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The Diary of a Provincial Lady (Book 162) by E. M. Delafield
Book 162 from the Virago modern classics series.
The goal of the provincial lady is to maintain 'niceness', whether it be in the home, relationships or personal behaviour. 'The Diary of a Provincial Lady' first published in the 1930s is a witty celebration of the suburban British housewife.INTRODUCED BY JILLY COOPER AND WITH A COVER DESIGN BY CATH KIDSTON
'She converts the small and familiar dullness of life into laughter' THE TIMES
'And so begins one of the funniest, smartest and most lovable books I have ever read' KATHRYN HUGHES, GUARDIAN
'I finished the book in one sitting, leaving the children unbathed, dogs unwalked, a husband unfed' JILLY COOPER
'Glorious, simply glorious' DAILY TELEGRAPH
Behind this rather prim title lies the hilarious fictional diary of a disaster-prone lady of the 1930s and her attempts to keep her somewhat ramshackle household from falling into chaos. There's her husband Robert, who, when he's not snoozing behind The Times does everything with grumbling reluctance; her gleefully troublesome children and a succession of tricky servants who invariably seem to gain the upper hand.
And if her domestic trials are not enough, she must keep up appearances. Particularly with the maddeningly patronising Lady Boxe, whom our Provincial Lady eternally (and unsuccessfully) tries to compete with.
About the Author: Edmée Elizabeth Monica Dashwood (1890-1943) commonly known as E. M. Delafield, was a prolific English author who is best-known for her largely autobiographical Diary of a Provincial Lady which took the form of a journal of the life of an upper-middle class Englishwoman living mostly in a Devon village of the 1930s, and its sequels in which the Provincial Lady buys a flat in London and travels to America.
Number of pages | 529 |
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