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Extraños viajes
Polly Wilkinson es un ama de casa que vive en una zona suburbial de Londres con su marido, un oficinista, y sus dos hijos pequeños, un niño y una niña. No está descontenta con su vida pero el cine (sobre todo el actor Ronald Colman) y las novelas románticas la tienen bastante cautivada. Un día, desde la verja de su pequeño jardín, ve pasar a una dama en un Rolls-Royce y siente el repentino «deseo de estar en su lugar». Poco después, después de un pequeño mareo, se encuentra en un amplio y lujoso salón que no es el suyo y dentro de un cuerpo refinadamente vestido que tampoco es el suyo, sino el de lady Elizabeth Forrester, una dama de la alta sociedad casada con un comandante retirado que probablemente le es infiel. Proyectada a un mundo totalmente desconocido (cenas con caviar, grandiosas casas de campo con innumerables sirvientes, partidas de caza, compañías muy encumbradas y a veces muy frívolas), causa equívocos constantes de los que no siempre sale airosa. Pero lo más extraordinario de todo es que, cuando consigue regresar a su vida de siempre, se da cuenta de que, en el tiempo en que ha estado «ausente», lady Elizabeth ha ocupado su lugar y se ha encargado de su casa, su marido y sus hijos. Los intercambios entre una y otra se van repitiendo sin que ninguna de las dos sepa cómo evitarlos y, por supuesto, afectarán notablemente a la vida y el entorno de ambas. Extraños viajes (1935) de Maud Cairnes, ligera, amable y sin la menor animosidad, es una comedia social sobre lo que une y desune a dos mujeres que nunca habrían tenido una relación en circunstancias normales y sobre lo que cada una puede aprender de la otra.
215 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1935
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413 people want to read
About the author
Maud Cairnes
1 book1 followerMaud Cairnes was the nom-de-plume of Lady Maud Kathleen Cairnes Plantagenet Hastings Curzon-Herrick.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
September 4, 2022
A thoroughly enjoyable 1930's body swap comedy. It was the perfect book for a relaxed Sunday, and I read the whole thing in one sitting.
November 6, 2025
Imagina que te da un mareo y cuando se disipa la neblina descubres que no estás en tu cama, ni en tu casa. Es más; esta ropa no es la tuya, ni las manos lo son y el reflejo en el espejo te es completamente ajeno. Has pasado —sin explicación alguna— a habitar la vida de otra mujer. Pero lo curioso es que no se trata de un mundo paralelo ni de una realidad alternativa: mientras tú vives en su piel, tu cuerpo sigue allí, en tu casa, y la vida continúa sin ti. ¿Qué estará ocurriendo mientras tanto? ¿Con qué te encontrarás cuando regreses? ¿Y si no regresas?
Eso es lo que le sucede a Polly, la protagonista de Extraños viajes, una novela encantadora y muy divertida que mezcla fantasía ligera con comedia social de la mejor tradición británica. De pronto, una mujer de clase media se ve de golpe en un entorno de alta sociedad, rodeada de modales refinados, cenas elegantes y normas que desconoce por completo. Sus intentos por comportarse “correctamente” dan lugar a escenas tan torpes como irresistibles, llenas de humor, ironía y observaciones deliciosas sobre las costumbres y las apariencias.
Maud Cairnes pone una mirada divertida y ligera sobre las diferencias de clase, los prejuicios y la curiosa sensación de ver tu propia vida desde fuera. Sin necesidad de dramatismos, convierte una situación fantástica en un espejo de lo cotidiano: cómo nos vemos, cómo nos juzgan, y qué pasa cuando nos ponemos en los zapatos de otra persona. Te encontrarás sonriendo sin darte cuenta, disfrutando del contraste entre dos mujeres que aprenden más sobre sí mismas al vivir, por accidente, la existencia de la otra.
Es de esas lecturas que no buscan grandes dramas ni misterios imposibles, sino el placer de un rato amable, ingenioso y ligeramente absurdo, perfecto para acompañar una tarde tranquila con té (o vino, según el día). Una pequeña joya redescubierta que demuestra que los viajes más extraños no siempre requieren ir muy lejos: a veces basta con despertar en el cuerpo equivocado. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4,0/5)
Eso es lo que le sucede a Polly, la protagonista de Extraños viajes, una novela encantadora y muy divertida que mezcla fantasía ligera con comedia social de la mejor tradición británica. De pronto, una mujer de clase media se ve de golpe en un entorno de alta sociedad, rodeada de modales refinados, cenas elegantes y normas que desconoce por completo. Sus intentos por comportarse “correctamente” dan lugar a escenas tan torpes como irresistibles, llenas de humor, ironía y observaciones deliciosas sobre las costumbres y las apariencias.
Maud Cairnes pone una mirada divertida y ligera sobre las diferencias de clase, los prejuicios y la curiosa sensación de ver tu propia vida desde fuera. Sin necesidad de dramatismos, convierte una situación fantástica en un espejo de lo cotidiano: cómo nos vemos, cómo nos juzgan, y qué pasa cuando nos ponemos en los zapatos de otra persona. Te encontrarás sonriendo sin darte cuenta, disfrutando del contraste entre dos mujeres que aprenden más sobre sí mismas al vivir, por accidente, la existencia de la otra.
Es de esas lecturas que no buscan grandes dramas ni misterios imposibles, sino el placer de un rato amable, ingenioso y ligeramente absurdo, perfecto para acompañar una tarde tranquila con té (o vino, según el día). Una pequeña joya redescubierta que demuestra que los viajes más extraños no siempre requieren ir muy lejos: a veces basta con despertar en el cuerpo equivocado. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4,0/5)
May 27, 2025
Muy divertida.
March 27, 2022
A fascinating example of what I think of as "domestic sci-fi," very much in the realm of Frank Baker's Miss Hargreaves. If you like the idea of fantastical happenings but still enjoy keeping your feet firmly planted in the polite world of drawing rooms and house parties, this 1930's body-swapping tale of two women from different social classes is for you.
It's neither overly comedic nor dramatic, but treads a nice middle ground. I read it in one sitting.
Newly republished this month (March 2022) and also available on Kindle Unlimited.
Fun quote:
Foley put me into an evening dress made of black velvet that showed a lot of back. It seemed rather plain to me, I looked very slim and straight in it. She then opened a big jewel case in which there were several tiers. I thought it looked like a real treasure chest, when I saw brooches and necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings, all in velvet compartments. I just stared. Late for dinner or not, I had no intention of hurrying over my choice. I took a sort of collar of emeralds and diamonds, and put it round my neck; it looked wonderful. Then I found some emerald and diamond earrings, long ones, and some bangles; I put on two or three of these and a big diamond brooch like a spray, that cheered up the dress a lot.
Then I saw the pearls--three long ropes of them--and one shorter one. I put the ropes on and looked happily at my reflection in the mirror.
"I think I want something on my head now," said I, wondering if it was a grand enough party for a tiara.
Foley, who had been looking rather stunned, smiled respectfully as though I had made a joke. I gathered that it was not a tiara occasion.
It's neither overly comedic nor dramatic, but treads a nice middle ground. I read it in one sitting.
Newly republished this month (March 2022) and also available on Kindle Unlimited.
Fun quote:
Foley put me into an evening dress made of black velvet that showed a lot of back. It seemed rather plain to me, I looked very slim and straight in it. She then opened a big jewel case in which there were several tiers. I thought it looked like a real treasure chest, when I saw brooches and necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings, all in velvet compartments. I just stared. Late for dinner or not, I had no intention of hurrying over my choice. I took a sort of collar of emeralds and diamonds, and put it round my neck; it looked wonderful. Then I found some emerald and diamond earrings, long ones, and some bangles; I put on two or three of these and a big diamond brooch like a spray, that cheered up the dress a lot.
Then I saw the pearls--three long ropes of them--and one shorter one. I put the ropes on and looked happily at my reflection in the mirror.
"I think I want something on my head now," said I, wondering if it was a grand enough party for a tiara.
Foley, who had been looking rather stunned, smiled respectfully as though I had made a joke. I gathered that it was not a tiara occasion.
January 31, 2023
Marketed as a bod-swap comedy, I found it less Freaky Friday and more like a swap between a commentary on the divide between Cora Crawley from Downton Abbey and one of the stay at home moms from her village.
I saw this book as commentary on the divide between the social classes and the changing nature of domestic "help" post WWI. The situations in which Polly found herself to be in both nail biting yet they enabled to become a more confident version of herself than she felt she could in her own life.
While this wasn't my favorite book in the British Library Women Writers line, I still enjoyed it for what it was.
I saw this book as commentary on the divide between the social classes and the changing nature of domestic "help" post WWI. The situations in which Polly found herself to be in both nail biting yet they enabled to become a more confident version of herself than she felt she could in her own life.
While this wasn't my favorite book in the British Library Women Writers line, I still enjoyed it for what it was.
May 20, 2022
This is a 1935 novel that is not so much about a journey as an uncanny swap - two women swap lives, families and situations in a unique way. Gloriously reprinted in the British Library Women Writers series with contextual introductions and afterword, this is a novel which achieves so much in its relatively short length, and I found it fascinating. The idea is that two women, different in personality, class and virtually every way, unexpectedly inhabit each other’s bodies for short times. Thus it is not a change that anyone else notices, physically at least, so both Polly and Elizabeth have to improvise rapidly. It happens without warning for short periods at different times, so the potential for confusion is always there, not to mention actual danger in at least one one case. This book is set in its own time context, so it provides a fascinating insight into women’s lives in the mid 1930s, as without being overly melodramatic it shows the differences in each woman’s lifestyle. It is written in a completely naturalistic way; as Polly tries to find her way around a huge country house, and the more socially confident Lady Elizabeth deals with Polly’s situation. I really enjoyed the writing, the details of daily life, and the ways both women tried to deal with a situation that they could not reveal to anyone. For a first novel it is remarkably assured, and I was very pleased to have the opportunity to read and review it.
Polly narrates the novel; she describes how a short feeling of dizziness results in her finding herself in another woman’s body. Polly is a happily married wife to Tom, mother to two small children. Her family could be described as middle class, they live in an ordinary house in London with two servants and Tom works full time. They have a modest income; Polly does not need to have paid work and there is money for most things. The woman she appears to be on a temporary basis is titled in her own right, with a large country house and very comfortable lifestyle and extensive social circle. Her marriage to Gerald is not happy; indeed he seems to be enjoying an extended “flirtation” with at least one woman known to Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s reactions to the shape shifting are not known to Polly or the reader, and Polly comes to believe that Elizabeth is causing the changes. Certainly they seem to happen when Polly is enjoying her own life, and can result in her having to deal with difficulties such as riding a large horse or encountering famous speakers and musicians. It is a book of its time, with smoking and hunting being acceptable past times, and there is a certain embarrassment in realising that they are encountering each other’s husbands who are completely unaware that their wives are different.
I found this book so interesting because of its low key acceptance of an enormous situation. There are some funny incidents and many revealing descriptions of the minutiae of both women’s lives; Polly is a spirited narrator who partly enjoys the comfortable lifestyle and the contact with people she has only glimpsed in newspapers and magazines, but it is combined with the fear of making revealing errors or being labelled as mentally disturbed, though this is not in any way a traumatic novel. Rather there are mixed feelings about Tom and the mysterious Gerald and the children, as Elizabeth has none yet is catapulted into looking after Polly’s two. This is a lovely novel of social history as it was written very much as a contemporary piece, which makes the reader as confused as Polly sometimes is, as expectations of women have certainly changed in many ways. This is an entertaining read, an intriguing read, and a fantastic account of women’s lives in the 1930s which I heartily recommend.
Polly narrates the novel; she describes how a short feeling of dizziness results in her finding herself in another woman’s body. Polly is a happily married wife to Tom, mother to two small children. Her family could be described as middle class, they live in an ordinary house in London with two servants and Tom works full time. They have a modest income; Polly does not need to have paid work and there is money for most things. The woman she appears to be on a temporary basis is titled in her own right, with a large country house and very comfortable lifestyle and extensive social circle. Her marriage to Gerald is not happy; indeed he seems to be enjoying an extended “flirtation” with at least one woman known to Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s reactions to the shape shifting are not known to Polly or the reader, and Polly comes to believe that Elizabeth is causing the changes. Certainly they seem to happen when Polly is enjoying her own life, and can result in her having to deal with difficulties such as riding a large horse or encountering famous speakers and musicians. It is a book of its time, with smoking and hunting being acceptable past times, and there is a certain embarrassment in realising that they are encountering each other’s husbands who are completely unaware that their wives are different.
I found this book so interesting because of its low key acceptance of an enormous situation. There are some funny incidents and many revealing descriptions of the minutiae of both women’s lives; Polly is a spirited narrator who partly enjoys the comfortable lifestyle and the contact with people she has only glimpsed in newspapers and magazines, but it is combined with the fear of making revealing errors or being labelled as mentally disturbed, though this is not in any way a traumatic novel. Rather there are mixed feelings about Tom and the mysterious Gerald and the children, as Elizabeth has none yet is catapulted into looking after Polly’s two. This is a lovely novel of social history as it was written very much as a contemporary piece, which makes the reader as confused as Polly sometimes is, as expectations of women have certainly changed in many ways. This is an entertaining read, an intriguing read, and a fantastic account of women’s lives in the 1930s which I heartily recommend.
November 14, 2022
3.5 rounded up.
This novel from the 1930s is like drinking fizzy lemonade*; it's not filling, but it's rather fun and very British.
*I've never actually drunk "fizzy lemonade" in my life, but I very much associate the phrase with the setting and time period of this book.
This novel from the 1930s is like drinking fizzy lemonade*; it's not filling, but it's rather fun and very British.
*I've never actually drunk "fizzy lemonade" in my life, but I very much associate the phrase with the setting and time period of this book.
March 4, 2025
No conocía a la autora, Alba es una editorial que siempre me sorprende y muy de mi gusto lector. Maud Cairnes combina magistralmente la historia con las reflexiones que aborda. Una crítica a los roles de género tradicionales, a las expectativas que se imponen a las mujeres. El autoengaño como herramienta para sobrevivir, Polly y Lady Elizabeth están convencidas de que son felices, los lectores descubrimos que no, lo único que hacen es parchear su existencia. Otro tema que trata es la búsqueda de la identidad, Polly ya no es aquella mujer que fue antes de casarse, ni los meses sucesivos antes de ser madre, ahí llegó el punto de inflexión y se desdibujó su silueta convirtiéndose en un ser complaciente para cubrir las necesidades del resto. Es triste, pero esta novela escrita en 1935, recrea la vida de muchas amas de casa, una novela de rabiosa actualidad.
Esta novela no es la historia de amor de Tom y Polly Wilkinson, sino el testimonio de una experiencia extraordinario que Mary, conocida como Polly, narra en primera persona y nos soltará alguna risa, sonrisa e incluso incomodará, porque la autora, entre broma y broma, pone el dedo sobre la condición de la mujer, pero sobre todo en una idea, como esta se autoengaña para seguir llevando su existencia.
¡Feliz lectura!
Más en mi blog
Esta novela no es la historia de amor de Tom y Polly Wilkinson, sino el testimonio de una experiencia extraordinario que Mary, conocida como Polly, narra en primera persona y nos soltará alguna risa, sonrisa e incluso incomodará, porque la autora, entre broma y broma, pone el dedo sobre la condición de la mujer, pero sobre todo en una idea, como esta se autoengaña para seguir llevando su existencia.
¡Feliz lectura!
Más en mi blog
August 8, 2022
I enjoyed this body-swapping novel from 1935. The fantastic element - how these two women end up trading places for short periods of time - is not as central of a theme as class differences, women’s lives, and family relationships. It’s a short, quirky read and I’m delighted it was reprinted in 2022 as part of the British Library Women Writers series.
August 1, 2024
Have you ever wished you could trade places with a stranger?
One afternoon in late September, Polly Wilkinson is leaning on the fence outside of her suburban home when a Rolls Royce passes on the road, and she catches sight of a woman sitting inside.
A week later, after a dizzy spell, she finds herself in a room she doesn’t recognize, and—more worrying—in a body she doesn’t recognize.
What is fairly obvious to the reader is not immediately apparent to Polly. It takes a few more equally unsettling occurrences before she realizes she has been swapping bodies with a woman called Lady Elizabeth. Polly doesn’t know how this thing is happening, but she suspects Lady Elizabeth is to blame, and underneath this body swap comedy is a threat of menace.
I read Strange Journey in two sittings. I would have read it in one, if I hadn’t already stayed up well past my bedtime. It has a mixture of funny and endearing moments as the two women from different classes try to adapt to the most outrageous of situations.
Imagine finding yourself on the back of a horse with zero experience, being asked to give a tour of a grand estate you’re supposed to be familiar with, and trying to find a way of explaining how you could fail to recognize your own father. Not to mention the hazards of dealing with someone else’s husband when he doesn’t know that his wife isn’t… at home, as it were.
I loved this unexpectedly touching book. If you haven’t read any of the books in the British Library Women Writers series, I think this one by Maud Cairnes would be a great place to start.
One afternoon in late September, Polly Wilkinson is leaning on the fence outside of her suburban home when a Rolls Royce passes on the road, and she catches sight of a woman sitting inside.
“Suddenly I felt a longing to change places with her, to get into that big, comfortable looking car, lean back in the soft cushions I felt sure that it contained, while the chauffeur made it glide away through the dusk to some pleasant house where there would be efficient servants and tea waiting, with a silver teapot, thin china, and perhaps hot scones, nice deep arm chairs to sit in, and magazines lying on the table.”
A week later, after a dizzy spell, she finds herself in a room she doesn’t recognize, and—more worrying—in a body she doesn’t recognize.
What is fairly obvious to the reader is not immediately apparent to Polly. It takes a few more equally unsettling occurrences before she realizes she has been swapping bodies with a woman called Lady Elizabeth. Polly doesn’t know how this thing is happening, but she suspects Lady Elizabeth is to blame, and underneath this body swap comedy is a threat of menace.
I read Strange Journey in two sittings. I would have read it in one, if I hadn’t already stayed up well past my bedtime. It has a mixture of funny and endearing moments as the two women from different classes try to adapt to the most outrageous of situations.
Imagine finding yourself on the back of a horse with zero experience, being asked to give a tour of a grand estate you’re supposed to be familiar with, and trying to find a way of explaining how you could fail to recognize your own father. Not to mention the hazards of dealing with someone else’s husband when he doesn’t know that his wife isn’t… at home, as it were.
I loved this unexpectedly touching book. If you haven’t read any of the books in the British Library Women Writers series, I think this one by Maud Cairnes would be a great place to start.
November 27, 2022
Somebody compared this to fizzy lemonade and I agree - lots of fun, goes down easy and plenty of wit and sparkle. N0t particularly substantial but on a holiday week when you have some relaxing on the couch time- perfect.
November 13, 2022
A light and entertaining story; a perfect palate cleanser.
July 11, 2022
The British Library are re-issuing books by women writers a la Persephone and I am here for it. This is number 14 in the series. Maud Cairnes was the pen name of Lady Maud Kathleen Cairnes Plantagenet-Hastings Curzon-Herrick. In this body swap comedy in which she mixes up the lives of middle class Polly Wilkinson and Lady Elizabeth an aristocrat.
Written almost entirely from Polly's point of view, this is a fascinating glimpse into two, very different lives. It is interesting to me that Cairnes would have understood Elizabeth's life all too well, but chose to narrate it through Polly.
At times rather funny, this is also rather radical in that it makes the case for each woman learning from the other and changing their lives to suit themselves rather than anyone else.
Written almost entirely from Polly's point of view, this is a fascinating glimpse into two, very different lives. It is interesting to me that Cairnes would have understood Elizabeth's life all too well, but chose to narrate it through Polly.
At times rather funny, this is also rather radical in that it makes the case for each woman learning from the other and changing their lives to suit themselves rather than anyone else.
July 1, 2022
This is an intriguing story, about not just body swapping but also class swapping too, we follow a housewife find her (soul) transferred into a lady of the manor and vice versa. What follows is chaos, a little bit of fun and yet also they each learn about each other’s worlds, how one should open up more and that the other might need to look a bit outside her own world. But I did find I wasn’t as concerned about the plot, it felt a bit too worn and out of time and place. I didn’t actually like or sympathise with any of the characters who just felt a bit stiff and a bit too twee. It’s a good story but didn’t have much depth for me.
July 9, 2025
Curiosa forma de abordar la crítica social del Londres de los “felices años 20”, por medio de los “intercambios” psíquicos de 2 mujeres casadas que pertenecen a clases sociales distintas. Mientras Polly Wilkinson, la protagonista-narradora (y alter ego de la autora), intenta salir adelante lo mejor que puede desde su clase media, con 2 niños, un marido y demás tópicos típicos de la época, Lady Elizabeth Forrester sobrevive a su desahogado mundo aristocrático con un matrimonio que se ha convertido en mero postureo-pelea para los cónyuges. Desde un accidentado inicio en el que ambas mujeres lidian con los intercambios como malamente pueden, hasta que se re-conocen y consiguen algo parecido a un acuerdo para no liarla demasiado, la historia transcurre en base a la visión de Polly de los dos lados, con sus ligeros malentendidos y un avance de posturas que con el tiempo hará que mejore notablemente la vida de cada una.
Una lectura agradable, con su puntito de humor y una exposición de los problemas de la,mujer en una época y lugar que no se lo ponía nada fácil para poder ser ellas mismas, independientemente de la clase social.
Una lectura agradable, con su puntito de humor y una exposición de los problemas de la,mujer en una época y lugar que no se lo ponía nada fácil para poder ser ellas mismas, independientemente de la clase social.
June 26, 2022
Loved it. Similar genre to freaky Friday or Vice Versa but with one major difference, the transfer is between a middle income housewife Polly and a aristocratic lady Elizabeth, hence not between parents and children but somewhat across class. It's not like Polly is Pauper but around 1100 annual income which is close to GBP 60 k today. Very entertaining read. It is surprising that the author , herself an aristocrat was able to portray middle-class sensibility so well.
June 19, 2022
Perfect morsel of escapism after a gruelling read like Petit Pays, yet also quite witty about class differences.
Read
August 20, 2022Delightful
March 21, 2025
Bonito y entretenido. Un libro que se lee rápido y que divierte y despierta un cierto cariño a partes iguales
March 9, 2024
This was really cute: a 1930s body-swap book in which the two swappers differ wildly in class, each finding in the other something she'd been yearning for. Polly Wilkinson, a middle-class housewife, is dazzled by the glamour and luxury of the life Elizabeth Forrester, a wealthy aristocrat, lives, but what I found most striking was the brief commentary on the freedom that Elizabeth enjoys. Polly does not even have time to write letters to her own college friends, and can't find time to nip downtown and have a private meeting with a Elizabeth. And she hasn't even realized the constraints on her freedoms until she experiences the life without it. (Although I felt this particular point in her character arc was very underdeveloped).
Elizabeth has a strained marriage, and finds herself loving Polly's cosy domesticity and easy affection with her husband, and adores Polly's children, playing with them and telling them stories (which they then demand Polly continue, which Polly finds rather trying, since she doesn't know how the stories began).
Throughout their repeated unintentional swaps, they find themselves in a position to either cause trouble for the other, or perhaps smooth over difficulties that the other doesn't have the ability to handle. Polly finds herself determined to figure out what's wrong with Elizabeth's marriage and fix it, while Elizabeth helps Polly organize some visits and dinner events with Polly's husband's boss, since her superior social status insulates her from being overawed by them, as Polly had been hitherto.
Everything resolves itself in this book exactly as you might expect from a respectable novel of this era. A modern book would definitely dive deeper into a lot of things that are skipped over more delicately in the book. The tensions between Polly and Elizabeth, as each thinks the other is responsible for the swaps, and gets quite idignant and starts trying to make a bit of trouble, is very funny, but it could be taken much further, with corresponding consequences for when they finally meet each other in person. And the core of unhappiness in each that motivates the swap could be given a great deal more thoughtfulness. Elizabeth's unhappiness springs from exactly the tedious source you might expect in a book of this era, and is resolved just as tediously. Polly's is barely mentioned.
And then there are the ethics of sex in other people's bodies, when you yourself are married to someone else when you're in your own body. Elizabeth is careful never to sleep with Polly's husband; and despite Polly's efforts to reconcile Elizabeth's body with Elizabeth's husband Gerald, she nev never actually sleeps with him or even kisses him. She just evokes the potential without letting it go too far (which leaves some extremely mixed signals to poor Gerald). Suppose she did take it further. Would it be it cheating? More concerningly, would it be rape? If so, of whom? Of Gerald, who most certainly did not consent to sleep with Polly, whatever she looks like, or perhaps of Elizabeth, who is not on terms of sexual intimacy with Gerald and would not consent for her body to be used in this way? I'm not sure Maude Cairns ever got beyond the 'is it cheating' question in her head, but I'm pretty sure a modern book woud have at least one husband-wife pair sleep together, and use that to motivate the tension between the women when they meet later.
I'm reminded a bit of some discussions of Star Trek episodes involving the mirror universe, in which prime universe characters are put in positions of sleeping with mirror universe characters under the guise of being their own mirror universe selves. This is pretty unambiguously accepted as rape on the podcasts I listen to, since the prime characters are pretending to be someone they're not, so the mirror characters are not actually consenting to sleep with them. Body swapping feels like a similar situation in some respects (certainly with respect to the rights of the sexual partner), but differs in that the actual body performing the action is the 'correct' body, but the mind inside it is not.
Nevertheless, despite the missed opportunities for deeper consideration, this book is light and fun, and I had a great time reading it. The class-based mistakes are very funny, and it's quite striking how Polly's errors of class (e.g., calling Elizabeth's father 'Dad' instead of . . . Papa? Father?; brutally snubbing a concert pianist by criticizing his music, which has no good tunes in it) are taken as a joke, until they start causing offense; whereas Elizabeth's errors of class (being haughty and high-handed with tiresome relatives) make Polly's life easier. It's as if incorrectly importing aristocratic manners into middle-class life solve problems; while importing middle-class manners into aristocratic life creates them. Perhaps that asymmetry simply reflects the asymmetries inherent in a class-based society; or perhaps it springs from an inherent bias in the writer, who herself was a titled aristocrat. (Again, I'm reminded of Star Trek and the mirror universe--this time the TOS episode, in which Spock immediately detects the mirror universe imposters in the prime universe, because, he says, it is easier for a civilized man to pretend to be a barbarian than vice versa.)
Anyway: good book. Very fun. I'd love to see it redone for a modern audience. And it would make a terrific movie, with wonderful range for the actors who must play Elizabeth and Polly, with two distinct personalities in each body, that must nevertheless match across the actors' performances. Hollywood, take note!
Elizabeth has a strained marriage, and finds herself loving Polly's cosy domesticity and easy affection with her husband, and adores Polly's children, playing with them and telling them stories (which they then demand Polly continue, which Polly finds rather trying, since she doesn't know how the stories began).
Throughout their repeated unintentional swaps, they find themselves in a position to either cause trouble for the other, or perhaps smooth over difficulties that the other doesn't have the ability to handle. Polly finds herself determined to figure out what's wrong with Elizabeth's marriage and fix it, while Elizabeth helps Polly organize some visits and dinner events with Polly's husband's boss, since her superior social status insulates her from being overawed by them, as Polly had been hitherto.
Everything resolves itself in this book exactly as you might expect from a respectable novel of this era. A modern book would definitely dive deeper into a lot of things that are skipped over more delicately in the book. The tensions between Polly and Elizabeth, as each thinks the other is responsible for the swaps, and gets quite idignant and starts trying to make a bit of trouble, is very funny, but it could be taken much further, with corresponding consequences for when they finally meet each other in person. And the core of unhappiness in each that motivates the swap could be given a great deal more thoughtfulness. Elizabeth's unhappiness springs from exactly the tedious source you might expect in a book of this era, and is resolved just as tediously. Polly's is barely mentioned.
And then there are the ethics of sex in other people's bodies, when you yourself are married to someone else when you're in your own body. Elizabeth is careful never to sleep with Polly's husband; and despite Polly's efforts to reconcile Elizabeth's body with Elizabeth's husband Gerald, she nev never actually sleeps with him or even kisses him. She just evokes the potential without letting it go too far (which leaves some extremely mixed signals to poor Gerald). Suppose she did take it further. Would it be it cheating? More concerningly, would it be rape? If so, of whom? Of Gerald, who most certainly did not consent to sleep with Polly, whatever she looks like, or perhaps of Elizabeth, who is not on terms of sexual intimacy with Gerald and would not consent for her body to be used in this way? I'm not sure Maude Cairns ever got beyond the 'is it cheating' question in her head, but I'm pretty sure a modern book woud have at least one husband-wife pair sleep together, and use that to motivate the tension between the women when they meet later.
I'm reminded a bit of some discussions of Star Trek episodes involving the mirror universe, in which prime universe characters are put in positions of sleeping with mirror universe characters under the guise of being their own mirror universe selves. This is pretty unambiguously accepted as rape on the podcasts I listen to, since the prime characters are pretending to be someone they're not, so the mirror characters are not actually consenting to sleep with them. Body swapping feels like a similar situation in some respects (certainly with respect to the rights of the sexual partner), but differs in that the actual body performing the action is the 'correct' body, but the mind inside it is not.
Nevertheless, despite the missed opportunities for deeper consideration, this book is light and fun, and I had a great time reading it. The class-based mistakes are very funny, and it's quite striking how Polly's errors of class (e.g., calling Elizabeth's father 'Dad' instead of . . . Papa? Father?; brutally snubbing a concert pianist by criticizing his music, which has no good tunes in it) are taken as a joke, until they start causing offense; whereas Elizabeth's errors of class (being haughty and high-handed with tiresome relatives) make Polly's life easier. It's as if incorrectly importing aristocratic manners into middle-class life solve problems; while importing middle-class manners into aristocratic life creates them. Perhaps that asymmetry simply reflects the asymmetries inherent in a class-based society; or perhaps it springs from an inherent bias in the writer, who herself was a titled aristocrat. (Again, I'm reminded of Star Trek and the mirror universe--this time the TOS episode, in which Spock immediately detects the mirror universe imposters in the prime universe, because, he says, it is easier for a civilized man to pretend to be a barbarian than vice versa.)
Anyway: good book. Very fun. I'd love to see it redone for a modern audience. And it would make a terrific movie, with wonderful range for the actors who must play Elizabeth and Polly, with two distinct personalities in each body, that must nevertheless match across the actors' performances. Hollywood, take note!
January 23, 2023
This was such a fun read! I love stories of women's lives in the 1930s-1950s, and here I got a double whammy: the life of Lady Elizabeth, an upper class 'lady of the manor', and Polly, a suburban housewife. They accidentally initiate periods of body swapping and have to muddle through the other one's life. It is fun, but not farcical, with some glimpses of poignancy and insight. The author herself was an upper class woman, known in real life as Lady Kathleen but her portrayal of the middle class suburban housewife comes across as very realistic.
I loved so many elements of the story but I feel like to describe them would ruin the surprise somewhat for the reader. A lot of the stories in the British Library Women Writers series seem quite serious (and sad?) but this one is pure joy.
I loved so many elements of the story but I feel like to describe them would ruin the surprise somewhat for the reader. A lot of the stories in the British Library Women Writers series seem quite serious (and sad?) but this one is pure joy.
July 30, 2024
4.5 stars
I have always loved body swap books, since reading [Freaky Friday] as a child.
This is a charming book, as we see middle class wife and mother Polly swapping with Lady Elizabeth. It is different to many body swap stories as the two women are strangers and the body swaps go backwards and forwards. This makes it infinitely more interesting as they never know when they will end up as each other.
A delight to read, as much for the 1930s lifestyles as for the main story. There are some comedic episodes as Polly attempts to navigate upper class life, but it is the heartfelt connection between the two women and how they help each other that makes it such a lovely book.
Perfect for an afternoon curled up by a cosy fire.
I have always loved body swap books, since reading [Freaky Friday] as a child.
This is a charming book, as we see middle class wife and mother Polly swapping with Lady Elizabeth. It is different to many body swap stories as the two women are strangers and the body swaps go backwards and forwards. This makes it infinitely more interesting as they never know when they will end up as each other.
A delight to read, as much for the 1930s lifestyles as for the main story. There are some comedic episodes as Polly attempts to navigate upper class life, but it is the heartfelt connection between the two women and how they help each other that makes it such a lovely book.
Perfect for an afternoon curled up by a cosy fire.
April 20, 2023
Another one in the British Library Women Series under my belt, this time following the psyche- swapping adventures of a working class done-well housewife and a Lady in 1930s London told from the perspective of the former. A comedy about class and mores, society and manners from a woman's perspective. The interesting bit of the novel is that the author herself came from the latter social milieu, herself being a member of the aristocracy. I do want to find out what experimental "Rumanian" play the characters saw in 1930s London as it would have been too early for Eugen Ionesco...or would it? Not the most memorable or deepest of the novels but a satisfying adventure at 3 stars.
April 12, 2025
Strange Journey (1935) by Maud Cairnes. The author was the daughter of Warren Hastings, 15th Earl of Huntingdon and Maud, Countess of Huntingdon. Her full name was Lady Maud Kathleen Cairnes Plantagenet Hastings Curzon-Herrick, aka Lady Kathleen! Having a scientific background I am usually uninterested in reading stories of the supernatural or fantasy for their own sake. Here the supernatural or fantastical premise is an entertaining means to illustrate differences in outlook, behavior, and language between the aristocracy and the lower middle class. The author has a very engaging style, but I felt that the supernatural/fantastical element went on a little too long.
December 19, 2022
Who would have thought that in 2022 readers who are interested in women's forgotten literature would have so many choices in reprinted books? After the Strange Journey received an excellent review on the Neglected Books site, the British Library Women Writers republished this long out of print book. This 1935 body swap comedy between a middle class married woman from suburbia and a titled member of the gentry class is delightful. The author is very good at both characterization and plot. Highly recommend!
September 20, 2023
The nuances of language and class that probably made this novel a success when first written may have lost some of their bite 90 years on. The fact that Maud Cairnes decided to write from the perspective of a suburban housewife leads one to believe that she had perhaps made a study of the differences across the class and wealth divide; probably through her relationship with members of her household staff. The story though dated does still have its engaging moments.
March 12, 2025
3'5⭐
Unha comedia entretida centrada nas diferencias entre clases sociais (aínda que sen meterse a facer ningún tipo de crítica) e un lixeiro toque feminista (pero moooi superficial, supoño que por ser da época que é). Teríame gustado que Polly chegara a algún tipo de conclusión ou que a súa vida cambiara algo ao final, sinto que a súa historia non tivo ningún tipo de resolución, a diferencia da de Elisabeth.
Unha comedia entretida centrada nas diferencias entre clases sociais (aínda que sen meterse a facer ningún tipo de crítica) e un lixeiro toque feminista (pero moooi superficial, supoño que por ser da época que é). Teríame gustado que Polly chegara a algún tipo de conclusión ou que a súa vida cambiara algo ao final, sinto que a súa historia non tivo ningún tipo de resolución, a diferencia da de Elisabeth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2025
La premisa es algo disparatada (por lo repentina que acontece para el lector): dos mujeres de clases sociales diferentes intercambian accidentalmente sus cuerpos (en una especie de transferencia mental o psíquica) y eso genera una serie de enredos, malentendidos y situaciones cómicas. Pues eso. Ligera, refrescante, y con una vena ligeramente cómica (una comicidad algo pacata, tal vez) que atenúa su carácter anticuado. Como un Spritz con más agua de Seltz que alcohol.
June 15, 2025
This book was just pure perfection. I really enjoyed the writing style and felt very comfortable reading this. I really liked both Polly and Elizabeth and enjoyed reading about Polly’s escapades while she was Lady Elizabeth and then trying to piece together what Lady Elizabeth got up to as Polly. I enjoyed watching as they interacted with each others social circles and how they impacted certain characters. I loved this book and cannot wait to reread it!
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