Refreshing and light hearted; interesting reminders of how much manual work it used to take to run a house! Learned who Helen Wills was and added The Edwardians to my reading list

This was a charming and funny book with interesting insight into day to day life. I also now want to try my hand at growing indoor bulbs in the winter!

I've been reading this book, on and off, since I picked it up at a train station during a trip to Brighton in 2016. As a fan of Wodehouse and Beverly Nichols, I enjoyed hearing a humorous woman's take of the era. Writing about daily life, from the social responsibilities of country life to war work in beleaguered London, Delafield is clearly entrenched in the norms of her time, but enough apart to poke fun at them- and herself for participating in them. I was surprised that she showed so much self-doubt, and wondered if it was real or part of an assumed character. Either way, it helped me connect with her; somehow, the fact that someone who died decades before I was born has some of the same mental discussions that I do made her much more accessible. Her musings on war and mortality in the last segment, A Provincial Lady in Wartime, were a bit bittersweet, since she died in 1943 (though not as a war casualty.) If you like period pieces from The Long Weekend, British social history, and gentle humor, this is a fun series.

“(Note: Extreme sensibility of the French sometimes makes them difficult to deal with.)”

Okay, this one's a bit difficult to review. I did end up enjoying this book, however, ironically enough, it just wasn't interesting enough to fully capture my attention throughout, and especially after finishing. I haven't really thought about this book, it's made very little impact on me. And I realize how funny that is to say given the contents and the literal name of the book but I guess I expected something a little more. Nothing specifically "more" just...a little more. I laughed, I frowned, I pondered, but just not enough for the book to really speak to me.

I'm pairing this book with Diary of a Nobody so I am curious to see how that one holds up, especially after having read this.

***DNF!!!***

Please note - I did not finish this book. But I read more than I should have

The reviews led me to believe that this was enjoyable, and really no. It’s awful.

I found myself getting so frustrated with the writer, she lives a privileged life and much of her so called stress is self made. She’s rude, impulsive and many other horrible words.

I found I didn’t care at all, so I stopped reading it to find something to care about

An incredibily amusing account of upper-middle class life in 1930. The Provincial lady appears to have it all - yet struggles with social engagements, keeping her staff happy and growing bulbs in the attic. She worries about keeping up appearences, with such characters as the formidable Lady B, Our Vicar's Wife and the man-eating Pamela Pringle. I really enjoyed the relationship with Robert, he was very entertaining as he gave mostly one line replies as curtail his wife's latest plans.

3.5 stars