Book 9 of the 2026 Read Your Hoard Challenge
As usual, Barbara Pym showed me what a keen observer of human nature she was. This novel focuses on two situations. The first is a young curate Mr. Latimer, housing with an older lady Miss Doggett and her companion Miss Morrow. The second is Oxford tutor Mr. Cleveland who is feeling rather neglected by his wife and develops romantic feelings for one of his students, Barbara Bird.
Mr. Latimer, after sharing the house for a while, comes to the conclusion that “he could do worse” than to marry Miss Morrow. He waits until Miss Doggett leaves the house and then proposes. Miss Morrow doesn't even drop a stitch in her knitting—she turns him down kindly and advises him to marry someone who he loves. Not her.
Meanwhile, Francis Cleveland has moved from mooning about Miss Bird, to taking her to tea, to romantic walks and whispered confessions of his feelings in the library. Barbara has a crush on her handsome instructor, but has the naïve notion of platonic love. She is somewhat taken aback when Francis wants to kiss her. I can't speak to young women today, but I know I had a huge crush on my first year chemistry prof. It's lucky for both of us that he was a honorable guy. (I found out later that there was a mutual attraction there.)
To my mind, the best part of the tale is the romance between Francis' daughter Anthea and Simon Beddoes. Simon has political aspirations and writes a letter to break up with Anthea, distressing her. Miss Doggett and Miss Morrow are on hand when the letter arrives and Miss Morrow has an opportunity to read it.
Miss Morrow could hardly help laughing when she had finished reading. The sprawling, childish writing and curious parliamentary phraseology seemed to her infinitely pathetic. “It has been evident for some time…it is not unlikely that…” Miss Morrow jumped forward thirty years and saw Simon as the Secretary of State for Something, answering questions in the House. But then, she thought, with cynicism unsuitable in one who was not a woman of the world, he would avoid the truth at all costs. And he would probably have a secretary who knew where to put the apostrophe in haven't.
According to Wikipedia, Simon is based on the politician Julian Amery, with whom Pym had a brief romance. I'd say she got her gentle revenge here, probably consulting her diaries for useful details. I truly wish I had discovered Barbara Pym before her death in 1980. I do wish I could let her know how much I appreciate her view of the world.
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