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August Folly
August Folly | Angela Thirkell
7 posts | 10 read | 23 to read
In the Palmer and the Tebbens families, we meet two of the less congenial figures among the Barsetshire gentry; young Richard Tebbens and Louise Palmer. However, since Thirkell's people are never all of a piece, bossy Mrs Palmer's nasty treatment of Margaret Tebbens is partially redeemed by her handsome apology and Richard's heroic rescue of young Jessica Dean from a bemused bull leaves him unreformed in his selfishness. Action centres around amateur theatricals which include young and old, upstairs and downstairs and affords plenty of scope for romance. One is reminded of Mr Bennet's observation "For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?". Incidentally, where but here do we see allusions to Mr Frank Churchill and Mrs. Norris with the expectation that we, as well as the characters, will understand the reference to novels of Miss Austen.
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review
Jess_Read_This
August Folly | Angela Thirkell
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Pickpick

“Miss Tebben, I love you to distraction. Could you possibly give me any hope?”

•This line is just so reminiscent of one Jane Austen would have written. This was such a delightful and timely August read. A novel of a village play, a wryly observant donkey, a mishap with a bull, a dinner party created with absconded accompaniments, a moonlit stroll or two, and as always, one or two couples get engaged in the end. ❤️

#viragomodernclassics #virago

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blurb
LeahBergen
August Folly | Angela Mackail Thirkell
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A little afternoon reading with my lovely bookish cup from @rubyslippersreads . 😘

BookNAround I do love Angela Thirkell‘s books. 💕 4y
MsMelissa Nice cup. Also, I bought my first Angela Thirkell book last week - High Rising - and it‘s all your fault 🥰 4y
mabell I loved this one 4y
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catebutler That cup is divine!! And Thirkell. *sigh* what a perfect set up. 💓 4y
Cathythoughts @Book_Fiend_Melissa I also bought my first Angela Thirkell Wild Strawberries 🍓 Yes Ms Bergen has a lot to answer for ... 😂 4y
batsy Oooh 😍 4y
LeahBergen @Book_Fiend_Melissa I hope you like it! 😘 4y
LeahBergen @mabell I‘m really enjoying it! 4y
LeahBergen @catebutler My husband has recently taken a liking to this cup and I laugh whenever I see him using it. 😂 4y
LeahBergen @Cathythoughts That one is a really fun little summer read. I hope I haven‘t steered you wrong. 😆 4y
LeahBergen @batsy 😘😘 4y
76 likes12 comments
review
mabell
August Folly | Angela Thirkell
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Pickpick

I have been so busy since I stepped off the ferry from France, that I haven‘t given any updates on my time in England! It‘s been a whirlwind!

And, isn't my new tennis dress smart?

I have spent most of my time in country, visiting the Deans, Palmers, and Tebbens. Our visit got off to a slow start, but it accelerated quickly with busyness of country life - tea, tennis, cricket, donkey-carts, a village play - and romance. ⬇️

mabell I had such a good time with my new friends that I hated to leave, but I'm happy to say I leave them well.
I'm off to Wales now, but don't worry I'll update my travel diary soon ❤️

#BackPackEurope #WhimsicalTour
6y
tpixie ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
AlaMich I really enjoy Angela Thirkell! 6y
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Cinfhen Great hashtag ✨✨✨ 6y
mabell @tpixie @Cinfhen Thank you! ❤️ 6y
mabell @AlaMich It was definitely a #blameitonlitsy choice - I had never heard of her! I really enjoyed it, and I will definitely look into her other books. Do you have any favorites? 6y
AlaMich @mabell I haven‘t read very many of her Barsetshire books yet. They do have a sort of very loose chronological order, with High Rising being the first. This is a good article: Life, Love and the Pleasures of Literature in Barsetshire https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/04/opinion/04fri3.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share 6y
mabell @AlaMich Thanks for sharing! I saw there was some order, but the characters didn't seem to repeat. I'll check out the article! 6y
63 likes8 comments
review
catebutler
August Folly | Angela Thirkell
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Pickpick

Angela Thirkell was born on January 30, 1890. After two failed marriages, she returned home & decided to become a professional writer to make ends meet. Her first book, THREE HOUSES, is a memoir of her happy childhood & was an immediate success. She continued to write 29 novels, nearly a novel a year between 1933 and her death in 1961, all of these are set in the fictional English county of Barsetshire - a nod to Trollope. (cont. in comments)

catebutler Many who read Thirkell would say her books focus on love, since each of her novels ends with an engagement, but love is just the device that brings her books to a point. What interests Thirkell the most is people, all sorts of characters make their way into each of her novels. 6y
catebutler Her novels are also filled with literary references, which this reader adores. As the reader, you‘ll hear the constant mention of familiar authors being passed back and forth between characters and scenes. 6y
catebutler Thirkell is often accused of being nostalgic, describing an idyllic time period and certain kind of life in the English countryside. An updated Jane Austen, preoccupied with romance and the mundane. But, I would say, that this is the perfect antidote for everything going on in the world today. 6y
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AlaMich
August Folly | Angela Thirkell
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I decided to start this anyway, although I haven't read one of these Barsetshire books in several years. I think this series could be described as a bit of an updated Jane Austen, at least in their setting and the preoccupation with mundane matters and romance. The perfect antidote to the stress and chaos we are living at the moment. My library copy is not this cool Virago edition though. #relaxingread

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BooksForYears
August Folly | Angela Thirkell
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Happy birthday to author Angela Thirkell, whose book August Folly expertly channels the heat of summer in the English countryside!

merelybookish Cute shoes! 😃 7y
StephBengtson I love this picture! 💕 7y
rubyslippersreads Gorgeous picture! 7y
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saresmoore Great photo! 7y
MaleficentBookDragon ❤️ your photos! 7y
OriginalCyn620 Nice pic! 👌🏻 7y
Mc_cart_ny Love those shoes!! 7y
Lmstraubie Pretty, pretty picture 7y
diovival Love this! 7y
166 likes2 stack adds9 comments
blurb
BooksForYears
August Folly | Angela Thirkell
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#recommendsday - AUGUST FOLLY by Angela Thirkell is the perfect accompaniment to sultry late-summer days. Cricket matches, picnics, infatuation, and a production of HIPPOLYTUS mix with beautiful writing to make for a delicious summer read.

KimM Gorgeous picture 😍 8y
BookHermit If this picture isn't the perfect representation of late summer I do t know what is 🌻🌻🌻 8y
LaurenAsh This is what I want my life to look like today. 😀 8y
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[DELETED] 3144876009 Gorgeous pic! 8y
ImaginativeMom I LOVE sports, but cricket.. Dude.. That's some complicated stuff right there. 🤔 8y
Moonpa Beautiful photo! 8y
bookishbunny Gorgeous photo! 8y
AStoriedSoul Love this photo! 8y
BooksForYears Thank you, everyone ☺️ 8y
britt_brooke Pretty photo! 8y
Laalaleighh Cute shoes!!! 8y
kspenmoll Love your photo! 8y
LeahBergen I've been meaning to read her for ages. Is this a good one to start with? And those shoes! 😍 8y
DebinHawaii Great photo! 👍 8y
quirkyreader Hurrah, another Thirkell fan.🐸🐙 8y
BooksForYears @LeahBergen It's the fourth in the author's "Barsetshire Chronicles" series, but they're more of companion novels so you don't have to read them in any order. 8y
jveezer Tea! Great pic! 8y
172 likes16 stack adds17 comments