A review by mrh29992
The Matchmaker by Stella Gibbons
4.0
This was my first book of Gibbons', and she is a writer I definitely want to explore more.
The Matchmaker is a fun, light story with a fun array of characters. - Alda, the quasi-protagonist and self proclaimed titular matchmaker, is interesting to read. Whilst she is definitely an intelligent, modern woman in many ways, she occasionally comes accross as quite an irritating busybody and know-it-all. But that does not alter how delightful she and her daughters are, and what a charming story Gibbons weaves around them.
I was actually most intrigued by the relationship of Jean Hardcastle and Philip Waite, as that gave me the impression of being an interesting, but not taxing, battle of the sexes. Waite, with his archaic views comes up against Alda and Jean and their much more modern ways. I am glad that things develop the way I do.
Gibbons is a delight in giving us real, fleshed out characters who are not wholly "good" or "bad", but are nuanced and feel charmingly real. And she evokes the rural year beautifully, weaving post-war issues into a neat pastoral romp.
The Matchmaker is a fun, light story with a fun array of characters. - Alda, the quasi-protagonist and self proclaimed titular matchmaker, is interesting to read. Whilst she is definitely an intelligent, modern woman in many ways, she occasionally comes accross as quite an irritating busybody and know-it-all. But that does not alter how delightful she and her daughters are, and what a charming story Gibbons weaves around them.
I was actually most intrigued by the relationship of Jean Hardcastle and Philip Waite, as that gave me the impression of being an interesting, but not taxing, battle of the sexes. Waite, with his archaic views comes up against Alda and Jean and their much more modern ways. I am glad that things develop the way I do.
Gibbons is a delight in giving us real, fleshed out characters who are not wholly "good" or "bad", but are nuanced and feel charmingly real. And she evokes the rural year beautifully, weaving post-war issues into a neat pastoral romp.