Locus Amoenus: All By My Shelf

I'm so glad I decided to take a few days to re-read this novel after listening to the audio book version. My mind tends to wander when I listen to books, and I had missed some great details.

I liked this even more the second time around, and I liked Mildred even more because she's such a well-written character. She has a deep internal life that sometimes translates eccentrically to her outside world. She's both kind and petty, and a shrewd observer of people and daily rituals. I especially loved observations like this one:

"Our trays rattled along on a moving belt at a terrifying speed, so that at the end of it all I found myself, bewildered and resentful, holding a tray full of things I would never have chosen had I had time to think about it, and without a saucer for my coffee."

I related to this! How many times have I not had enough time to shop for some article, and ended up with something I would not have normally chosen!

The prose is beautifully written, and I felt at the end that I had expanded both my vocabulary and my knowledge of post-war England.

The Pymalong Club begins its first read on March 15, with Quartet in Autumn, and I can't wait!