Funny story about this book. I had downloaded it on my Kindle a few weeks ago, intending to read it on the plane. As I read, I kept thinking that this did not at all sound like Barbara Pym. I had only read one of her books (Some Tame Gazelle), and I wasn’t sure if I could make that judgment based on one previous book, so I read a little bit more. But it was not her voice. Specifically, it lacked the humor that was in Some Tame Gazelle. So I double checked, and sure enough, I had downloaded a different Excellent Women (sigh…). I immediately stopped reading (it was pretty boring) and started reading Walden instead.
Anyway, I finally got the real Excellent Women from the library and just finished reading it. Barbara Pym’s humor was certainly there.
A quick summary: Mildred is in her thirties and unmarried. A couple moves into the apartment beneath hers. The book talks about the time period from about the moment they move in to the moment they move out (which I think is about a year), the different things that happen, and the different people in Mildred’s life.
Like Some Tame Gazelle, Excellent Women is more of a quiet book, talking about some day-to-day things that happen to Mildred and the other characters. But it was entertaining to read. I certainly wanted to know what was going to happen to the characters and their relationships. And like I said, there is some quiet humor that pops in every now and then.
Definitely a good read, and I look forward to more Barbara Pym in the future!
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