The Fancy

by Monica Dickens, Adrian Bailey (Illustrator)

Women from all walks of life have been thrown together by the War. Together they must toil for long hours in the aircraft factory whilst striving to navigate their disrupted lives. Overseeing their work is the kindly Edward Ledward, whose beloved rabbits provide an escape from his loveless marriage. Given a promotion, and somewhat scared of 'his girls', Edward quickly finds himself out of his depth. But will these terrifying women be his ruin or his salvation?

Set during World War II and covering themes of love, family, and independence, The Fancy is above all a human story, a study of everyday life and its extraordinary characters. It was first published in 1945.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1943

About the author

From the publisher: MONICA DICKENS, born in 1915, was brought up in London and was the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. Her mother's German origins and her Catholicism gave her the detached eye of an outsider; at St Paul's Girls' School she was under occupied and rebellious. After drama school she was a debutante before working as a cook. One Pair of Hands (1939), her first book, described life in the kitchens of Kensington. It was the first of a group of semi autobiographies of which Mariana (1940), technically a novel, was one. 'My aim is to entertain rather than instruct,' she wrote. 'I want readers to recognise life in my books.' In 1951 Monica Dickens married a US naval officer, Roy Stratton, moved to America and adopted two daughters. An extremely popular writer, she involved herself in, and wrote about, good causes such as the Samaritans. After her husband died she lived in a cottage in rural Berkshire, dying there in 1992.
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Reviews

[Sharon Zink · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The heartwarming story of men and women who worked together during World War II." The setting is a neighborhood in England someplace, maybe London. The plotting is tight and superb. There is even a love story at the end.

[Helen Ahern · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a reread. A book I have read at least 30 times now. I bought it many years ago at a charity sale for a few pence and read it so many times the cover fell off and I glued on another. It’s such an ordinary tale about Edward Ledward and the girls he supervises on their work bench in Canning Kyles. It’s set during the Second World War and we delve into the lives of Edward and some of the girls and the everyday struggles they all have. I have recommended this book many times to others but I’ve yet to meet anyone that loves this book as much as I do. Monica Dickens wrote lots more novels and I’ve read them all but this is the one that stands the test of time for me.

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

[image error] imported:

catholic tastes
move on, nothing to see
tbr busting
spring
paper - Oxfam shop, Durham


As the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens, Monica Dickens Is worth a one-book look if only to see what the woman was about, however I won't be delving further into her now dated ouevre.

2*
Finished 12/05/2012

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story of rabbit breeding and factory work during World War II.

[Rosamunde Bott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Monica Dickens. She has an amazing ability (like her great-grandfather) to describe people and places so well that they come right off the page. This novel was written and set during the 2nd World War in munitions factory. Edward, a rabbit fancier, is in charge of several women in the factory, and while the main story line is about him, his marriage and his rabbit club - we watch also the women in the factory, and their background lives and characters.

This was an early novel for Dickens, and while she is excellent in bringing characters, places and atmospheres to life, at times the plot line seems a little thin, and one is not sure whether there is a plot, until close to the end. But definitely an enjoyable read.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit skim reading the last half as wanted to know what happened without having to read every word. I last read Monica Dickens in my teens and remember how much I enjoyed Joy and Josephine. This book was an interesting read as social history of 1945 before the war had ended but not all that gripping. There's no doubt Monica Dickens was a born storyteller though, the characters are very believable it's just that not much really happens if judging by today's standards.

[Deborah Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monica Dickens isn't everyone's cup of tea - very dated. But she tells a good story and this is a lovely comfort-read!

[Louise Culmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward Ledward works in an aircraft factory, where he has just been promoted to being in charge of ten girls in the Inspection Shop. He has a rather unsatisfactory marriage, and the great interest of his life are the Flemish Giant rabbits he breeds. The story is told mainly from his point of view, interspersed with some chapters from the point of view of some of the girls whom he supervises in the factory. The details of factory life are very authentic, since Monica Dickens worked in an aircraft factory herself during the war, and she brings the atmosphere vividly to life. We learn more about some of the girls than others, and we also learn quite a bit about rabbits. I personally had no idea that rabbits could arouse such passions.
This is a very interesting story with some well drawn characters and lots of good descriptions of the trials and tribulations of daily life in WW2. And rabbits.

[rachael gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know so much about rabbit breeding!

[Chrystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. Dickens' characters are so believable and there was never a dull moment in the whole book. My only complaint is that all of the different problems that she set up so intricately and believably, were resolved too quickly. Just when I was eagerly turning the page to what I thought was a final chapter, the next page was THE END.

[Ayreon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Finlay Zanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting to see the relationships of the past obviously very dated now. However it just seemed as a regular story following regular people which doesn’t make for interesting reading being fairly boring at times. It was the same bits repeated over and over with them remaining fairly the same from start to finish of the book

[Daniela Sorgente · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of the book is not very smooth, many characters are introduced and it is not clear where the story wants to take us. Then it gets better and all in all it's a very nice book. The story revolves around a rabbit breeder who works in an airplane factory in England during WWII and all the characters around him, especially his family and the girls who work under him.

[Janet Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really want to read this again but the edition I have now is such tiny print. I think it's a war copy and they were saving paper. Good grief, I'm now happier with large prints. Read this back in the day from school and a few times since. Excellent, a favourite from a favourite author. She was a better writer than her great great grandfather but don't tell anybody I said that, it's just my opinion. :)

Do Amazon sell large prints?