Barbara Pym ----Anyone?

After working my way through the Barbara Pym books I was pleased to discover Elizabeth Fair. Her books are vaguely reminiscent of Pym but are more overtly humorous. She's a very good writer.

Love Barbara Pym.
I always think I would be perfectly happy living in one of her novels

It's the minutiae that I like. Subtle.

I kept reading about all the famous people who love her ..so I picked up a couple of her books .....OMG ..they are so slow , dull, and boring ,, and all about the Vicar , and seemed set in 1930;s to 1950... sorry ...

Apropos of this thread, I wandered into my local library, and picked up what will be my first Barbara Pym, "Some Tame Gazelle", they did have others. One will do for now, I'll see how I get on with this one.

I spotted a Barbara Pym book in a charity shop the other day. Looking forward to reading her for the first time.

Another small town bt perfect writer is Anne Tyler. Love her books.

Boz

Will give Strout a go. Should I order Olive Kitteridge or Barton?

The first of her books that I read was "Olive Kitteridge" which won her the Pulizer prize and is the first of her interlinked series. If you don't enjoy that, then go no further. I have gone on to read most of her books and enjoyed them all, My daughter has just given me a signed copy of "Tell me everything" which is my treat for January 2026.

I have always enjoyed Barbara Pym……the subtle irony is a delight. So perceptive and gently satirical.

Elizabeth Strout is similar but a bit same old same old i.m.o. She keeps ploughing the same furrow from different points of view.

Will give Strout a go. Should I order Olive Kitteridge or Barton?

I'm also a fan of Pym, two authors I also would recommend who write in a similar style would be Anita Brookner ( I love Hotel du Lac) and Elizabeth Strout. Brookner is British and Strout is American who writes about small town American life. Both write beautifully, with humour and insight into the internal lives of "ordinary" people.

travelsafar that's the programme I mentioned in my post. It was very good

I read them and loved them lot long ago. I must try them again. Who is reading on the audio edition? I can in my head hear the voice that would suit it. I find I am often disappointed with audio readers just because I .hear the story differently.

I watched on bbc4 catch up a program about this lady and the brilliant Patricia Routledge was in it.....sorry I can't remember what it was called. It was very interesting and I was able to get an audio book of some of her stories from my library service. I love these kind of writers. I also have read many of the Miss Read books and listened to audio versions. Such a different world.😊

M0nica

I loved her books forst time round. Second time around I found her mannered and rather old fashioned and di not enjoy the reread, which really surprised me because I rarely change my view and enjoyment of a writer on second reading.

I wonder if in 2025 there are still spinsters who have to find some other outlet than husbands, for their need to give affection and services to others.

Boz

Came late to Pym but have listened to her books released through Audible. She is good.
Incidentally, her finest work "Quartet in Autumn" is only available in Kindle or book form.

I have Quartet in Autumn, and it is the most sad of her books.

I enjoy Barbara Pym, I think Quartet in Autumn the best. She seems to have been a rather odd woman, always very conscious of herself.

I recently discovered Dorothy Whipple, apropos of one of these type of threads on GN. I really love reading about the earlier part of the 20th century from the pov of first hand experience. She was also a feminist of her era, that comes across in her writing.

I quite like reading about what is now perceived as snobbishness but, back then, was just everyday thinking.
I do enjoy the books written in the 20s/30s/40s. Life was so different.

I enjoyed Barbara Pym and have a collection of her gentle, very perceptive books which I have not re-read for a long time. Incentive to do so now. Angela Thirkell is wittier, but regrettably snobbish; the earlier pre-war books are the best.

I tend not to buy new books and will put Barbara Pym on my list when I browse charity shops .
I'll look for the other authors which have been suggested .

Dorothy Whipple is a terrific writer.
Pym fans might enjoy the BBC programme entitled 'Miss Pym's Day Out'. It should still be on the BBC iPlayer.

Read Barbara Pym novels ages ago and really enjoyed them, also Angela Thirkell.

Give Dorothy Whipple a try if you like this genre.
The Persephone editions are very handsome.

I can see where you are coming from, MOnica. Being mannered and old-fashioned is a major part of
Pym's charm the first time round, and I found it very enjoyable, but I cannot imagine rereading her.

I discovered Barbara Pym quite late on and have read all her books with delight.
They weren't right for her time somehow. They seemed old fashioned and dull compared to more racy novelists.

I don't think my DM, who read voraciously but followed the reviews, ever read Pym. She didn't like Larkin or Betjeman claiming they were romantics who championed the unpopular.

Mum was the same age as B Pym.