Amazon.nl: Klantenrecensies: Small Pleasures: Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2021 (English Edition)

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A Warm and Involving Story

Beoordeeld in het Verenigd Koninkrijk op 31 juli 2020

Geverifieerde aankoop

I have read and enjoyed all of Clare Chambers' previous novels, so I was looking forward to this new title and I’m pleased to say that I was not disappointed. Set in 1957 in the south-east suburbs of London, 'Small Pleasures' introduces us to thirty-nine-year-old Jean Swinney, an unmarried features writer for the North Kent Echo, who admits to being rather plain and who lives with her rather demanding and somewhat neurotic widowed mother. When the newspaper is contacted by Gretchen Tilbury, a young woman who claims that her ten-year-old daughter, Margaret, is the result of a virgin birth, it is Jean who is appointed to follow up the story. Despite Jean’s initial misgivings, she is soon drawn into the lives of the Tilbury family - the friendly, attractive Gretchen, her kind, older husband, Howard, and the very engaging young Margaret - all of whom welcome the lonely Jean into their home and all of whom, in different ways, Jean becomes very fond. Supporting Gretchen and Margaret through the ordeal of the medical tests and investigations that are needed to substantiate Gretchen’s claim, Jean grows even closer to the Tilburys - but is Gretchen telling the truth? And if she isn’t, what does she have to gain by her deception? There is a lot more to this involving story than I have mentioned here, but to reveal more would spoil it for those who have yet to read it.

A perceptively observed story which looks at the quiet, orderly life of a woman who is single not from choice, but from a lack of opportunity in finding the right man to marry, and who has to make do with the small pleasures of life amongst all of the mundanities. The author portrays well the suffocating effect that Jean's mother has on her daughter and how difficult it is for Jean to break free from her mother’s dependence on her and the resultant guilt she experiences when she does manage to get some time to herself. Ms Chambers also describes well the time period she has set her story in (I wasn’t alive in 1957, but the author's writing certainly appears very evocative of that time) and although, for the most part, this is essentially a gentle and slow-moving story, there are aspects to it that keep the reader guessing until the end and I was engaged from the first page to the last. A warm, involving and enjoyable read and one I would recommend.

4 Stars.

158 mensen vonden dit nuttig

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Sabina

A stirring in sleepy suburbia

Beoordeeld in het Verenigd Koninkrijk op 9 augustus 2020

Geverifieerde aankoop

The setting of restricted lives in 1950's suburbia is compelling. Jean Swinney, nearing 40, lives with her fearful, controlling and increasingly dependent mother, with only the freedom to pursue her job as reporter on the North Kent Echo, but no other social life. Things gradually change when she becomes involved with the intriguing Tilbury family, as she researches the case of Gretchen Tilbury's alleged virgin birth. Passion and desire begin to feature in these ordered lives, and the prose is very readable and involving.
What irked me (and maybe it is supposed to) was that the preface begins with a newspaper account of a Rail Disaster six months after the beginning of the story, and as I was drawn into the lives of the characters I kept wondering which of them would be affected by the train crash - or was the author teasing us?
I enjoyed the writing generally, with its witty observations, and also the question of how a person's unfolding life affects those close to them, and the ambiguities around responsibility to others and the pursuit of personal happiness.

7 mensen vonden dit nuttig

Vertaal recensie in het Nederlands

Viola31

Beautifully balanced.

Beoordeeld in het Verenigd Koninkrijk op 28 juli 2020

Geverifieerde aankoop

This is a lovely book, subtle and heartfelt in its observations. The ‘mystery’ is easy to guess but that really doesn’t matter. Beautifully written with a great balance between the matter of the fact and the wistful which really seems in keeping with its timesetting. I felt a gut punch at the end.

12 mensen vonden dit nuttig

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Judith Jesp

Vivid depiction of spinster life in 1950s Britain

Beoordeeld in het Verenigd Koninkrijk op 25 oktober 2020

Geverifieerde aankoop

The scene setting in this is perfect, although I wasn’t alive in the fifties the descriptions of unmarried women struggling to live with their war-widowed mothers whilst working in a man’s world reminded me of families I knew in the 60s. At its heart is a mystery surrounding a sick young woman who became pregnant whilst living in a hospital run by nuns with no unsupervised access to men. Was it a virgin birth? Intriguing mystery, spoilt a little for me by the very abrupt ending.

5 mensen vonden dit nuttig

Vertaal recensie in het Nederlands

Sheeshee06/sslovesbooks

Lovely gentle read -

Beoordeeld in het Verenigd Koninkrijk op 30 april 2021

Geverifieerde aankoop

I picked this up after seeing good reviews and trying to read some of the books on the womensprizeforfiction long list. I was taken back to 1950’s London for the story of Jean who works for a local newspaper and it was such a warm and comfortable read.
🔅
The story starts when Jean receives a letter from a women claiming she was a virgin when she had her child. As Jean starts to investigate the claims her relationship with Gretchen, her husband Howard and her daughter Margaret grows and slowly she starts to become an important part of their family. Jean’s own family situation where she lives with her mother gave a sense of loneliness and inability to change her situation if she wanted to.
🔅
The sense of atmosphere in the book was perfect, the author was skilful in creating the 1950s very effectively and a some information about life in the 1950s was built into the story through Jean’s articles in the local newspaper.
🔅
There was a calm and enthralling feeling from the book, and as the story progresses Jean became like a friend to me and I was hoping that her choices brought her happiness.
🔅
The book focuses on Jean’s attempts to uncover the nature of Margaret’s birth, her relationship with Gretchen, Howard and Margaret and the changes she eventually wants to make to her life.
🔅
The novel ends in an abrupt way describing an event which is out of sync with the rest of the book I was gutted !!!
🔅
The book title “Small Pleasures” has led me to think that there are lots of small pleasures throughout the book and thinking about it a few weeks after I have finished I think there are even more small pleasures in those pages than I realised.
🔅
I gave this 4 🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars – one had to come off for the ending. This was an atmospheric, calming and beautiful read. Disappointed it did not make the shortlist. What about the cover ? It’s a beaut ❤️

Een iemand vond dit nuttig

Vertaal recensie in het Nederlands

Slow build up but great if you stick with it

Beoordeeld in het Verenigd Koninkrijk op 9 augustus 2021

Geverifieerde aankoop

This is 344 pages split into 40 chapters.
This book had been recommended to me from various different places then it was chosen as my book club pick so I was delighted.
There are a huge number of celebrity endorsement on the cover which always fill me with dread so I approached the book with caution. Although I've seen the cover everywhere I started with no idea what the book was about but with the hope that I was in for a treat.
The focus of the plot is a woman claiming to have had a virgin birth and Jean, journalist at the local paper, is sent to investigate. From the start there are many hints given about Jean's life, to be explored as the story develops.
The writing is tender and sensitive with it's gentle pace giving a deliberate feeling to Jean's actions. She is very "buttoned up" which is a stereotypical impression of women in the period - this atmosphere runs through the whole narrative.
It's a slow book to begin with and I took some time to get used to the constricted style, although the intrigue does build once the book gets going. The relationships between the characters are a major part of the progression and many of these are uncomfortable throughout.
The virgin birth is explored scientifically and it is curious to see the approach with the seemingly simple tests that even I could understand and I found myself believing that Gretchen's claim may be true whilst still trying to find a more realistic alternative.
As the characters are fleshed out it becomes easier to understand their motives with the final third of the book becoming a complete joy to read. The ending actually made me shiver.

Een iemand vond dit nuttig

Vertaal recensie in het Nederlands

Bookish Attia

An bittersweet story...

Beoordeeld in het Verenigd Koninkrijk op 17 augustus 2021

Geverifieerde aankoop

*Contains Spoilers*

The writing style is easy to follow and the story flows really well. I feel it was researched well as I learnt a lot about London and life in the UK in that time frame. I was hooked to the story and I really enjoyed reading through the perspective of the main character Jean, her insights and growth throughout the book made a good read and story. I was invested in Jean and Howard's relationship and was so happy with their nearly happily ever after... however, the ending crushed me! It was devastating💔😔! I even went back to the beginning to hopefully find some hope of their relationship having survived, but there is only one conclusion through the ending and I was so upset!
I am hoping there is a sequel, I really would love to read how Jean's life (and Margret, Gretchen, Jean's mum etc.) was after the railway crash! It feels like an unfinished story to me.💔😔😩

Een iemand vond dit nuttig

Vertaal recensie in het Nederlands

Bionic Sarah

A beautifully written claustrophobic vintage story of love snd loss

Beoordeeld in het Verenigd Koninkrijk op 26 maart 2021

Geverifieerde aankoop

Long-listed for the women’s prize 2021 this book starts with the unlikely story that a woman thinks she has conceived a child miraculously whilst a patient in hospital .The story concentrates on the young reporter who sets off to interview the woman for her newspaper .We follow her research and watch as she develops relationships with all the family involved whilst struggling to patiently look after her own agoraphobic elderly mother
The story is set in the 50s and catches perfectly the stifling world of women at that time .The expectations of marriage and family mirrored with the difficulty of being a working woman at that time .
The book is gentle and reflective it gives you time to really understand the characters and their motives .
Eventually it is clear that the virgin birth story which is based on real newspaper and medical journals of the time is primarily a way of introducing the characters and allowing you to get to know their various foibles
I loved the period details how she cleans her wool skirt when she happens to get a stain on it and the home hints interposed through the book as the eyes would appear in the papers of the time
In summary a beautifully written claustrophobic vintage story of love and loss

Vertaal recensie in het Nederlands

sharron

Cracking

Beoordeeld in het Verenigd Koninkrijk op 18 juli 2021

Geverifieerde aankoop

Loved this book ! The main character Jean is lovable . In a more modern world I’m sure she would go far . I found this very well written, it kept your interest and built on the characters in a very appealing way . I did start to suspect after a while that I may not like the ending or that the ending would be slightly unsatisfactory to me , a lover of all things explained and living happily ever after, but that is just me and I still enjoyed the book immensely. I felt Jean came into my life and left to quickly. I only knocked off a star because of the ending nothing to do with readability but just my own love of having everything tied up .

Vertaal recensie in het Nederlands

ReaderWriter

Faultless prose but story drags

Beoordeeld in het Verenigd Koninkrijk op 1 juni 2021

Geverifieerde aankoop

Claire Chambers prose is faultless in this story of an apparent virgin birth. Set in 1957, she captures the post-war era in all its detailed minutiae. Whilst this is impressive, it does slow down what is a fascinating story around the claim of human parthenogenesis. Jean, the protagonist in this tale, is unmarried in her late thirties, and works as a journalist on the local paper. She cares for her cold and demanding mother in her spare time, until the parthenogenesis story takes over her life in several unexpected ways. It's difficult to say much more without spoilers, except to agree with many other reviewers who were disappointed by the ending.

Vertaal recensie in het Nederlands

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5 sterren		46%
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3 sterren		14%
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Small Pleasures: Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2021 (English Edition)

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Small Pleasures: Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2021 (English Edition)

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