JUST PUBLISHED
o The China Governess Margery Allingham ( l ltigarth LENS) Stiphistieated. literary thriller teaturing the dnuee sleuth :\lhert (airipitiii. ealled in tn unray'el the my'steritiiis past and present til the Kinnit tamily'.
- My Blue Notebooks I .iarit- tie i’titigy ((eritut'y HUS i ‘Hltin heeaiise til their enlnur ntit their ennterit. l’titigy‘ w as a nnttirinus l’arisian etiurtesan w hnmarried a philandering Rtimaman prinee and latterly heearne a l)nminiean tertiary.
l ligh—elass. harhed—w ire gtissip.
o The Shell Kay litelt ((iNll’ l’tihlishers [35”) Sharp. elegant nny el in w hieh a writer reliy'es a leshian lny e allair. Shnrt and hitter-s“ eet.
O lacoccal ee laetieea l Bantam UHF ) ( )ne y irttie the man w hn resuseitated the ailing ( ~hrysler ("nrpnratitin dties ntit exhihit in his ghtisted atitnhingraphy is mtidesty. l le dties. htm ey'eI‘. haye plenty til panaehe and a head lnr ligures. .j‘dllllltlllllllldt'tlliiteli etipiesstiltl htiasts the eny'er, (an that many penple he w rnng‘.’ Yes.
0 The Nature of Passion Ruth l’r-ayter .lhaliy ala ( l’engain £2.95) :\ lamiliar ttissle hetween traditinnal lndian y'alues and the inlluenee nlthe \Vest. :\ stieltil etirnedy with set‘ltttls underttines.
o The Real Cost Riehar-ti Stir-iii
l( 'hattti tk \VllldtlS {7.05) :\ ltitik hehirid thirty tir sti ey'eryday prtiduets w hieh attempts tti assess their enst in human. restiuree and eny'ir'tinmerital terms. l lamhurgers are implieated in the destrtietinn til ltirests. 1.5“; til the etist nla hanana gties ttiwards the lieldw‘tirkers‘
w ages. and there are nti nrariges in l‘anta whieh is said tn Bra/ii. tine til the wtirld‘s largest nrange prtidueers hut w htise pnpulatitin sullers lrtim elirnnie Vitamin ( ‘ detieieney. .»\ lititik tit eruel annmalies.
o Wiltred Owen: Selected Letters l5dited hy .lttllll Bell (( )xlnrd t 'l’ Lti.‘t5i.ludieitius enlleetinnnlthe etirresptindenee til \‘y'nrld \‘y'ar l‘s mnst aeetimplished pnet.
O Snookered l)nnald 'lrellnrd ll’aher {4.95 l .\ persnrial and priy‘ate histnry til the hypntitiegame. designed in the late Wth eentiiry in India speeilieally ltir BBt '3.
REVIEWS
0 A Curious Lite tor a Lady l’tii Barr (I’enguin {3.95 i .-\ Setittish physieian d iagntised lsahella Bird as ‘nne til tlttise \tll‘jeets w liti are dependent In the last degree upnn their
eny irnnment tn hring nut their
l pnssihilities. It is nnt a truestitin til
t
42 lhel istll } eh n.\lai
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OOKS
dual perstinality. it is the y aried resptinse tila single persnnality tliitlet' \‘tti‘ied k‘ttlltlllltlll\.i it] her hingraphy l’at Barr deser‘ihes the truly rernarkahle lile til a wtiman hnrri in [SR] inttia tamily nt hishtips. riiissitinaries and eleries. w hti w as .i melanehtilie and semi-inyalid mnst til her lile.
ller lirst taste nltray'el eame in 1854 when a sea y‘t iy age w as preserihed tti help her etiiiy alesee alter a tumnur tin her spine. a etimmtin remedy lnr highly strung intelligent ynung ladies. l’rtim this itiurney In ( ‘anada and \tirth :‘tmeriea earne her lirst hnnk .-t/i l'f/iei'rs/iit'tinitui m strut'rrt‘ti
,-\lter her lathei"s death in ltSnl 1 she mny ed lrnm \‘tirkshire tn lidinhurgh where again she was semi—my alid. nnt knnw n tn rise helnre mid—day .\ lriend said ‘I lertitiiet. slnw deliherate manner nlspeet'h may haye heeri a little teditiiis in tine less gilted.‘ But it was nnly in 1S“: when she was 4ltyears tiltl that her eareers as tray‘eller and writer rntiy e intn the truly extranrdinary.
ln ;\UStt'Ltll.’t (htiring) hut then the Saridw ieh lsles t l lawaii l and the Rneky .‘yttiuntains. .lapan. lsashmir and lihet. Persia and Kurdistan. Ktirea and ( ‘hina. lrnm liy iiig in peasants htiy‘els tn t‘i‘uising with lnrd ( ‘ur/nn. l ler w ritings rey eal the paradnx til the steretitypieal Vietnrian: shtiw‘ing little artistie appreeiatitin. she writes tti inlt irm rather than in amuse. and tilten deals ealltiusly with the names. When in 'lihet. lnr example. her eharming and etilniirltil ;\lghan guide is reengnised as a tnrme r mereenary and led away tn a presumahly grisly death. .‘ytiss ll. dtiesn‘t riiake a
Her htitiks may well haye heen written hnth tn alley'iate the hnredtim nl return In Britain. and tn expiate the gtiilt lrnm her ‘pagan delight‘ in her tray els. hut at the same time her titty in hnrse riding. her attentitin tn detail and the straightltirw ard /est and driy e til her htitiks. many nlw hieh hay e heeri reprinted reeently. still impress as they tihy‘ititisly tlitl tine hundred years agn.
lsahella Bird dltl die in hed. Iii lidinhurgh. hut helnre dtiing sn she set till ltit‘ \ltir‘tieeti ( aged 7| l) where she hnught and rtide a hlaek stallinn tiy'er the :\tl;ts .‘ytntmtains indeed. a etirititis lite ttir a Vietnrian lath l Ian \Vright) -
o The Adventures of Robina litiiteti hy limma 'I'ennant l l’aher LUV?) :Xeenrding tn l lemingw ay . Setitt l‘iit/ger'ald started a stnry tinee. "l'he rieh are y‘ery dillerent lrnm ytiu and tme.‘ A wag added. ‘Yes. they haye
mnre mnney". lind nlstnryl’ \nt titiite. lnr' thnse til tis whti sineerely want tn he rieh hay e an untitienehahle tiesire tn liiitl nut w hat the inhahitants til Deli/tits tin with their lnlly and htiw they while away the ll\eltttigtl.1_\. l'he sptitiletlittit‘ til Rtihina‘sady enttires is etinyineed that they dti ritiw y'ery mueh as they did in the early 15th eentury . as gtind an exeuse as any ltir presenting the piearestitie memtiirs tit ‘a dehiitante at the t ~ntirt nlUueeri l-‘li/aheth [I' in a sty le whieh wtiuld he lamiliar tn etinteriiptirai’y readerstil .‘ylnll lilander's.
l’tir llame haired. nrphan Rtihina. reared tin .i Hnrtlei' larm. iriherittir‘til Lift tilltand etingenital t 'pper ( ‘ase. this wnrld is a etintimial Mystery. lraught with .‘ylishap. She lirst gets an inkling nl this en rtiute in an lzstahlishment ltir \tiimg ladies at ()it‘ltirdwhen she enetiiintersthe
grnping l’rinee l’ . the lirst til many
depiay‘ed and peniiiless aristneratie Rakes. w hti \\tillltl hay e his Way with her. \ttist til the men (and rint a lew til the wtimeii l she meets are ( ‘ads and liniinders with an eye tin her inheritanee htit Rtihina. with the helpnl I)ame l-‘tir‘tune. eludes them
ey en the mtist y irulent til the speeies. tliitse .\.S.l. l . (\ttt Sale lit 'l'ayis) tinly tnstieeiimh at the last tn a t nnlidenee lrit‘kstei‘,
,‘ytisunderstnnd. eriyiedarid hewildered she llits lrnm ( )xltird tn l’aris tn 1 .nndnn. in the linpe til aetitiiririg the relinement tn make her ( inrning ( hit a y'itt t‘t'yy lltir she has a had htitit til italies. triti). Sadly. her y'arititis l‘inishing Sehtitils haye mtire iii etimmnn with l)tithehnys l {all than thnse genteel Swiss aeademies w here the inmates walk arntindw'ith hnnkstin theirheads. She learns ntit yery‘ mtieh the l lard Way and remains stranger yitst‘t’ptr/t/t' tn .i\dy‘anees. giy‘ing the impressinn that she is ntit the lnntieent ;\hrtiad she wtitild hay e tis heliey e. But it is elearly in lzrnma 'I entrant‘s interests in hay e a gtillihle hernine lnr w hen Rnhina thinks stimething is i‘itlieiilnus. as w hen she eurtseys tn the take at her ( ‘timing ()ut. then it really must he sti.
lhe east in this lzli/ahethan drama etimes straight trnrn .lenniler‘s Diary. that sy ntaetieally eeeentrie lng til tippererust sneialising. 'I here is persistent tise tit initials. prestimahly tn tnrestall lihel aetinns. ar‘d trying tn diseny er \\ hti‘s really \th prtiy'ides an amusing it
lrus'trating sideshnw. I ideritilied nnly tine: the missing I .Hltll
'l‘htise in the knnw shnuld hay e nti trtitihle guessing mnre. l'his patina til realism is part til limma lennant‘s rusewhieh she earriestitl with style. 'l‘here are lew l-alse .\'tites in this stnry nlthe aristtieraey in Heeline. and a gtititl many laughs. (Alan 'l‘ay'lnrl
0 Marriage Susan l'ierrier l \iragti £45”) lirst puhlished lSlS’.
0 Crossriggs .lane and Mary l‘indlatet’ l Vii'agti HUS) lirst puhlished lllllh‘.
0 Open the Doort 'ailit-r lllL‘ ( ‘ar-sttt-il (Viragn U.th lirst puhlished l‘lfll. lhistrintilmnder‘rielassies enntinues \‘iragn‘s attempts tn reprint htinkswhieh. thtiiigh enitiying etinsiderahlestit‘eessin theirnwn time.suhsetiuently lell intn tihseurity, Interestingly . tinly the earliest. .‘ltU'li/tlty’t' ean still he ltittiitl tilt the lietinn shely es til lidinhiirgli‘s ( ~entrall ihrary. (rum/“regs w as ntit in sttiek and ()/’('/l the l)ritir was ayailahle nnly as a relerenee htitik.
.‘lltn'ritiet' was written when realism in the nny'el was in its intaney and. as in .lane :\tisten‘swtirk. detailed nhsery atitins emhellish a lengthy and leisurely riarratiy'e set alternately in lashinnahle ltintltin suhurhs and the hleak. ehilly Setittish l lighlands. l'he etiritt‘ast hetw eett the Win eny'ir‘nnments. the lirst with endless triy‘ial pursuits. the seennd with dratights and mtiral reetitude are y'iy'idly and sharply pnrtrayed. 'lhey are. linw ey er. e\tremes. :is are the many and diy erse eharaeters. snme tilwhieh are highly amusing t lnr a shnrt time at least ) in their dreadlulness lady .liiliari.i is shallnwness perstinilied. l)r Redgill. gluttnny. 'l‘he authtirs inelinatinn tn mnralise. an inelinatinn w hieh later tiy'er‘ttink her literary skills. has resulted in eharaeters w liti. thtiugh largerthan lile.aie ultimately tinetiny'ineing. .‘ylary . the hernine. is little mnre than an uriw ay'ermg and irritating example nl piety.
l ltiwey'er. giy eii, that the stieial milieu til the time w astirie in w hieh a wnman‘s main aim in tile was in get her htitiks intn a stiitahle man. tir mtire aeeurately his ltirtune. perhaps the laek til depth in eharaeters is nnly tti he expeeted.
Set in a small tnw n near lidinhurgh. ( ‘myyriggy etiiieerns itsell w ith the allairs til the l lnpe lamin . w hnse mainstay is :\le\. the unmarrieddaughter whnpltiekily takes tin the linaneial r‘espnnsihility ltit‘ till Ltgetl lather. her leekless widnw‘ed sister and her ehildreii. .-\ll gntid. wtimanly attrihiites are Itserriit-ti it» .yit-t. partrttrittriy tritist- til the ‘tild maid y ariety'. inlly persey eranee and the l’reshy'terian wth ethie heliig. it \Vtitiltl seem. the mnst desirahle qualities. (rtiyyri'ggs is ntit. unlike Marriage. tiy'er tly‘ mnralistie. thtiugh diy'ine itistiee smiles tin titir hernine in the eltising ehapters. and thrntightitit the nny'el its authnrs seem at times a ttiueh inn
partial tti her. Alex is. thtiugh. seen