By Taylor Jasmine | On October 23, 2017 | Updated December 23, 2022 | Comments (0)
From the 1960 Little, Brown edition of Something Light by Margery Sharp: Something Light is the story of Louisa Mary Datchett, who was “very fond of men” — indiscriminately fond of men, in fact.
Men, for their part, seemed to recognize this in her and took advantage of it — and of her — when they needed listening to, when they needed prescriptions filled, employment found, socks washed, suits fetched from the cleaners, or musical instruments got out of hock.
“She was constantly being either send for, like a fire engine, or dispatched, like a life boat, to the scene of some masculine disaster.” Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On October 21, 2017 | Updated May 9, 2023 | Comments (0)
Britannia Mews by Margery Sharp is a 1946 novel that fits well into this British author’s skill for creating entertaining, lighthearted stories.
Known for her wit and wry wisdom about human nature, Britannia Mews chronicles lives spanning three generations.
The novel was adapted to a 1949 film, retitled The Forbidden Street. From the 1946 edition, the story is described in a nutshell: Read More→
By Taylor Jasmine | On October 19, 2017 | Updated February 14, 2024 | Comments (2)
Possibly the best-known novel for adults by British author Margery Sharp, Cluny Brown (1944) is a comic novel following the title heroine’s quest for love, freedom, and experience.
Cluny Brown works as a parlor maid in a country inn called Friars Carmel and there, she encounters a motley cast of characters. The novel, aside from being great fun to read, is a satirical look at British high society in the mid-twentieth century.
The novel was plucked from its British locale and adapted into an American romantic comedy in 1946. It was produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch (it was the legendary director’s last completed film) , starring Charles Boyer and Jennifer Jones. Read More→
By Taylor Jasmine | On October 1, 2017 | Updated December 11, 2022 | Comments (0)
For many years, Gone With the Wind was recognized as Margaret Mitchell‘s (1900 – 1949) only novel. And could be argued that this is still the case, even after the discovery of Lost Laysen, a novella she wrote when she was just sixteen.
It could be argued that it’s a long short story, truth be told. The story takes up less than half of the 128 pages of this slim volume, set in narrow columns with wide margins.
Still, its discovery was met with excitement as a significant literary event, and it was published for the first time in 1996 by Scribner’s. Here’s the beginning of the Preface to this edition: Read More→
By Taylor Jasmine | On September 27, 2017 | Updated December 11, 2022 | Comments (0)
From the 1988 Warner Books edition of Adulthood Rites by Octavia Butler — Book 2 in the Xenogenesis Trilogy: “Human beings fear difference,” Lilith had told him once.
“Oankali crave difference. Humans persecute their different ones, yet they need to give themselves definition and status. Oankali seek difference and collect it.
They need it to keep themselves from stagnation. You’ll probably find both tendencies surfacing in your own behavior. When you feel a conflict, try to go the Oankali way. Embrace difference.” Read More→
Categories: 
Comments: