Chatterton Square

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Without giving us any sort of salacious detail at all, she nonetheless makes it clear that one of the characters (Mrs. With the predictable exception of Mr B, all the main characters in the book are highly critical of Chamberlain's actions at this point. Mr Blackett is frustrated and confused by Rhoda, but Bertha Blackett actively dislikes her daughter Flora – while still loving her. Men are admired/tolerated if they are bold and show more interest in outdoor pursuits or machines than in the opposite sex. This was my first suggestion for the series (after the first two they had already picked when I came on board) – so glad you liked it.

The novel concerns two families living next to each other on Chatterton Square in Upper Radstowe – Young’s fictionalised version of Clifton in Bristol. So many felt that appeasement and compromise were the wisest course -- ludicrous now in hindsight, but very serious at the time. The first of these was The Misses Mallett, published originally under the title The Bridge Dividing in 1922. I’ve read a lot of mid-century women’s fiction lately and there are SO MANY terrible husbands — I’m just starting The Caravaners by Elizabeth von Arnim and OMG my eyes are rolling out of my head.When James ultimately shows more interest in Rhoda Blackett – who is much kinder and generous than her sister, very much in the mould of her mother, Bertha – Flora’s nose is put out of joint. I do hope you enjoy this novel whenever you get a chance to read it – as you say, it’s a real treat, wonderfully rich and nuanced. The setting is also interesting: though current events figure prominently, the run-up to World War II is discussed so obliquely that it was a while before I was sure whether it was the summer of 1938 or 1939.

For Rosamund Fraser who has two sons of an age to fight, and for Bertha Blackett who is married to a man determined to ignore the danger, the situation is indeed a terrible one. Nevertheless this is a small criticism compared to the delight of seeing these wonderfully realistic people going about their lives in the Square, being mostly kind and happy despite the shadows hanging over them. I'm not a huge fan of Zoom but I do love that I'm finally able to see members of this group face-to-face, especially since many of them live in the UK. H Young should have figured out that her readership understood that — Bertha does not like her husband anymore.

Throughout 1938, the summer of appeasement, when the possibility of war was stalking the country we are introduced to the Frasers and the Blacketts.