The Rector's Daughter

by F.M. Mayor

Dedmayne Rectory is quietly decaying, its striped chintz and darkened rooms are a bastion of outmoded Victorian values. Here Mary has spent thirty-five years, devoting herself to her sister, now dead, and to her father, Canon Jocelyn. Although she is pitied by her neighbours for this muted existence, Mary is content. But when she meets Robert Herbert, Mary's ease is destroyed and years of suppressed emotion surface through her desire for him.

First published in 1924 this novel is an impressive exploration of Mary's relationship with her father, of her need for Robert and the way in which, through each, she comes to a clearer understanding of love.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, 20th Century, British Literature, Modern Classics, Literary Fiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1924

About the author

aka Mary Strafford

Flora Macdonald Mayor was an English novelist and short story writer who published under the name F. M. Mayor.

Mayor's father, Joseph Bickersteth Mayor (1828-1916), was an Anglican clergyman and professor of classics and then of moral philosophy at King's College London; her mother, Alexandrina Jessie Grote (1830-1927),[1:] was niece of the utilitarian George Grote as well as the Anglican clergyman and Cambridge moral philosophy professor John Grote. Flora Mayor read history at Newnham College, Cambridge, before becoming an actress. She later turned to writing. In 1903 she became engaged to a young architect, Ernest Shepherd, who died in India of typhoid before Mayor was able to travel out to join him. She never married, and lived closely with her twin sister Alice MacDonald Mayor (1872-1961).

Mayor's first book was a collection of stories, Mrs Hammond's Children, published in 1902 under the pseudonym Mary Strafford. Her short novel, The Third Miss Symons, was published in 1913 with a preface by John Masefield.

Her best known novel is The Rector's Daughter (1924). She also wrote ghost stories, which were much admired by M.R. James. Correspondence and some literary papers are held at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Reviews

[Emily May · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that seemed far better once I had finished it.

Looking back over the story, there are many moments of poignancy, and the ending was so unsentimentally bleak that I felt I'd been knifed in the heart. But I struggled through much of this sluggish tale.

Persephone Books is brilliant for rescuing lovely plotless books from obscurity. Many of their books are hard to blurb because they are kind of about nothing... yet, they capture moments, feelings and characters so well, so truthfully, that they stay with you. But I don't think Mayor can write about nothing the way, say, Dorothy Whipple or R.C. Sherriff can.

The story in The Rector's Daughter follows the titular Mary Jocelyn through her life, first caring for her disabled sister and later her elderly father, missing out on much and sacrificing for others. There is an awful feeling I came away from this book with-- one of a life wasted. It's essentially about someone who wants so very little constantly almost finding fulfillment.

The true tragedy of the book-- and the very reason it is a slog --is that so little happens to Mary. It also does not help that there are no other standout characters. Had this been a Whipple book, the mundanity would have been balanced with some vibrant personalities. That was lacking here.

Not always a pleasure to read, but I am glad I read it.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another unexpected surprise by a relatively unknown female writer. I read the penguin modern classics edition; it is also published by virago.
Flora Mayor was a remarkable woman; she read history at Cambridge in the early 1890s; a great achievement. She then became an actress before turning to literature. She wrote short stories and several novels, which were well regarded. She was a writer of ghost stories which were greatly admired by M R James (the greatest writer of ghost stories ever!). Again I wonder why she is so little known. There is no individual biography of her. There is a joint biography of Mayor and her friend Mary Sheepshanks published in the 1980s by virago, called Spinsters of This Parish: The Life and Times of F.M.Mayor and Mary Sheepshanks

This is again one of those novels where not a great deal actually happens, but it is a sharp and perceptive analysis of the human heart, human relationships; loss, love, friendship and loneliness. The story is a simple one. Mary Jocelyn lives with her father a clergyman in a small isolated village in East Anglia in the early twentieth century. It is a quiet life; she nurses her sister Ruth until her death, visits locals and manages the household. Mary is in her 30s and there is no thought of marriage. Mary reads, writes occasional poetry and is thoughtful and Mayor portrays her as quiet, introverted with strong passions beneath the surface, but most of all as the intellectual equal of any man. Into her life comes another clergyman, just moved into the area, Robert Herbert. Herbert’s father was a close friend of Mary’s father and he begins to visit regularly. They begin to spend time together and a friendship based on mutual intellectual interests, a love of nature and general steadiness develops. They fall in love in a slow steady sort of way and become to all intents and purposes engaged.
Then Mr Herbert goes to visit relatives and suddenly he is engaged to a much younger and prettier woman (Kathy). Mary is heartbroken, but tells no one. She continues to be isolated and awkward in company, whilst Robert and Kathy marry. After some happy months they both become disillusioned and Kathy goes to stay on the Riviera with a “fast set” of whom Mr Herbert does not approve. Mary and Robert begin to see a little more of each other and it is clear they do have strong feelings for each other. One day Robert suddenly kisses her (her one and only kiss); they are both shocked and Mary leaves very quickly. She is tortured by this for the rest of her life and turns to writing poetry and caring for her aging father. At this time Kathy has to return home as she becomes partially disfigured as the result of a medical issue. This brings Robert and Kathy closer together and Robert soon forgets Mary. Kathy is mow isolated, lonely and bitter and turns to Mary for support, which Mary provides. When Kathy recovers she no longer needs Mary. The rest of the book follows Mary and her inner life over the next few years as she nurses her father and has to move out of the Rectory after his death.
It is all beautifully written and the characterisation is superb. None of the characters are one-dimensional. It would have been easy to make Robert Herbert unsympathetic, but he isn’t. It would also have been easy to make Kathy empty headed and entirely frivolous, but she is not. The minor characters are also strong. Mary herself is a tremendously complex and interesting character; there is a lot of repressed feelings and emotions between her and her father, which are barely spoken of. But Mary is so very believable and one does feel great sympathy for her; this is what makes the novel so devastating. Susan Hill is a strong advocate of this book, calling it one of the best of the neglected classics. She is right; it is a masterpiece.
There are few laughs (but there is a light ironic humour), no action, it is rather sad; but it is an exceptional novel about human relationships which should be on everyone’s reading list.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a story about a woman, Mary, who never thought she had a chance at love. She is thirty five when she meets the new minister in the village. Mary is a plain woman, but sensitive and intellectual. She lives her life for her family, Canon Jocelyn, her father, is extremely erudite and known as a scholar in his group. Mary, also takes care of an ill and dying sister. Mary is content in her role as devoted daughter and sister, but yearns for more. Her father loves Mary, but never shows his feelings. The time is the 1920s and men of his generation are not warm and confiding.

Mary first and only passion is returned by the minister. She believes after his trip, that he will announce their engagement. She is overjoyed with the thought of children and a full life. Alas, it is not to be. I had to stop reading this for a while when this happened, because it broke my heart. I am glad I read the rest and the ending is very lovely. The author reminded me of Jane Austen in her understanding of different types of people and her knowledge of the heart.

[Antoinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartrending book that left me bereft by the end.

We meet Mary Jocelyn, the rector’s daughter of the title. She is 35 years old. She is frequently described as plain but with beautiful eyes. She is selfless and kind. She cares for her mentally handicapped sister and her father, Canon Jocelyn, a strongly intelligent, opinionated, cold man. The villagers love her because of her thoughtfulness. The people of her class feel pity for her. I so felt her pain at being alone and not feeling loved. She had few true friends; she felt she was a disappointment to her father.
Into her life comes Robert Herbert, a clergyman from the next parish. There develops a special bond between them. Will he be whom she is longing for? Will her life finally become what she has dreamed of?
This book was written in 1924- the period after the war when there was a scarcity of men and many women ended up “spinsters”. Most of them became caregivers to their families.Mary’s story was beautifully rendered by the author. Did she ever feel that her life had been worthwhile? This is a quiet, introspective book. After I turned the last page, I lay in my bed, unable to sleep, as I thought about Mary and her life.

I loved this book! A perfect little gem!

Published: 1924

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartbreakingly poignant story of Mary Jocelyn, the rector's daughter.

Mary is a spinster in her mid 30's living in a faded Victorian rectory taking care of her faded Victorian, scholarly father and her disabled sister. She is one of the many thousands of 'surplus women' around at this time. She doesn't feel she is particularly loved, but at least she feels she is needed. Her neighbours mostly pity her for her lack of a life but, while she does feel very lonely, she is at least relatively content with her life such as it is. Occasionally she tries to grasp something for herself and at one point she heads up to London to try to get some of her poetry published; she ends up feeling hopelessly out of place at a party of Bright Young Things and her attempt is doomed to failure. Eventually, Robert Herbert, the son of one of her father's great friends, takes a nearby living and he stirs up feelings in Mary that she didn't think she would ever get to experience.

I'm surprised that this book is not that well known, especially as it is on the Guardians 1000 books to read list. It is beautifully written and is one of those stories that I think will stay with me for a long time.

Re-read 29/04/23.
Re-read 04/04/24

[JimZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel about a woman in her mid-30s who lives with her father, Canon Jocelyn, who is a clergyman of a town/village. Mary Jocelyn is described as looking rather plain in appearance (translation: not attractive). But eventually another clergyman, Mr. Herbert, is interested in her, while simultaneously interested in another woman, Kathy Hollings, who is younger than Mary and is more physically attractive. He chooses her over the rector’s daughter, Mary. And marries Kathy who is attractive on the outside but rather empty on the inside (at least from his perspective...he is educated and well-read...she is not well-read). So, is that the end for Mr. Herbert and Mary? No. You’ll have to read the book to figure out what happens with that situation. I shan’t tell. 😉 😌

I liked this sentence. It came at the end of a paragraph where the author is describing how Mary has to take care of an old Aunt and the daily grind that that entails (a lot of mundane tasks done over and over again day after day):
• Altogether, the Aunt Lottie part of the daily routine had something of a Sisyphus character.

Notes:
• In October 2009 ‘The Rector’s Daughter’ was described in the BBC's 'Open Book' program as one of the best 'neglected classics'.
• There were three typos that I found in this book, but I don’t know if somebody at Penguin messed up or whether the original edition had the typos. Who do I complain about this (i.e., the typos)?
• I have a fairly good idea of what caffeine does to a person...it is a stimulant, and certainly not a sedative. I wonder if Florence M. Mayor ever ingested coffee. I doubt it. This is what she has one of the characters say in the novel: “Let’s have some more coffee before we go to bed. There’s nothing like coffee for making one sleep.” 😯 😬

Reviews:
• https://bookishbeck.wordpress.com/201...
• If you want to read this book, do not read this review beforehand because it gives too much of the plot away...but it is a good review: https://bookssnob.wordpress.com/2010/...
• Same warning as that above...read this review after you read the book: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2015/...
• https://reading19001950.wordpress.com...

[Cecily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bleak beauty: an exquisite study of pain, loss, misunderstandings and missed opportunities, all overridden by duty. A few aspects of the plot are a little contrived and I was never quite convinced by the character of Kathy, but the emotion is raw enough to justify these minor flaws.

Mary is in her mid 30s and living a lonely but useful life with her father (a canon in the Church of England) in a dull East Anglian village, between the wars. Her life is marked by loss from childhood onwards and she is generally "crushed by the invincible force of her father's inaction". Her father is fond of her, but unable to express it, in part because he is disappointed in and confused by her, and he is unaware of the hurt his thoughtless put-downs cause. Another time her father "grieved for her, but doing as he would be done by, he let fall no word of sympathy". For a while she funnels her love into her learning-disabled sister, "finding something to treasure in what others shunned", but the sister dies. She devotes herself to parish duties; she "attracted confidences, particularly sad ones".

There are fleeting glimpses of opportunities, but people, circumstances and Mary's own inhibitions conspire to prevent anything coming of them. She meets a man, but is "too humble to be repelled by his dullness". Love comes from another quarter, but it's a perilous path and she feels so guilty for such an incredibly minor transgression that she feels outcast from her religion. "She was exalted in ecstasy, but... with duty paramount her ecstasy took the form of good resolutions."

There are some wittier insights too, such as "Dora came from the section of the middle class which is so good and kind it CAN NOT be rude (Mary came from the section above it, which CAN)"; the fact that shy people make the best hosts because they dislike being left out, and wishing to live in London "where sympathy was not so omnipresent".

"On the whole she was happy", despite "her sad past, from which she refused to be free" and the book is similarly sad but captivating.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel reminded me of something important: that it is a lot easier to write an engaging novel about someone(s) exceptional, with extraordinary talents and/or dropped into unusual circumstances. It takes considerably more literary skill to write a beautiful, fascinating novel about one ordinary person to whom very little happens. Many of the former type of book can be found everywhere. Mayor has managed the much rarer latter form with 'The Rector's Daughter', which recounts the life of Mary Jocelyn.

I have to give 'The Rector's Daughter' five stars, not least because it managed what very few books have - it made me cry. On a train, even. It may be a contributory factor that I relate to Mary. I defy anyone to read this novel and not do so at least a little, but as I too am a spinster I felt especially sympathetic to her. Mayor recounts the minor occurrences and limited circle of people that constitute Mary's life with exceptional sensitivity. She and her friends, relatives, and acquaintances are brilliantly, utterly convincingly brought to life. Despite the absence of very dramatic events and lack of famous or historically significant characters, I was utterly fascinated with Mary's story. Her life felt real and moving in a way that few writers manage.

It was this that made the book so desolate. The narrative voice is cool and wonderfully paced, showing the inner complexity and humanity (I can't think of a better word) of Mary, then revealing in other scenes how she is seen, talked of, and remembered by those who knew her. This is a novel that understands loneliness, better even than Rilke's The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (urban male loneliness is by no means of the same character as female rural loneliness, though). Despite the great similarity in subject matter, it is also utterly different to Orwell's A Clergyman's Daughter. In that, Orwell dwelt on a socio-economic system his protagonist was caught in, without sparing her much sympathy as a person. Thus, his novel is merely depressing, whereas 'The Rector's Daughter' is devastating.

I realise that using such adjectives as desolate and devastating doesn't amount to much of a recommendation. It should, as this novel is truly brilliant. Don't read it if you want something to simply cheer you up; I'd suggest Gideon Defoe's pirate adventures or something by Steve Aylett for that purpose. This is a book to remind us of the complexity and depth of inner life within every single person we come across. Everyone we walk past in the street has their stories, their memories, their joys and tragedies. Some fiction inadvertently conveys the idea that most people are cyphers. This novel (some dated comments about the 'lower classes' aside) powerfully demonstrates the exact opposite.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for Spinster September 2025 with Susan. This was a perfect choice for this readathon. There are several types of spinsters here, including the Redlands family that has several spinster daughters who are always busy and bustling about their good works and haven’t much emotional intelligence. But most of all this is a beautifully intimate look into the heart and mind of Mary Jocelyn, a “typical” spinster in her care for her elderly rector father, and an untypical spinster in her large emotional landscape, her deep feelings, and her careful navigation between duty and desire. Mary has one love affair that takes some very unexpected twists and turns. Mayor uses this and Mary’s relationship with the Herberts to such good effect. I was constantly surprised at the next chapter just when I thought I knew exactly how something would play out. I loved Mary’s relationship with her father too. I thought it would be portrayed simply but it got increasingly complex and that felt so human. Our relationships are always so multi-layered.

P.S. The Persephone introduction is written by Flora Mayor’s great-niece. She writes that Flora and her siblings, as children, had “an ongoing debate about the merits of Charlotte M Yonge” (vi). 😍

[Felice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered The Rector's Daughter while poking around on Virago's website. I like Virago. They only publish books written by women which is interesting but not what draws me to them. They publish two of my very favorite authors: Angela Carter and Sarah Waters and I am a huge fan of the Virago Modern Classics series. These are neglected, out of print books that Virago brings back into print. By re-issuing these titles Virago helps to broaden what books constitute The Classics. Don't think that I'm whining when I point out that for centuries men decided what The Classics were, I'm not it's just the way it's been. With few exceptions women writers did not have the same opportunities to get published as men did and their works were generally not taken as seriously as the writings of their male counterparts. Virago redresses that. And. Let me be honest. By publishing books that are new to me because they are brand new and books that are new to me because they had gone out of print makes me feel like there is even more that I get to read which is so wonderful.

The Rector's Daughter was written by F.M. Mayor and originally published in 1924. It caught my attention for two reasons. The intellectual reason is that the title sounds like it could be a novel by Trollope, one of my many favorite authors. The other reason is the secretly-I-am-12 reason. Rector? Damn near killed her. Okay. I have gotten that out of the way and can now move on to a book I adore.

Dedmayne Rectory is in decline. Canon Jocelyn is aging rapidly, the house itself is an out of fashion pageant to Victorian decorating and Mary, the Rector's daughter, is a 35 year old spinster. Mary's life is organized by parish activities and the care of her sister Ruth and their Father. If Mary had lived in a different time or a different household Ruth's death might have freed her to develop a more independent life of her own. As it is the loss of Ruth only seems to cement Mary's loneliness. Her attempts to expand her world are thwarted by her not unkind Father. She experiences a brief but deeply felt romance with the arrival of Mr Herbert but what she wants is out of her reach and Mary has never learned how to pursue.

Take a bare bones look at the plot and not much happens but read The Rector's Daughter and you experience a lifetime of small lives. There is a community of richly drawn characters circling Mary. Mayor used these characters not just to believably populate Dedmayne but also to highlight Mary's Victorian life verses her desires. Her journey outward isn't dramatic or life changing by today's standards but Mary's Victorian upbringing had not prepared her for personal growth let alone what the world would expect of her in the Jazz Age.

F. M. Mayor wrote a fantastic, delicate masterpiece but how did she also manage to make this quiet novel a page turner? Incredible talent or writer voodoo? Her Mary is a complicated woman and the unfolding of her emotional life had me enthralled. I absolutely loved this book. Thank you Virago for making The Rector's Daughter available for me to be amazed by.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sought this out because Susan Hill hails it as a forgotten classic and it’s included on a list of books to read in your thirties in The Novel Cure. It’s a gentle and rather melancholy little 1924 novel about Mary, the plain, unmarried 35-year-old daughter of elderly Canon Jocelyn, a clergyman in the undistinguished East Anglian village of Dedmayne. “On the whole she was happy. She did not question the destiny life brought her. People spoke pityingly of her, but she did not feel she required pity.” That is, until she unexpectedly falls in love. We follow Mary for the next four years and see how even a seemingly small life can have an impact.

I expect Berthoud and Elderkin chose this as a book for one’s thirties because it’s about a late bloomer who hasn’t acquired the expected spouse and children and harbors secret professional ambitions. The struggle to find common ground with an ageing parent is a strong theme, as is the danger of an unequal marriage. Best not to say too much more about the plot itself, but I’d recommend this to readers of Elizabeth Taylor. I was also reminded strongly at points of A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence and Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s a short and surprising classic, one well worth rediscovering.

Note: Flora Macdonald Mayor (1872–1932) published four novels and a short story collection. Her life story is vaguely similar to Mary Jocelyn’s in that she was the daughter of a Cambridge clergyman.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books set in an inconsequential english village with inconsequential characters who live dull, prosaic lives. All of the action takes place in the thoughts and emotions of the Rector's daughter and the people she knows and loves. But what a rich, beautiful book! You will remember these people and their lives long after you turn the last page.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This seems to me an unusually fine novel. It is deeply felt, and of the highest sentiments. I was surprised at every turn by new revelations about the characters, and moved by the depiction of their struggles and joys.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

No one could accuse F M Mayor of writing a cheerful story, but she certainly wrote a beautifully poignant one, and one I found very readable. I have been circling around this novel and The Third Miss Symons for some time, knowing already that there would be a degree of sadness to the stories of stagnant lives that Mayor appears to have particularly written about. I have Simon and Karen’s 1924 club to thank for giving me the nudge to read The Rector’s Daughter my first F M Mayor novel.

Flora M Mayor, like the woman she created in this novel was the daughter of a clergyman. However according to Janet Morgan in her introduction to this edition, Flora was nothing like her heroine Mary Jocelyn. I was rather delighted to learn that Flora seemed to have had quite a bit of spirit about her.

Mary Jocelyn is in her mid-thirties and already fading, her life has been one of quiet, respectful duty. Living in the home of her father Canon Jocelyn, Dedmayne Rectory a house as faded as its occupants, Mary is pitied by her neighbours for the reduced life she is living. Having devoted herself to her father, her recently deceased, disabled sister, and the few wants of the villagers Mary has little to look forward to. An occasional visit from her childhood friend Dora, a short holiday to Broadstairs with her Aunt, is what her life has become. Her father is an octogenarian of Victorian values, a man of cold reserve, he has no idea of Mary’s inner life, and he takes her and her continual presence for granted.

full review: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2015/...

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this a beautiful, evocative, brave and touching story. It's hard to say more without spoilers, but it's absolutely the sort of thing I love, being a woman's story of the 1920s. The generation gap between Mary in the 20th century and her father stuck in the 19th century made me wonder if there is a similar thing happening now, between the 20th and 21st centuries, but I don't think so. I think the big changes now are all about technology, not about attitudes. Changes in attitudes happen, but more smoothly. There's nothing like the abrupt changes that happened in the 1920s and again in the 1960s.

I think this book would be a lot more popular if it had a traditionally happy ending, which is sad, but I don't think it is a sad book. The life depicted is just not run-of-the-mill.

[Mela · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I think there is always a barrier with every one," said Mary. "Even if some unusual emotion seems to break it down, it is there again the next time."

An interesting character-driven novel. F.M. Mayor created a fascinating personality study. It was very satisfying as such.

Yet, I must admit I was struggling with interest at the beginning. Until around a quarter of the book I was telling myself: "Try the next chapter yet, give the novel more chance". But then, finally, it clicked. Perhaps there were too many discussions with Canon Jocelyn at first. No matter what. For the rest of the book, I didn't think of abandoning it.

[Mandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I struggled with this one and did not get on with it ultimately, I found it quite dull and the characters unlikeable. The style was too dry. I read the first third and then skimmed the rest. The relationship between Mary and her father was interesting though. I don't mind a sad story or ending for that matter but there was not enough to keep my interest.

[Abigail Bok · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review contains some spoilers; I couldn’t say what I wanted to without them.

Mixed feelings about this 1924 novel reprinted by Virago. On the one hand, it subtly follows the meanderings of people’s feelings in their social interactions and private reflections, showing great insight into the human mind; on the other, it has an often clumsy storytelling style full of explanatory pronouncements from the narrator.

The rector’s daughter of the title is Mary Jocelyn, the spinster daughter left behind to care for her father after all her siblings have dispersed or died. The father, Canon Jocelyn, is an austere, scholarly sort of rector, stuck in his nineteenth-century mind-set, quicker to criticize than to praise. Mary as a result is shy and self-doubting, plainer and more awkward than necessary, overlooked or pitied by most who know her. Not surprisingly, she has a much richer inner life than her acquaintances suspect.

In her thirties she meets a neighboring vicar whom she comes to love. For a moment it seems he loves her too, but of course for a man the smorgasbord of opportunity is more richly set and he settles elsewhere.

There is a nerviness to many heroines of 1920s novels that makes me distinctly uncomfortable. This one wavered between steely reserve and bouts of tears that left me wondering if she were bipolar. A certain amount of that cycling may be considered a natural outcome of life’s vagaries; too much can leave me feeling that I’m being prurient by reading about it.

The story isn’t purely tragedy, nor is there a final twist that makes all right in the end. Like reality, it falls somewhere in between and is messier than stories of this sort tend to be. I have mixed feelings about that as well: I admire the author for refusing to take the well-trodden road, but I prefer reading the stories that do. I don’t want fiction to imitate life, I want it to improve upon life, and I love a sense of resolution that doesn’t rely on death.

There were some lines that were Austenesque in their deftness at summing up a character: “She was as used to being adored as having her breakfast.” But there were also many awkward summations of what should have been made obvious to the reader via scenes: “The son who had nearly broken his heart roused but tranquil and inaccurate interest now. The tempests of life can die down as though they had never been.” Chapter endings were especially prone to these moments of exposition, which set me at a distance from the story. I kept checking to see how many pages I had left.

[Sandy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of these books that nothing really happens, and yet it's still an enjoyable read. It's about Mary Jocelyn, who is described in the book as plain who lives with her father, Canon Jocelyn, an intelligent but cold man. Mary inherits her fathers intelligence, but as a woman, she does not have access to an education. She looks after both her sister and ultimately her father as he ages. It is a mundane life until she meets a rectar from the next village, Robert Herbert. Their friendship develops into love, and she believes that they will be engaged. However, she is disappointed when he marries Kathy, a younger, prettier, but less intellectual woman. Initially, all is well in the marriage, but it turns sour so Kathy and Robert spend time apart with Kathy going to the Riviera with friends. Whilst she's away, Mary and Robert kiss, and as a spinster, she remembers this throughout her life. Kathy has a face altering operation whilst abroad and returns to her husband, who supports her, and as a result, Mary once again takes a back seat. It's very sad in places, and to give context, there were a lot of spinsters due to the shortage of men due to the war, however I wanted her to find someone because of her intellect but this was not to be. I wanted to love it, but it was a classic that found difficult to engage with. There wasn't enough to hold my interest. It felt clumpy, and in parts, it dragged for me. The ending of the book was very sad and redeemed the dragging middle section. There are other classics that hold my attention far more, but I am glad I read it.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this on Book at Bedtime while looking for something to listen to while knitting. The first episode was not compelling, but it was easy listening, so I persisted. It’s actually a quiet little gem, exploring the bland, unassuming life of rector’s daughter Mary. There is frustrated, unexpressed passion beneath her mild surface, and the final chapter is very moving.

Not much happens; it’s all about the believable, well-drawn characters. Mr Herbert is not a simple cad, and Kathy, who initially seems ghastly, actually grows up — rather like Jane Austen’s Emma.

It was beautifully read by Juliet Stevenson. I particularly loved her posh girls’ voices — you could see who they were in your mind’s eye just from the sound of them.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wikipedia page for F.M. [Flora Macdonald] Mayor says: In October 2009 this was described in the BBC's 'Open Book' programme as one of the best 'neglected classics'. I completely agree! This novel is a superlatively gentle, subtle but acutely-observed exploration of social relations in 1920s England. It was first published by Virginia Woolf's Hogarth Press in 1924, and it's easy to see why Woolf would have been attracted to it.

Mary Jocelyn is the daughter of a highly intellectual parson in a small and very dull English village. Canon Jocelyn belongs to that remnant Victorian England generation that is impeccably proper but austere, completely disabled by their inability to reveal their inner self, especially (shudder) through any expression of emotion. The worst of Mary's generation, by contrast, has embraced every aspect of the Roaring Twenties: self-expression, a delight in the superficial (especially, personal appearance), the pursuit of excitement and pleasure, and an absence of moral fibre. Mary doesn't belong to either, and is failed by both.

This novel flows at its own gentle pace, with a focus on developing each of the main characters. It took me a while to adjust to the lack of "action", but the reward is an extraordinary richness and complexity. Characters I hated (at first) reveal a positive side to themselves; characters that redeem themselves lapse into old habits; despair turns to hope; happiness turns to despair; loyalty is proven, then abandoned; enemies become friends; leopards regain their spots.

Without giving anything away regarding the plot, I can say that this beautiful little novel offers the most tender, genuine, nuanced portrayal of love, loss, and the honest dignity to prevail against the cruel vicissitudes of life. I found it deeply moving. Truly an overlooked and forgotten classic.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quietly heartbreaking.

Took me a little while to get into this but eventually I was hooked! Beautiful ending.

One of my favorites of the year so far!

[Toast · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to keep reminding myself that this was the fore-runner because now the story is so typical. But in 1924 it was ground breaking to vocalise it. The sad tale of Mary's life unfolds as the lot of many 'gentlewomens' did in that age - the unmarried daughter left to look after the ageing parent until such times as they fall upon the kindness of a relative or the church or the lot as a paid 'companion' to another elder personage. Oh it frightens me silly.
Toast

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neither of us can remember buying it, yet the book has a label declaring that it has been bought since second hand book shops went in for bar codes. (In other words within the last few years). One of us must have bought it and carefully placed it on the correct shelf. *My new year's resolution is only to read books already on the shelves (except for research) in an attempt to save a few pennies and to ensure I get a little closer to reading every book I own before I die. However it came to be on the shelf, I chose it because it was there, because I'd never heard of either the novel or the author, because it had been deemed a modern classic by Penguin in 1973 (the date my copy came off the presses) and because, even if I don't think the cover particularly suits the novel) I was taken by the portrait on the front.

All I can say is that I am very glad I did. It grabbed hold of me within a very few pages and took me into a world that was as real and true as any I have been taken to by her contemporaries. It's the truth (I measure this with a passing knowledge of history and a deep sense of how much I care about the characters) that makes it stand out. The venn diagram of my life and the life portrayed in the novel has only a small area of common ground. I don't know what it must have been like to be Mary Jocelyn through experience or study or reading. Until I read this book that is. Reading, writing and acting are all creative skills. They allow us to re-create ourselves as others and to experience life as other people felt it. Depending on our experience and skill levels we can do this well or badly or not at all. Even the very best writers, readers, actors need brilliant scripts; in fact only the best scripts will allow them to reveal their truths. This is a remarkable script. A remarkable novel.

* Thanks to another Goodreads reviewer, I've just remembered that I bought the book after it was praised by Susan Hill in Howards End Is On the Landing.

Q. Does this book contain the first use of the word "groovy"?

[Lewis Woolston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. Heart Rending. Sad beyond words.
I can't think how else to describe this book.
The plot is fairly straight forward. Mary lives in a Rectory in a small English village that time has passed by. Her father, The Rector, is a relic of the Victorian era as is the Rectory itself. She had a sister who died years ago and a brother who left for Canada years ago. Her entire world is the church and the village and the solitude of a spinster's life.
Then a man enters the scene, for a moment it looks like she might have a happily ever after after all.
She experiences her first and only kiss. Recives her first and only love letter. Then the situation changes, the man marries another woman. Mary retreats back into spinsterhood and solitude.
This is so well written, the author really wrings the emotion out of each page until your heart feels like it can't bear any more.
You have to read this book.

[Karen M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really entirely a life of quiet desperation but virtually. The glimpses of Mary’s writing being accepted and feted but dashed by Dermot both at the start and the end was almost too much for me. The innate selfishness of the patriarchal male is horribly revealed - and their comfortable niches within the Church of England- it was a revelation to me that this was written in 1924 . The elegiac writing is wonderful to read even if you find yourself tutting with exasperation at the events . Why can’t Kathy fall from the church tower ... or just stop talking.
A glimpse back in time to a time which seems to be simultaneously both kinder and harsher.

[SueLucie · Rating 5 out of 5]

She remembered the moment that she could say after all life was not over. It was when she heard the small piping song a robin was making to himself, different from the loud chirp with which he greeted his human friends, realising how deaf and stupid they were. She had heard it and enjoyed it hundreds of times. Now it spoke to her with inexpressible consolation.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mayor is the missing link between Jane Austen and Barbara Pym. Lovely book.

[Daisy Greenwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I overall did really enjoy this book. I didn’t expect to because the first half was slow. However, I did learn to love Mary as a character and in the end I really felt for her. The development of her relationship with her father was also heartwarming. I also enjoyed how the author jumped between the lives of different characters with each chapter.

[Ginni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Virago for republishing this; the author was completely unknown to me. I chose it because a Goodreads reviewer gave it 5 stars, and also there was a copy in my local public library system.
It is a sensitive exploration of human relationships, set against a very quiet, dull rural setting in East Anglia, U.K. in clerical households. Mary is a complex and sympathetic character, and eventually Kathy, the beautiful daughter of an old county family, is also revealed as having more depth of feeling than one might originally credit her with.
I found it hard to have much sympathy for the male characters; Mary’s father, the scholarly and reclusive elderly rector of Dedmayne, is harsh and critical of his sons and daughter, and unable to show them any affection. I didn’t particularly warm to the Reverend Herbert either.
This is very much a period piece in some ways, with very funny descriptions of Bright Young Things, avant guard literary London, and the insensitivities of the county hunting set. There are also excellent descriptions of the lives of Anglican spinsters of a certain age and their good works. Of course, even the Reverend Herbert’s wife has a ladies maid, and there are always cooks, housemaids and gardeners, hardly mentioned, toiling away in the background. The main curiosity to me was the almost complete lack of mention of WW1, which must have had a seismic effect on even the quiet country backwater of Dedmayne.