September Read: Nina Bawden

Share your reading thoughts and plans here.

I love Nina Bawden and have several books tbr - so I will be joining in I am sure.

Sadly I failed with August's author - managing only just over 40 pages before setting the book aside and never coming back to it.

I've been very successful acquiring Nina Bawden VMCs, and I haven't read a single one of them.

* hangs head in shame*

Thank goodness I can remedy that in September! Here's what I have, in order of VMC publication date:
A Little Love, a Little Learning
Tortoise by Candlelight
Walking Naked
George Beneath a Paper Moon
Familiar Passions
Grain of Truth

I welcome suggestions on the best one to serve as my introduction to Nina Bawden.

I've been terrible about joining in with the monthly reads but I have Tortoise by Candlelight and will try to read this next month.

I will start with The Outside Child which I picked up at the annual bookfair earlier this month. I also found one of hers in a charity shop a few days ago - it's not a VMC, but a hardcover edition published by Virago Press called A Nice Change. After that I have six others, including four VMCs. I have yet to find out if I like Nina Bawden's writing so that will be interesting in itself, given my experience with Christina Stead's work.

I too, have a large body of Bawden's work on my shelves. And I don't believe I have read any either. I hope to put that statement to bed in September beginning with Carrie's War and moving on to Ruffian on the Stair and A Woman of my Age. I can't believe that I have reached the ripe old age 70 without having read Carrie's War.
:-(

I have (don't know why) 13 of her VMC & 1 Virago fiction so I hope that I like her well. :-)

Nina Bawden's books have never really called me but I'm planning to try Devil by the Sea, because the setting of the cover painting is just a little way from home, and I know that my father visiting the fair in that painting as a boy.

I have two: Familiar Passions and A Little Love, a Little Learning -- anyone have any recommendations? I've never read Bawden.

>8 janeajones:
Jane they are 3 1/2 & 4 stars respectively so you pays your money & takes your chances. Good luck.

I have read most of my 14 Nina Bawdens and enjoyed many of them. A Woman of My Age was my favorite (I have never read Carrie's War which is the most popular of her books) but, if I am honest, I cannot remember what most of the books were about.

I think I've only read one Bawden and I confess I wasn't that taken with it, so I will probably give this month a miss (and stick to Agnes Grey!)

I've decided to read A Little Love, a Little Learning, but I'm reading Agnes Grey and another book first.

I have The Robbers by Bawden on my shelf but I see it only got 3 stars.
Anyone else read this and able to recommend it?

My library only has The Birds on the Trees, which I started to read and really didn't appeal to me. I enjoyed my first group read and will join in again in October.

I've read quite a few Bawden's and enjoyed them all. My reviews are mainly 3 and 3.5 stars because when I started reviewing I think I was harsher on authors than I would be now. I should probably up my rating at least .5 for each book, maybe more.

I can highly recommend Afternoon of a Good Woman if you can get a copy. This one I absolutely loved.

I have read quite a few Nina Bawden, and generally really like her. I would recommend A little love, a little learning Grain of Truth Ruffian on the Stair Devil by the sea all being good places to start. She doesn't seem to be to everyone's taste but I really like her.

I'm reading an adult and a children's Bawden: Ruffian on the Stair and The Runaway Summer.

I read A Woman of my Age a few years ago and loved it.

I finished A Little Love, a Little Learning yesterday and absolutely loved it. Thanks for the rec, >16 Heaven-Ali: ! This was my first Bawden and now I'm excited to read more.

Yesterday I finished reading Family Money which was a little slow to start with but overall I really really enjoyed it. I hope to get another Bawden squeezed in before the end of September.

>18 lauralkeet: Yay so glad you loved it. That one is really good. Happy reading.

I reviewed Family Money a few days ago, I though it was excellent.

https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2017/09/22/family-money-nina-bawden-1991/

I also really enjoyed that one, Ali.

I've just begun Carrie's War and it is such a slim novel that I am hoping to complete it in time. I am finding it very interesting so far. The elder son is keenly aware of his mother's fragile state and her desire to 'see' the past. Very well written up to the point I have reached.........

I read Ruffian on the Stairs - was impressed with Bawden's writing and wondered why I don't more read of her.

I also finished reading Familiar Passions just managed to squeeze it in, another really good Bawden novel.

I did finish The Outside Child early in the month - this was ok but slightly unconvincing in that I thought one element of the plot a bit implausible. Then my reading plans were thrown into disarray because my neighbours were having noisy work done on their house for about three weeks so I couldn't read during the day. I also had three more by Rumer Godden from the library to finish and the new book on Katherine Mansfield's Wellington which I had on reserve became available, so of course I had to read that too. I suppose I will have to have another month dedicated to Nina Bawden at some future time.