Title: No Fond Return of Love
Author: Barbara Pym
Publication date: 1961
Book's setting: The 1950's
Random facts: Pym gave herself a cameo in the book the way some movie directors put themselves in their films.
Plot summary: Dulcie and Viola are middle-aged woman in the publishing buisness. They run into the handsome, recently-divorced Aylwin Forbes at a convention for editors and publishers. Dulcie is fascinated by him and decides to gather as much information on him as possible, leading her to his former mother-in-law and further. At the same time Laurel, Dulcie's teenage niece, moves into Dulcie's spare bedroom and takes her own interest in the mysterious older man. Aylwin is oblivious to the woman on his tail, but they manage to circle closer to him. Will Lauren forget all about the next-door neighbor? Which pastor really is Aylwin's brother? How bad are poor Viola's circumstances? And above all, who will Aylwin chose? (<-- that sounds like a legit blurb right there. I am getting good at this.)
Favorite aspects: The characters. There is something so wonderful about the classic British comedy ensemble cast- the wacky old ladies and questionable pastors and dramatic foreigners and good-hearted young boys. Pym does this with ease, and even the most insignificant characters make you guffaw a couple of times. No Fond Return of Love is what the title says. It's every angle of unrequited love stuffed into one story about a couple of really brilliant, lonely souls.
Least favorite aspects: I don't really know. It wasn't a perfect book obviously (there are very few of those), but it did what it set out to do well and with ease. Laurel was a bit grating and that bothered me, even though it was her character at fault and not Pym's writing. Pym has a good handle on her characters, and I really can't think of much to criticize or point out. Well, now that I think about it, it was a bit stupid. Personally I love stupid. You, however, might not love stupid books, in which case you should just veer out of Barbra Pym's way altogether.
Other works it reminded me of: An Unwilling Guest by Grace Livingston Hill; The Mating Season by PG Wodehouse.
Sadie's merciless break-down: So imagine this. (Changes are you don't have to imagine very hard.) You meet a guy and you really like him and he doesn't really notice you. You don't see him again. You find his Facebook, you look at his pictures. You find his ex's Tumblr. You see him at a party and he doesn't remember your name. There is no fond return of love. This book captures the hysteria of internet-stalking your clueless crush... but from before the internet was around. Your jaw will drop at the lengths that Dulcie and Viola go to. Without giving too much away, I can say that my favorite part about this book is how it ends before the real romance starts. It's focused on the illogical passion you can have for someone before you really know them. The mutual, mature romance that begins to grow at the end of the book is left up to your imagination.
Okay, confession time. I'm an internet stalker. This books appealed to my innermost creeper. If you have an innermost creeper than it will appeal to you too.
Recommendation rate: If you like general hysteria then you should read it.
Author: Barbara Pym
Publication date: 1961
Book's setting: The 1950's
Random facts: Pym gave herself a cameo in the book the way some movie directors put themselves in their films.
Plot summary: Dulcie and Viola are middle-aged woman in the publishing buisness. They run into the handsome, recently-divorced Aylwin Forbes at a convention for editors and publishers. Dulcie is fascinated by him and decides to gather as much information on him as possible, leading her to his former mother-in-law and further. At the same time Laurel, Dulcie's teenage niece, moves into Dulcie's spare bedroom and takes her own interest in the mysterious older man. Aylwin is oblivious to the woman on his tail, but they manage to circle closer to him. Will Lauren forget all about the next-door neighbor? Which pastor really is Aylwin's brother? How bad are poor Viola's circumstances? And above all, who will Aylwin chose? (<-- that sounds like a legit blurb right there. I am getting good at this.)
Favorite aspects: The characters. There is something so wonderful about the classic British comedy ensemble cast- the wacky old ladies and questionable pastors and dramatic foreigners and good-hearted young boys. Pym does this with ease, and even the most insignificant characters make you guffaw a couple of times. No Fond Return of Love is what the title says. It's every angle of unrequited love stuffed into one story about a couple of really brilliant, lonely souls.
Least favorite aspects: I don't really know. It wasn't a perfect book obviously (there are very few of those), but it did what it set out to do well and with ease. Laurel was a bit grating and that bothered me, even though it was her character at fault and not Pym's writing. Pym has a good handle on her characters, and I really can't think of much to criticize or point out. Well, now that I think about it, it was a bit stupid. Personally I love stupid. You, however, might not love stupid books, in which case you should just veer out of Barbra Pym's way altogether.
Other works it reminded me of: An Unwilling Guest by Grace Livingston Hill; The Mating Season by PG Wodehouse.
Sadie's merciless break-down: So imagine this. (Changes are you don't have to imagine very hard.) You meet a guy and you really like him and he doesn't really notice you. You don't see him again. You find his Facebook, you look at his pictures. You find his ex's Tumblr. You see him at a party and he doesn't remember your name. There is no fond return of love. This book captures the hysteria of internet-stalking your clueless crush... but from before the internet was around. Your jaw will drop at the lengths that Dulcie and Viola go to. Without giving too much away, I can say that my favorite part about this book is how it ends before the real romance starts. It's focused on the illogical passion you can have for someone before you really know them. The mutual, mature romance that begins to grow at the end of the book is left up to your imagination.
Okay, confession time. I'm an internet stalker. This books appealed to my innermost creeper. If you have an innermost creeper than it will appeal to you too.
Recommendation rate: If you like general hysteria then you should read it.
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