Wild Strawberries

Rating:
Summary: May be the funniest characters ever invented.
Review: All of Thirkell's novels are funny, but the Leslie family may be the funniest of all. One of the best things about them is that they think they are funny, too. It would be difficult to imagine anyone reading this book who has any vestiges of a sense of humor who could not feel happier after reading a few pages. Yet they all have some depth. There has been sadness in their lives and they deeply care about each other, but mostly they live so in the moment that life itself doesn't intrude upon them easily. Thirkell didn't get on the best 100 of the century, but she might be entitled to the first 20 or so. Read all her books and see which 10 or 12 you would omit!

Rating:
Summary: A get-away-from-it-all book that never leaves the real world
Review: Angela Thirkell is a novelist after the fashion of Jane Austen. She use wit, charm, and style to uncover and skewer some of the foibles, follies, and eccentricities of her characters. Unlike some others, she always does so lovingly and with great regard for the human person. This story centers around a few young people and the romantic entanglements they experience throughout a summer in rural Barsetshire. The plot of the story might well have given rise to the movie "Sabrina." There are no wild twists or sudden curves; however, they are not needed because the beauty of the prose and the careful observation of each person allows this novel to open up into an entire world of exploration. Once you have read it, you will want to return to it again and again to enjoy the characters, the settings, and the sumptuous prose. While this is a superb read, it is, remarkably, not the very best of Thirkell. The reader who is just starting has some real treats ahead for them

Rating:
Summary: Vintage Thirkell
Review: Of the many charming characters that people Thirkell's Barsetshire, the Leslies are the most delightful. Meet them in this book and then enjoy them again in later Thirkell novels (notably Marling Hall).

Thirkell doesn't provide suspense or surprises, but is perfect light enjoyment for those who appreciate light English wit, sillier than Austen but not as silly as Wodehouse (both of whom are authors I love).