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I Ordered a Table for Six. Illustrated
In I Ordered a Table for Six, celebrated author Noel Streatfeild delivers a captivating novel about love, ambition, and the complexities of human relationships. Unlike her well-known children's books, this adult novel delves into the intertwined lives of a group of people navigating personal and professional challenges in post-war England.
The story revolves around a group of six friends who regularly meet for dinner, each bringing their own ambitions, insecurities, and secrets to the table. As their interactions unfold, hidden tensions rise, romantic entanglements emerge, and long-standing friendships are tested. Streatfeild masterfully explores themes of love, jealousy, and the pursuit of happiness, portraying characters with depth and realism.
With her keen eye for human nature, Streatfeild crafts a compelling narrative that immerses readers in the emotional struggles of individuals trying to find their place in a rapidly changing society. The novel is rich in character development, wit, and psychological insight, making it a fascinating exploration of post-war British life.
A sophisticated and engaging read, I Ordered a Table for Six showcases Streatfeild's talent beyond children's literature, offering a poignant and thought-provoking story about the complexities of relationships and the choices that shape our lives.
The story revolves around a group of six friends who regularly meet for dinner, each bringing their own ambitions, insecurities, and secrets to the table. As their interactions unfold, hidden tensions rise, romantic entanglements emerge, and long-standing friendships are tested. Streatfeild masterfully explores themes of love, jealousy, and the pursuit of happiness, portraying characters with depth and realism.
With her keen eye for human nature, Streatfeild crafts a compelling narrative that immerses readers in the emotional struggles of individuals trying to find their place in a rapidly changing society. The novel is rich in character development, wit, and psychological insight, making it a fascinating exploration of post-war British life.
A sophisticated and engaging read, I Ordered a Table for Six showcases Streatfeild's talent beyond children's literature, offering a poignant and thought-provoking story about the complexities of relationships and the choices that shape our lives.
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1942
About the author
Noel Streatfeild
173 books633 followersMary Noel Streatfeild, known as Noel Streatfeild, was an author best known and loved for her children's books, including Ballet Shoes and Circus Shoes. She also wrote romances under the pseudonym
Susan Scarlett
.
She was born on Christmas Eve, 1895, the daughter of William Champion Streatfeild and Janet Venn and the second of six children to be born to the couple. Sister Ruth was the oldest, after Noel came Barbara, William ('Bill'), Joyce (who died of TB prior to her second birthday) and Richenda. Ruth and Noel attended Hastings and St. Leonard's Ladies' College in 1910. As an adult, she began theater work, and spent approximately 10 years in the theater.
During the Great War, in 1915 Noel worked first as a volunteer in a soldier's hospital kitchen near Eastbourne Vicarage and later produced two plays with her sister Ruth. When things took a turn for the worse on the Front in 1916 she moved to London and obtained a job making munitions in Woolwich Arsenal. At the end of the war in January 1919, Noel enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Art (later Royal Academy) in London.
In 1930, she began writing her first adult novel, The Whicharts, published in 1931. In June 1932, she was elected to membership of PEN. Early in 1936, Mabel Carey, children's editor of J. M. Dent and Sons, asks Noel to write a children's story about the theatre, which led to Noel completing Ballet Shoes in mid-1936. In 28 September 1936, when Ballet Shoes was published, it became an immediate best seller.
According to Angela Bull, Ballet Shoes was a reworked version of The Whicharts. Elder sister Ruth Gervis illustrated the book, which was published on the 28th September, 1936. At the time, the plot and general 'attitude' of the book was highly original, and destined to provide an outline for countless other ballet books down the years until this day. The first known book to be set at a stage school, the first ballet story to be set in London, the first to feature upper middle class society, the first to show the limits of amateurism and possibly the first to show children as self-reliant, able to survive without running to grownups when things went wrong.
In 1937, Noel traveled with Bertram Mills Circus to research The Circus is Coming (also known as Circus Shoes). She won the Carnegie gold medal in February 1939 for this book. In 1940, World War II began, and Noel began war-related work from 1940-1945. During this time, she wrote four adult novels, five children's books, nine romances, and innumerable articles and short stories. On May 10th, 1941, her flat was destroyed by a bomb. Shortly after WWII is over, in 1947, Noel traveled to America to research film studios for her book The Painted Garden. In 1949, she began delivering lectures on children's books. Between 1949 and 1953, her plays, The Bell Family radio serials played on the Children's Hour and were frequently voted top play of the year.
Early in 1960s, she decided to stop writing adult novels, but did write some autobiographical novels, such as A Vicarage Family in 1963. She also had written 12 romance novels under the pen name "Susan Scarlett." Her children's books number at least 58 titles. From July to December 1979, she suffered a series of small strokes and moved into a nursing home. In 1983, she received the honor Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). On 11 September 1986, she passed away in a nursing home.
She was born on Christmas Eve, 1895, the daughter of William Champion Streatfeild and Janet Venn and the second of six children to be born to the couple. Sister Ruth was the oldest, after Noel came Barbara, William ('Bill'), Joyce (who died of TB prior to her second birthday) and Richenda. Ruth and Noel attended Hastings and St. Leonard's Ladies' College in 1910. As an adult, she began theater work, and spent approximately 10 years in the theater.
During the Great War, in 1915 Noel worked first as a volunteer in a soldier's hospital kitchen near Eastbourne Vicarage and later produced two plays with her sister Ruth. When things took a turn for the worse on the Front in 1916 she moved to London and obtained a job making munitions in Woolwich Arsenal. At the end of the war in January 1919, Noel enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Art (later Royal Academy) in London.
In 1930, she began writing her first adult novel, The Whicharts, published in 1931. In June 1932, she was elected to membership of PEN. Early in 1936, Mabel Carey, children's editor of J. M. Dent and Sons, asks Noel to write a children's story about the theatre, which led to Noel completing Ballet Shoes in mid-1936. In 28 September 1936, when Ballet Shoes was published, it became an immediate best seller.
According to Angela Bull, Ballet Shoes was a reworked version of The Whicharts. Elder sister Ruth Gervis illustrated the book, which was published on the 28th September, 1936. At the time, the plot and general 'attitude' of the book was highly original, and destined to provide an outline for countless other ballet books down the years until this day. The first known book to be set at a stage school, the first ballet story to be set in London, the first to feature upper middle class society, the first to show the limits of amateurism and possibly the first to show children as self-reliant, able to survive without running to grownups when things went wrong.
In 1937, Noel traveled with Bertram Mills Circus to research The Circus is Coming (also known as Circus Shoes). She won the Carnegie gold medal in February 1939 for this book. In 1940, World War II began, and Noel began war-related work from 1940-1945. During this time, she wrote four adult novels, five children's books, nine romances, and innumerable articles and short stories. On May 10th, 1941, her flat was destroyed by a bomb. Shortly after WWII is over, in 1947, Noel traveled to America to research film studios for her book The Painted Garden. In 1949, she began delivering lectures on children's books. Between 1949 and 1953, her plays, The Bell Family radio serials played on the Children's Hour and were frequently voted top play of the year.
Early in 1960s, she decided to stop writing adult novels, but did write some autobiographical novels, such as A Vicarage Family in 1963. She also had written 12 romance novels under the pen name "Susan Scarlett." Her children's books number at least 58 titles. From July to December 1979, she suffered a series of small strokes and moved into a nursing home. In 1983, she received the honor Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). On 11 September 1986, she passed away in a nursing home.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 25, 2021
4 Stars
Fantastic character driven novella with plenty of family drama that takes place during the London blitz.
Fantastic character driven novella with plenty of family drama that takes place during the London blitz.
October 5, 2020
Reeling a bit from this one. The thing about Streatfeild is that her characters can be ‘types’ but always there are side swipes, words of wisdom, and moments of pure shock.
This one would make a brilliant play.
This one would make a brilliant play.
September 1, 2022
I didn't much like this, though the characters are good and the slice of life during the blitz was perfectly well done. But knowing there would be a direct hit on the restaurant, but not who would be killed, forced a comparison with "The Feast" by Margaret Kennedy. This isn't in the same league.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2022
Perhaps I was thinking too much of Streatfeild's children's books (which I have loved for over fifty years) - but I found this book disconcerting in places, and overall a bit disappointing. The characters are well-drawn, if caricatured, but few of them are likeable.
There's really not much story - just the organising of a small dinner party for six very mixed people, and a great deal of introspection, from different viewpoints. It's cleverly written and thought-provoking at times, and I found it very readable. But the ending, although foreshadowed throughout the book, was never really resolved. There's nothing encouraging to look forward to.
I'm glad I read it, as I've been curious about Streatfeild's books for adults for a while, but I'm unlikely to read it again.
Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
There's really not much story - just the organising of a small dinner party for six very mixed people, and a great deal of introspection, from different viewpoints. It's cleverly written and thought-provoking at times, and I found it very readable. But the ending, although foreshadowed throughout the book, was never really resolved. There's nothing encouraging to look forward to.
I'm glad I read it, as I've been curious about Streatfeild's books for adults for a while, but I'm unlikely to read it again.
Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
March 20, 2024
well worth the read
A unique story of wartime England with well drawn characters. Well Worth the time and I read in one sitting.
A unique story of wartime England with well drawn characters. Well Worth the time and I read in one sitting.
Read
October 7, 2025This one made me too cross to finish. 6 million Jewish people were murdered in the Second World War. I know it was finished before the war was over but I still didn’t like the characters.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews