tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4942500966976732451.post4574458270254678734..comments2023-10-31T09:56:10.369+00:00Comments on Verity's Virago Venture: Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont (1)verityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16825551404394913715noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4942500966976732451.post-18056290228870621932012-11-17T13:19:30.040+00:002012-11-17T13:19:30.040+00:00@heavenali - I see we both made a connection betwe...@heavenali - I see we both made a connection between the ageing theme in Mrs Palfey and in Brookner's Strangers. As Soup Dragon commented, one can get melancholic about ageing or simply surprised that age has crept up on you: no doubt many people experience both these reactions.<br /><br />@Darlene - I think you are right to identify loneliness as also being a theme of this book. It is a subject that has been on my mind the past few days, leading me to speculate I would have found Mrs Palfrey a tougher read this week than I did two or three weeks back.David Nolan (David73277)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16898875181095358216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4942500966976732451.post-30463870718493412492012-11-15T17:31:16.414+00:002012-11-15T17:31:16.414+00:00This is a great post - so nice to hear the thought...This is a great post - so nice to hear the thoughts of people who are new to Elizabeth Taylor. <br /><br />There are a couple of Anita Brookner novels - that have ageing as a central theme - I'm thinking of Strangers - her most recent novel - and Visitors. Although the charcters in these novels don't live in institutions. They are wonderful novels, but far more melancholic than ET however. Also Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym - from what I remember - again rather sad has a really melancholic approach to thios subject. As a subject in fiction itself - it doesn't put me off - but I can imagine it not being a subject that might put off some people - especially very young people perhaps.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4942500966976732451.post-43250237969738627152012-11-15T15:42:47.465+00:002012-11-15T15:42:47.465+00:00A very interesting format and ensuing conversation...A very interesting format and ensuing conversation!<br /><br />I read a book about elderly people set in Florida close to when I read this one - "Sun City" by Tove Jansson, but it suffered in comparison with Mrs P!LyzzyBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16398604923871095647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4942500966976732451.post-16996374305507219502012-11-15T15:17:17.140+00:002012-11-15T15:17:17.140+00:00Comment from SoupDragon:
There's so much to t...Comment from SoupDragon:<br /><br />There's so much to think about here. Ageing in fiction has recently been on my mind after reading a couple of collections of short stories by Alice Munro; one written recently and one written in the 1970s. I was particularly interested to see how the way Munro portrays older characters has changed. In the earlier collection, the elderly feel very different from the young and can't identify with them at all. In the collection written more recently, the elderly still identify with their youthful selves and can't believe that they really are so far away from youth. verityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01645380186218270629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4942500966976732451.post-80064859854819743082012-11-15T13:17:09.727+00:002012-11-15T13:17:09.727+00:00You have some wonderfully insightful guests on you...You have some wonderfully insightful guests on your interview sofa, Verity! Great post and like Laura, I can't wait for more.<br /><br />I knew Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont was going to be a darn good read but it surpassed even this fan's expectations. I LOVED it! <br /><br />The issue of loneliness comes up quite a bit when this novel is talked about. Perhaps it's just me but I rather like being on my own and pottering around as an elderly person doesn't put me off in the slightest. The guests at The Claremont all had the capacity to seek out company and that's what they did by venturing down to the lounge every day, just as any young single would do who wanted to make a friend. Yes, to be pushed aside by family can be heartbreaking but people spread out across the globe these days. A feeling of family is where you make it...just look at the kindness and friendship on these blogs! So if I spent hours and hours on my own in a nursing home, don't assume I am lonely.<br /><br />Lovely to hear from you again, Verity! Darlenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07415316482631852565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4942500966976732451.post-13811778085732348482012-11-15T12:28:13.428+00:002012-11-15T12:28:13.428+00:00I really enjoyed this post and the perspectives th...I really enjoyed this post and the perspectives that David and Jo brought to the book. I can't wait for more!Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07219439074687598827noreply@blogger.com