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Greenery Street
Greenery Street
PG Wodehouse described this 1925 novel as 'so good that it makes one feel that it's the only possible way of writing a book, to take an ordinary couple and just tell the reader all about them. It's the sort of book one wishes could go on for ever.' Greenery Street can be read on two levels: it is a touching description of a young couple's first year together in London, but it is also a homage - something rare in fiction - to happy married life. (It therefore makes an excellent wedding or anniversary present.)
Ian and Felicity Foster are shown as they arrive at 23 Greenery Street, an undisguised and still unchanged Walpole Street in Chelsea. Their uneventful but always interesting everyday life is the main subject of a novel that evokes the charmingly contented and timeless while managing to be both funny and profound about human relations. They struggle with their neighbours (who borrow without asking, and fail to return, first a step-ladder, then a fish-kettle and finally, the fruit-knives) and negotiate 'the chasm which separates the sexes'; financial crises ('Horrible, loathsome money, why must it come and spoil everything like this?'), Grandmamma's pearls ('They're the most hideous things you've ever seen in your life') and the acceptance of clandestine affairs ('Marriage isn't all jam, you know') serve to strength the bonds of their marriage.
Ian and Felicity Foster are shown as they arrive at 23 Greenery Street, an undisguised and still unchanged Walpole Street in Chelsea. Their uneventful but always interesting everyday life is the main subject of a novel that evokes the charmingly contented and timeless while managing to be both funny and profound about human relations. They struggle with their neighbours (who borrow without asking, and fail to return, first a step-ladder, then a fish-kettle and finally, the fruit-knives) and negotiate 'the chasm which separates the sexes'; financial crises ('Horrible, loathsome money, why must it come and spoil everything like this?'), Grandmamma's pearls ('They're the most hideous things you've ever seen in your life') and the acceptance of clandestine affairs ('Marriage isn't all jam, you know') serve to strength the bonds of their marriage.
392 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1925
21 people are currently reading
1641 people want to read
About the author
Denis Mackail
42 books10 followersDenis George Mackail was born in Kensington, London to the writer John William Mackail and Margaret Burne-Jones, daughter of the painter Edward Burne-Jones. Educated at St Paul's School, Hammersmith, he went to Balliol College, Oxford, but failed to complete his degree through ill-health after two years.
His first work was as a set designer, notably for J.M. Barrie's The Adored One and George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion (1914). The outbreak of World War I interrupted this promising start, however, and Denis, not fit enough for active service, worked in the War Office and the Board of Trade.
In 1917 he married Diana Granet, only child of the railway manager Sir Guy Granet, who was a director-general for railways in the War Office. The couple had two children, Mary (born 28 March 1919) and Anne (born 12 January 1922) and lived in Chelsea, London. It was the necessity of supporting his young family that led Denis to write a novel when office jobs became insecure after the end of the war.
With his novel published, his first short-story accepted by the prestigious Strand Magazine and the services of a literary agent, A. P. Watt, Denis was soon earning enough from his writing to give up office work. He published a novel every year from 1920 to 1938 and among his literary friends were P. G. Wodehouse and A. A. Milne.
During the 1930s Mackail lived at Bishopstone House, Bishopstone near Seaford, Sussex
As therapy from a nervous breakdown, Denis agreed to write the official biography of J.M. Barrie, which appeared in 1941. He went on to produce seven more novels and some books of reminiscences, but after the early death of his wife in 1949, he published no more and lived quietly in London until his death.
His sister was the novelist Angela Thirkell.
His first work was as a set designer, notably for J.M. Barrie's The Adored One and George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion (1914). The outbreak of World War I interrupted this promising start, however, and Denis, not fit enough for active service, worked in the War Office and the Board of Trade.
In 1917 he married Diana Granet, only child of the railway manager Sir Guy Granet, who was a director-general for railways in the War Office. The couple had two children, Mary (born 28 March 1919) and Anne (born 12 January 1922) and lived in Chelsea, London. It was the necessity of supporting his young family that led Denis to write a novel when office jobs became insecure after the end of the war.
With his novel published, his first short-story accepted by the prestigious Strand Magazine and the services of a literary agent, A. P. Watt, Denis was soon earning enough from his writing to give up office work. He published a novel every year from 1920 to 1938 and among his literary friends were P. G. Wodehouse and A. A. Milne.
During the 1930s Mackail lived at Bishopstone House, Bishopstone near Seaford, Sussex
As therapy from a nervous breakdown, Denis agreed to write the official biography of J.M. Barrie, which appeared in 1941. He went on to produce seven more novels and some books of reminiscences, but after the early death of his wife in 1949, he published no more and lived quietly in London until his death.
His sister was the novelist Angela Thirkell.
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April 23, 2024
Re-read 23/04/24 - still delightful.
This is a story of the first year of married life for a young couple, Ian and Felicity, and their first home on Greenary Street. We read about all their trials and tribulations, from learning to manage the household accounts to handling (or not) difficult servants and how to ask your neighbours to return your things. This sounds rather dull but I really enjoyed spending time with these two and was a bit sad to finish the book.
One to savour.
This is a story of the first year of married life for a young couple, Ian and Felicity, and their first home on Greenary Street. We read about all their trials and tribulations, from learning to manage the household accounts to handling (or not) difficult servants and how to ask your neighbours to return your things. This sounds rather dull but I really enjoyed spending time with these two and was a bit sad to finish the book.
One to savour.
September 1, 2016
Denis Mackail's Greenery Street (1925) brings something a little different to the female-dominated Persephone list, in that is one of the few novels they have chosen to publish which was penned by a man. I knew nothing about Mackail before I began to read - not even that he was the brother of celebrated author Angela Thirkell, whose works are currently being reprinted by Virago - but the introduction was fascinating, and I was left with the impression that he was a man I would have enjoyed spending time in the company of. He sounds like an awfully humble fellow; of his writing, he said, 'I was just trying to tell stories, to get bits of life on to paper, and, I suppose, to express myself. Where does all that gaiety and kindness come from when in real life I am a cynic and frequently a wet blanket as well?'
The Greenery Street of the novel's title is based on Mackail's Walpole Street, in which he lived; it 'consists of thirty-six narrow little houses - all, at first glance, exactly the same'. Mackail sets the scene immediately, and one feels utterly familiar with the street and its inhabitants, despite never setting foot in the locale: 'For though every young married couple that comes to Greenery Street does so with the intention of staying there for life, there are few streets where in actual fact the population is more constantly changing. And the first sign of this change is in almost every case the same. It is seen in the arrival of a brand new perambulator'. On this seemingly inevitable point of leaving the street - or, rather, of being 'forced out' of one's five-storey home as it is simply not big enough to house a child - the house itself is personified: 'For all the happy memories which the little house holds, it has already become his enemy. He knows this, and yet he can never hate it in return. Neither, though, can he allow it to see how much, how terribly, he minds.'
We are introduced to Felicity Hamilton and Ian Foster at the outset of the second chapter. The pair have been officially engaged for 'very nearly a fortnight'. The difference between them is vast - Felicity is frivolous and naive, and Ian is far more level-headed and pragmatic - but this makes the relationship between the two, and the way in which they interact, all the more interesting.
Every single one of Mackail's characters, whether protagonists or not, feel incredibly realistic. One could be forgiven for holding the opinion that a novel written entirely about the day-to-day lives of a married couple in the 1920s could be rather dull. Greenery Street does busy itself with such things as budgeting, ordering meals, and decorating, but it is rendered in such a way that mundane is one thing it is not. The details which he picks out are surprising in both his descriptions and perceptiveness: 'His heart melted to the consistence of a hard-boiled egg. His principles and scruples trickled out of the heels of his shoes. He loved this maddeningly unbusinesslike creature [of Felicity], more than anyone had loved anybody in the whole history of the world... What did anything matter so long as she clung to him like this, so long as her eyelashes flickered against his cheeks, and her heart beat so comfortably against his own?'
With regard to the novel's prose, Mackail is witty, presenting little wink-wink nudge-nudge asides to the reader at intervals. These additions to the main story are refreshing, and it is almost as though the reader is taken into his confidence: 'We haven't had much space for descriptions of people in this record so far; we have rather had to take them as they come; but we must try and squeeze in a paragraph for Mr and Mrs Foster's brother-in-law - if only because he was so shy that we should never get to know him if we waited for him to make the first move'.
As an author, Mackail is shrewd and acerbic; the Foster's maid, Ellen, is referred to throughout as 'the Murderess', for instance. Greenery Street is also filled with humorous details; when visiting the next-door neighbours for a dinner party of sorts, both Ian and Felicity are presented with drinks which they do not particularly want: 'Felicity, afraid of provoking him [Mr Lambert] again, took the glass which he offered her and managed, a little later, to hide it behind a photograph-frame on the mantelpiece. Ian - after a sip which came near choking him - found sanctuary for his on the floor under his chair. Mr and Mrs Lambert emptied their beakers with appreciative relish'.
There are interesting elements to the prose at points; some of the dialogue is rendered in play format, for example. The itemisation of Felicity's small library, along with details pertaining to any damage on each particular tome, was both simple and clever: 'Item. Shakespeare's plays in three volumes - one slightly damaged by water, the result of the owner's attempt to read Romeo and Juliet while having a bath. Damage occurred when owner was fifteen'. We are shown many of Felicity's inner thoughts too, which works wonderfully as it unfolds against her speech and actions.
Almost every book which gets Persephone's stamp of approval is a firm favourite of mine. Greenery Street is no exception. It is a perfectly compelling read, and one which I am going to be recommending as highly as I possibly can.
The Greenery Street of the novel's title is based on Mackail's Walpole Street, in which he lived; it 'consists of thirty-six narrow little houses - all, at first glance, exactly the same'. Mackail sets the scene immediately, and one feels utterly familiar with the street and its inhabitants, despite never setting foot in the locale: 'For though every young married couple that comes to Greenery Street does so with the intention of staying there for life, there are few streets where in actual fact the population is more constantly changing. And the first sign of this change is in almost every case the same. It is seen in the arrival of a brand new perambulator'. On this seemingly inevitable point of leaving the street - or, rather, of being 'forced out' of one's five-storey home as it is simply not big enough to house a child - the house itself is personified: 'For all the happy memories which the little house holds, it has already become his enemy. He knows this, and yet he can never hate it in return. Neither, though, can he allow it to see how much, how terribly, he minds.'
We are introduced to Felicity Hamilton and Ian Foster at the outset of the second chapter. The pair have been officially engaged for 'very nearly a fortnight'. The difference between them is vast - Felicity is frivolous and naive, and Ian is far more level-headed and pragmatic - but this makes the relationship between the two, and the way in which they interact, all the more interesting.
Every single one of Mackail's characters, whether protagonists or not, feel incredibly realistic. One could be forgiven for holding the opinion that a novel written entirely about the day-to-day lives of a married couple in the 1920s could be rather dull. Greenery Street does busy itself with such things as budgeting, ordering meals, and decorating, but it is rendered in such a way that mundane is one thing it is not. The details which he picks out are surprising in both his descriptions and perceptiveness: 'His heart melted to the consistence of a hard-boiled egg. His principles and scruples trickled out of the heels of his shoes. He loved this maddeningly unbusinesslike creature [of Felicity], more than anyone had loved anybody in the whole history of the world... What did anything matter so long as she clung to him like this, so long as her eyelashes flickered against his cheeks, and her heart beat so comfortably against his own?'
With regard to the novel's prose, Mackail is witty, presenting little wink-wink nudge-nudge asides to the reader at intervals. These additions to the main story are refreshing, and it is almost as though the reader is taken into his confidence: 'We haven't had much space for descriptions of people in this record so far; we have rather had to take them as they come; but we must try and squeeze in a paragraph for Mr and Mrs Foster's brother-in-law - if only because he was so shy that we should never get to know him if we waited for him to make the first move'.
As an author, Mackail is shrewd and acerbic; the Foster's maid, Ellen, is referred to throughout as 'the Murderess', for instance. Greenery Street is also filled with humorous details; when visiting the next-door neighbours for a dinner party of sorts, both Ian and Felicity are presented with drinks which they do not particularly want: 'Felicity, afraid of provoking him [Mr Lambert] again, took the glass which he offered her and managed, a little later, to hide it behind a photograph-frame on the mantelpiece. Ian - after a sip which came near choking him - found sanctuary for his on the floor under his chair. Mr and Mrs Lambert emptied their beakers with appreciative relish'.
There are interesting elements to the prose at points; some of the dialogue is rendered in play format, for example. The itemisation of Felicity's small library, along with details pertaining to any damage on each particular tome, was both simple and clever: 'Item. Shakespeare's plays in three volumes - one slightly damaged by water, the result of the owner's attempt to read Romeo and Juliet while having a bath. Damage occurred when owner was fifteen'. We are shown many of Felicity's inner thoughts too, which works wonderfully as it unfolds against her speech and actions.
Almost every book which gets Persephone's stamp of approval is a firm favourite of mine. Greenery Street is no exception. It is a perfectly compelling read, and one which I am going to be recommending as highly as I possibly can.
December 13, 2015
I can't think of many novels that feature a young, happily-married couple whose relationship stays that way throughout. Too often, unfaithfulness or some other problem intrudes. But that is certainly not the case with this charming, amusing and engaging story about the first year of marriage of a young, upper middle class couple in London in the 1920s. Persephone Books has scored another bullseye with 'Greenery Street'. Its author, Denis Mackail, is a new name to me. It's perhaps not surprising that he was such a good writer because he hailed from a literary family. His sister was the celebrated novelist Angela Brazil and he was a cousin of Rudyard Kipling. After penning a number of apparently well-received novels and other books, Mackail gave up writing when his wife died prematurely. If 'Greenery Street' is anything to go by, that is such a shame.
'Greenery Street' is an account of the domestic preoccupations and foibles of Felicity and Ian Foster as they settle down to life together in their first ever home: 23 Greenery Street, London. We learn (amongst other things) about Felicity's inability to spend within the couple's means; Ian's inability to come to terms with his wife's wish to have children; and the couple's whirlwind romance and the reaction to it of Felicity's parents. Mackail's writing and characterisation are first-rate. I particularly liked the depiction of the oh so English, clenched, head in the sand behaviour of Felicity's father. When confronted by any sort of emotional crisis, he tries to avoid dealing with it by complaining that he has 'flu and taking to his sick bed.
'Greenery Street' is not major literature. It's a miniature in the same way that the 'Mapp and Lucia' stories of EF Benson and the Anglo-Catholic comedies of Barbara Pym are. Although it features an upper middle class couple who have servants, it's essentially a chronicle of the ordinariness, the frustrations and the comedy of everyday life. Like Benson and Pym, Mackail writes with warmth, subtlety and humour. 'Greenery Street' is a very good novel. 9/10.
'Greenery Street' is an account of the domestic preoccupations and foibles of Felicity and Ian Foster as they settle down to life together in their first ever home: 23 Greenery Street, London. We learn (amongst other things) about Felicity's inability to spend within the couple's means; Ian's inability to come to terms with his wife's wish to have children; and the couple's whirlwind romance and the reaction to it of Felicity's parents. Mackail's writing and characterisation are first-rate. I particularly liked the depiction of the oh so English, clenched, head in the sand behaviour of Felicity's father. When confronted by any sort of emotional crisis, he tries to avoid dealing with it by complaining that he has 'flu and taking to his sick bed.
'Greenery Street' is not major literature. It's a miniature in the same way that the 'Mapp and Lucia' stories of EF Benson and the Anglo-Catholic comedies of Barbara Pym are. Although it features an upper middle class couple who have servants, it's essentially a chronicle of the ordinariness, the frustrations and the comedy of everyday life. Like Benson and Pym, Mackail writes with warmth, subtlety and humour. 'Greenery Street' is a very good novel. 9/10.
June 11, 2024
One of the most delightful books I've read in a while! This story is about newlyweds Ian and Felicity and their snug little flat on Greenery Strett (#23, to be precise). I love the way the narrator not only tells us the story of this adorable and likable couple, but also speaks to the reader in small asides, which are charming and hilarious.
I loved the conversations between all of the characters because they just felt so authentic. Partial sentences, unexplained exclamations, and garbled explanations are all part of real life. It was like having a glimpse into an actual friend's life (with their permission, of course).
This was a very huggable and wonderful book. I know I'll be reading it again - possibly every year! I only wish that this was a beginning of a series so that I could follow this couple forever. They are so sweet and I'm just dying to know more about them. I'm going to miss them now that the book is over.
Highly, highly recommended! The perfect book to read around Valentine's Day.
I loved the conversations between all of the characters because they just felt so authentic. Partial sentences, unexplained exclamations, and garbled explanations are all part of real life. It was like having a glimpse into an actual friend's life (with their permission, of course).
This was a very huggable and wonderful book. I know I'll be reading it again - possibly every year! I only wish that this was a beginning of a series so that I could follow this couple forever. They are so sweet and I'm just dying to know more about them. I'm going to miss them now that the book is over.
Highly, highly recommended! The perfect book to read around Valentine's Day.
April 1, 2024
Greenery Street is a 1925 novel by Denis Mackail, the brother of Angela Thirkell. I’ve tried to read his books in the past and haven’t gotten far, but this time I was determined to finish because it was a group read.
Mackail’s style bears a superficial resemblance to Thirkell’s, seasoned with a dash of Wodehouse. I enjoy both Thirkell and Wodehouse, so why don’t I enjoy Mackail more? Perhaps because I feel a bit patronized, or at a minimum catered to.
The titular Greenery Street of the story is a London street around Chelsea where many genteel newlyweds lease houses—at least till they fall pregnant, at which point they realize the houses are too small for a family. And so we meet Felicity Hamilton, daughter of well-off parents with ties to aristocracy, and Ian Foster her fiancé, a gentleman but one less well off, required to make his living by working in an insurance firm in the City. They marry on his salary, her allowance, and a small trust income, but considering that Felicity at least has never had to think about money, they experience a good deal of financial pressure. The book lightheartedly follows them through much of their first year of marriage.
There’s a good deal of drawing-room comedy and a slightly more serious subplot, and it’s all quite charming and witty. I went along merrily enough when we were in the midst of scenes; but the author kept feeling compelled to pull back from the action and crack wise from the perspective of an omniscient narrator—and that’s where he lost me. The narrator makes all the preoccupations of the young lovers seem so trivial that the reader feels ashamed to be enjoying herself, and he does it in a coy tone that put my back up. This type of comedy really only works when the author goes all in; when he feels he has to wink and mock his subjects, it spoils the effect. Mackail should have studied Wodehouse’s deadpan more closely.
So now I’ve satisfied my curiosity about Denis Mackail and can move on.
Mackail’s style bears a superficial resemblance to Thirkell’s, seasoned with a dash of Wodehouse. I enjoy both Thirkell and Wodehouse, so why don’t I enjoy Mackail more? Perhaps because I feel a bit patronized, or at a minimum catered to.
The titular Greenery Street of the story is a London street around Chelsea where many genteel newlyweds lease houses—at least till they fall pregnant, at which point they realize the houses are too small for a family. And so we meet Felicity Hamilton, daughter of well-off parents with ties to aristocracy, and Ian Foster her fiancé, a gentleman but one less well off, required to make his living by working in an insurance firm in the City. They marry on his salary, her allowance, and a small trust income, but considering that Felicity at least has never had to think about money, they experience a good deal of financial pressure. The book lightheartedly follows them through much of their first year of marriage.
There’s a good deal of drawing-room comedy and a slightly more serious subplot, and it’s all quite charming and witty. I went along merrily enough when we were in the midst of scenes; but the author kept feeling compelled to pull back from the action and crack wise from the perspective of an omniscient narrator—and that’s where he lost me. The narrator makes all the preoccupations of the young lovers seem so trivial that the reader feels ashamed to be enjoying herself, and he does it in a coy tone that put my back up. This type of comedy really only works when the author goes all in; when he feels he has to wink and mock his subjects, it spoils the effect. Mackail should have studied Wodehouse’s deadpan more closely.
So now I’ve satisfied my curiosity about Denis Mackail and can move on.
May 26, 2014
So evocative of the 1920's.
We follow Ian and Felicity in their first year of marriage living in Greenery Street.
I loved it and hadn't realised that Denis Macckail was Angela Thirkell's brother.
Another favourite author of mine.
We follow Ian and Felicity in their first year of marriage living in Greenery Street.
I loved it and hadn't realised that Denis Macckail was Angela Thirkell's brother.
Another favourite author of mine.
December 14, 2021
4.5. Utterly charming 1920’s fun. Like a glass of champagne.
August 19, 2022
I loved this book! It's pure delight, humor, and charm from beginning to end. It tells the story of the first year of marriage of upper middle class newlyweds Felicity Hamilton and Ian Foster, chronicling their trials and tribulations with money, servants, neighbors, and family, all while they grow accustomed to married life and get to know each other better as husband and wife.
The street on which they live -- Greenery Street, based on the author's own newlywed home on Walpole Street in London -- is almost a character in and of itself, and the story is told by an omniscient narrator whose wryly witty view of the comings and goings on that street, and of the foibles and youthful silliness of Felicity and Ian, is laugh-out-loud funny and yet never mean-spirited. There's such a sweetness to the Fosters' relationship, and their love for each other is at the heart of everything in the novel.
"Britain between the wars" is basically my favorite setting for a story, and I loved the 1920s manners and morals of the book. It's very much of its time, yet aspects of Felicity and Ian's relationship feel timeless and relatable for today's reader. Most of all, it's just a fun, humorous, completely enjoyable book, full of amusing characters and cozy domesticity that I know would appeal to many of you who are reading this review.
Five stars - I adored it, and know I'll read it again in the future.
The street on which they live -- Greenery Street, based on the author's own newlywed home on Walpole Street in London -- is almost a character in and of itself, and the story is told by an omniscient narrator whose wryly witty view of the comings and goings on that street, and of the foibles and youthful silliness of Felicity and Ian, is laugh-out-loud funny and yet never mean-spirited. There's such a sweetness to the Fosters' relationship, and their love for each other is at the heart of everything in the novel.
"Britain between the wars" is basically my favorite setting for a story, and I loved the 1920s manners and morals of the book. It's very much of its time, yet aspects of Felicity and Ian's relationship feel timeless and relatable for today's reader. Most of all, it's just a fun, humorous, completely enjoyable book, full of amusing characters and cozy domesticity that I know would appeal to many of you who are reading this review.
Five stars - I adored it, and know I'll read it again in the future.
July 23, 2018
'Greenery Street' is the account of a young couple's first year of marriage in 1920s London.
PG Wodehouse described this 1925 novel as 'so good that it makes one feel that it's the only possible way of writing a book, to take an ordinary couple and just tell the reader all about them.'
I couldn't agree more. I found the book utterly charming, and Ian and Felicity are adorable and so true to life. What is so appealing about the book is how 'normal' they both are, and how they behave as any of one us would.
They fight, they make up, they get involved in other people's business, they scrutinise the next door neigbours, they try to sack the maid, they lose money, they sell antique heirlooms, and they do all this with their beloved dog Ajax in tow (it reminds me a bit of Nick and Nora's dog Asta in 'The Thin Man').
I thoroughly enjoyed this. I don't think I have read a single bad Persephone book yet!!!!
Very sad that Denis Mackail's work is so unknown, he had a real talent for writing.
PG Wodehouse described this 1925 novel as 'so good that it makes one feel that it's the only possible way of writing a book, to take an ordinary couple and just tell the reader all about them.'
I couldn't agree more. I found the book utterly charming, and Ian and Felicity are adorable and so true to life. What is so appealing about the book is how 'normal' they both are, and how they behave as any of one us would.
They fight, they make up, they get involved in other people's business, they scrutinise the next door neigbours, they try to sack the maid, they lose money, they sell antique heirlooms, and they do all this with their beloved dog Ajax in tow (it reminds me a bit of Nick and Nora's dog Asta in 'The Thin Man').
I thoroughly enjoyed this. I don't think I have read a single bad Persephone book yet!!!!
Very sad that Denis Mackail's work is so unknown, he had a real talent for writing.
February 2, 2019
DNF @ page 273
This was not for me. It's not a bad book, objectively. The writing is witty and breezy. But I personally found it boring. There is no plot, the reader just tags along as two idiots go through their engagement and first year of marriage. I quite like cozy, cute books but this really was twee overload, and I couldn't handle the cringe-inducing scenes where they kept being ripped off by servants, neighbors and shopmen. Tried to read it twice, but decided to stop insisting.
This was not for me. It's not a bad book, objectively. The writing is witty and breezy. But I personally found it boring. There is no plot, the reader just tags along as two idiots go through their engagement and first year of marriage. I quite like cozy, cute books but this really was twee overload, and I couldn't handle the cringe-inducing scenes where they kept being ripped off by servants, neighbors and shopmen. Tried to read it twice, but decided to stop insisting.
March 10, 2024
"We none of us know what we're doing," he thought; "and none of us ever will. We're all, every one of us, in the same silly little boat."
A charming, funny story about the first year of marriage of a young couple. Their struggles with "money" and understanding "the other sex". And between the lines, one can easily find a few wise observations about sexes, and the life of a young (lower) upper-class couple in the 20ties of XX century.
Yes, I had firstly difficulties with interest and keeping attention. Almost every time I sat to read I needed time to feel into it, but when I did I had a lovely time.
PS I can easily imagine the friendship between Denis Mackail and P.G. Wodehouse, and that he was a brother of Angela Thirkell.
[4-4.5 stars]
February 9, 2018
Greenery Street sat patiently on my shelf for a while, as I saved this Persephone favourite for a time when I was in need of a cosy read, and it shone a bright ray of sunshine on an otherwise gloomy week in January. This lovely novel recounts nothing more (and nothing less) than a young couple’s relationship from their engagement through their first year of marriage. First published in 1925, the narrative is not particularly plot driven but rather provides vignettes of Ian and Felicity’s life together as a new family navigating financial difficulties, social engagements, awkward servant relations and minor squabbles.
Persephone Books recently posted an E.H. Shepard illustration for Greenery Street on Instagram, with a caption remarking that the novel is ‘bizarre because it’s impossible to imagine that our ancestors lived like that only 90 years ago, the change in the way we live now has been so HUGE.’ I both agree concur and strongly disagree with this statement.
On one hand, twenty-first century readers will find it remarkable that a five-storey townhouse in central London was ever considered inadequate to accommodate even one child. (Google Walpole Street, on which Greenery Street was based, if you want pictorial evidence). Such properties are now considered palatial and sell for millions of pounds, and anybody facing the bleak housing market in England today will regret that once upon a time these were considered starter homes for newlyweds. But I digress…
Additionally, gender roles obviously evolved dramatically in a century’s time, and Denis Mackail quietly illustrates how Felicity’s finishing school education has left her ill prepared for the limited work an upper-class housewife faced. She can’t manage the household accounts and mistakenly calls subtraction ‘substraction’. She struggles to budget and quells at any suggestion she ought to authoritatively manage servants who are twice her age. Without major purpose to fill her days, she aimlessly shops or visits her mother to pass the hours before Ian arrives home from his job in the City.
Despite these differences, so much of Greenery Street feels relatable. While it’s true that etiquette has radically transformed, most people can relate to that awkward feeling of not knowing what to say at social occasions; dealing with undesirable neighbours who, in this case, borrow an array of items without returning them and fight in front of their dinner guests; or that worry one is getting old and boring before discovering one doesn’t care.
And despite the iterations of ‘old chap’, ‘I say’, and ‘darling’, the exchanges between Ian and Felicity are both quaintly old fashioned and timeless. In one vignette, Ian responds with pessimism to Felicity’s suggestion that they attend a dance. Despite his objections of staying out late on a weekday and the horror of ordering two taxis, he quickly changes his tune when he realises he has hurt Felicity’s feelings and dampened her enthusiasm for a night out. Mackail informs the reader Ian finds it odd ‘that he was left begging his wife to do something that she really wanted to and that he didn’t. How the dickens had such an absurd situation arisen?’ (p. 220). Little dialogues like this reminded me of my own relationship and would, I suspect, be familiar to many couples.
With an abundance of fatalistic depictions of marriage in literature, it was lovely to acquaint myself with a couple who love each other as the novel commences and remain happily married as the narrative closes. It delighted me to read in the introduction that Mackail based Greenery Street on newlywed experiences with his wife Diana, to whom he remained happily married until she passed away. In short, Denis Mackail has gifted readers with a supreme treat, and it would be a tragedy to pass on it.
Persephone Books recently posted an E.H. Shepard illustration for Greenery Street on Instagram, with a caption remarking that the novel is ‘bizarre because it’s impossible to imagine that our ancestors lived like that only 90 years ago, the change in the way we live now has been so HUGE.’ I both agree concur and strongly disagree with this statement.
On one hand, twenty-first century readers will find it remarkable that a five-storey townhouse in central London was ever considered inadequate to accommodate even one child. (Google Walpole Street, on which Greenery Street was based, if you want pictorial evidence). Such properties are now considered palatial and sell for millions of pounds, and anybody facing the bleak housing market in England today will regret that once upon a time these were considered starter homes for newlyweds. But I digress…
Additionally, gender roles obviously evolved dramatically in a century’s time, and Denis Mackail quietly illustrates how Felicity’s finishing school education has left her ill prepared for the limited work an upper-class housewife faced. She can’t manage the household accounts and mistakenly calls subtraction ‘substraction’. She struggles to budget and quells at any suggestion she ought to authoritatively manage servants who are twice her age. Without major purpose to fill her days, she aimlessly shops or visits her mother to pass the hours before Ian arrives home from his job in the City.
Despite these differences, so much of Greenery Street feels relatable. While it’s true that etiquette has radically transformed, most people can relate to that awkward feeling of not knowing what to say at social occasions; dealing with undesirable neighbours who, in this case, borrow an array of items without returning them and fight in front of their dinner guests; or that worry one is getting old and boring before discovering one doesn’t care.
And despite the iterations of ‘old chap’, ‘I say’, and ‘darling’, the exchanges between Ian and Felicity are both quaintly old fashioned and timeless. In one vignette, Ian responds with pessimism to Felicity’s suggestion that they attend a dance. Despite his objections of staying out late on a weekday and the horror of ordering two taxis, he quickly changes his tune when he realises he has hurt Felicity’s feelings and dampened her enthusiasm for a night out. Mackail informs the reader Ian finds it odd ‘that he was left begging his wife to do something that she really wanted to and that he didn’t. How the dickens had such an absurd situation arisen?’ (p. 220). Little dialogues like this reminded me of my own relationship and would, I suspect, be familiar to many couples.
With an abundance of fatalistic depictions of marriage in literature, it was lovely to acquaint myself with a couple who love each other as the novel commences and remain happily married as the narrative closes. It delighted me to read in the introduction that Mackail based Greenery Street on newlywed experiences with his wife Diana, to whom he remained happily married until she passed away. In short, Denis Mackail has gifted readers with a supreme treat, and it would be a tragedy to pass on it.
January 21, 2008
This novel (first published 1925) concerns the first year in a young couple's married life. (A young couple of a certain class of course) They take a small house in Greenery Street - which is metephorically where all young couples of their class start their lives.
This is a very readable novel, touching and funny at times. Although there is at times an unseen narrator who addresses the reader in the manner of a greek chorus, explaining and or commenting upon certain habits and traditions of that society - a device I'm not all that keen on - although I did get used to it.
However the central characters are likeable, and often funny - they refer to their maid as The Murderess - as they think that is what she looks like. Their new married life takes some getting used to - although they are devoted to one another. There are confusions about money, how to ask their neighbours for their step ladder back, a slight fear of their servants, concerns about Felicity's sister and her husband and whether to go dancing or not. All in all very enjoyable, another treat form Persephone.
This is a very readable novel, touching and funny at times. Although there is at times an unseen narrator who addresses the reader in the manner of a greek chorus, explaining and or commenting upon certain habits and traditions of that society - a device I'm not all that keen on - although I did get used to it.
However the central characters are likeable, and often funny - they refer to their maid as The Murderess - as they think that is what she looks like. Their new married life takes some getting used to - although they are devoted to one another. There are confusions about money, how to ask their neighbours for their step ladder back, a slight fear of their servants, concerns about Felicity's sister and her husband and whether to go dancing or not. All in all very enjoyable, another treat form Persephone.
February 12, 2018
What a lovely book. I dove into this after becoming depressed by a litany of apocalyptic movie previews. How satisfying it was to take a stroll down Greenery Street, where everyone is absurdly in love and terribly overdrawn. If you're looking for an escape from the gloom of modern life, this is a great book for you. Denis Mackail's humor isn't as wicked as his sister Angela Thirkell's, but it is nonetheless charming.
As a happily married old dame, I found this to be highly refreshing; took be back to the halcyon days of our honeymoon apartment in Montclair, NJ.
As a happily married old dame, I found this to be highly refreshing; took be back to the halcyon days of our honeymoon apartment in Montclair, NJ.
September 25, 2015
It is so refreshing to read about two people - a couple - who like each other! Who actually like spending time together! And telling each other things!
This is a lovely - a charming - book. And funny too. At first I thought it was going to be a bit gentle and slightly stuffy but then I laughed out loud on page 17 and again on page 26 and then I knew it was going to be alright.
This is a lovely - a charming - book. And funny too. At first I thought it was going to be a bit gentle and slightly stuffy but then I laughed out loud on page 17 and again on page 26 and then I knew it was going to be alright.
June 18, 2012
I loved the drollness of this book about a young couple in their first year of marriage. It is perhaps the most charming of all the charming British novels I've read this year.
July 2, 2019
3.5 stars
June 4, 2014
This novel is a delightful account of the first year of a newlywed couple, Ian and Felicity, living together for the first time. It has been said that this is a rare gem in literature, since there aren't many stories out there about happy married couples. I guess their lives aren't exactly full of action and emotion, or not enough to pen rivers of novels about them. However, Denis Mackail turned this notion on its head with Greenery Street, and wrote a funny and endearing story based on his own years as a newly married man living on Walpole Street.
The voice of the narrator helps with the pace of the story - part third-person omniscient, part stage director, it adds to the charm of story, treating the characters with the right amount of tenderness and irony. But the narrator never makes fun of the characters - only of the situations. A great example of the care with which the characters are treated (and one of the most hilarious vignettes at the same time) is the conversation that takes place between Ian and Humphrey (Felicity's father), when Ian is supposed to ask permission to marry Felicity. The awkwardness of both men makes them skirt round the important matter, and they end up discussing college rowing teams instead of marriage.
I really enjoyed the happy couple dynamics, but I also enjoyed the contrast offered by Bruce and Daphne, Felicity's sister. Their marriage is not as happy as that of Ian and Felicity, and they have grown distant with time. While they never get the sole focus, the greatest conflict of the story stems from their unhappiness. I don't want to spoil it, so I won't say much about it, but it really sheds light on the views on marriage of the early twentieth century.
Greenery Street is as much of a character as the people who populate it. A fictional version of Walpole Street, it shared many things with the latter: young couples got their first house there, but abandoned it as soon as they had their first child, since the five-story houses couldn't accommodate the couple, the children and the servants. Denis Mackail described it as always having pantechnicon vans full of family furniture cared for by the newlyweds, young women with perambulators giving instructions to the pantechnicon men, and young couples talking to builders and estate agents. Nowadays, some aspects of the novel seem dated. Who would deem a five-story house too small? And what kind of middle-class young married couple could afford a cook and a housemaid? Despite that, Greenery Street feels decidedly modern on the whole. After all, some things never change, and couples still have to adjust to a shared life with everything that it entails: getting used to "odd" habits, defining personal space, paying off debts and whatnots.
The humour in this novel hit close to home, and I appreciated Greenery Street even more because of that. I definitely plan on reading more by Mackail. The good news? Some of his novels can be found (for free!) on the Internet Archive.
The voice of the narrator helps with the pace of the story - part third-person omniscient, part stage director, it adds to the charm of story, treating the characters with the right amount of tenderness and irony. But the narrator never makes fun of the characters - only of the situations. A great example of the care with which the characters are treated (and one of the most hilarious vignettes at the same time) is the conversation that takes place between Ian and Humphrey (Felicity's father), when Ian is supposed to ask permission to marry Felicity. The awkwardness of both men makes them skirt round the important matter, and they end up discussing college rowing teams instead of marriage.
I really enjoyed the happy couple dynamics, but I also enjoyed the contrast offered by Bruce and Daphne, Felicity's sister. Their marriage is not as happy as that of Ian and Felicity, and they have grown distant with time. While they never get the sole focus, the greatest conflict of the story stems from their unhappiness. I don't want to spoil it, so I won't say much about it, but it really sheds light on the views on marriage of the early twentieth century.
Greenery Street is as much of a character as the people who populate it. A fictional version of Walpole Street, it shared many things with the latter: young couples got their first house there, but abandoned it as soon as they had their first child, since the five-story houses couldn't accommodate the couple, the children and the servants. Denis Mackail described it as always having pantechnicon vans full of family furniture cared for by the newlyweds, young women with perambulators giving instructions to the pantechnicon men, and young couples talking to builders and estate agents. Nowadays, some aspects of the novel seem dated. Who would deem a five-story house too small? And what kind of middle-class young married couple could afford a cook and a housemaid? Despite that, Greenery Street feels decidedly modern on the whole. After all, some things never change, and couples still have to adjust to a shared life with everything that it entails: getting used to "odd" habits, defining personal space, paying off debts and whatnots.
The humour in this novel hit close to home, and I appreciated Greenery Street even more because of that. I definitely plan on reading more by Mackail. The good news? Some of his novels can be found (for free!) on the Internet Archive.
March 8, 2023
I adored this . His style is charming and flowing ; the characters well drawn and the story engrossing.
Those who disliked it , surprise me . It’s a period piece , it’s 1925 and certainly a different culture . I didn't realise that Denis Mackail was Angela Thirkell’s brother and it's interesting to learn that she was rather a bully and very overbearing.( Even through a fabulous writer )
Mackail reminds me of PG Wodehouse who thought that he ( Mackail) vastly surpassed Wodehouse . “ It’s the sort of book one wishes would go on forever” Praise indeed .
Those who disliked it , surprise me . It’s a period piece , it’s 1925 and certainly a different culture . I didn't realise that Denis Mackail was Angela Thirkell’s brother and it's interesting to learn that she was rather a bully and very overbearing.( Even through a fabulous writer )
Mackail reminds me of PG Wodehouse who thought that he ( Mackail) vastly surpassed Wodehouse . “ It’s the sort of book one wishes would go on forever” Praise indeed .
June 1, 2017
A novel of manners in 20's London -- a young couple settling to home on a street of houses where their neighbors are just like them. The narrator perches like a figurine on the mantlepiece and gives us the inner dialog of the new bride and her husband. The mismanagement of household finances and credit is observed -- there's even a sort of 'Gift of the Magi' moment -- as is redecorating,
seaside weekends, Granny's pearls, office life, and the disgruntled downstairs staff.
The couple were too embarrassed and self-conscious to discuss any topics concerning sex, like family planning, or her sister's affair. They seemed entirely scripted in their dialog and their relationship (this was Mackail's intent I'm sure). She was the dependent and adoring wife, he was the tender and responsible husband, and they could never admit to feelings that strayed from the ideal. Their marriage endures and is a happy one even so.
A re-issue from Persephone Books, with endpapers of a textile of the period. This time it's a rather ugly cretonne (pictured in the thumbnail).
seaside weekends, Granny's pearls, office life, and the disgruntled downstairs staff.
The couple were too embarrassed and self-conscious to discuss any topics concerning sex, like family planning, or her sister's affair. They seemed entirely scripted in their dialog and their relationship (this was Mackail's intent I'm sure). She was the dependent and adoring wife, he was the tender and responsible husband, and they could never admit to feelings that strayed from the ideal. Their marriage endures and is a happy one even so.
A re-issue from Persephone Books, with endpapers of a textile of the period. This time it's a rather ugly cretonne (pictured in the thumbnail).
July 29, 2009
The author described this as a faithful portrait of life. His reviewers described it as comedy. I find it somewhere between the two. It's a very unprentious sort of a book, easy to read, and while nothing big happens, it is alive with all the dramas of an undramatic life.
Quite nice.
Quite nice.
April 9, 2016
Just delightful. I spent most of my time reading it in calling out all the best bits to anyone else in the room with me. It is extremely funny, sympathetic, - and yes, possibly a little dated in some of the detail - but still timeless in its approach.
February 5, 2016
Sweet little book on the first year of marriage in 1925-ish London. It was well done, loved the details, but somehow I never got to caring about the characters or even liking them much.
February 16, 2012
Light and humorous, this is an enjoyable story of a young couple (with their Pekingese Ajax) and their first year of married life on Greenery Street in 1920s London.
Read
March 18, 2025I read this quite slowly and I had varying feelings depending on my mood. Sometimes I was delighted by its whimsy, and sometimes not so much.
The story of Ian and Felicity, getting married and starting out life together as a couple in a new home, full of period detail of every day life (in the upper middle classes) At first I thought it was just charming, the way it treated Greenery Street as a living entity, and quite funny, so let’s go with that rather than my grumpy chapters. A gentle read.
The story of Ian and Felicity, getting married and starting out life together as a couple in a new home, full of period detail of every day life (in the upper middle classes) At first I thought it was just charming, the way it treated Greenery Street as a living entity, and quite funny, so let’s go with that rather than my grumpy chapters. A gentle read.
May 28, 2018
Possibly this is really more of a four-star book than five-star, but dash it all, I just adored it. My life has been full of depressing and stressful situations lately, and what I wanted more than anything at the beginning of this holiday weekend was to pick up something that commanded my utter and complete attention. I feel like I've been on holiday for a week. How I wish this was just the first of a series about Felicity and Ian's life together.
March 21, 2021
Cute! This was written in 1925 so it really puts me in mind of PG Wodehouse. I think I need to go back and read all his titles again!
August 7, 2025
The perfect wedding gift!
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