Jolly Old England

[Cindy]

1. I had forgotten how very, very BRITISH this book is! I have a father whose favorite authors are Austen, Dickens, and Hardy. Then my mother refuses to read “anything with a vicar in it.” What is your relationship with British fiction? Do you find the humor amusing? The manners stilted? The attitudes foreign? Are you more or less likely to read a book set in England than one set in the US?

[Ayse_]

Although I find British style humor and fiction amusing, I found this one a bit dry, but never the less it was a good read.

[Carol]

I'm a big Brit fan in film, literature, TV, cooking shows, etc. I would agree with Ayse in that this book is slightly dry. It takes awhile to grab me the reader.

[Chelsea]

I don't know a whole bunch with British stuff. They might be a bit too proper for me. So British stuff isn't my first go to.

[Darlene]

I have read some British fiction and do enjoy the works. I enjoy the "humor," although it takes a bit to get me in the rhythm of it. I LOVE to read books that are set in England, Ireland, the Middle East, in different time periods.....basically anything that is different culture, different time periods, different people groups! That is one of the main reasons I read is to learn a lot more about people and culture. I love that books can transport me to so many other places, especially after I just looked into going to Alaska and saw that it would be $1000 to rent a car for a week! :) For now, I will have to continue to travel through my books so I always enjoy reading about lands and people not from the US.

[Cindy]

Very interesting comments! I absolutely love books set in England. In fact, this book is right in my wheelhouse, (which is why I chose it) but I knew it probably wouldn't be for everyone. PG Wodehouse, Angela Thirkill, Josephine Tey, Dorothy Sayer - I love these writers - especially their humor. And, for me, Barbara Pym fits well in this group.