A Particular Place

by Mary Hocking

Set in a small West Country town, this new novel by the author of the trilogy "Good Daughters", "Indifferent Heroes" and "Welcome Strangers", concerns the family and social difficulties encountered by a newly-arrived vicar to the parish church of St Hilary.

Genres: Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Born in in London in 1921, Mary was educated at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Girls School, Acton. During the Second World War she served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (Wrens) attached to the Fleet Air Arm Meteorology branch and then briefly with the Signal Section in Plymouth.

Writing was in her blood. Juggling her work as a local government officer in Middlesex Education Department with writing, at first short stories for magazines and pieces for The Times Educational Supplement, she then had her first book, The Winter City, published in 1961.

The book was a success and enabled Mary to relinquish her full time occupation to devote her time to writing. Even so, when she came to her beloved Lewes in 1961, she still took a part-time appointment, as a secretary, with the East Sussex Educational Psychology department.

Long before family sagas had become cult viewing, she had embarked upon the ‘Fairley Family’ trilogy, Good Daughters, Indifferent Heroes, and Welcome Strangers, books which give her readers a faithful, realistic and uncompromising portrayal of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times, between the years of 1933 and 1946.

For many years she was an active member of the ‘Monday Lit’, a Lewes-based group which brought in current writers and poets to speak about their work. Equally, she was an enthusiastic supporter of Lewes Little Theatre, where she found her role as ‘prompter’ the most satisfying, and worshipped at the town’s St Pancras RC Church.

* Source

Reviews

[JimZ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy reading this book at all. ☹ 1.5 stars and that’s being generous. Weird, last week I read two books in a row that I rated 5 stars and this week two books in a row I have rated 2 stars and below. I’m on a roll...downhill! ☹

This book was about a vicar, Michael, who seemed to be down in the mouth oftentimes and his wife, Valentine, who enjoyed being the center of attention at local plays. They had a weird relationship....perhaps she wasn’t cut out to be a vicar’s wife...apparently they hadn’t had sex in a while. Perhaps they were falling out of love. Anyhoo he “falls in love” with another woman....no sex....I guess a couple of kisses and holding hands in a cemetery. Oh baby, hot stuff. 🤨

Long conversations about Christianity....and this, that, and the other thing...nothing of any great interest to me. Other characters were forgettable.

I noticed on GoodReads that the first book of her trilogy – Good Daughters (1981) - garnered enthusiastic ratings...so perhaps I will give that book a shot, and if I like it I will read the other two in the series, Indifferent Heroes (1985) and Welcome Strangers (1986).

Notes:
• A short biography of the author: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ho...
Reviews:
• https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2013/...
• this is interesting...a blog from heavenlyali in 2014 and how the blogger’s enthusiasm resulted in most of her oeuvre being available on demand from bello: https://shinynewbooks.co.uk/discoveri... (although I only found four of her books on abebooks.com from bello)
• his review gives everything away from the book...why do some reviewers do this???...https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v11/n...

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Mary Hocking is confirmed as the successor to Elizabeth Taylor and Barbara Pym”
So says the back cover of my 1990 Virago edition of A Particular Place. That is quite an accolade. This is the first Mary Hocking I have read, and on the evidence so far I would agree. Although I am not sure that there is quite the genius for the minutiae of everyday life and the depth of character that I find in Elizabeth Taylor’s work. That should not been seen as any major criticism, as I think Elizabeth Taylor to be almost unparalleled. With themes of marriage and unfaithfulness, and a clergyman his wife and the congregation of an Anglican church in a small West Country town – there are certainly plenty of similarities to both Elizabeth Taylor and Barbara Pym, and although Mary Hocking is neither of those writers, she is undoubtedly a worthy successor to them. Like Taylor and Pym I think Mary Hocking a keen observer of human beings – their expectations and disappointments in life portrayed with both poignancy and humour.
“Norah Kendall seemed to him to epitomize the irrelevance of his profession. Of course, it was a sin to think like this. He sat opposite her, aware that of the two he was the greater sinner and in no way drawn to her by this knowledge.
She raised her head and looked at him, immediately noting the lines of pain around the narrowed eyes. ‘How you must curse people who come on a Saturday afternoon.’ She spoke with wry concern, but the statement was too near the truth of his present condition for him to accept it with good humour. ‘I am always available, I hope.’ He was not given to pompous utterances and disliked himself the more.
‘Of course’ Something trembled in her face which could have been laughter. She looked out of the window while she composed herself and the afternoon sun caught a glint of red in the pale hair. She was at her best now. He had noticed before that in her moments of stillness this woman had that especial gravity which one sees in the faces of people who are listening intently to music, its harmonies reflected in their ordered features. Seen in this light she looked like a woman in whom one would place trust, eminently more suited to the job of counselling than was he.”
New vicar Michael Hoath with a penchant for candlelit processions finds his enthusiasm for challenge somewhat curtailed by the traditionalism of some of his parishioners. He clings resolutely to his faith, but sometimes finds himself patronised or misunderstood by others. Unknown to those around him, Michael has his own quiet struggles and disappointments. His wife Valentine – a keen gardener and amateur dramatist finding herself cast as Hedda Gabler in a forthcoming production, is perhaps not a natural clergy wife, although she seems able to the play the part of one when she needs to. When Michael falls in love with a member of his congregation, a woman “no longer young nor beautiful” Valentine is possibly more surprised than shattered.
Hester – a writer who happens to be Michael‘s aunt, find herself cast unwilling as confidant to Valentine, while Norah – another disappointed wife – turns to Michael. Norah the recent second wife of Hesketh Kendall – is finding it hard enough to adjust to her new life, when Hesketh’s daughter who openly loathes her new stepmother decides to visit – Norah knows she can’t cope. Hesketh is disappointed in his wife, finding she is not the saint his first wife was, that her domestic capabilities are not as seamless – poor Norah unable to simply produce beautiful meals as if by magic. Good natured, practical, Shirley Treglowan is a single mother – whose husband left her for a man – with an eighteen year old son bent on anthropology who slopes around the place acting the part of Neanderthal man.
Mary Hocking presents these excellent characters and their disappointments with wry humour and sympathy, her writing is very good indeed, the sentiments are not over blown and there is real understanding behind them. I think I am already a fan of Mary Hocking’s writing, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘A Particular Place’ and I will be looking out for more of her novels – especially her family trilogy Good Daughters, Indifferent Heroes and Welcome Strangers which looks right up my alley.
I find myself fascinated by who Mary Hocking was – I can find out virtually nothing about her even by googling. She was born in 1921 – so theoretically could still be alive – her books seem to have been published between 1961 and the mid 1990’s. Several of her books were published by Virago in the 1980’s and 90’s, although I suspect they are harder to find now. If anyone knows anything further please share it with me I am madly curious - and delighted to have discovered a new (to me at least) author. I wonder if Mary Hocking isn’t a writer we should all be reading and shouting about – getting her re-issued for everyone to enjoy.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a Barbara Pym fan. I read that Mary Hocking compared to Ms. Pym. So I bought this book.

I live in a large city and I was surprised that none of her books were in the library.
I'm also surprised that this book has only 15 reviews on Goodreads.

A Particular Place was quite good. Mary Hocking's knack of portraying characters and their expectations/idiosyncrasies/motivations is spot on.
The humor and slyness of her writing made quite a satisfying read. So many times I laughed outloud. I'm glad to have discovered Mary Hocking.

[Gerard Woodward · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn’t get into this, it’s about a vicar who moves into a new parish in a sm all west country market town, with his wife, and then gets involved in local community in more ways than a parish priest should. Descirbed as successor to Elizabeth Taylor and Barabar Pym – but she’s not in their league at all. The writing lacks the alive-to-the-strangeness-of-the-moment quality of those writers, and there is an oddly condescending, disdainful tone to the writing. Didn’t finish

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this first over 30 years ago and I had forgotten how good Mary Hocking is. It's a novel set in a quiet country town and the main characters' lives revolve around the church. It's an exploration of marital tensions, incompatible relationships, and unexpected fallings in love. The writing is very evocative, particularly about the natural surroundings and the gardens, but also very perceptive about the characters' inner lives.

[Cooper Renner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finely and quietly (and sometimes humorously) observed novel of the residents of a small west English town. Strong and clear writing.