-nyrb-persephone-virago

Confession: I make up people all the time. I've been doing it for several years now, since I was a little kid. I don't remember when it started and I can't seem to stop. It's too addicting, and most of the time, it seems harmless enough.

Until I read this book, madness was the one side effect of creating people that I could imagine. But what if a made-up person somehow became a reality? That sounds like madness too, right? Yet, as humorous as this book could be, at times it was downright freaky...more

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Jun 26, 2010 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another Bloomsbury book! I liked this one better; it has a rather Jeeves and Wooster sensibility about it, which is NOT my favorite thing, but there is also a dreamlike quality about the novel which is quite appealing.

The wretched protagonist, Norman, is a cheerful young man who is unfortunately prone to making up stories; his stories are always awash with a wealth of trivial detail. But sometimes, he goes too far. In a horrid little church in Ireland, Norman and his friend Henry, chatting up t...more

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Mar 12, 2011 Ronda Jean rated it 4 of 5 stars

Be careful what you say in jest! Just ask Norman Huntley! While on a vacation in Ireland, Norman and his friend Henry invent a fictional 83 year old woman by the name of Miss Hargreaves and even go so far as to post a letter to her. What they took as a silly lark quickly shifted when Miss Hargreaves arrived at their doorstep, turning their lives and all of the village of Comford upside down. This charming book first published in 1940 has a fairytale-like quality and was great fun to read.

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Sep 15, 2011 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Truly one of the most unusual books I've ever read. A young man and his friend make up a story about a woman and, to their surprise, she appears on their doorstep! I didn't think I wanted to finish it, so about half way through I started reading it from the back. When I couldn't decide where to end, I gave up and started reading again, finishing it tonight. Sometimes I need to be stretched as a reader, and I don't regret reading it from beginning to end.

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Jan 05, 2013 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is an older book, written in the 1930's by a British author. It's rather quirky, drolly funny and a bit sad. It was hard getting used to unfamiliar terms that were used at the time and, I presume, mainly in England. I almost put it down a couple of times, but stuck with it as I was enjoyed it and wanted to find out what happened. I'm not I know, even now, how to explain it. But it does go into what happens when imagination turns into reality - or does it?

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Sep 10, 2010 Chris rated it 2 of 5 stars

Whimsical early 20th century British novel about a man who invents an 83 year old woman - the eponymous Miss Hargreaves - who then comes to life and wreaks havoc with his simple town life.

I think I could have liked this so much better if I liked the characters at all, but I found them aggravating and unsympathetic. The story was also a little too slow for me. I am, however, eager to read the other books that come out of this imprint.

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Sep 18, 2010 Aubrey rated it 4 of 5 stars

I heard about this book on NPR and was curious. The premise seemed cute and entertaining and it proved itself to be just that with a little more thought put into it than I had expected.

The story begins when the narrator, Norman, finds himself, in a grumpy mood on a rainy day, pretending he has a connection to someone mentioned to him through a friend he makes up on the spur of the moment. It is when this "friend" writes to him and appears on his doorstep, that he first stops to consider what he...more

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Dec 21, 2010 J. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Like most any Nancy Pearl recommendation, worth reading. A great premise, the creation of a "real person" out of what you tell people, that bogs down in the middle of the book with Norman's continual complaining. After all, since he created and controls Miss Hargreaves, he could have worked himself out of his troubles with some careful thinking. Still it ends on a wistful and charming note.

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Oct 25, 2010 Virginia Brace rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction

This is a British story from the 1900's that has been reissued. I like the humor. Norman and his friend make up Miss Hargreaves and are so delighted with their game that they embellish her and even send a letter to her! How surprised they are when she says she is coming to visit! What a character they have created. Is she real? What will they do now that she is among them?

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Aug 12, 2011 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 18, 2010 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really liked this book in the beginning, as it reminded me of times when I was younger and, in a fit of boredom, made up stories with a friend. What would have happened if what we created came true? This book explores what happens to a young man (and a whole town) when he and a friend innocently make up Miss Hargreaves. (Note: if it were not for the drinking and some mild bad language, this book may have been appropriate for kids.) The book is very creative. Unfortunately, the middle half beca...more

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About Frank Baker

Frank Baker was born in Hornsey, London in 1908. He was educated at Winchester Cathedral School, where he enjoyed singing in Cathedral choir. He seems to have inherited a love of music from his grandfather who played the organ at Alexandra Palace. As a young man Frank went into his father's business of marine insurance in the City of London, before leaving after five years to spend a year working...more Frank Baker was born in Hornsey, London in 1908. He was educated at Winchester Cathedral School, where he enjoyed singing in Cathedral choir. He seems to have inherited a love of music from his grandfather who played the organ at Alexandra Palace. As a young man Frank went into his father's business of marine insurance in the City of London, before leaving after five years to spend a year working at the School of Church Music. With £20 and a small piano he moved from London to Cornwall, and settled in a cottage at St. Just-in-Penwith, earning £1 a week as an organist. There he began to write. His first novel, 'The Twisted Tree' was published in 1935.

Over his life Frank Baker published a series of novels and short stories as well as articles in journals such as the Guardian, Radio Times and Life and Letters. Frank's second novel was 'The Birds' published in 1936. This novel was published before the short story of the same name by Daphne Du Maurier, and before the 1963 movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Although Frank's book had a similar premise and story, Frank was advised not to pursue costly litigation against Universal Studios. The affair led to an interesting correspondence with Du Maurier, and eventually to publication of a popular paperback edition of Frank's novel.

In addition to writing, Frank Baker continued to play both piano and organ, and especially enjoyed playing at the parish church at St Hilary in West Cornwall, where he developed a close friendship with Father Bernard Walke, author of the celebrated biography 'Twenty Years At St Hilary'. Here Frank and Bernard produced the first religious plays to be performed live on BBC Radio.

Frank's third novel, 'Miss Hargreaves', was the most successful. It was republished several times and was also produced as a play in 1952 at the Royal Court Theatre Club in London, with Dame Margaret Rutherford in the starring role. Frank wrote a radio adaptation of the novel which was broadcast in the 1950s, and much later a second adaptation was written by Brian Sibley and broadcast in 1989, six years after Frank's death. For a while Frank became a professional actor. During the Second World War Frank he toured with Dame Sybil Thorndike and Lewis Casson (whom he understudied) and Paul Scofield, and they played throughout the UK. At this time he met Kathleen Lloyd whom he married in 1943. They were to have three children together, Jonathan, Llewellyn and Jospehine. After they first met, they lived together in Hampstead, and for 18 months Frank worked as the pianst for the Player's Theatre with performers Leonard Sachs, Hattie Jaques and others.

After the Player's Theatre the family returned to live in Mevagissey in Cornwall, for around 5 years. Frank later lived in Surrey before returning to Cornwall, and a home near the village of Goldsithney. Later he moved to Cardiff. During these years he edited scripts and wrote plays for the BBC, and continued to publish fiction. In 1969-1970 he spent some time in the USA and was Artist-in-Residence at the University in Oklahoma.

Frank was drawn back to Cornwall again and again, and eventually he and Kathleen finally settled in Porthleven. Both Frank's daughters, and many of his nine grand children, were born in Cornwall, a county which inspired him throughout his life.

Frank died of cancer in 1983 at the family home, 'Bay Ridge', in Porthleven.(less)

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Quotes from Miss Hargreaves

“Always be careful, my boy, what you make up. Life's more full of things made up on the Spur of the Moment than most people realize. Beware of the Spur of the Moment. It may turn and rend you.” — 4 people liked it

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