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wealhtheow's review
2.0
Published in the first year of WWII, this is a cute, superficial look at the zeitgeist of England. It's not nearly as funny as the first few Provincial Lady novels--I'd recommend fans of those to stop at [b: The Provincial Lady in America|860193|The Provincial Lady in America|E.M. Delafield|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348341571s/860193.jpg|845633]. When war is declared, the Lady tries to get war-work--only to realize that every other person in England is trying to Do Their Part as well. After weeks of asking Ministry officials for something to do, she finally gets volunteer work at a canteen. Everyone waits around and absolutely nothing happens. If this tale was told about any other war I'd have found it rather more amusing.
ergative's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a very interesting text, not least because it simultaneously is accurate and contemporary--the comments about the fashion of gas-mask carrying cases, the perpetual attempts to get war work but the oversupply of volunteers because the war has not really started yet, the perpetual conversations about what people think is going to happen--and also, because it was written right at the start of the war, is genuinely innocent and ignorant of how deadful things were going to get. The Provincial Lady is no fool, and it's wonderful to see how she can observe how clueless everyone is in light of what she knows can't be anything good coming, and yet she still makes friends and delights in human folly and entertainment and finds joy in life. I think, in a way, that I'm glad that this last provincial lady book ends before WWII really got going. Her son would definitely have been called up, given that he's already 18 in 1939, and I have trouble imagining her retaining her joie de vivre when things got really dark.
margied's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
balancinghistorybooks's review against another edition
4.0
I first read The Provincial Lady in Wartime two years ago, and very much enjoyed revisiting it. It is the final book in Delafield's endlessly charming and witty Provincial Lady series, and is certainly a fitting end to the whole. I loved the regression to diary format once more, missing as it was from The Provincial Lady in Russia, and enjoyed those rather amusing scenes which peppered the book. I'm very much looking forward to embarking upon Delafield's standalone novels now.