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Family Ties
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
11 posts | 7 read | 5 to read
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kwmg40
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

I'm somewhat behind with the #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub schedule but finally finished this one. I did enjoy following the interactions of the villagers, even if most of the characters were thoroughly unpleasant!

#192025 #1952 @Librarybelle
#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#BookSpinBingo
#ISpyBingo (cosy vibes )
#PumpkabooHunt (medium)

@ImperfectCJ @Bookwormjillk @TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper

Ruthiella I‘m glad you liked it. Everyone was pretty awful in the novel, I agree! 😂 3w
LeahBergen What @Ruthiella said! An all around disagreeable bunch. 😆😆 3w
Bookwormjillk 🍎🍎🍎 3w
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PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 3w
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3w
Librarybelle Yay!! 3w
37 likes6 comments
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Amiable
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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#Tagyoureit @rubyslippersreads ! You posted a book with an image of trees on it, which fits this week‘s theme for the scavenger hunt! If you spot another Litten posting a book with a tree on it anytime this week, tag them to keep the game going!

TheBookHippie 🌳🌳🌳🌳 4mo
Chrissyreadit 🎉🎉🎉🎉 4mo
44 likes2 comments
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rubyslippersreads
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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What an unpleasant family! Although living cheek by jowl with all of your in-laws would probably make most people cranky. 😏 And I did want to find out what happened, in spite of the unlikeable characters.

#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

Tamra Yes! It would drive me batty to live with them if I didn‘t work outside the home to get away. The son who was the market grower had it best. 😜 4mo
Ruthiella Agree, everyone was pretty terrible and yet I did want to know what would happen. 😂 Their social sphere was way too small. No wonder Mrs. Rockaby was dying to move back to London. 4mo
Ruthiella P.S. Nice call back to Mr. George‘s hobby/book in your picture! 👍 4mo
LeahBergen I was thinking the exact thing about living all together like that!!! 😬 4mo
CarolynM It might not have been so bad if any of the other villagers had been people you could be friends with! 4mo
45 likes5 comments
review
CarolynM
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

What a charmless lot these characters were! I had trouble feeling sympathy for any of them, except maybe Lavinia who seemed to be doing her best. #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Ruthiella Lavinia and Mrs. Monsoon seemed OK. But the bar is very low! 😆 4mo
LeahBergen ‘Charmless lot‘ is exactly right! 😂 4mo
Tamra @LeahBergen 😂 great review & description! 4mo
Centique Lovely flowers! 4mo
rubyslippersreads I felt sympathy for the poor cat! 😾 4mo
67 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
Ruthiella
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

The middle and upper class of a small English village rub along together awkwardly in this novel. The eccentric Mr. Monsoon, the pretentious Mrs. Rockaby, the loony Lady Tyce, etc. There‘s no real plot nor any character to root for really, but I enjoyed it on the whole. It‘s often funny and has maybe a subtle feminist edge to it at times, but as @Tamra noted, much longer would have been too long.

LeahBergen That ditch! 😂 4mo
Tamra 😷😂 4mo
Tamra I really expected more about Mrs. Tyce and her poison pen! That could have been a really fun storyline. (edited) 4mo
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Ruthiella @LeahBergen The ditch is the only character that has a transformative arc! 😂 4mo
Ruthiella @Tamra For sure! 4mo
Tamra @Ruthiella 🤣 4mo
CarolynM Perfect picture! 🤣 @LeahBergen 4mo
Ruthiella @CarolynM You can almost smell it! 😷 4mo
rubyslippersreads I‘m surprised someone didn‘t get thrown into that ditch! 🤣 4mo
Ruthiella @rubyslippersreads Oh! That would have been quite something! I guess Mr. Monsoon winging his daughter-in-law was enough excitement. 😂 4mo
76 likes10 comments
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Tamra
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

“Yes”, Mr. Swan says to himself, “the human family. Yes.”

This is an observational study about how family members can love & drive one another crazy in equal measure. 😜

I really enjoyed it, but I‘m also glad it wrapped up when it did because family bickering doesn‘t provide much in the way of narrative drive.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Tamra In the end I sort of pitied Swan, despite being so rigid & insensitive to others. But, I suspect he‘s happier alone. (edited) 4mo
Tamra Also, Amy???? On the one hand yay for her getting out of an unhappy situation, on the other I can‘t applaud her abandoning her children. (Maybe she still sees them.) But that was bold for a 1950‘s plotpoint - women taking control of their destiny. 4mo
franciscopoppie Hi Tamra
I don‘t usually comment like this, but I must say, I‘m truly impressed by your profile and your personality. Your sense of humor really stands out too it's refreshing and inspiring 🌺❣. You can send me a message in my gmail: franciscopoppie@gmail.com
4mo
LeahBergen Swan is definitely cut out to be a “confirmed bachelor”. 😆 And I couldn‘t believe that Amy just up and left like that. I thought at first that her husband was just using fighting words when he accused her of not caring about the children. I guess he was right! 4mo
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LeahBergen
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

A novel about the “impoverished semi-gentry of a country village, consisting of cantankerous parents and frustrated adult children… Each family quarrels with itself in the same laconic and polite way”. That quote from an early review sums up the plot perfectly. It seems to have a more wry feel to it than many of our other #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub reads (and one of the best descriptions of an awkward tea party ever 😆).

I enjoyed it!

Ruthiella I‘ve not started yet, but based on your review and @Tamra ‘s comments, I‘m really going to like this one. 😊 4mo
Tamra Wry is the perfect adjective! I am loving how each family is perfectly imperfect in their own ways. 😊 (edited) 4mo
CarolynM It does seem to have a slightly different tone from many of the others - makes village life sound less appealing. 4mo
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Tamra @CarolynM village life always seems appealing until everyone can hear & comment on you sneezing. 🤧🤣 4mo
Cathythoughts I like the sound of this ‘Wry‘ one. Great review ❤️👍🏻 4mo
LeahBergen @Ruthiella I hope you like it! 🤞 4mo
LeahBergen @CarolynM @Tamra Yeah, I‘m not so sure that I‘d be the best fit for village life 😆 4mo
LeahBergen @Cathythoughts Thanks, Cathy! 😘 4mo
Ruthiella About 80% read now. That tea party! 😆 4mo
LeahBergen @Ruthiella Right? 😆 4mo
71 likes2 stack adds10 comments
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Tamra
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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😂 Celia has planted so many witty barbs & slights in this novel! Throughly enjoying it! #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Ruthiella Oh good! I was hoping for that kind of sharp edge. 4mo
LeahBergen Mr Swan is quite something, isn‘t he? 😆 4mo
Tamra @LeahBergen 😜 quite the catch huh???? 4mo
Tamra @Ruthiella definitely! Makes it fun. 4mo
47 likes4 comments
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Tamra
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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rubyslippersreads I can‘t get past using a match for a bookmark! 😳 4mo
Tamra @rubyslippersreads in a library book no less!😆 4mo
LeahBergen Novel reading?? Gasp! 😆 4mo
44 likes4 comments
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LitsyEvents
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Repost for @Ruthiella

👋 Hello #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub members! This is a reminder that our bimonthly pick for July is the tagged title. I‘m looking forward to this novel about village life in the mid century… it‘s my catnip, one might say.

All are welcome to join this group read. Read at your own pace, but please do tag the group if you review or post on it so we all can like and comment.

Let @Ruthiella know if you want to be tagged/removed.

Ruthiella Thank you! 😊 4mo
28 likes1 comment
blurb
Ruthiella
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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👋 Hello #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub members! This is a reminder that our bimonthly pick for July is the tagged title. I‘m looking forward to this novel about village life in the mid century…it‘s my catnip, one might say.

All are welcome to join this group read. Read at your own pace, but please do tag the group if you review or post on it so we all can like and comment.

If anyone wants to be tagged or be removed from the list, say the word. 😊

Tamra I can do this one! 😊 4mo
Ruthiella @Tamra Yahoo! 😃 4mo
willaful Sounds like a fun one. 4mo
See All 18 Comments
CarolynM Really looking forward to this one! 4mo
Kimzey Thank you! 4mo
catebutler Looking forward to this! 4mo
Ruthiella @willaful I agree. I think it‘s going to be amusing! 4mo
Ruthiella @CarolynM Me too! 4mo
Ruthiella @Kimzey You‘re welcome! 4mo
Ruthiella @catebutler I think it sounds delightful! 4mo
Sace Looking forward to this! 4mo
Ruthiella @Sace I have a good feeling about it. 🤞 4mo
Tamra Chapter 1 has me hooked! 4mo
Ruthiella @Tamra Fantastic! I will start later. I still have two books I want to finish in June. 4mo
LeahBergen Yayyyy! 👏 4mo
julieclair Catnip! Perfect way to describe books like this. 👍 Looking forward to it. 4mo
Ruthiella @LeahBergen Yippee! 🙌 4mo
Ruthiella @julieclair Yup! We all have our sub-sub-sub-genre sweet spots! 😅 4mo
59 likes2 stack adds18 comments