I love this. I think it's part of why I've always found it so moving that Jo March's evolution as a writer has her move away from the fantastical adventure stories and toward the "small" stories of her family. And of course the big realization that these are very much stories worth telling.
I love this and very much share your taste in this type of novel! It's what draws me to Wendell Berry's Port Royal universe. Other recent reads of this sort for me have been This is Happiness by Niall Williams + Works of Mercy by Sally Thomas. I just started reading A View from the Harbour so was delighted to see you mention it here. :)
What a beautifully written commentary and analysis! While I don’t share your taste in specific writers, I do share your attraction to stories of little people living little lives in little worlds! Where “not much _happens_”! Thank you for sharing this!
I agree! Great to read some more authors to try here. My plug would be for Carol Shields. She is a wonderful writer, adept at weaving the most existential questions into the minutiae of daily lives. Virginia Woolf too, of course.
I find so much in here to be true. I'm currently reading a Barbara Pym book - Crampton Hodnet - and enjoying all the sublime ordinariness of it, as well as the comedy. I also recommend her Excellent Women and No Fond Return of Love.
I wonder if the reason these types of books resonate with many of us is because of the lack of drama, when there is so much that is difficult and out of control in our external world, both collectively as a culture, and individually within our families and acquaintances. Lately I've felt stressed over some unresolved situations in life that feel really tough and I've told others that I just want to go live in the country where I can have chickens and hang my laundry out on the line.
I especially appreciated this sentence in your essay:
"But novels that deal with the day-to-day, with the small acts of virtue or of succumbing to vice, with the ways we seek meaning in our usually fairly narrow existence, show us that for most people, the real hard work of life is just ordinary living."
This resonated so much. I discovered Barbara Pym about six years ago a few months after my second child was born when I struggling terribly with postpartum anxiety and in need of this kind of soothing writing. She catapulted me into the world of British mid-century women's fiction including Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Bowen, Margaret Kennedy, Ruby Ferguson, and so on. I feel so indebted to her for how much she and these other authors have enriched my life.
One of the hosts asks what Barbara Pym accomplishes that continues to strike a chord with her readers and I love what their guest, Becky Brown says:
"She writes between the moments that other novelists notice. She'll ignore the big scene that's the grief or the sorrow and she'll focus on the bit that another novelist's pen would slide on over to the next scene. It's those quiet moments where you're alone with yourself that are timeless.
Another book I think you'd love is 'The Fortnight in September' by R.C. Sherriff. It's about a family on their yearly holiday to the seaside, and is a story told with so much skill and kindness about quiet lives. Thanks so much for this lovely post!
I love "boring" novels about ordinary lives, too! I love it when my connection to a character grows and I come to like them and find out we are not so different after all.
Have you read Stewart O`Nan (thinking of "Emily, alone", "Henry, himself", "The Good Wife"...) or Anne Tyler ("Redhead by the Side of the Road", "Clock Dance"...)?
I love this. I think it's part of why I've always found it so moving that Jo March's evolution as a writer has her move away from the fantastical adventure stories and toward the "small" stories of her family. And of course the big realization that these are very much stories worth telling.
I love this and very much share your taste in this type of novel! It's what draws me to Wendell Berry's Port Royal universe. Other recent reads of this sort for me have been This is Happiness by Niall Williams + Works of Mercy by Sally Thomas. I just started reading A View from the Harbour so was delighted to see you mention it here. :)
Oh yay, it seems like Elizabeth Taylor is having a little renaissance!
What a beautifully written commentary and analysis! While I don’t share your taste in specific writers, I do share your attraction to stories of little people living little lives in little worlds! Where “not much _happens_”! Thank you for sharing this!
I agree! Great to read some more authors to try here. My plug would be for Carol Shields. She is a wonderful writer, adept at weaving the most existential questions into the minutiae of daily lives. Virginia Woolf too, of course.
You know, I haven’t read any Virginia Woolf since I was a teen, and this is the nudge I needed to get back to her!
I find so much in here to be true. I'm currently reading a Barbara Pym book - Crampton Hodnet - and enjoying all the sublime ordinariness of it, as well as the comedy. I also recommend her Excellent Women and No Fond Return of Love.
I wonder if the reason these types of books resonate with many of us is because of the lack of drama, when there is so much that is difficult and out of control in our external world, both collectively as a culture, and individually within our families and acquaintances. Lately I've felt stressed over some unresolved situations in life that feel really tough and I've told others that I just want to go live in the country where I can have chickens and hang my laundry out on the line.
I especially appreciated this sentence in your essay:
"But novels that deal with the day-to-day, with the small acts of virtue or of succumbing to vice, with the ways we seek meaning in our usually fairly narrow existence, show us that for most people, the real hard work of life is just ordinary living."
Blessings to you and yours!
I love that quote! I haven’t read Crampton Hodnet, but I’ve read the other two you mention (and Quartet in Autumn). Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome. :-) Ooh... I'll have to check out Quartet in Autumn.
This resonated so much. I discovered Barbara Pym about six years ago a few months after my second child was born when I struggling terribly with postpartum anxiety and in need of this kind of soothing writing. She catapulted me into the world of British mid-century women's fiction including Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Bowen, Margaret Kennedy, Ruby Ferguson, and so on. I feel so indebted to her for how much she and these other authors have enriched my life.
Backlisted did a wonderful podcast episode on 'Excellent Women': https://www.backlisted.fm/episodes/109-barbara-pym-excellent-women
One of the hosts asks what Barbara Pym accomplishes that continues to strike a chord with her readers and I love what their guest, Becky Brown says:
"She writes between the moments that other novelists notice. She'll ignore the big scene that's the grief or the sorrow and she'll focus on the bit that another novelist's pen would slide on over to the next scene. It's those quiet moments where you're alone with yourself that are timeless.
Another book I think you'd love is 'The Fortnight in September' by R.C. Sherriff. It's about a family on their yearly holiday to the seaside, and is a story told with so much skill and kindness about quiet lives. Thanks so much for this lovely post!
That quote is perfect! Thank you for the recommendations, I’m adding those names to my fast expanding list!
I love "boring" novels about ordinary lives, too! I love it when my connection to a character grows and I come to like them and find out we are not so different after all.
Have you read Stewart O`Nan (thinking of "Emily, alone", "Henry, himself", "The Good Wife"...) or Anne Tyler ("Redhead by the Side of the Road", "Clock Dance"...)?
Someone else recommended O'Nan recently so he is on my list, and I'm adding Anne Tyler, too!
“Character driven realist novel” is definitely my preference too. Have you read any Ann Patchett? She’s one of my favorites in this category.
I tried Dutch House and for some reason couldn't get into it, but I do keep meaning to try her again - I keep hearing great things about Tom Lake!