Page 68 - br-july-2022

July 2022 July 2022

SOCIABLE BOOKWORMS

Our next review will be for Dear Mrs. Bird by A J
Pearce which we read May/June.
We have agreed to pick books a couple of months
in advance to give the group a chance to source
them so our next read will be The Corfe Castle
Murders by Rachel McLean which we will discuss at
our meeting on 13th July. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman will be
discussed at the following meeting on 10th August.
Anyone interested in joining our group, please send me a message or find our
Facebook page and ask to join.
Christine Whitfield
‘Mrs Harris Goes To Paris’ by Paul Gallico
The Sociable Bookworms all agreed that this short story was a pleasant, easy read.
Generally there were not many opportunities to ‘read between the lines’ nor
much intrigue or much of a plot to predict. However, it was ok in that it doesn’t
ask much of the reader, so if you are looking for a light, gentle story, this would be
ideal.
After that, there was much discussion about many aspects of the setting and
characters. It is set in the 1950’s (and needed to be, as the storyline is about the
protagonist’s desire for a Dior gown). However, while some of us felt that was
fitting, for others, it felt more like a late Victorian setting, in the way society and
the relationships between people were described and explored.
The characters were more believable, perhaps, than the plot, but some seemed
very stereo-typical. Maybe, we thought, because their life-style and professions
were outside the experience of the author. Mrs Harris was the most fully
developed character and her self-worth, self-respect and inner confidence really
shone through. Again though, some of us felt that the ending wasn’t totally
credible.
The story as a whole, seemed more fable-like and, by some of us, was felt to be a
moral tale rather than a realistic story that you would become involved in.
In the same publication and by the same author is also ‘Mrs Harris Goes To New
York’. Some readers felt that the same characters included from the first story,
were more rounded and credible, but for some, the impossible coincidences that
befall Mrs Harris were too forced, and thus didn’t really improve opinion from the
first story in the book.

Over all a light, summer beach read, perhaps, which isn’t too demanding.

30 67