Read the 1940s - Apr 2019: Work

In April, our topic is Work.

A few reminders: books can be fiction or nonfiction, Viragos, Persephones, books by Virago/Persephone authors, or books that otherwise embody the "Virago spirit." They can be set in the 1940s, or published in the 1940s. In short, there are no rules here -- participants can set rules to suit themselves. For questions, comments, and general chat about the theme read go to our General Discussion thread.

Visit the Book Recommendations thread for help choosing books that fit the theme & monthly topic. We also have a fabulous Google spreadsheet created by Heather/souloftherose, which compiles and classifies all the book recommendations mentioned on the thread. The spreadsheet includes a "categories" column that shows which topic(s) each book would be suitable for. Below are links to two different views of the data:
* Full spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-b4Y2YrG4VseFT5qn546IjWy0JYst7cOVIrmeBHB...
* Filtered on the "Work" category: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-b4Y2YrG4VseFT5qn546IjWy0JYst7cOVIrmeBHB...

Note that the filtered view does not work on mobile devices, and it may take a few extra seconds to load in your browser. Please let us know if you have any feedback or suggestions for the spreadsheet.

What are you planning to read in April? Visit this thread often to share your plans and opinions!

Looking forward to this theme - I had thought I had nothing suitable but - having checked I have found I do.

I have Bewildering Cares by Winifred Peck on my kindle - so was delighted to that in the list of suggestions.

I also have
Company in the Evening by Ursula Orange another Furrowed middlebrow title - which involves a woman who works in a literary agency. First published in 1944 it might suit other categories better - someone who's read it might be able to tell me.

I may also be tempted to re-read The Gentlewomen

>2 Heaven-Ali: Hi Ali! The Gentlewomen is my choice for April. Not a re-read for me, though.

In in on The Gentlewomen too. I was really struggling to find a suitable book, having read so many of my VMCs.

I have One pair of feet and The provincial lady in wartime to read, but I've somehow found myself rereading The gentlewomen. It is such a good book.

>5 Sakerfalcon: I'm so glad to hear such enthusiastic recommendations for The Gentlewomen. I'm really looking forward to it but have to read a chunky library book first

60 pages into The Gentlewomen. Loving it!

I have One Pair of Feet on loan from the library for this month but also considering Indifferent Heroes the second in Mary Hocking's trilogy which I think might fit as one of the Fairley girls becomes a WREN from the back cover.

Seriously tempted by The Gentlewomen based on the recommendations above - I might add it to my list for one of the Wildcard months.

Finished my reread of The gentlewomen which was just as good as I remembered.

Now I'm enjoying One pair of feet which is very funny. I find myself wincing sympathetically as "Nurse Dickens" gets herself into scrapes. There are few instances of a now-inappropriate racial term, although it is not used to refer to anyone of that race.

I also finished The Gentlewomen this afternoon. I had no idea I even owned it until it was recommended in this thread - thank you Claire! I read it quickly and with huge enjoyment. The only thing I didn't like was the book's front cover. It seemed to me that, if the woman in the painting was supposed to represent the book's main character, they got it hopeless wrong.

A review copy of a book from Handheld press arrived today. Blitz Writing by Inez Holden a novella and memoir in one volume. Originally published in the 1940s the novella particularly would suit our April theme I think. Unfortunately it's not out until the 30th May.

I 've now started reading Bewildering Cares by Winifred Peck

Posted my review of Bewildering Cares today. I enjoyed it overall but was left cold by one particular aspect.

https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2019/04/18/bewildering-cares-winifred-peck-1940/

I read your review Ali. Very good. Thank you. Made me want to read it. And just to be contrary - (I have a double major in religion/history) - I found the quote you included, truly beautiful :)

I started the much-talked-about The Gentlewomen the other day, and it's started out just as good as everyone says it is. I'm reading it concurrently with a non-fiction book which has nothing to do with our theme but is still something Virago-ites would appreciate: Desert Queen, the story of Gertrude Bell.

I finished One Pair of Feet over the weekend - I enjoyed the chatty, informal style and the details about nursing in the early 1940s (only a few years before my grandma started her nursing training). In some ways it doesn't feel as if the war had much of an impact on the nursing staff - as Monica says, the work was so hard and the rules so strict that the hospital became its own little world and often she didn't have much of an idea of what was going on in the wider world.

I managed to fit in The provincial lady in wartime which was great. It takes place in the very first weeks after war is declared, as many people, including the PL, rush out to offer their services to the war effort. Almost without exception, however, they are told to Stand By and wait until they are needed. Our heroine moves to London and volunteers in a canteen while she waits to be summoned for duty at the Ministry of Information. It's an amusing read that shows an unexpected perspective of the early days of the war.

>15 lauralkeet:,
Laura, I look forward to your thoughts on Desert Queen. I have long wanted to read it. I find Bell fascinating!

>18 rainpebble: Belva, it's an interesting book so far and I agree Bell is fascinating. She was lucky to have the resources and family backing to explore as she did, and I have to chuckle at descriptions of meals served on fine china with wine in the midst of the desert, but I also have to admire her spirit and downright bravery.

Currently reading another Dean Street Press furrowed Middlebrow title: Company in the Evening by Ursula Orange. I think it fits into this month's theme just about as the central character is a literary agent, and there are some details about her work and life at the office. It would also fit into the wartime and family sections.

I absolutely loved The Gentlewomen. Thank you to everyone here who recommended it so highly. Here's my review:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miss Bolby considers herself “a gentlewoman” -- an English woman of good breeding -- whose life circumstances have unfortunately resulted in a need to work for a living. But she won’t work for just anybody; only the best families will do. When Miss Bolby is hired as a governess for Lady Rushford’s daughters, she finds the family’s idyllic country house lifestyle disrupted by World War II. Lord Rushford is away, the house is short staffed, and two Italian prisoners of war work as groundskeepers. Lady Rushford does her best, but is poorly equipped to manage it all.

Miss Bolby was born in India and, in her youth, was considered a beauty and a talented singer. Her parents discouraged a singing career, and she declined an early marriage proposal. When no further offers came, she was left to find her own way. Meanwhile, her sister Sita made a socially advantageous marriage and went to live in India with her husband. Miss Bolby constantly mentions her birthplace and her sister’s connections in a vain attempt to strengthen her own social status. The boarding house she previously lived in becomes her pied-à-terre, as if she could jaunt off for the weekend if she so chose. Sadly, no one cares, and Miss Bolby fails to command the respect she believes is her due. When Miss Pickford joins the household staff as a secretary, she unknowingly threatens Miss Bolby’s sense of identity and status.

Both Miss Bolby and Miss Pickford have been forced into lines of work they are poorly suited to, and are reliant on the upper classes for basic needs like food and shelter. While Miss Pickford seems to accept her lot in life, Miss Bolby strives to be seen as an equal with Lady Rushford and her contemporaries. Then Miss Bolby’s prized bracelets go missing and she begins to unravel, with consequences that ripple through everyone at Rushford. The Gentlewomen is brilliant satire, a moving character study, and a sad portrait of the single woman in wartime

>21 lauralkeet: I'm so glad you enjoyed it! It's a wonderful book that really shouldn't be out of print. I thought just as highly of it on my recent reread.

Right at the end of April I read Company in the evening by Ursula Orange. Which turned out to fit in well with our Work theme.

I reviewed it today.

https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/company-in-the-evening-ursula-orange-...

I've just read a book which would have suited our April 'work' theme perfectly. It was a review book sent to me by Handheld Press, out next week. Blitz Writing by Ines Holden comprises a novella set in a factory, Night Shift and a memoir called It was different at the time. Both texts depict ordinary life and work during WW2. Originally published in 1941/1943.

Due to confusion I only read my 'Work' themed book this month, and I also read The Gentlewomen. I enjoyed it very much; Miss Bolby's inability to compromise with the social changes brought about by war leads to much unhappiness and eventually a tragedy. The nuances of social status and class are very well portrayed and inexplicable in the present day.