"...Mildred would never do anything wrong or foolish."
I reflected a little sadly that this was only too true and hoped I did not appear too much that kind of person to others. Virtue is an excellent thing and we should all strive after it, but it can sometimes be a little depressing.
Did we really need a cup of tea? I even said as much to Miss Statham and she looked at me with a hurt, almost angry look, "Do we need tea?" she echoed. "But Miss Lathbury..." She sounded puzzled and distressed and I began to realise that my question had struck something deep and fundamental. It was the kind of question that starts landslides in the mind.
I mumbled something about making a joke and that of course one needed tea always, at every hour of the day or night.
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
A book about all things spinsterish from the viewpoint of a (gulp) woman in her early thirties in post-war England. I adore that John Updike had a highly favorable review, as his work is so far removed from Barbara Pym's focus and sensibilities. It makes me like him all the more in the uncomfortable way I do.
A book about all things spinsterish from the viewpoint of a (gulp) woman in her early thirties in post-war England. I adore that John Updike had a highly favorable review, as his work is so far removed from Barbara Pym's focus and sensibilities. It makes me like him all the more in the uncomfortable way I do.
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