I have a confession to make: until this week, the only Barbara Pym I had read was Less Than Angels. I enjoyed it but it did not convert me into a Pym fanatic and I have always been a little confused by the gushing over her work. Determined to try again, I picked up No Fond Return of Love from the library with the hope that it would reveal Pym’s genius to me.
The book begins with Dulcie Mainwaring, “a rather tall woman in her early thirties, with a pleasant face and fair hair” (p.12), attending a conference peopled by the “seedier fringes of the academic world” (p.209). Dulcie is a good, useful sort of woman who, like so many attendees at the conference, spends her life devoted to the thankless task of researching and proofing the work of male academics, ensuring indexes and bibliographies are flawless. Over the course of the conference she becomes captivated by the handsome Aylwin Forbes who is there to deliver a talk on “some problems of an editor.”
This fascination with Forbes provides the central plot of the novel, which is I think my main problem with it. Essentially, she stalks him, albeit in a humourous way. Alright, yes, she’s a researcher so it’s only natural that her first instinct is to learn more about him. Her friendship with Viola Dace, who has worked with Forbes before and has her own odd personal relationship with him, provides many leads. Dulcie is able to wander through his neighbourhood, visit his mother-in-law’s house (where his wife has retreated after leaving him), attend the church his brother presides over and even visit the hotel his mother runs in the country, the place where he grew up. Forbes, in the meantime, has become enraptured by Dulcie’s young niece, who views the forty-something Forbes as sad rather than dashing. Yes, inappropriate obsessions abound.
Barbara Pym is often compared to Jane Austen. Both wrote novels concerned with domestic dramas, however small, and both did so with great wit and humour. However, Pym’s novels lack the sympathetic hero or heroine of Austen’s. It’s like reading several hundred pages devoted to Miss Bates. I appreciated Pym’s ability to gently mock her characters but I had no real sympathy for or emotional investment in the characters themselves. Even if I hate a character, that makes for a more interesting read than here where I didn’t care enough either way for any of them.
Pym-lovers, can someone please tell me what to read? Please? You all seem to enjoy her so much and I’m terribly lost. Have I just been picking the wrong books or I am just blind to her charms? I love her amusing asides, the ponderings that all of her characters seem to wander into at one point or another, but the characters themselves do nothing to capture my interest.
Oh dear. No Fond Return of Love is my favourite Pym to date. Granted, I still have yet to read A Glass of Blessings which I hear is wonderful and has a higher star rating on Amazon. Perhaps Pym just isn’t for you but please try another title after a break before you decide.
No Fond Return of Love had me quietly laughing throughout with its charm and ridiculous characters. Your mood can sometimes make or break a book reading experience as well, could that be it?
Let’s hope it was just my mood. This week has been a little disjointed and I’ve had trouble getting into several books. And don’t worry, I’m not giving up on Pym quite yet!
I have heard a great deal about Pym recently, but haven’t read her yet. I didn’t hear the Jane Austen comparisons- though doesn’t it seem like every author who writes somewhat wittily and with a dash of romance is compared to Austen?
It definitely does seem that way! Poor Austen, I’m sure she’d be horrified by some of those comparisons.
I’ve so far not found a Pym book I’ve truly truly loved. I have just the same problem: don’t find any of the characters sympathetic. I’ve got two more of her books on my shelves and haven’t read them yet because the other three I read were sort of meh.
Glad to know I’m not alone! I’ll keep trying though – hopefully I’ll have a revelation soon.
I’ve always thought that Jane Auten parallels have been overstated. There is maybe a line of authors that would link the two, (and wouldn’t that be interesting to try to trace) but there are more points different than common.
As to what else to read, I have more Pyms unread than read but I’m fondest of Jane and Prudence. But I agree with Darlene that she could well be an author to put away for another point in your life.
I’ll put Jane and Prudence on the TBR list – wish me luck!
The only Pym I’ve read is Excellent Women, but I’ve always been afraid to admit that it didn’t wow me that much either. I’ll be watching your comments to see what the Pym fans out there have to say. 🙂
It’s reassuring to know you’re not the only one, isn’t it? Hopefully we’ll get some inspiration from all the other comments on how to proceed!
Try Quartet in Autumn if you haven’t already. It’s shorter and bleaker than her other stuff but a lot more streamlined and has some very dark humour. It’s not really typical of the rest of her work but for exactly that reason, you might like it! It’s about four office workers about to retire and how they cope, or don’t cope, with the change in their lives.
Annoyed I can’t find my copy to quote a bit for you but I do recommend it.
Ooo, bleak is intriguing. Thanks for the recommendation!
Yes, I was going to suggest Quartet in Autumn too. It is darker and I rather liked it. It’s the only one of hers I’ve read – though I have Excellent women on the TBR. The Jane Austen comparison is valid enough I suppose – I’ve heard that often too – but I need to read more to really decide.
I’m sorry you didn’t love Pym, especially since you wanted to. I do think the Austen comparison is a bit unjust and gives people some unfair expectations. That said, it did take me a few to fall in love with Pym so maybe if you persevere, you too will be converted.
It’s good to know that it took someone else a few tries as well. I’ll definitely keep reading Pym and hoping for the best!
I’ve only read 3 Pyms and the best ones were Excellent Women and Jane and Prudence. I couldn’t get into A Glass of Blessings. I guess you kind of have to be in the mood for a Pym. They are just light reads and nothing much happens. It’s more the way she writes which is kind of relaxing though also wonderful…making you a part of the characters everyday lives.
I think my problem is that, with the 2 Pym’s I’ve read, I haven’t liked the characters enough to want to be part of their everyday lives. Most people seem to be fans of Jane and Prudence, so I think that will be the next one I attempt.
I’m sorry that you haven’t quite found the Pym mood – I’d agree with Darlene that maybe it’s not the right time now – you do need to be in a certain sort of mood. Maybe you’d find her autobio interesting and then inspire you into the novels? It’s called A very private eye and is fascinating – I read it many years before I ever read one of her novels.
The autobiography is a great idea: I’m far more likely to enjoy a novel if I know something about the author herself. Thanks for the idea!
Hm, I have a confession to make: I have to date not read one Barbara Pym novel but have high hopes for doing so this year. Favourite books of hers seem to be subjective so I decided to read them chronologically, which means that I shall begin with Some Tame Gazelle.
Comparing any writer to Jane Austen is a dangerous thing and I tend to take any of those comparisons with a grain of salt as the expectations are way too high.
I love reading a writer’s work chronologically and seeing how they developed and evolved their style. Obviously, that’s not how I approached Pym but perhaps it would have been better if I had done it that way – I always find I have more sympathy for authors when I read that way, even when I don’t particularly like their works. Looking forward to hearing what you think!
I do understand your reaction to Pym. My own favourites are Excellent Women and Some Tame Gazelle, both of which have likeable, gently wry heroines.You might try them when you’re in the mood for a quietly humorous read. But then, if she isn’t for you, she just isn’t!