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My friend Rebekah recommended Barbara Pym on her blog recently, and as she is a sharp reader with exquisite taste, I had to discover Pym for myself. I had never even heard of Pym, but after reading Quartet in Autumn and Excellent Women I can see why some regard her as the most underrated British author of the 20th century. Quartet in Autumn tells the story of four retirement-age office mates in 1970s London. Marcia, Letty, Edwin, and Norman have little in common other than their shared office space, but the novel shows just how intertwined lives can become, even when the connections between individuals seem tenuous or artificial. All of the characters are unmarried (Edwin is a widower), and they face their autumn years alone together. One tragic situation in particular forces a closer acquaintance for the four, and while I don't want to spoil anything, I found myself both profoundly saddened and strangely hopeful after reading the book. Pym does a spectacular job of making four ordinary--sometimes truly odd--older people into intensely sympathetic characters.

2023-02-12 07:49