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A Glass of Blessings

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A Glass of Blessings

By: Barbara Pym
Narrated by: Patience Tomlinson
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BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY CLARE CHAMBERS

'I'm a huge fan of Barbara Pym' RICHARD OSMAN

'My favourite writer . . . I pick up her books with joy, as though I were meeting an old, dear friend' JILLY COOPER

'The subtlest of her books . . . the sparkle on first acquaintance has been succeeded by the deeper brilliance of established art' PHILIP LARKIN

Wilmet Forsyth is well dressed, well looked after, suitably husbanded, good-looking and fairly young - but very bored. Her staid husband Rodney, a civil servant, is slightly balder and fatter than he once was. Wilmet would like to think she has changed rather less.

Her conventional life takes a turn when she meets the handsome brother of a close friend. Attractive, cultured and attentive, Piers Longridge is a delectable mystery Wilmet is determined to solve.©1958 Barbara Pym (P)2012 Library Magna Books Ltd Classics Funny Witty
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A comedy of manners..written as only Pym could- filled with the usual "Affectionate Irony". This is nicely read although I do prefer Susan Jameson' performance.

Great Stuff

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I've read most of Barbara Pym's novels and this rivals Excellent Women as the best of them. Her characters are all so believable and Pym describes so humorously their minor flaws, which makes them so human. it is also a wonderful period piece capturing the dullness of the time as Britain was finally beginning to emerge from the aftermath of war.
The narration is also excellent, with a clear distinction of voice for all the many characters. Highly recommended for those who like novels without action and prefer acute observation (a la Ms Austen).

Most enjoyable

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great book I loved it is that enough characters? no, obviously not, two more words needed...oh, that's enough

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At last a narrator worthy of Barbara Pym!


I can't give away the plot- but the genius of 'Glass of Blessings' is the way it quietly crumbles- it feels calm, chilly- almost a little dull and predictable- but then- wham!- the genius of Pym's narration just hits you-

The scene in the grocer's shop over the streaky bacon is achingly moving in a most extraordinary way.

It's a slow burner- you can't judge it til you've finished it.

Splendid

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It is perhaps one of those fundamental truths that one so often considers oneself THE one normal person in the room - the yardstick against which all and everything should be measured. Everyone and everything else falls short - to some degree - against such a paragon....
Thus it is with poor Wilmet Forsyth who, travelling through her world with her smug and patronising conceits, misses all that is really just under her nose. With the deft, crafted, one-liners and surgical observation this is Pym at her most Austeneque. Delicious, skilful, hilarious and yet tragic. For this yardstick is the most flawed character in the cast - and herein lies the joke.
Oh - if only we could see ourself as others see us...!
Patience Tomlinson's narration is wonderful: playing it absolutely straight & letting the humour stand out for itself.
The ONLY flaw being her rendition of the male voices - universally sounding in their mid 70s when in fact many are in their late 30's. In this a joke is missed: for a pompous young fool is so much funnier than a pompous old fool.

This is really a story from another age - my mother's generation. Could any 33 year old now be so snobbish and out of touch?

That being said however this was the best book I've listened to in years and will surely listen to it again. A real gem!

Deliciously waspish Pym at her very best

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