A review by lillist
Crampton Hodnet by Barbara Pym
3.0
Unfortuntely, this one was not quite for me. I see the appeal though: the writing is witty and Pym makes poignant stabs at the society surrounding Oxford.
She is often compared to Jane Austen, just like a much more contemporary version, but I feel like that comparison is not really warranted. Because while Austen does make plenty of fun of her characters, they still feel like real people.
On the contrary, I felt like all of the characters in Crampton Hodnet were mere parodies, their exaggerated personalities just there to be made fun of.
Even though this is a short read I struggled with picking it up and am rather glad that I'm finished. It's too bad as I had hoped to discover another author who provides that perfect mix of witty (and funny) social criticism with insightful writing that I love in Jane Austen's writing.
She is often compared to Jane Austen, just like a much more contemporary version, but I feel like that comparison is not really warranted. Because while Austen does make plenty of fun of her characters, they still feel like real people.
On the contrary, I felt like all of the characters in Crampton Hodnet were mere parodies, their exaggerated personalities just there to be made fun of.
Even though this is a short read I struggled with picking it up and am rather glad that I'm finished. It's too bad as I had hoped to discover another author who provides that perfect mix of witty (and funny) social criticism with insightful writing that I love in Jane Austen's writing.